Curé Nantais Ice Cream

A local favourite in the Nantes region in France, the Curé Nantais ice cream is a creamy, velvety and sweet treat perfect after a day of fun in the summer sun.

Made with the soft cheese from Loire-Atlantique, whole milk, cream and sugar; the recipe is easy enough to prepare and delicious enough to make everyone happy. The sweetness of the sugar and milk ties in perfectly with the sharpness of the cheese, concocting a blend of interesting and complimenting flavours.

Health Benefits

Although this ice cream has rich resources of calcium, potassium, protein, selenium, vitamin A, riboflavin and other minerals and nutrients, it has high sugar content and should only be consumed in small amounts.

Ingredients

curé nantais cheese: 200 g

yolks of large eggs (room temperature): 4

whole, cull cream milk: 1 cup

demi cream: 1 1/2 cup

Sugar: 200 g

mint leaves for garnishing

How To Make Curé Nantais Ice Cream

1. To prepare the cheese for the ice cream, remove the rind and cut the cheese into small cubes.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan add the cheese cubes, milk and cream. Heat the mixture over a medium heat.
3. Meanwhile in a clean bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with sugar until it is blended well and becomes a pale yellow colour.
4. When the cheese cubes have melted completely, and the milk mixture has come to a boil, remove from flame.
5. Add the milk mixture to the egg yolk in a steady, slow stream while whisking constantly to avid the egg from coagulating.
6. When everything is incorporated well, return the milk and egg mixture to the sauce pan, cover with a lid and cook it on a low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
7. Using a piece of cheesecloth, strain your ice cream into another bowl and let it cool down completely.
8. Put the container into an ice cream machine to churn, or put it in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
9. If you are using a freezer then remember to stir the mixture every 30 minutes until it reaches the consistency of ice cream.
10. When ready to serve, spoon two scoops into a bowl and garnish with 1-2 mint leaves.

Trivia

• Curé Nantais is a strong soft cheese form the Loire-Atlantique department of France. It gets its name from the place it was first cured in i.e. the Nantes vineyard by a priest of passage.

Did you know that until the late 1800s ice cream was considered a rare luxury and exotic treat? It used to be only consumed by the elite and rich upper-class nobility.