Nut ice cream

Warm flavours

These warm flavours suit any time of the year. We have discussed chocolate before, so let us take a closer look at nuts…

There is a wide variety of nuts that be used as delicious complements to ice cream. Just about any ice cream maker offers hazelnut ice cream; pistachio is probably a bit less common, whilst most won’t dare to experiment beyond walnut. But there are many more types of nut that are definitely worth using in ice cream; almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil nuts or mouth-watering macadamias. But even the odd nuts, such as coconuts, peanuts and chestnuts, can prove to be delicious options. All of these flavours are delightful and scrumptious on their own, so imagine combining them with various other accompaniments.

Origin

Nuts grow all over the world, from moderate to tropical climates. Specifically, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts can be found around the Mediterranean Sea, but other kinds of nuts require a bit more of travel. Even in the Netherlands, certain varieties of hazelnuts and walnuts are found—and they’re all worth a taste!

Composition

Nuts have a high fat content (usually more than 50 %). The good news is that these are mainly healthy unsaturated essential fatty acids (Omega 3). In addition to healthy fats, nuts also yield 10–25% protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins (including vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant), folic acid, various B vitamins, calcium and iron. The composition of nutrients differs between each nut variety, but in general, one can state that nuts have a positive effect on our health - which can be an excellent selling point.

Nut ice cream

Nut-flavoured ice cream is milk-based as it can be fluidly combined with the creamy flavour, and together gives ice cream that full, 'warm' taste. Usually, a separate basic mix is made first; after all, the amount of fats and protein in nuts should be taken into account. If the mix is flavoured with a nut paste, we nearly only add dry matter, which consists of more than 50% fat. Considering that the fat influences then scoopability of the ice cream, the manufacturer usually has already added sugar to compensate, although this, too, is dry matter. When preparing the basic mix, this should therefore be taken into account. The basic mix will probably have a relatively lower fat percentage because a lot of fat from the nut paste is added during the flavouring. However, do make sure that the basic mix contains sufficient protein so that enough air can be taken up during the churning of the ice cream. Importantly, sufficient air storage improves the scoopability of rich ice cream.

One mix for all ice creams is not an option if you want to keep the TDM¹ the FFMC² and the fat percentage of the flavoured ice mixes balanced. A simple calculation shows that, if your basic mix contains 37% dry matter with a fat percentage of 8%, this rapidly increases to 43% TDM and 12% fat upon the addition of 100 grams of nut paste per litre; the mix is then no longer balanced. Fewer ice crystals are formed because of the lower water content, whilst relatively more water is bound. The consequence is undesirable melting behaviour. In addition, the increased fat percentage makes the ice cream firmer and therefore less scoopable. Adjusting the basic mix is therefore a must to ensure the scoopability and eating qualities of the ice cream are maintained en par with the other flavours in the display.

The taste component

Of course, a true craftsman distinguishes himself with a home-made paste—and, let’s be honest, there is nothing like fresh-roasted nuts ground into a paste. This is best done in a roll mill; however, a decent food processor with a blender knife insert can also yield satisfying results. An added advantage is that one can determine the composition oneself.

However, one will find tins of paste at most ice cream parlours. There is a wide variety in price and composition, thus leading to an equally wide variety in flavours. Considering the fact that the more luxurious nut varieties, such as pistachio, hazelnut or walnut, are generally quite expensive, cheaper pastes are usually mixed with cheaper nuts, such as peanuts or apricot kernels, of which the flavour has been removed. In addition, the supplier usually adds sugar to improve the scoopability, and so the mixture no longer needs to be adjusted. However, I find this makes for very expensive sugar.

Variety

Nuts offer a wide selection of delicious options - especially when you start processing your own nuts. There are many kinds and varieties, each with their own distinct taste. The degree to which the nut is roasted influences the taste as well, from subtle to very strong. And, of course, nuts make a perfect garnish. However, ensure the pieces are not too large. In addition, nuts also become hard below freezing point (because cold temperatures make the fat hard). Another consideration is that nuts attract moisture: if the ice cream has been out for a while, the nuts will become tough, so always make sure your ice cream is fresh. When nuts are processed into ice cream that is made well in advance, as part of ice cream cakes, for example, it is better to coat the garnishing with a layer of chocolate to keep moisture out. Of course, nuts are perfect as a decoration on top of an ice cream coup, but do not forget that whole nuts will become rock-hard on ice cream cakes in the freezer.

We can learn so much more from chefs and pastry chefs about combining flavours; just open a cookbook and look at the taste combinations used in other dishes - this always gives me lots of inspiration! A true ice cream maker knows how to translate this into a fabulous ice cream creation!

For me, eating nut ice cream is just like eating plain nuts: once you start, you can’t stop! It’s just a pity that it can only be bought at the supermarket at this time of the year. Seems like we still have a tough nut to crack…