Cannoli Ice Cream
This recipe captures and delivers all of the qualities you crave in a cannoli in frozen form. The custard is egg free which allows the subtle flavor of the ricotta to shine, and the crushed sugar cones soften in the ice cream to create a wonderful chew which is scooped into cones to mimic the sensation of biting into a crisp cannoli shell.
Servings 1 quart
Equipment
- 1 Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2½ tsp Diamond Crystal salt or 1½ tsp Morton kosher salt
- 2¼ cups half-and-half divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1¼ cups whole-milk ricotta
- 2 sugar cones coarsely crushed, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup orange-flavored chocolate (such as Lindt) coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup raw pistachios, preferably Iranian or Sicilian coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Heat lemon zest, sugar, honey, salt, and 2 cups half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally, just until sugar is dissolved and mixture is steaming, about 5 minutes.Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup half-and-half in a medium bowl until smooth.Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan; reserve bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until custard is thickened and large bubbles break on surface, 6-9 minutes; remove from heat.Place cream cheese and ricotta in reserved bowl. Pour about one quarter of hot custard over; whisk vigorously until smooth, about 2 minutes.Pour in remaining custard and whisk to combine. Let cool, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes.Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Cover ice cream base and chill until thick, at least 4 hours.Transfer ice cream base to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions until the consistency of soft-serve.Add crushed sugar cones, chocolate, and pistachios and run machine for a few minutes to evenly distribute.Scrape ice cream into an airtight container and press plastic wrap directly onto surface.Cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.Scoop ice cream into cones.
Notes
Ice cream base can be made 4 days ahead; keep chilled. Ice cream can be made up to 3 days ahead for best texture; keep frozen.