Creamsicle Ice Cream with Tangerines

This Creamsicle Ice Cream recipe stands apart from others. It's made with super sweet, seedless tangerines and includes a special ingredient which makes it creamier than ever!

Not a traditional Creamsicle Ice Cream, in addition to an egg custard, this one is made with tangerines instead or oranges, and Mascarpone cheese. (This incredible flavor combination is reminiscent of this amazing Tangerine Cheesecake.)

The recipe works really well, as the ingredients combine to create the most luscious, rich and creamy texture, with the delicious flavor of tangerine running through it.

Scoop it out of the container, or serve it in the tangerine peel for a fun, pretty presentation for guests.

The Ingredients

(I often suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)

• tangerines - There's no better tangerine to use than an Ojai Pixie when they're in season. They're incredibly sweet and juicy, and they're always seedless. They are in season from approximately March through May.
• milk - Whole-fat is best.
• pure vanilla extract - I like this one.
• granulated sugar
• Mascarpone cheese- Mascarpone is a soft Italian cheese that's subtly sweet and has a mild, buttery flavor. It greatly contributes to the Creamsicle Ice Cream’s silky, creamy richness.
• egg yolks - From large eggs.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions & Variations

• Of course you can absolutely substitute oranges for the tangerines. Try to get seedless oranges, like Valencias.
• Good substitutions for Mascarpone are cream cheese and crème fraîche. Note that cream cheese will have a slightly tangy flavor, and both are a slightly different texture. Cream cheese is thicker and crème fraîche is thinner, so the final texture of the ice cream might be slightly different.
• For an even creamier texture, you can use heavy cream instead of milk, or a mix of both.
• If you want to substitute vanilla beans for the extract, use 1 medium-sized pod. Use a paring knife to slice it open vertically, and with the back of the knife, scrape the vanilla beans into the milk (the same time that you would add the extract. For extra flavor, add the pod to the milk as well. Remove it when the milk has cooled, or strain it out.
• Add mini chocolate chips if want to. Chocolate is incredibly good with orange and tangerine. (If you're into fruit with your chocolate, that is.)

Recipe Tips

• If yous serve the ice cream right away, right out of the ice cream maker, it will be like a "soft serve." Once frozen, let the ice cream sit out for at least 20 minutes to soften a bit before serving.
• To make ice cream, we make a custard first. When you're cooking the custard (cooking the egg mixture with the milk mixture), stir constantly and watch closely. The mixture will go from thin to thick, and if you don't remove it from the heat once it begins to thicken, it could curdle. (Scramble, if you will.)  
• When you're cooking the custard, if it does curdle at all, don't panic -- there's a great fix that works really well. If you notice small lumps beginning to form, immediately pour it out of the hot pot into a blender and pulse it for about 5 seconds. This should smooth the mixture. You can also do this in a bowl with a hand mixer. Be careful not to over-mix because it can become too thin, which can't be corrected.

How to Make it

- Before you begin making the ice cream, prepare the tangerines. You will need 2 packed tablespoons of zest, ½ cup tangerine juice and about 2 cups of diced tangerines.

* If you're going to make citrus "bowls" (see instructions below), make them first, and then use that fruit to dice.

- Pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the tangerine zest, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Scald it over low-medium heat. Tiny bubbles should appear along the edges and it should be very hot, but not boiling. Remove it from the heat to cool a bit.

- Whip the sugar and egg yolks together with an electric mixer (or a whisk if you don’t have one). Whip until it's very thick and pale yellow. When you drizzle it, it should rest for a moment before sinking into the rest of the mixture -- this is called the "ribbon stage."

- Gradually pour about ¼ of the slightly cooled milk into the egg mixture, and blend with a whisk. Repeat this once and then pour all of it into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Over low heat, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until it becomes a thick custard, about 6 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes or so.

- Pour the slightly cooled custard into a blender and add the tangerine juice and Mascarpone. Blend just until smooth, just a few seconds on high. Pour this into a large bowl, add the diced tangerines and stirring from time to time, let it cool for about 2 hours.

- Then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and ideally overnight.

- Freeze according to your ice cream machine's directions.

Other Delicious Ice Cream Recipes

• Guava Ice Cream (No-Churn)
• Black Sesame Ice Cream
• Sweet corn Ice cream
• Cinnamon Ice Cream
• Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream (No-Churn

Serving Suggestions

If you're having guests and want to serve the creamsicle ice cream in the tangerine peels, it makes for a really fun presentations, and it can be done ahead of time.

How to Make a Citrus Peel Bowl

You can do this with tangerines, oranges, grapefruits, lemons, etc.

- Cut about ½ inch off the top of the fruit. (If you're using large oranges or grapefruit, just cut them in half, horizontally). Whatever citrus you're using, if it's wobbly, cut as little as possible off the bottom to make a base, just a sliver because you don't want to cut through to the inside.

- Use the tip of a butter knife to go around the citrus segments, between them and the white pith of the peel.

- Wiggle the butter knife a bit as you gently go around the segments. Then use your fingers to gently pull out the fruit. If it's stuck at all, use a teaspoon or a grapefruit spoon to lift it up. Don't worry if it doesn't come out in one piece. (This can be diced for the ice-cream.)

- For the Creamsicle Ice Cream, when it's still soft (after it has just churned in the ice cream machine, scoop it into the citrus bowl. You can either stop at the top edge (this is perfect for little kids!), or you can add another scoop on top for a more dramatic presentation.

- The ice cream-filled tangerine bowls can be frozen this way. Wrap them lightly (but sealed) in plastic wrap, or place them in a deep enough container to hold them upright, with a lid.

Storing the Ice Cream

• These airtight containers are generally the best option for storing ice cream.
• You can also reuse plastic pint gelato containers with lids that screw on.
• Cake and loaf pans are also a great option. If you go this route, press a piece of plastic wrap, wax paper or parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream, then wrap the whole thing with plastic wrap.
• As I mentioned in the Recipe Tips above, once the ice cream has been in the freezer for several hours it will likely be very hard (depending on your particular freezer). You should let it sit out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, or until it's as soft as you'd like.

I hope you love Creamsicle Ice Cream as much as my family and I do.

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