Pure Hazelnut Ice Cream (Premium Version with 35% Fat Cream)
Ingredients:
Hazelnuts: 200 g (ground into a pure paste as before).
Whole milk: 350 ml (increase by 50 ml to lighten the recipe).
Whipping cream (35% fat): 250 ml (reduce by 50 ml as it already provides twice the fat content).
White sugar: 120 g.
Eggs: 3 yolks (3 are enough; the 35% fat cream already provides a fantastic texture).
Vanilla extract: 2 or 3 drops.
Step by step:
1. The secret to flavor: Homemade hazelnut paste
Toasting (essential): Even if you buy pre-toasted hazelnuts, give them a quick toast. Place them in a dry pan over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for about 10 minutes. They should smell heavenly and be lightly browned (be careful not to burn them, as they will become bitter). If they have skins, rub the hazelnuts together with a clean cloth and the skins will come off easily.
Grind to a cream: Place the still-warm hazelnuts in a food processor, blender, or high-powered blender. Grind in batches. First, they will become powder, then they will resemble damp sand, and finally, they will release their own oils and become a smooth, creamy paste. Be patient; this takes a couple of minutes. Set aside a few chopped hazelnuts if you want to find some chunks in the final product.
2. The infused base
In a saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream. Add 2 or 3 drops of vanilla extract.
Add all the ground hazelnut paste to the saucepan and whisk well until it dissolves in the milk. Heat it over medium heat until it just begins to steam (without boiling) so the dairy absorbs all the nutty flavor. Remove from the heat.
In a separate bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks with the white sugar until pale and creamy.
Gently pour a splash of the hot hazelnut milk over the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them. Then, return everything to the saucepan.
Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (around 80-82°C if you have a thermometer). Remove from the heat immediately to prevent curdling.
3. Cooling and Ice Cream Maker
Let the cream cool to room temperature. Because of the hazelnut oil and the egg yolks, you'll see that it forms a very thick and aromatic base.
Transfer it to the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours (or overnight). The colder the base, the faster it will churn in the ice cream maker and the creamier the final result.
Turn on your ice cream maker, pour in the mixture, and let it churn for 20-25 minutes. If you saved hazelnut pieces for later, add them during the last 2 minutes of churning.
Why it tastes more intense: Grinding the hazelnuts into a paste breaks down the nut's cells, releasing all their aromatic oil. By mixing this hot paste with the milk and cream, you ensure that every milliliter of ice cream tastes like pure hazelnut, instead of a vanilla cream with nut pieces.
