I have grand plans for the Glace-A-Tron 6000 and its doorway into exotic ice cream experiments, but so far I have been driven by my lovely wife's requests. Here are a few ice creams that have been filling our freezer.
The Template
Grab your pens, folks: This is one of the few times you'll see a recipe here on OWF. This is the template I use for all my ice creams. It started as the basic recipe from Cook's Illustrated's out-of-print How to Make Ice Cream, but that recipe is too eggy, and I have replaced one egg yolk with an egg white on the advice of an ice-cream-fiend friend. This step can add a glassy texture to more delicate ice creams, so I'm thinking of trying a batch with 3 yolks and no white. For gelato, use 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of cream.
Pistachio
Holy cats, this Cook's Illustrated-inspired ice cream was good. I toasted and ground a couple handfuls of shelled unsalted pistachios, and added them to the custard as it heated. Don't strain them out until just before you put the mix into the ice cream maker. Just before the machine finishes, stir in some candied pistachios and let them fold into the ice cream.
Chocolate
Cook's Illustrated's "Chocolate Truffle" ice cream tastes the way I expect chocolate ice cream to taste. Add 1/3 cup cocoa powder to the sugar and eggs, increase the amount of sugar by 1 tablespoon, and stir 4.5 oz. melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate into the hot custard. Some of that chocolate will harden overnight into microchips.
Fig
The Cook's Illustrated idea was weak. Rehydrate dried figs in hot water and mince? No. Use red wine and water, with some peppercorns tossed in for good measure. Purée the cooked figs in a food processor and stir in to the custard until it thickens.
Salted Caramel
I'm still tweaking this recipe, but my current incarnation is pretty good. Don't add sugar to the milk and cream. Caramelize 1 cup of sugar in a deep pot until it's nice and dark, just this side of molasses. Slowly add cold milk and cream (the mixture will bubble up), and then continue as normal. When the custard is made, add kosher salt to taste. Taste it again when the custard is at room temperature. At service, garnish with fleur de sel.