Mimosa Ice Cream

I have been a very busy little baker and chef the last several weeks, so I am still attempting to catch up on here all the lessons I have learned.

I had a bottle of champagne left over from our New Year's Brunch that I wasn't completely sure what to do with. I decided that it would be fun to make some alcoholic ice cream with it. I really didn't know how to go about doing this, so it was all a guess.

I started with a basic ice cream recipe:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

I wasn't sure how the liquid in the orange juice and champagne would change the consistency of the ice cream, so I combined 2 cups OJ and 2 cups of champagne in a 2 quart sauce pan. I scraped out the seeds from a vanilla bean and added the bean and seeds to the pot. I simmered the mixture until it had reduced by more than half. I let it cool and stored the concentrated mimosa in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day I made the ice cream base. Instead of the 1 cup whole milk, I used 1/2 cup of the mimosa concentrate with 1/2 cup evaporated milk. I chose this in hopes of preventing too much water in the recipe. I placed it in the ice cream maker and hoped for the best.

I haven't used my ice cream maker in a long time, possibly a year or two. I froze the bowl like I was supposed to and poured the mixture in for the manufacturer's recommended 20-30 minutes. Well, after 30 minutes, the mixture was still very slushy. I can't seem to remember if that is normal or not. I transferred the ice cream to a Tupperware container and covered with a piece of plastic wrap to help prevent ice crystals from forming and placed it in the freezer, hoping for the best.

That evening, my husband and I tried the ice cream...the orange flavor came through well, but there isn't much in the way of the champagne flavor. But the consistency is good, so that is encouraging. I think this is a good step in the right direction...perhaps in the direction of Bailey's Irish Cream ice cream or even Guinness ice cream. I definitely think its possible, especially with a stronger flavored alcohol. I just need to stop by the store to pick some up to give it a try.