Everyone who knows me knows I. Love. Ice Cream. On hot days. On cold days. On all days. But as someone who has a host of negative reactions to sugar, it is a rare treat. I do occasionally make different variations of Nice Cream (hint: frozen bananas with mix ins), but when I came across this Soft Serve Mascarpone Ice Cream by Lady & Pups, I knew I had to re-create my own version using our brand new Balsamic Reduction.
I was hesitant at first, because without an ice cream maker, my past attempts have turned into a solid block of perfectly good, hard to find, raw whole milk. But the mascarpone and addition of gelatin blended in the food processor assure a luscious, velvety concoction with very little effort.
"this laughably good… almost mockingly easy mascarpone soft-serve will very simply put, blow your mind." -Lady & Pups
Mascarpone is a rich, extra creamy cheese that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. You can think of it as cream cheese’s sophisticated older cousin. But despite its elegance, it’s relatively easy to make your own in about 10 minutes. Hailing from Italy, mascarpone is a heavenly for stuffing ravioli, it’s a perfect companion for peaches and honey in the summer, and it is simply divine when turned into silky smooth ice cream. (Imagine if frozen custard and cheesecake had a baby.) The balsamic blueberry reduction cuts the richness and creates the perfect sweet and tangy combo.
First, you evenly whisk whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and granulated sugar in a pot. Then, sprinkle powdered gelatin and salt evenly on top, bringing to a simmer. Cook and whisk for 1 minute until the gelatin has fully dissolved, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until completely smooth and lump-free. (An immersion blender makes this a breeze, but isn’t necessary). Pour the mixture into a shallow pan, then freeze for about 4 hours until hardened. Score the mixture into small cubes with a knife, then freeze again for another hour, or until needed. (You can make this several days ahead!)
While the mixture is freezing, simmer the blueberries in a small pot with enough Healthy Harvest Balsamic Reduction to evenly coat them.
When you’re ready to serve, add half of the cubed and frozen mixture at a time into a food-processor. Pulse until the cubes are chopped into small pieces (it will tumble reluctantly in the beginning but don’t worry, it’ll break), then run the food-processor with long pulses, scraping and breaking up large lumps a couple times in between, until the mixture is smooth and thick but blended. You can now scoop the soft-serve into serving cups, or with a piping-bag with star-tip if you want the swirl effect.
Add a scoop of the blueberry compote and drizzle with a touch of Healthy Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil.
There are only a few high quality ingredients and no ice cream maker or churning required, so there’s no reason not to treat yourself to this ultra decadent dessert. You only live once, right?
- 1½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2½ tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
- ⅛ heaping tsp salt
- 1¼ cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Healthy Harvest balsamic reduction
- MAKE THE MASCARPONE SOFT-SERVE: Evenly whisk whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and granulated sugar in a pot. Sprinkle powdered gelatin and salt evenly on top, then bring to a simmer. Cook and whisk for 1 min until the gelatin has fully dissolved, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until completely smooth and lump-free (an immersion blender could be used). Pour the mixture into a shallow pan, then freeze for about 4 hours until hardened. Score the mixture into small cubes with a knife, then freeze again for another hour or until needed. Can be made several days ahead.
- While ice cream is freezing, make compote. Add blueberries to a small pot, add enough balsamic reduction to coat berries evenly and simmer on low for a few minutes until thickened.
- Add the cubed and frozen mixture into a food-processor (no more than ½ at a time). Pulse until the cubes are chopped into small pieces (it will tumble reluctantly in the beginning but don't worry, it'll break), then run the food-processor with long pulses, scraping and breaking up large lumps a couple times in between, until the mixture is smooth and thick but blended. You can now scoop the soft-serve into serving cups, or with a piping-bag with star-tip if you want the swirl effect (do it quickly before it melts). Add a scoop of balsamic blueberry compote and a drizzle of Healthy Harvest greek olive oil. Garnish with basil if desired.