Almond or Orgeat Cream Ice (Crème d'Amandes)

Ingredients

• 226 g (half a pound), whole, unblanched Sweet almonds (Also sold as raw whole almonds. You will blanch and peel these yourself in Step 1.)
• 7 whole, unblanched Bitter almonds (Use 6 to 7 bitter almonds. Bitter almonds are used for flavour only and in very small quantity. If unavailable in your region, omit and slightly increase the essence of almonds in Step 2.)
• 1 teaspoon Orange-flower water (Available in most supermarkets or Middle Eastern grocery stores.)
• 4 drops Essence of almonds (Use 3 to 4 drops. Also known as almond extract. Available in the baking aisle.)
• 568 ml (1 pint) Tepid milk or cream (Use whole milk, single cream, or half milk and half cream. Warm gently to about 40°C (lukewarm to the touch) before using.)
• 113 g (4 ounces) Caster sugar (Also spelled castor sugar. Fine-grained white sugar that dissolves easily. Regular granulated sugar works too.)
• 568 ml (1 pint) Custard or sweetened cream (Use a pint of ready-made or homemade pourable egg custard (crème anglaise), or a pint of double cream lightly sweetened to taste. See Step 4 for a simple homemade custard method.)

Instructions

1. 1Place the sweet almonds and bitter almonds together in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover them completely and leave for 2 minutes — this loosens the skins. Drain the almonds and, once cool enough to handle, pinch each one between your thumb and forefinger so the skin slips off. Discard the skins. Transfer the peeled almonds to a large mortar (or a food processor fitted with a blade). Pound or process the almonds until they begin to break down into a coarse, paste-like crumb. Work in batches if needed. The goal is a fine, damp paste — keep going until no large pieces remain.
2. 2While continuing to pound or process the almond paste, gradually add the teaspoon of orange-flower water and 3 to 4 drops of essence of almonds. Then pour in the tepid milk or cream a little at a time, pounding or blending continuously between additions. The liquid helps loosen the paste and extract the almond flavour. Continue until you have a smooth, pourable almond milk — this may take 5 to 8 minutes by hand in a mortar, or 2 to 3 minutes in a food processor. If using a food processor, scrape down the sides regularly. The mixture should look milky and smell strongly of almonds.
3. 3Add the 4 ounces (113 g) of caster sugar to the almond milk and stir or pound until fully dissolved. Taste — the mixture should be pleasantly sweet and strongly almond-flavoured. Now strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) set over a large bowl or jug, pressing the almond solids firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the dry almond solids left in the sieve. You should be left with a smooth, sweetened almond-flavoured milk.
4. 4You need 1 pint (568 ml) of pourable egg custard (crème anglaise) or 1 pint of sweetened cream. If using shop-bought pourable custard or lightly sweetened double cream, simply measure out 568 ml and proceed to Step 5. If making a simple custard from scratch: gently warm the custard base in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon — do not let it boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before using. Whether you are using custard or sweetened cream, it should be at room temperature or cold before combining in Step 5.
5. 5Pour the strained, sweetened almond milk (from Step 3) into the pint of custard or sweetened cream (from Step 4). Stir gently with a spoon or whisk until fully combined into one uniform, pale, fragrant mixture. Taste once more — the almond and floral flavours should be clear and pleasant. At this point the mixture is ready to freeze.
6. 6Pour the combined mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions — usually 20 to 30 minutes — until it reaches a soft, scoopable consistency. If you do not have an ice cream machine, pour the mixture into a shallow, freezer-safe container, cover, and place in the freezer. After 45 minutes, remove and stir vigorously with a fork, breaking up any ice crystals that have formed around the edges. Return to the freezer. Repeat this stirring process every 30 to 45 minutes for 3 to 4 hours, until the mixture is frozen and smooth. This no-churn method produces a slightly icier texture but is perfectly acceptable.
7. 7Once frozen to a firm, scoopable consistency, serve the almond cream ice in one of the following ways: (1) Pile it in generous scoops on a folded cloth napkin on a serving dish for a classic Victorian presentation; (2) Pack it firmly into a decorative mould, freeze until solid, then turn it out onto a plate; (3) Spoon or pipe it into ready-made meringue shells; or (4) Serve in individual paper cases or small dishes. Serve immediately as a dinner or dessert ice.