Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Bless his heart. Now that I’m working, my boyfriend is taking over a few household chores, including light grocery shopping. He mostly buys drinks, which are too heavy for me to carry home (In New York, grocery shopping is done in increments, a cab is hailed or the store has delivery service). Perhaps, I’m too controlling, but I don’t want him to shop for food until he’s been in the kitchen with me for a while.

Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

A few weeks ago, he brought home a couple pounds of perfectly sweet plums. They were gone before they started to rot. A couple weeks later, he brought more plums home. Eagerly opening the paper bag, I was disappointed to discover they were extremely overripe. The aged skin barely had enough firmness to hold the juicy pulp together. The day after they were brought home, no one had touched them. The next day a couple fruit flies were hovering above. The third day, they were simmered in water and sugar to process into a puree.

What to do with the plum puree was another question. Luckily, there was leftover buttermilk for morning biscuits and pancakes. There were exactly six eggs in the refrigerator. Fresh cream for our French Press coffee was brought a few days before. It didn’t take long to bring all these amazing ingredients together to make Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream. The result was sweet and tangy.

Don’t think of my boyfriend as pone to making shopping mistakes. He’s doing laundry, sweeping floors, making up the bed, and washing morning dishes—in between his clients and auditions. After talking with him, I learned he purposely went through the basket searching for overripe, plums, because he loves their sweetness. He simply forgot to eat them within a couple days. By the time he remembered the plums, they were being pureed in a food processor. He was initially horrified. Then his grief turned to happiness after tasting a spoonful of Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream. He knows he’s blessed.

Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Recipe adapted from SmittenKitchen.com

Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2- cup water
  • 4 or 1/2 lb. black plums
  • 2-cups organic heavy cream
  • 6 egg yolks (use the whites for scrambled eggs)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 cups of buttermilk

Directions

  1. Place water and 2 tbsp. of sugar in a medium pot and bring. Simmer to dissolve the sugar. Then bring the sugar water to boil. Add plums and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes (time varies on the ripeness of the fruit) or until the fruit has softened. Remove pot from the heat. Let cool in the refrigerator. When cool enough to handle place remove and set aside the pits. Place the plums including their skins in a food processor to puree. Set aside in the refrigerator to continue cooling.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and 1/4-cup of sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. In another pot, frequently whisk cream and 1 cup of sugar over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear along the edges. Do not boil.
  4. Quickly whisk 1/8 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Continue adding a few more 1/8 cups, and then gradually increase to 1/4-cup ladles until there isn’t any cream.
  5. Return the custard to the pot and warm over medium heat. Frequently stir with a wooden spoon. When the custard coats the back of a spoon, remove the custard to a large bowl (Do not boil the custard). Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool.
  6. When the custard is room temperature, whisk in the plum puree with their pits and the vanilla.
  7. Chill plum custard for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
  8. Occasionally stir the plum custard (Don’t interrupt your night time sleep to this step).
  9. Strain the cold custard over a fine sieve. Whisk in the buttermilk.
  10. Place Plum Buttermilk custard in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacture’s directions.
  11. When the custard is the consistency of soft serve ice cream, place in a tightly sealed container and freeze until solid.
  12. Enjoy a scoopful or more.
http://myliferunsonfood.com/2012/08/plum-buttermilk-ice-cream/

5 thoughts on “Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

  • October 8, 2012 at 11:20 am
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    I’m not a big fan of plums but this recipe seriously might change that!

  • September 12, 2012 at 4:40 pm
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    Sanura – ice cream is one of the few foods I am “afraid” to make. Everytime I come across a recipe – I shy away from it. After reading your detailed directions, I am feeling a bit more confident about giving homemade ice cream a try! Thx.

  • September 9, 2012 at 2:57 am
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    Love how you two have found your domestivc groove in the light of the recent changes with you working outside the home. You both sound very well suited!This ice-cream sounds delicious, the tanginess must add fresh notes to the fruit. Plum is also great with duck so if you have any left over puree, you can serve it as a sauce for duck.

  • August 31, 2012 at 8:08 pm
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    Hi Sanura. Because I’ve long followed and admired your blog, I’ve nominated My Life Runs On Food for a “Very Inspiring Blogger Award.” If you accept, then please visit my Flavorful World at the following link for instructions on how to claim it: http://wp.me/pUg5b-GU

    Thanks for doing what you do to make such a memorable and positive impact on the lives of others.

    Already looking forward to your next post,
    Anthony
    Flavorful World food and drink blog

  • August 19, 2012 at 11:15 am
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    This looks yummy-licious. Can’t wait to try it out. Thank you.

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