I do put Frangelico in my hazelnut ice cream, and it does help the ice cream flavor, but it does not change the flavor of the nuts.

I have ginger in the freezer - perhaps I should make ginger ice cream - can you share the recipe you use?

I only blanch hazelnuts in the most extreme of cases where the extra skin would be a visual turn off. I never found the reward to work ratio worthwhile for blanching. I have a pistachio gelato recipe around here somewhere that I like that does not even have eggs and that I enjoy thoroughly. I need to pull it out soon.

I was just this minute thinking about nuts in ice cream. I've never had a pistachio ice cream I really liked. I think part of the problem is that pistachio is such a delicate flavor, and just the eggs can overwhelm it. I think Tishtosh's gelato might be worth looking at. For my taste, raw pistachios are tastier than roasted.

One reason for blanching, besides getting rid of annoying skin, is for texture. Unblanched almonds are unpleasant in ice cream since they're so hard. As a kid, I'd sort of filter the nuts out of the rocky road as the soft parts went down smoothly, and suck them until they were softer. Blanching or roasting helps prevent them from being that rocky a rock. :)

I like the idea of ginger too! I'm supposed to be teaching the college girl to make ice cream soon. I bet she'd like that.

Lars,

Here is the recipe for the one I have made from Saveur magazine. I often try ice creams without eggs because they are often cheaper to make and for general health issues. Sometime I may try this same technique for a hazelnut gelato and perhaps and some chocolate shavings as well.

This pistachio gelato from David Lebowitz looks wonderful. It uses pistachio paste and I may have to search some out to try the recipe.

The recipe that I use is from the Fine Cooking website but I'm not good at following recipes, I typically use them as a suggestion.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (to yield a generous 1/3 cup)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large egg yolks

In a heavy saucepan, combine the cream, milk, ginger, and half of the
sugar. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the
heat and let stand for 1 hour to allow the ginger to infuse into the
cream and milk. Reheat the cream and ginger mixture until hot but not
boiling (175°F on an instant-read thermometer).

Meanwhile, use a whisk or hand-held mixer to beat the
remaining sugar and the yolks in a medium bowl until thick and pale
yellow, about 2 min. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into
the yolk mixture, and then stir the warmed yolk mixture back into the
remaining cream. Heat the mixture slowly over medium low, stirring
constantly, until it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon
and a line drawn on the spoon with a fingertip remains intact (180°F on
an instant-read thermometer).

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve into a
medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Set the bowl in a larger bowl filled
with ice water and stir the custard occasionally until it reaches room
temperature. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until cold (about 40°F),
about 1 hour. Freeze in an ice-cream maker, following the manufacturer's
instructions..

I have used 4 extra large egg yolks rather than 5 large, (less eggy), a bit less sugar... and more ginger. I often add crystallized ginger to the ice cream rather than sprinkling it over top. (We like ginger). If you like rhubarb, ginger ice cream with a rhubarb crisp, or crumble or cake is heaven.

I've sauteed nuts in butter before adding to ice cream - & sprinkled a bit of sugar on them for the last minute or so to caramelize. Always loved Breyers butter pecan & butter almond ice creams & this gave similar results.

Tishtosh, I may try the Saveur pistachio recipe, although to me it seems to have a bit too much sugar, and so I might cut back by 1/8 cup to start. I will NOT be discarding the pistachios after I strain them out - they make a very nice snack by themselves, and they are expensive anyway. They still have more flavor than blanched hazelnuts.

I have no problem with hard hazelnuts - after they are toasted they are a bit softer than when raw anyway. I like the crunch, and I chop them fairly small in a nut grinder (which I've had for a while) before adding them to my ice cream. I have considered omitting them in my ice cream, but I like it a lot better with them.

When I make strawberry ice cream, I use no eggs, but otherwise I do prefer eggs in ice cream. However, I will try the pistachio gelato with no cream and no eggs, but I probably will not try the recipe that requires pistachio paste, unless I decide to make the paste myself. I do not want all the extra ingredients in the paste, and it is not easy to find anyway. If I happen to see it, I will buy it anyway, but I have not seen any on line that I would want to order.

Butter is one ingredient that I will never use in ice cream, and butter pecan is one flavor that I simply cannot swallow. I could sauté nuts in walnut oil instead, and that may help. I love pecans but generally do not put them in ice cream, although I do occasionally use almonds, and I toast those as well, although I do buy them already blanched. I use pecan in a lot of other desserts, but not ice cream. My sister loves butter pecan, but she has very different taste from me.

I will also make the ginger ice cream, although I have never tasted any. I also have never tasted rhubarb, and so I do not know what that is like! I think ginger ice cream would be very refreshing - I might try to find some to try before I make it.