Sicilian Negroni Ice Cream

Name: Sicilian Negroni Ice Cream
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Max Milla

September 21, 2024

Gin ice cream swirled with a blood orange and Campari sorbet.

This Sicilian Negroni ice cream from Wanderlust Creamery co-founder and author Adrienne Borlongan not only celebrates the blood oranges found on Sicily but fior di Sicilia (“flowers of Sicily”), a musky citrus-vanilla essence, used in the Mediterranean island’s baked goods, such as panettone and biscotti. “Imagine all the redolence [of Sicily’s citrus trees, citrus blossoms, and fior di Sicilia] wrapped up in a Creamsicle-like ice cream steeped with gin botanicals and swirled with a blood orange/Campari sorbet with zest of bergamot,” she writes in her book, Wanderlust Creamery Presents: The World of Ice Cream. “That is my idea of a Sicilian Negroni.”

Ingredients

Yield: 1 1/2 quarts (1 1/2 liters)

Gin Ice Cream
1 heaping Tbsp. juniper berries
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. + 3/4 tsp. nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup + 1 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. tara gum (optional)
2 Tbsp. + 2 1/2 tsp. sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (from 3 large eggs)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. gin (see Notes)
1/4 tsp. fior di Sicilia extract (see Notes)
3/4 tsp. orange flower water
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Blood Orange/Campari Sorbet
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. sorbet stabilizer
3 Tbsp. water
2 1/3 cups blood orange juice
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 drop bergamot essential oil
2 1/2 tsp. Campari
2 1/2 tsp. sweet vermouth
citric acid

Tools:spice grinder, small saucepan, whisk, fine-mesh sieve, tall mixing vessel, small bowl, instant-read thermometer, hand blender, airtight container, refractometer, loaf plan

Preparation

Gin Ice CreamPulse the juniper berries and coriander in a spice grinder until coarsely ground.

In a small saucepan, scald the milk. Stir in the ground juniper/coriander mixture and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to steep and cool. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a tall cylindrical 1 1/2-quart (1 1/2-liter) mixing vessel.

Prepare an ice bath.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk powder, sugar, and tara gum. Add the condensed milk and egg yolks to the milk in the mixing vessel and blend with a hand blender. Slowly add the dry ingredients while blending and blend thoroughly to dissolve all the solids.

Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it reaches 165°F (75°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

Once the base reaches 165°F (75°C), immediately remove it from the heat and pour it back into the tall mixing vessel. Add the heavy cream and blend with a hand blender for 2 minutes to fully homogenize.

Pour the base through a fine-mesh sieve into the prepared ice bath to cool. Once completely cool, stir in the gin, fior di Sicilia, and orange flower water. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
Blood Orange/Campari SorbetIn a small bowl, mix together the sugar and sorbet stabilizer. In a tall cylindrical 1 1/2-quart (1.5-liter) mixing vessel, blend the water with a hand blender while gradually adding the dry ingredients.

Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it registers 120°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and pour it back into the tall mixing vessel. Set aside to cool.

Once the mixture has completely cooled, add the blood orange juice, lemon juice, bergamot oil, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Blend with a hand blender.

Using a refractometer, measure the Brix of the base, verifying it is between 19 and 24 Brix. At this point, you can adjust the sweetness or tartness of the base with citric acid or more sugar, adding 1/2 teaspoon at a time and rechecking the Brix after each addition.

Transfer the base to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.

Churn the ice cream/sorbet: When ready to begin, place a loaf pan in the freezer to chill.

Quickly blend the ice cream base once more with a hand blender, then pour it into an ice cream machine. Churn until the ice cream reaches the texture of very stiff soft-serve and the surface looks dry, about 25°F (–5°C) or colder on a thermometer gun.

Spread the ice cream mixture into the chilled loaf pan and place it in the freezer.

Scrape the ice cream machine clean (no need to wash it) and process the blood orange/Campari sorbet until it reaches the texture of a stiff slushie, about 30°F (–1°C) or colder on a thermometer gun.

Spread the sorbet into the chilled loaf pan on top of the layer of gin ice cream. Using a spatula, gently fold the ice cream layers to create visible swirls. Press a piece of wax paper directly on top of the ice cream and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Sorbet StabilizerMix 5 Tbsp. cellulose gum, 3 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. guar gum, 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. lambda carrageenan, 1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. glucose powder together and store in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. Mix well before each use.

NOTESFior di Sicilia and orange flowers have such a delicate, nuanced flavor that can be easily masked by certain gins. For this recipe, try to find a classic London dry or Plymouth gin. Fior di Sicilia can be found online or in specialty food shops.

The usual Brix range for sorbet (25 to 32) will not work for this recipe due to the alcohol from Campari and sweet vermouth, which depresses the freezing point a few degrees. Instead, aim for 19 to 24 Brix.