Inspiration from Keuka Lake

I've always thought it was rather strange that cinnamon came from the bark of a plant.  Who came across what scientists call Cinnamomum Verum and said, "man, I bet if you pull the bark off of that tree, dry it, and grind it into a fine powder, it would really kick this dish up a notch!"? Whomever did it, hats off to you. Not only did you find one of the most desired spices during the spice trading days of the 16th and 17th century, you enabled us mere mortals to have luxuries such as cinnamon buns, apple pie, and cinnamon ice cream!

My inspiration for cinnamon ice cream came from Seneca Farms in Penn Yan, NY, just a short 20 minute drive from my Alma mater Hobart College. This unassuming restaurant is just a few blocks off of Keuka Lake and is known for its fried chicken, home made fritters, impressive Coca-Cola bottle collection, and incredible selection of frozen custard. Each fall they make a pumpkin and cinnamon frozen custard swirl that was so big, it would take the entire 20 minute drive back just to eat it all.  While the ability of the, lets call them a custard barista, was impressive enough, the contrasting textures between the soft, smooth cinnamon and the firmer, rich taste of the pumpkin made this a cone worth savoring.

The first batch of cinnamon ice cream was made just a few weeks ago along with pumpkin in an effort to save myself a five and a half hour drive to the Finger Lakes for a cone. I dug around quite a bit online in a search of a recipe that I thought would match the taste and texture of the ice cream that I remembered so well.  After some digging, I went with a recipe that kept the ingredient list simple and was similar to those found in the Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.

INGREDIENTS

Large container of cinnamon from Costco ~$6

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup half n' half
• 1/4 cup (or a long splash) 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and heavy cream. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat, and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the half n' half and milk. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. 
2. Pour mixture into bowl that has been placed in an ice bath. Once the mixture has stopped steaming, place in fridge for 2 hours.
3. Pour cooled mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  

Modified from AllRecipies.com

Two small scoops of cinnamon

After a few hours in the freezer and a couple of 'quality assurance' taste tests along the way, the ice cream firmed up and had a perfect frozen custard consistency. This means that it was easy to scoop with a tablespoon and like meringue, could be roughly formed into peaks (melting ones that is). Even after a night in the freezer, it did not become overly hard like store-bought varieties tend to do. As for the taste, it was not overpowering but just right, like a homemade snickerdoodle cookie.

Monday morning, I found myself reaching into the freezer for a quick spoonful before heading into work; an amuse-bouche for the day if you will. I think every day needs to start out that way...

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