Ricotta-Punch Abruzzo Ice Cream
One of the saddest casualties of the digital age is surely Gourmet magazine. Of course now I am kicking myself for having discarded all my old issues. I know there must be literally thousands of jewels forever lost to me. However, I remembered a recipe for Ricotta Ice Cream that I had seen in the magazine years ago. Thank heavens that recipe made it onto the digital archives. I used it as a starting point for this ice cream, making a few changes, including adding Punch Abruzzo instead of the rum originally called for.
This ice cream is rich, but not heavy, and the bittersweet chocolate is a nice foil for the citrus and sweet fruitcake notes of the Punch Abruzzo. Punch is one of my favorite liqueurs. I write about it and mention it so often, people ask if I work for the company. In case you too are wondering, the answer is no, I do not work for them. I just love the stuff.
Years ago it was impossible to find Punch Abruzzo in the U.S. Travelers to Italy wrapped bottles in their luggage and secreted them away once back home. It is that good, and at 90 proof it packs dare I say it, quite a punch. The flavor is astoundingly complex and really quite potent; consider that this recipe has a large percentage of dairy from ricotta, mascarpone, milk and cream and yet just two tablespoons of Punch Abruzzo are enough to impart the liqueur’s distinct flavor. Punch is delicious poured over gelato, ice cream and cakes, and now here it is as part of the ice cream itself. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked. I’d love to hear what you think.
Ricotta-Punch Abruzzo Ice Cream
Makes one very generous quart
15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup mascarpone
¾ cup vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons Punch Abruzzo
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
teaspoon orange extract
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
5 ½ oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Valrhona bittersweet 71%)
extra Punch Abruzzo for topping the ice cream
Drain the ricotta if it is very wet. Place ricotta, milk, mascarpone, vanilla sugar, Punch Abruzzo, extracts and salt in the blender jar. Blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight until well chilled. Pour base into ice cream machine, adding the chopped chocolate after 35 minutes or according to the machine manufacturer’s directions. You can serve this directly from the ice cream machine or transfer it to a container and place it in the freezer to cure for 2 to 4 hours. Serve the ice cream with a bit of Punch Abruzzo dribbled on top.
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Food Nerd Notes:
I used Valrhona 71% bittersweet chocolate, available at Trader Joe’s, a product I typically find too bittersweet and dry for my taste. The Punch Abruzzo marries beautifully with the dark chocolate, bringing out fragrance notes in the chocolate I had not noticed before. Use what you like, but go with a high percentage chocolate. The sweet and complex Punch Abruzzo demands it.
Vanilla sugar is granulated sugar in which vanilla beans have buried and left to rest. Over time the beans lend their sweet fragrance and flavor to the sugar, which in turn perfumes and flavors anything made with it. To make vanilla sugar slice down the length of a vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into 2 cups of granulated sugar. Bury the bean deep in the sugar, and seal tightly for 1 to 2 weeks. I use C&H Baker’s Sugar, a granulated sugar that is more finely ground than standard granulated sugar, yet not as finely ground as superfine sugar. It is used measure for measure just as regular granulated sugar.
Don’t skip the orange extract. It complements the Punch Abruzzo. If you have no Punch Abruzzo, use Myers’ rum.
Punch Abruzzo is available from A Cork Above in Florida.
Note: You can click on any picture for a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 6:32 pm |
Che capolavoro, amica! E’ veramente un gelato straordinario e raffinato! Come ne vorrei un po’! Un bacione e una felice giornata! 🙂
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 6:45 pm |
Ciao Ely,
Grazie!. Un abbraccio!
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 6:44 pm |
Adri, I will be visiting Italy in May. Is this Punch Abruzzo still produced and available to stuff in my bag (or ship as I usually do for ease!). I’ve not heard of it and you have convinced me of it’s culinary enhancement! I love this ice cream and would like to prepare it as you have with the correct ingredients from Italy.
Baci,
Roz
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 6:48 pm |
Ciao Roz,
Yes, it is still produced. You can purchase it here in the U.S. at A Cork Above in Florida, but you can surely bring some home!
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 7:47 pm |
Adri. This sounds like another winner
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 7:50 pm |
Hi Anthony,
Thanks. I can’t resist this liquor. Or ice cream.
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 8:19 pm |
I miss Gourmet Mag too, Adri. I have binders filled with recipe clippings from the different food magazines I’ve subscribed to over the years and I’m never surprised to realize that a particularly great recipe came from Gourmet. But Punch Abruzzo?? I’ve never heard of such a thing and am deeply intrigued! Thank you for yet another food lesson! Un abbraccio, Michelle
Thursday, September 5th 2013 at 8:33 pm |
Hi,
I had so many magazines, and in one of those clean up moods I discarded literally hundreds of them along with binders full of clippings. I will never get over it. Punch Abruzzo is out of this world. You must try it!
Friday, September 6th 2013 at 5:15 am |
This ice cream looks So wonderful and now I’m so intrigued by Punch-Abruzzo – it sounds delicious!
Friday, September 6th 2013 at 7:28 am |
Hi Amy,
Indeed, Punch Abruzzo is unique. I hope you can try some!
Friday, September 6th 2013 at 12:24 pm |
Adri – It’s because of you that I finally tasted this Punch Abruzzo and had it several times on this last visit to help with my sore throat (ahem…) The ice cream flavored with it must taste divine. By the way, I FINALLY cracked open a bottle of Barolo Chinato last night – also thanks to you. and boy, is it nice. I can imagine that warmed up too.
