CON DULCE ICE CREAM

by Jane Hernandez

This dish is inspired by my family, most of whom live in the Dominican Republic. I hadn’t seen many variations of Habichuela Con Dulce, which is traditionally eaten at Easter and I wanted to challenge myself by turning it into a softserve ice cream. It was a nerve-wracking experience working through this. It took two trials before the recipe was good enough to release into the world. My family eats this hot with milk cookies on the top. But since the Dominican Republic is an island with a warm climate, I was inclined to transform it into ice cream. It’s perfect for summer, when hot food is the last thing on your mind but you still crave warm flavors and spices. If you’ve never had Habichuela con Dulce, try it the traditional way first so you can experience my culture.

Habichuela con Dulce

Serves: 10 Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

595 grams dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in water

1680 grams water

383 grams coconut milk

170 grams pure creamed coconut

680 grams evaporated milk

1 teaspoon salt

300 grams granulated sugar

453 grams batata (sweet potato), cubed

1 1/8-inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

80 grams raisins

Directions

1. In a large pot, put the beans and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour, adding more water if needed, until the beans are very tender when poked with a fork.

2. Working in batches if necessary, blend the beans and their cooking liquid until smooth, adding more water if necessary to blend. Pass the blended beans through a strainer into your large pot.

3. Add the coconut milk, creamed coconut, and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

4. Once boiling, stir in the salt, sugar, raisins, batata, cinnamon sticks, clove, and vanilla.

5. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45-50 minutes, until the liquid reduces to half and the sweet potato is tender.

6. To serve hot, in the traditional way, ladle the habichuela con dulce into bowls and top with the cookies. If using to make ice cream (recipe follows), refrigerate until completely cold.

Ice Cream Base

Serves: 8-10 Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour, plus chilling

Ingredients

227 grams milk

340 grams heavy cream

6 egg yolks

250 grams granulated sugar

1 tablespoon butter, heaping

296 grams Habichuela con dulce

50 grams Galletas de Leche cookies, crushed

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until combined.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the milk and heavy cream to a simmer, whisking constantly. In a bowl, add the eggs. Slowly whisk one third of the hot milk and cream mixure into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream. Heat over medium-low and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

3. Remove from the heat, add in the habichuela con dulce. Transfer to a bowl. Place the bowl in an ice bath and stir until cool, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Using an ice cream maker, churn the base according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the final minutes of churning and add in the crushed cookies. Serve immediately or transfer to a container and store in the freezer until ready to serve.