Apple Cheddar Tarts with Cinnamon Ice Cream
October 24, 2011
I'm going to share with you today a new method of making homemade ice cream that produces not only delicious ice cream, but ice cream that keeps well in the freezer. We love making homemade ice cream in our house, but the one problem was that it didn't keep well in the freezer. It was delicious and creamy the day you made it, but the next day it formed ice crystals. This recipe solves that problem.
This recipe is based on a method developed by Jeni Britton Bauer, who owns outstanding ice cream shops in Ohio and has written a book about making homemade ice cream. Most methods for producing creamy homemade ice cream involves adding egg yolks, something I've never been willing to do. With Jeni's method, the same creamy texture is attained by adding cornstarch and boiling the liquid to reduce the water content. Her method also involves adding a little cream cheese, something that I have omitted with good results. I have basically kept the same master ice cream recipe that I have used for years and just added the cornstarch and corn syrup that she recommends. You can freeze this ice cream and days later, it will still be creamy, with no ice crystals!
These little apple tarts are the perfect partner with the cinnamon ice cream. It's such a delicious combination, I hope you give it a try.
Apple Cheddar Tarts with Cinnamon Ice Cream
for a printable recipe click here
makes 8 tarts
ice cream is adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home
You will need a biscuit cutter (I used a 4-inch)
Ingredients:
for the apple tarts:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
2 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons melted butter
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, sliced
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted, if you like)
for the cinnamon ice cream:
2 cups half and half, divided
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
for the apple tarts:
Defrost the frozen puff pastry in your refrigerator for a few hours or at room temperature just until unfrozen, but still cold.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Peel and core the apples. Slice very thinly into rounds - I did mine on a mandoline slicer. Blend the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, lemon juice and butter in a bowl. Toss the apple slices thoroughly in the mixture.
Cut out rounds of the puff pastry with the biscuit cutter. Lay the rounds on the parchment paper and dock them with a fork. Lay a couple of slices of cheddar cheese on the pastry. Lay the apple slices on top of the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden. Serve with cinnamon ice cream and chopped hazelnuts.
to make the ice cream:
Make a slurry in a little jar of 1/4 cup of the half and half and the cornstarch and shake well.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the rest of the half and half and the cream, sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla bean seeds and the pod. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry and cinnamon. Return to a boil and cook, whisking the mixture, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, remove vanilla bean and pour into a heatproof bowl (I like to use a 4 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup). Refrigerate until very cold, stirring every once in a while.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process for 30 minutes. Place ice cream in a plastic container, press plastic wrap on top of the ice cream and freeze.
Watch how easy they are to make!
Reader Comments (24)
I love EVERYTHING about this recipe- esp the addition of cinnamon ice cream!
This looks so YUMMY, can't wait to try.
Wow! Just what I needed. The apple cheese tarts are so cute. I will be trying both recipes soon. Thanks!
There is now a Jenny's ice cream in Nashville and the line is always out the door. It's fabulous. I do not like homemade ice cream when it's made with eggs. I must try this method. Also, if you add some liquor like vodka, it helps with the freezing thing. I've been successful with ice cream making using that tip and then letting it sit out for about 20 minutes prior to serving, but I still want to give this method a try.
love your recipes but what is half and half please ?
From The Italian Dish:
Angela: Yes, we've tried the alcohol thing, too, and still had ice crystals in the ice cream. This method is really outstanding - give it a try!
Babs: Half-and-half is a product we buy in this country that is half milk and half cream. It's just a bit lighter than regular cream.
Lovely in every possible sense! Gorgeous! Thank you.
as always u have gorgeous pictures,, seems so easy and delicious, i am so gonna try it.. just one ? what if i dont have a vanilla bean? vanilla extract? how much?
Perfect fall dessert..thank you for sharing.
I made an apple tart over the weekend, so we were on the same page there. The cornstarch addition to the ice cream is a new one - will have to try it.
I love the look of those apple tarts with the offset ring slices and will have to try them — minus the cinnamon. I recently discovered that other Italian émigrés like me share my distaste for cinnamon. We do use cannella in Italy, but it's a different plant that smells and tastes entirely different from the cinnamon used in the US (well, at least in California).
I'm pleasantly surprised by the addition of cheese here! delectable!
I haven't even finished dinner & I'm already wishing I had this for dessert.
Oh, you're making me hungry at this time! Apple and cinnamon are my favorite bread fillings, adding cheese to it is a bit of surprise, but looks yummy! MOM!!!! where are the apples, we should try the ice cream recipe for thanksgiving!
OMG, I can almost smell the goodness! These look absolutely delicious! May be making these for dessert tonight.
Made the ice cream couple nights ago and its AMAZING! we all loved it and the texture hasnt change... gonna be making it often, thanx for sharing!
Mmm... looks delicious!
This recipe reminds me of something my sweet sweet Nana used to say (even though it's not apple pie)..."apple pie without cheese, is like a kiss without a squeeze".
Regardless of the saying, the pictures are fantastic and inspiring!
I've made many recipes from Jeni's book this summer and they all were perfect. It is one grand book. And your pairing is fall-perfect!
I really like your blog, the recipes seem delicious and very well explained. Too good.
I can't wait to try both of these recipes. A new way to use the apples from my orchard. I just bought a new ice cream maker...so thank you for a great first recipe.
I absolutely love your site. I work at a sorority house cooking for 50 plus people, when it comes time to writing the menus we always seem to get stuck, this is a great site for some recipes and new ideas. The pictures are great!, I look forward to visiting this site regularly for some new i recipes. Thank you for sharing with us.
I'm crazy about cinammon:)
Wow, I just love it. I had never tasted Cinnamon ice-cream before. It's really a fresh recipe to start with.