Ice Cream Socialism

In case you missed free cone day yesterday at Ben and Jerry's (or honestly, even if you didn't), Baskin-Robbins has their own free scoop night tonight from 6-10pm. When will Laboratorio del Gelato have a free sample night?

DG has happily fattened quite a few guests with our own easy ice cream recipe. It's for a semi-freddo, which is Italian for "stays soft as silk while in the freezer and melts perfectly on your taste buds." I usually make it with candied ginger bits in it, but you can exchange the ginger with anything really. The hardest part about this recipe is owning a candy thermometer.

Ginger Semi-Freddo Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fine sugar
4 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup candied ginger

1. Stir the sugar and 1/2 cup cold water over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

2. Bump up the heat and boil for 4 to 5 minutes without stirring until the syrup is 238 degrees (F).

3. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks until frothy. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk in the syrup, whisking until the mixture is very thick. Remove from heat and whisk until cool.

4. Whip the cream and gently fold it into the egg mixture with the ginger (or whatever else you'd like). Pour into a freezerproof container and freeze for an hour.

5. After the hour, give your semi-freddo a stir. This brings the yummy bits up from the bottom and guarantees their suspension in your ice cream. Freeze for at least another 4 hours and serve.