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.

2. Combine milk, cream, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is steaming and sugars are dissolved. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk hot liquid into yolks, then scrape back into pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 15-20 minutes. 

3. Strain and chill thoroughly. I couldn't find our strainer anywhere so I used a very fine cheese grater, like for grating Romano... so classy. There's clearly a black hole somewhere in our kitchen. I poured it into a glass container, covered it in plastic wrap, and left it in the freezer overnight because I had only just put the ice cream maker thing in the freezer a couple hours before and it needs to be completely frozen before use. I think if you're using an ice cream maker you might as well just leave it in the fridge, not the freezer, though, as long as the bowl is in the freezer.

4. Add vanilla and reserved rum to base and process in ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions, adding raisins when almost fully churned. Remove to freezer-safe container and seal tightly. Freeze at least 24 hours before serving. It will never be a very firm ice cream; it should stay nice and creamy because of the alcohol.