{"id":305,"date":"2017-07-27T11:38:22","date_gmt":"2017-07-27T18:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/?p=305"},"modified":"2017-07-23T15:25:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-23T22:25:00","slug":"candy-cane-ice-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/27\/candy-cane-ice-cream\/","title":{"rendered":"Candy Cane Ice Cream"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my family, Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) and post-Christmas day were important. Because of sales. Because of candy sales. Specifically candy canes. Every single type. The rainbow colored ones. The green ones. The purple ones. And…of course the classic red and white candy canes. (And then there are those who get too many candy canes and holiday cookies over the season…)<\/p>\n

Granted, this ice cream is slightly out of season. At first, I thought that I should just call it peppermint ice cream. But let’s fess up, shall we? I bought candy canes the day after Christmas at Walgreens (after standing in the cold trying for the Book of Mormon lottery) for less than a dollar.<\/p>\n

\"Whole<\/p>\n

But how was I supposed to talk about it on this blog without sounding like a cheap ass? At first, I thought of different ways to pitch it. At restaurants around the city, I spotted peppermint candy\u2014those after-dinner mints. So could it be peppermint ice cream? But it was rather clear that I bought a huge candy cane and ground it down to mini bits and pieces. So let’s be honest here. I am a cheap ass<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Christmas has never been a big event in my family (to me, December is the most boring month of the year). As a result, the post-Christmas sales always captivated my attention like any hungry spendy consumer.<\/p>\n

\"Crushing<\/p>\n

Not to mention my love of sugar has made candy canes quite appropriate for the person that I am. Unlike my previous recipes, I used a custard base to make the ice cream more fuller and richer. Because firstly, ice cream (and December) is meant to be indulgent. Eat all that butterfat, you suckers! Play around with the number of egg yolks which adds or subtracts the richness and FAT. I have always found six to be a nice balance.<\/p>\n

The dfficulty of crushing candy canes may vary. I initially used my well-loved mini food processor which grinded to a halt. So I recommend either crushing by hand (in a plastic bag using a hammer, stomping or similar tool) or strong blender\/food processor. Unfortunately, my blender made the pieces almost dust-sized, which was perfect for my general dislike of mix-ins. Pulse if you want larger pieces.<\/p>\n

Note 1: Initially, I thought that I had peppermint essence so used 2 tablespoons. To my surprise, I read the label more closely and it was peppermint oil. Aka peppermint oil stronger than peppermint essence. My ice cream was completely MINTY. Consider using less, but the result was still quite spectacular. If you use peppermint essence, add 3 tablespoons to achieve the same intensity for my ice cream. For standard intensity, 1 tablespoon should be enough.<\/p>\n

Note 2: Make the pie crust<\/a> with those holidays cookies as I did (before I took care in my food photography).<\/p>\n

\"Adding<\/p>\n

Recipe<\/h3>\n

Ingredients<\/h4>\n

4 cups (or 1 quart) of half and half
\n6 egg yolks
\n1 cup of sugar
\n2 tbsp of peppermint oil (for something less strong, use about 1-2 teaspoons)
\nCandy canes (about 2-3 regular-sized candy canes; ground into pieces using a food processor or put in a plastic bag and crush it to itty bitty crumbs)<\/p>\n

Method<\/h4>\n

In a medium saucepan, heat the half and half and 1\/2 cup of sugar to a simmer.<\/p>\n

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining 1\/2 cup of sugar until blended. The sugar helps prepare the egg yolks so they do not scramble. <\/p>\n

Temper the egg yolks by pouring one cup at a time of the warmed cream mixture. Whisk the mixture after every cup. Return the contents into the pot and place over medium heat. Stir frequently. The custard will thicken. Remove from heat when the mixture coats the back of a spoon.<\/p>\n

Add the peppermint oil. Mix well to incorporate.<\/p>\n

Chill for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Churn in an ice cream maker based on the manufacturer\u2019s instructions. Five minutes until the end of churning (or when it looks like it\u2019s almost solid), add the crushed candy canes.<\/p>\n

Serve as is or with leftover crushed candy canes as topping.<\/p>\n

Written in December 2013<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my family, Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) and post-Christmas day were important. Because of sales. Because of candy sales. Specifically candy canes. Every single type. The rainbow colored ones. The green ones. The purple ones. And…of course the classic red and white candy canes. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_0010.jpg?fit=3648%2C2736&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8PMSr-4V","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295,"url":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/23\/ice-cream-tours-san-francisco\/","url_meta":{"origin":305,"position":0},"title":"Ice Cream Tours in San Francisco","date":"July 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Want a close in-depth understanding of ice cream AND history? This tour is what you need. Last week, to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, I gave a walking tour throughout the Mission neighborhood to bring the neighborhood history and the ice cream shops to life. The book, Ice Cream Travel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/20170716_154643.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":270,"url":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/17\/270\/","url_meta":{"origin":305,"position":1},"title":"Churn Urban Creamery","date":"July 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Pale green. Pale pink. That's what I seek when I look for quality ice cream. When I was a kid, I was a big fan of bubble gum ice cream. The ice cream was a pleasant blue that surrounded colorful gumballs. Sometimes the color of the gumball would be left\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ice Cream Shop"","img":{"alt_text":"Digging into a double scoop from Churn Urban Creamery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/20170708_154755-e1499888754739.jpg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/16\/happy-national-ice-cream-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":305,"position":2},"title":"Happy National Ice Cream Day!!!!","date":"July 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I am leading an ice cream tour today! Join the mailing list to get updates about future tours.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/icecreamlove_nationalicecreamday.png?fit=353%2C329&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52,"url":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/10\/basil-ice-cream\/","url_meta":{"origin":305,"position":3},"title":"Basil Ice Cream","date":"June 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Strawberry basil or basil?\" I asked my friend. \"My first ice cream flavor.\" \"Basil,\" he answered matter-of-factly. But it wasn't only that response that made me choose basil. Due to my childhood picky self, I never discovered basil until I was in my mid-twenties. It always came with Vietnamese pho.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Recipe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/26860731711_670122b6f6_b-e1497054757848.jpg?fit=581%2C570&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":346,"url":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/08\/celery-ice-cream-rum-plumped-raisins-peanut-butter-swirl\/","url_meta":{"origin":305,"position":4},"title":"Celery Ice Cream with Rum-Plumped Raisins and Peanut Butter Swirl","date":"August 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Celery ice cream? It got me thinking. Celery? Green. Usually eaten raw. Almost tasteless, but with a slight herbaceous flavor. Chopped up into small bits for salads to add crunch. Usually great sliced and combined with Asian stir-fry noodles. The latter is my most prominent memory of celery. Granted, making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Recipe"","img":{"alt_text":"Celery Ice Cream with Rum-Plumped Raisins and Peanut Butter Swirl","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0148.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":170,"url":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/23\/raspberry-lemon-sorbet\/","url_meta":{"origin":305,"position":5},"title":"Raspberry Lemon Sorbet","date":"June 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Written in September 2012 \"I love raspberries,\" my friend declared and stared at me, unleashing a magical wand in the form of a single finger. \"You must make me a raspberry sorbet!\" Maybe those weren't the exact words he said or the expression he wielded. Maybe the words he said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Recipe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_7317.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305\/revisions\/312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icecreamtravelguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}