I’m a big fan of Iron Chef (more Japan than America). After watching many episodes of the show, I have found that there is one thing that without fail always signal the death knell of a contestant: the ice cream maker. Someone once tried to make a lamb ice cream, to which one of the judges commented, “Um…it tastes like…um…protein.” Also Morimoto made an asparagus ice cream that didn’t do very well. You’d need some Pepto Bismol ice cream to wash those down.

Iron chef aside, I’m always interested in cool new flavors. I’m a big fan of the J.P. Licks summer flavors, especially El Diablo, which is chocolate ice cream with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. The other day, my friend Carrie wrote me to ask my suggestions on the best way to recreate an ice cream she had that had been made out of buffalo mozzarella. After a few emails back and forth, we decided that since water buffalo milk was hard to come by, it was best to take the cheese, puree it, and throw it in the mix.

Here’s the results of our discussion and Carrie’s hard labor:

Carrie’s Heirloom Tomatoes with Mozzarella Ice Cream

Ingredients

• About 5oz. good buffalo mozzarella
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (you can add more sugar later, to taste)
• 4 egg yolks
• A few basil leaves
• A dash of salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cut up the mozzarella into small pieces. Put them in a blender with the cream and milk. Put the blended mixture in a saucepan on medium heat.
2. While the cream mixture is heating, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Once the cheese/cream mixture is hot but not boiling, pour about 1/2 cup of the hot cream over the eggs and sugar to temper the eggs.
4. When the cream mixture almost reaches boiling, stir in the eggs and sugar. Cook over medium heat for another 3 minutes or so. After 3 minutes, taste the mixture to see if you need to add any more sugar. Just keep in mind that the final product (ice cream) will not be quite as sweet as the hot cream mixture.
5. Take the cream mixture off the heat and let it sit for about 15 minutes. When the mixture has cooled a bit, throw it back in the blender with about 6 or 7 basil leaves. Pulse the blender until the basil is fully incorporated.
6. If you have a strainer or food mill you might want to strain the mixture before you put it in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a strainer, just pour the mixture directly into a bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
7. When the ice cream base has fully cooled, follow the instructions on the ice cream maker and voila! You will have mozzarella ice cream.

I’ll have to try making it myself sometime. I just don’t have an ice cream maker. I was, however, thinking of getting the ice cream maker that is a soccer ball, which you kick around to freeze, for fun. Also I know if you pack the mixture in ice, and then put it in a Tupperware bowl and pop it in the clothes dryer with zero heat, it will also work.

I was thinking about some other ways to make savory ice cream. I’d love to throw cream of mushroom soup in an ice cream maker to see what happens. Mmm Mmm good ice cream!

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