Friday, September 6th 2013 at 1:22 pm |
Ciao Linda,
FANTASTICA! FINALEMTE!! I am so pleased to hear you tried these two and really pleased to hear that you like them. Cheers!
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 8:17 am |
Thanks for the visit to my blog. I can see that I will get very hungry when I visit your blog- your dishes look delicious!
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 8:47 am |
Benvenuta Joann,
And thanks to you for visiting me – I am glad you like what you see!
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 1:27 pm |
Another incredible ice cream recipe! A true gelateressa! (Is that even a word?) And you have me with the Punch Abruzzo-I may have to bring back one less bottle of wine in my suitcase to make room for it…
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 2:53 pm |
Ciao Laney,
What can I say? I am on a roll here, and Punch Abruzzo is wonderful!
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 1:51 pm |
wowwww….buono 🙂
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 2:53 pm |
Ciao Daniela,
Grazie!
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 5:20 pm |
Adri, I too can kick myself about the Gourmet magazines, they were my favorite. The ice cream sounds amazingly delicious! Never heard of Punch either, but as you described it- I am willing to find it and try it myself. Yum!
Saturday, September 7th 2013 at 6:10 pm |
Ciao!
Oh, I think there are so many of us who really went overboard with the cleaning. Thank goodness that some of the recipes made their way onto the computer archives. And I hope you get a chance to try Punch. It really is wonderful. Un bacione!
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 7:55 am |
Hi Adri – ricotta ice cream sounds heavenly.
I know what you mean about Gourmet. I saved the last issue…
LL
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 8:52 am |
Hi Lori,
I’m glad this one caught your eye. The ricotta makes an exceptionally creamy ice cream. And I am envious. I do not even have the last issue.
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 11:56 am |
Never thought of making ice cream from ricotta and mascarpone. Really must try that.
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 12:32 pm |
Hi Mette,
It is delicious. I put the ricotta and mascarpone in the blender, and the result was a remarkably smooth base for the ice cream. I was surprised myself!
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 2:05 pm |
Unfortunately I don’t have an ice cream maker but I’m sure I would love your ice cream. I’m going to have to look for the Punch at our liquor store but I don’t have much hope of them having it…just one of the challenges when you live in a rural area.
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 6:12 pm |
Hi Karen,
I say it’s time for you to get an ice cream maker. There’s no end to the things you can make. Punch Abruzzo is indeed hard to find. I order it from A Cork Above in Florida. I hope you get to try it. It is wonderful.
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 3:05 pm |
riesci sempre a mettermi una voglia matta di gelato, questo deve essere golosissimo ! Buona settimana…
Sunday, September 8th 2013 at 6:13 pm |
Ciao Chiara,
Una voglia matta – come il nome del tuo blog!
Monday, September 9th 2013 at 1:18 am |
Adri, firstly, thank you for stopping by my blog, Good Things. Secondly, oh no, not you too! I also gave away a huge pile of all my old magazines when I downsized years ago and now I wish I hadn’t! Love your ice cream recipe. Must now go investigate the rest of your delicious blog xo
Monday, September 9th 2013 at 7:30 am |
Benvenuta Lizzy,
Oh, this magazine thing is just terrible. Through this post I have learned that I am not the only one who went overboard on the cleaning activities. I’m glad you like the ice cream recipe, and I hope you enjoy the other things you see here. Thanks for stopping by. Alla prossima!
Monday, September 9th 2013 at 1:56 pm |
Wow. I bet this is just fantastic. Just how big is that liquor cabinet anyway? As for Gourmet. Sigh. My stack never survived either but I found it all a bit much and not too accessible so I’m not as wistful as so many are. I always did want to serve a riverside picnic off the underside of a vintage canoe though. Never got to that.
Monday, September 9th 2013 at 2:19 pm |
Hi Trevor,
Well, since you were never a true Gourmet fan, then your suffer less than the rest of us. I was just so certain I would never use them. I’ll agree that from canoeing at the picnic to punting on the River Cam, Gourmet could be cloying. Nonetheless I regret having tossed them all, along with many other publications. And about the liquor cabinet, the answer is – not big enough. Alla prossima!
Monday, September 9th 2013 at 2:38 pm |
The frozen confections you been “churning out” are spectacular. GREG
PS Sorry I couldn’t resist that one.
Monday, September 9th 2013 at 4:29 pm |
Hi Greg,
Pretty funny, Sup. I’m sorry I did not think of that one. You must have a bit of the headline writer in your blood. I’d love to see what you could do with Punch Abruzzo. And thanks for the compliment!
Wednesday, September 11th 2013 at 8:22 am |
Mmmmm non ho mai assaggiato il gelato alla ricotta, sarà meraviglioso!!!! Che acquolinaaaa!
Wednesday, September 11th 2013 at 8:33 am |
Ciao, Mariangela.
Grazie!
Sunday, September 22nd 2013 at 6:13 am |
Wow this looks amazing! I think I will have to try this! Beautiful story and beautiful recipe!
Sunday, September 22nd 2013 at 7:48 am |
Ciao Alessandra!
Thank you. I think Pop, as we called my grandfather, would have enjoyed this dish. It was truly an enjoyable experience to do this, and brought back lots of memories of steaming pots of pasta in my grandparents’ kitchen.
Monday, September 30th 2013 at 10:38 am |
That is such a delightful ice cream! I love everything about it.
Cheers,
Rosa
Monday, September 30th 2013 at 10:40 am |
Hi Rosa,
Thanks! I can’t get enough Punch Abruzzo. Thanks for visiting. Alla prossima!