Quince Streusel Ice Cream

This Quince Streusel Ice Cream is one of the most luscious ice creams I have ever created. And trust me, I have whipped up A LOT of ice cream flavors in my life.  Luscious ice creams do not happen in a jiffy. This one takes a bit of time to create. However, there could not be a more special dessert to serve to your holiday guests. The combination of the sweet quince and brown sugar streusel layered with creamy vanilla ice cream is irresistible. This ice cream is so rich, one scoop goes a long way.

I used pineapple quince for this recipe. The fragrance alone is sumptuous. In contrast to other quince varieties, this type has the distinct scent of pineapple, along with hints of pear and apple. Someone, please make a Pineapple Quince perfume. These quinces had been sitting in a basket in my kitchen emmitting their beautiful aroma. I was almost sad to use them.

Furthermore, I find Quince to be the most amazing transformational fruit. In its raw form, the fruit is fragrant, rock solid in texture. When split open, the flesh is creamy. For this Quince Streusel Ice Cream, I boiled the quince flesh in sugar water. Presto, it turns the most gorgeous shade of pink.

There are three separate steps to this Quince Streusel Ice cream recipe. First, make the ice cream base and refrigerate it. While the ice cream base is chilling,  peel and cut up the quince and boil it in sugar water. The quince takes over an hour to boil. While that is happening, mix the rest of the ingredients together to make the streusel.

TIP:

You will have sweet fragrant delicious syrup leftover from the boiled quince. So I am using mine to create a quince vodka martini for my Thanksgiving Dinner guests.

Churn the ice cream base into a soft-serve consistency, then alternate the layers into a plastic container and freeze the finished Quince Streusel Ice Cream for a few hours.

You can prepare the quince and the streusel several days ahead. Additionally, you can prepare the entire recipe several days ahead. This is certainly another time saver when preparing your holiday meal.

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Quince Streusel Ice Cream

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, German

Keyword Quince Ice Cream

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Chill Time 5 hours

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 2 Pints

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

For the Ice Cream Base:

• 1  cup  heavy cream
• 2  cups  whole milk
• 3/4  cup  white granulated sugar
• 4  egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Quince:

• 3 large fresh quince
• 3 cups Water
• 1+1/2 cups sugar

For the Streusel:

• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 3/4  cup  brown sugar
• 1/2  cup  butter cut into small pieces

Instructions

Make the Ice Cream Base:

1. In a medium saucepan heat milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla until just about to boil.
2. Whisk egg yolks together in a heatproof bowl.
3. Slowly pour the cream mixture into the yolks whisking quickly to temper the eggs.
4. Scrape the tempered mixture back into the pan and reheat stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens a bit, coating the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Remove from heat and strain into a clean heatproof bowl.
6. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the top of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming on top.
7. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Poach the quince:

1. Peel, core and cut the quince into very small pieces.
   
2. Place the quince in a saucepan, cover with water and the white granulated sugar and bring to a boil.
3. Turn the heat down too low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour. The quince will turn pink.
   
4. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
5. Strain as much liquid as you can from the quince and set aside. I save the beautiful quince syrup for use in cocktails or in non-alcoholic batch drinks.

Make the Streusel:

1. Place the sugar, butter, and flour in a bowl and use a wooden spoon or your hands, to rub the ingredients together until streusel forms. Set aside.

Assemble the Ice Cream:

1. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions. Churn the mixture until the ice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency.

2. Add a layer of the ice cream to the bottom of a freezer-proof container. Distribute a layer of the streusel on top. Add a layer of the prepared quince on top of the streusel. Repeat the layering until you have used all the ingredients.

3. Place the container in the freezer for two hours or until it hardens. Scoop and serve. 

Like this Quince Streusel Ice Cream? Also, Try some of these other Quince Recipes:

Quince Almond Bread

Quince Potato Speck Soup

Quince Cranberry Almond Bars