Make Rich and Creamy Homemade Pistachio Mascarpone Ice Cream

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Indulge in the rich and nutty flavors of our Pistachio Mascarpone Ice Cream. You won’t be able to resist!

 

Y’all it is hot. I mean, like, you want to sit on an ice cube hot. We’ve had record highs this week with heat indexes of over 100 F. That is so not fun when I’m already struggling to do basic things like walk. For those that don’t know, I’m recovering from knee replacement number 2. So, walking is not the easiest thing in the world. And walking in record high heat is just gross.

 

That’s why I’m sharing this pistachio mascarpone ice cream recipe. To help cool you off in a rich, creamy, and pistachio-y goodness way. Why mascarpone? Because it decadent and rich and elevates any ice cream. And I saw it on Master Chef Junior. Why pistachio? Because I had this giant bag of pistachios in the shell that needed to be eaten because I ate them all. Marry the two and you have a pistachio flavor decadently rich homemade ice cream.

 

 

What makes ice cream custard?

 

This, and most good homemade ice cream recipes, start with a custard. Okay, for those of you that are being snobs, yes. Technically this is frozen custard. Tomato tomahto in my book. Now, to achieve that creamy texture in your ice cream, it’s important to understand what makes ice cream custard.

 

This ice cream custard consists of egg yolks whipped with sugar and honey. That’s the sugar and some of the fat in this recipe. The rest of the fat is in the whipping cream and milk. The two combined makes a custard when heated.

 

There are two schools of thought for making the custard. One says you heat the milk mixture first then add a little bit of the milk to the egg and sugar mixture to temper it before pouring all the egg mixture into the milk mixture. The other combines it all in one and slowly brings it to a simmer stirring constantly. I’m gonna admit I combined them all at once and did NOT stir constantly. And it still turned out thick and delicious.

 

 

When it comes to making custard for ice cream, there are a few common mistakes that can trip up even experienced home chefs. One of the biggest errors is overheating the custard mixture, which can cause the eggs to curdle and ruin the texture of the ice cream. A great way to solve this is to strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove curdled egg bits.

 

Another mistake is not stirring the custard constantly while cooking, leading to uneven thickening and potential lumps in the final product. Of course, I didn’t stir constantly. I did stir frequently though. Finally, adding the flavorings too early in the process can result in a muted or unbalanced taste in the finished ice cream. I add my flavors after the custard is cooked.

 

Is flour or cornstarch better for custard?

 

There are two schools of thought in the thickening of the custard. One is the egg yolk method I used in this recipe. The other is the eggless cornstarch method. The choice between egg yolks and cornstarch will depend on personal preference. So, if you have an egg allergy, you can use 2 teaspoons of cornstarch for each egg yolk in the recipe. Just make sure to bring the mixture to at least 208 F for it to thicken unlike eggs that need to cook to 165 F.

 

 

I haven’t found what the structural differences are between the two in making ice cream. Does egg yolks custard make a more creamy ice cream? Does the cornstarch keep crystals from forming more than egg yolks? These are the questions I was hoping to answer. I guess I will just have to test the theory and see which works best. Stay tuned!

 

How do you make homemade pistachio butter?

 

I took the roasted pistachios I had and shelled them. Then I put them in a food processor and processed them until they formed a thick paste. It was thicker than I thought, but since I was adding it to the custard for this ice cream I didn’t want to thin it. If your pistachios are super thick you can add a little oil to thin them out and make it more manageable to use in this recipe.

 

 

How to make homemade ice cream creamy and not icy?

 

I struggle with this all the time! I hate having to chisel ice cream out of the container after making it the night before. To ensure your homemade ice cream turns out creamy and not icy, it’s essential to focus on the texture of the base. One key tip is to use a higher fat content in your base, such as heavy cream like I used in this recipe.

 

I added egg yolks to the custard to up the fat content. They also help to bind the mixture together and prevent ice crystals from forming. Stirring in the pistachio butter to the custard base also adds fat to keep crystals from forming. Finally, there’s the richness from the mascarpone. This will also keep crystals from forming which are the culprit in making ice cream rock hard.

 

 

You can also incorporate stabilizers like gelatin or tapioca starch to improve the creaminess and prevent a gritty texture. Stirring in ingredients that don’t freeze well like honey or corn syrup keep it from getting too hard. Also alcohol is excellent as a flavor and ingredient that keeps the ice cream from freezing rock solid.

 

What are the ingredients needed for pistachio mascarpone ice cream?

 

I used egg yolks, sugar, honey, milk, whipping cream, pistachio butter, mascarpone, chopped pistachios, vanilla extract, and salt in this recipe. Nothing extravagant or difficult to find. At least not where I live. I mean, even Walmart has mascarpone!

 

 

To make the ice cream I whipped the yolks with the sugar and the honey. Next, I combined the milk with the whipping cream in a small saucepan. Then I whisked the egg yolk mixture into the milk and cream and turned the burner on to medium. I let it do it’s thing while I prepared the pistachio butter and chopped pistachios.

 

I stirred it every 3 to 5 minutes to make sure it didn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and the eggs didn’t curdle. Next, I did the spoon test when it started to thicken. That’s when you coat the back of a spoon with the custard and drag your finger down the back of the spoon. If the custard stays off where your finger went, then it’s thick and ready.

 

 

I strained the mixture and let it cool in the fridge. When it was cool enough to put in my ice cream maker, I let it do it’s thing for about 25 minutes. Then I stirred in the pistachios for about 2 to 3 minutes. Finally, I spooned the ice cream into an airtight container. I put plastic wrap on top of the ice cream, like you do with custard, before sealing the container. This is a trick to keep crystals from forming. The ice cream chilled in the freezer for about an hour before I served it up with some chopped pistachios and caramel sauce.

 

This ice cream is so creamy and delicious. The flavor of pistachio is throughout every bite. It was not rock hard but wasn’t as easy as store bought to scoop the next day. However, this one is made with ingredients you can pronounce and know where they came from. It was definitely worth the little bit of effort it takes to make the custard for this pistachio mascarpone ice cream.

Here are more ice cream recipes:

• Pistachio Mascarpone Ice Cream by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Stracciatella Gelato by Art of Natural Living
• Vanilla Bean No Churn Ice Cream by Blogghetti
• No-Churn Layered Blueberry & Vanilla Ice Cream by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Cognac Ice Cream by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Dragonfruit Kulfi by Magical Ingredients
• Vegan Chocolate Nice Cream by Shockingly Delicious