Recreating A Past I Never Lived: Malt Shop Crunch Ice Cream

Remember when life was simpler? When coca-cola only cost a nickle? When people said "Gosh golly!" instead of "What the *@#$!" And how sharing something as uncomplicated as a malt meant so much more then just sharing a malt? Well I don't. I never lived in those times, though I often find myself longing for them. I try and understand and recreate what it would be like by going to drive in theaters, wearing vintage clothing and visiting old diners and soda shops. The magic lasts for a moment, but never fails to fade away quickly after the experience is over or until some abrasive facet of the present pops my fragile bubble of nostalgia. But that doesn't stop me from trying, the imagination is a beautiful thing and, to loosely quote Willy Wonka, there is no life I know to compare with it.

My most recent attempt to transport myself back into the "good ol' days" was to make a tasty treat reminiscent of the days of soda jerks and malt shops. Because, lets face it, even though scientist say that the sense of smell is most closely tied to memory, nothing takes you back like your sense of taste. The recipe I choose: Malt Shop Crunch Ice Cream. 

The ice cream tastes like a vanilla malt that has been littered with chocolate malt balls. 

It is silky smooth on the tongue and tastes like something you might order at an old fashion malt shop. Not to mention it is by far the best ice cream I have made thus far. So put on a sweater and find a cute gal or guy to share this special treat with; there's no telling where it will take you.

If you are lactose intolerant, beware! This ice cream has 3 types of milk!

Malt Shop Crunch Ice Cream

*adapted from David Lebovitz Perfect Scoop

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup malt powder
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 cups of malted milk balls (like whoppers), halved

Directions  

1. Whisk the 6 yolks together in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Prepare an ice bath in your sink.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream, vanilla and malt powder together and set a mesh strainer over the top. Set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan heat the half-and-half, sugar and salt until very hot but not boiling. Slowly pour the half-and-half mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly and vigorously as you do. Then scrape the whole mixture back into the saucpan.

5. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan as you do. The custard will be done when it coats the back of your spatula and your finger leaves a definite trail that doesn't flow back together.


6. Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the other mixture. Then place the bowl in the ice bath and stir until it cools down.


7. Chill the mixture in the fridge partially covered for at least 8 hours or overnight, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

8. Remove the ice cream from the machine and scrape it into a bowl, then fold in the chopped malt balls. Transfer the ice cream to airtight containers and freeze until it reaches a desired consistency.

Enjoy!