Almond Amaretto Ice Cream

I’ve been under a lot of stress these days.

Mostly because I can never decide what to wear in the morning or whether I really need to floss before bed. I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships, whether it’s a good idea to wear denim on denim, and if three glasses of wine can really count as dinner.

I think yes.

I’ve also been thinking about life. Like, you know… Real life. Grown up stuff. Jobs and apartments and how much a cup of coffee costs. Can we talk about that? Or can we just talk about ice cream?

Yup… I think I like that better.

I’ve been thinking a lot about ice cream this summer. Have you? Of course you have.

I’ll be the first to admit I have just a slight obsession with ice cream. Really, it’s more of a fascination. We actually have a really good thing going and it’s totally normal. Take this almond amaretto ice cream for example. The taste? Don’t even get me started. And there is alcohol involved.

Total grown up stuff.

Almond Amaretto Ice Cream

(yields 5 cups, about 10 servings)

Ingredients:

2/3 cups almonds, roasted

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup amaretto

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in an even layer on a non-greased sheet pan. Bake the nuts for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice so that they toast evenly. The nuts should be lightly golden brown. Let the nuts cool completely, then rub them in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the skins as possible. Finely chop the almonds in a food processor.

Warm the milk with 1 1/2 cups of cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour in the amaretto and then slowly add in egg yolks, one by one. Cook over medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Once the mixture starts steaming, and just before it starts to boil, remove it from the heat and continue to stir. Add the vanilla and stir until combined.

Cover and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight. Place an ice cream maker in the freezer and freeze until cold.

When ready, pour mixture into the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the almonds during the last 5 minutes of churning.

Let the ice cream firm up in the freezer for a few hours before serving.

Happy noming!

Nutritional information (per 1/2 cup): 220 calories, 11g fat (>5 sat, 5.4 mono, 1.5 poly), 22.5g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 1g fiber