Horseradish Ice Cream Recipe

This is an ice cream that will defy all expectations. At first taste, it seems like a good vanilla ice cream…and then there’s horseradish! But the flavor doesn’t hit you in the face. It plays well with the other flavors of vanilla and orange. There’s a cleanness and freshness that I would never have guessed could be possible from anything with horseradish as an ingredient.

I came across this flavor combination on a TV contest show won by a British chef. At the time, I couldn’t find much of a recipe to go by, so I played around with a few batches to come up with something I liked. I was hopeful to find a good use for the horseradish I had planted because it took up so much space in the garden.

I dug up every bit that I could get to and harvested six pounds of horseradish root. It turns out that no matter how deeply you dig, you are unlikely to get all of it and this gigantic plant will just keep coming back year after year. Not even Roundup seems to phase it.

There’s a sophistication to this flavor combination and it has a real “wow” factor. And not an “I-dare-you-to-eat-this” freak show kind of “wow” either. Using one ounce of fresh horseradish gives a subtle flavor and there may be room to be bolder. It’s a great dessert for a meal featuring beef.

Yield: 1 ½ quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. fresh Horseradish Root, peeled and shredded (about ¼ cup)
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Orange Juice, strained or pulp-free
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Grated horseradish in vinegar IS NOT the same thing as fresh horseradish root. You can use a vegetable peeler to remove the rough, outer layer of horseradish root and a food processor will shred it just fine. You just need to do it outside or in an extremely well ventilated room because the fumes can take the top of your head off.

Directions:

Step 1: Peel and grate fresh horseradish root.

Step 2: Heat the heavy cream, milk and freshly grated horseradish root until simmering and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 10 – 20 minutes. Just like making tea, the longer it steeps, the stronger it tastes. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth to remove any solids.

Step 3: Whisk the sugar into the egg yolks to create a smooth consistency.

Step 4: Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time while stirring constantly. You do not want the eggs to cook from milk that is too hot.

Step 5: Mix in orange juice, salt, and vanilla extract.

Step 6: Return the mixture to the stove and heat up to 160° F. This is very important because of food safety issues involving raw eggs.

Step 7: Cool thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Step 8: Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.