Rum Raisin Ice Cream

The ice cream maker that Michelle got at her bridal shower last March has been sitting on top of the fridge for months now without anyone using it - it was time to experiment. 

In our defense, this winter hasn't been very frozen dessert-friendly. Michelle had been using it before she left for Vietnam (mint chocolate chip, vegan chocolate, frozen peanut butter pie). I had a little dark rum left (see Rum Cake, seriously one of the best cakes ever), so I went the boozy route with Rum Raisin Ice Cream. It's amazing! It's very rich and creamy, and the raisins are all plump and filled with delicious rum.

RUM RAISIN ICE CREAM

Adapted from recipes at Saveur, Serious Eats and Bon Appetit

1/2 cup raisins 

2/3 cup dark rum

2 cups milk

2 cups cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg, freshly ground

Pinch salt

6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine the raisins and rum in a sealable container - I used a mason jar with a lid. Let it sit for at least 2 hours or for up to 3-4 days. I looked at a few different recipes and the soaking length varied a lot - but all recommended at the very least 2 hours for the raisins to soak up enough of the rum. I let my jar soak about about 15 hours. After soaking, drain the raisins, reserving between 2 tablespoons and 1/2 cup, depending on your desired booziness. 

Notes: I desired a pretty high level of booziness but also a decent frozen texture (alcohol can prevent the ice cream freezing solid), so I reserved 1/3 cup of rum, or about half the rum left in the jar. The recipe from Saveur called for reserving only 2 tbsp and called the ice cream kid-friendly, so I'm thinking 2 tbsp is only very minimally boozy - at that point the rum is just enough for flavor.