Raisin Ice Cream Recipe

Prepare the raisins

Place 1 cup golden/white raisins in a small bowl. Pour 0.5 oz Pedro Ximénez over the raisins, stir, cover, and let soak at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight in the refrigerator). Reserve any remaining soaking liquid to fold in later if desired.

Infuse dairy

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds (or measure vanilla extract). In a medium saucepan, combine 1.5 cups whole milk, 1.5 cups heavy cream, vanilla seeds and pod (or extract), 3 tbs granulated sugar and 1 tbs light corn syrup. Warm over medium heat until steaming and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil), whisking to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 20–30 minutes for vanilla to infuse. Remove vanilla pod and discard.

Temper eggs to make custard

In a bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks with 1 tsp kosher salt until smooth. Reheat the infused milk mixture until hot but not boiling. Slowly drizzle about 1/3 of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly to temper. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, stirring constantly.

Cook custard

Cook the mixture over low–medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula and scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (nappe), about 6–8 minutes; temperature should reach about 175–180°F (80–82°C) if using a thermometer. Do not boil.

Finish custard

Remove pan from heat and strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. Stir in the reserved soaking liquid from the raisins (if any) for extra PX flavor, up to 1/4 oz, to taste. Cool slightly for 10 minutes.

Chill

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator until completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn

Once the custard is fully chilled, pour it into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, typically 20–30 minutes.

Fold in raisins

Drain the soaked raisins if there is excess liquid. Fold the PX-soaked raisins into the churned ice cream evenly. If you reserved soaking liquid and like stronger flavor, drizzle up to the reserved amount while folding, but do not over-liquefy the ice cream. Transfer ice cream to a container, press a piece of parchment against the surface, and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Make dough

In a bowl, cream together 2 tbs unsalted butter and 2 tbs granulated sugar until pale. Add 1 large egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; beat until combined. Whisk together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until a soft, pipeable dough forms. If dough is too stiff, add up to 1 tsp water.

Pipe and bake or fry

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) if baking. Fit a pastry bag with a small star tip. Pipe small 1.5–2 inch short lengths onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between. Brush lightly with 1 tbs vegetable oil to promote browning and crunch. Bake 10–12 minutes until set and lightly golden at the edges. (Alternatively, for a crisper fried mini-churro, heat neutral oil to 350°F and fry piped dough briefly until golden, about 30–45 seconds per side; drain on paper towels.)

Coat

While warm, toss the cookies in the cinnamon sugar (3 tbs) so they get a light coating. Cool completely on a rack; cookies will crisp as they cool.

Portion: Scoop 1 large or 2 small scoops (about 3/4 cup total) of the PX-soaked raisin ice cream into chilled dessert bowls or chilled coupe glasses.

Arrange: Place 3–4 mini churro cookies decoratively on the ice cream or leaning against the scoop.

Serve the PX: Pour 0.5 oz Pedro Ximénez (Gran Barquero, La Cañada 25yr) into a small spirit pour or spoon and serve alongside the ice cream for the guest to drizzle over the ice cream, or drizzle lightly over the scoop yourself. If desired, finish with a light pinch of sea salt flakes to enhance flavors.

Timing note: Serve immediately after plating so churro cookies remain crisp. Leftover ice cream should be stored in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 weeks; brief thawing before serving improves scoopability.