Ready, Steady, Cook Challenge: Dessert Apricot Ice Cream spiked w/ Cinnamon & Chile and Chickpea & Apricot Thumbprints

Well....I'm up to the final course in my Ready, Steady, Cook! Challenge menu- Dessert!  And no...I did NOT work green beans into my dessert.  This ice cream sandwich was big enough to split down the middle and share...but you could have made smaller cookies...or eaten the whole thing by yourself.  I mean, you could even just scoop the ice cream into a bowl and eat the cookies on the side if you so desire...I just wanted it this way.  These thumbprints were inspired by the Mantecadas I made recently for my Big, Fat Puerto Rican meal!

Apricot Ice Cream spiked with Cinnamon & Chile

yield: just under a quart

4 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. milk

1/2 c. Apricot Jam (see Main Course...made enough for both)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.

In a small heavy saucepan over low to medium-low heat, add milk. Slowly bring milk just to a gentle simmer or until it begins to bubble around the edges. Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk scalded milk into egg mixture....a bit at a time at first to temper it.  Pour it back into the saucepan. Over low heat, stirring constantly, heat until the custard mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (napé), approximately 7 to 10 minutes.  Carefully stir in the warm jam, cinnamon, and chile powder.  Take off heat and let cool ~1 hour.  

Cover and transfer to refrigerator for a few hours.  Transfer to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer directions.  

Once your ice cream maker has stopped, sandwich a thick layer of ice cream between two cookies recipe follows, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.  Or simply eat it as is, or freeze for a firmer ice cream.

Chickpea and Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

yield: ~1 dozen lg. cookies

1 c. flour

1/2 c. chickpea flour*

1/4 c. sugar

pinch salt

pinch cinnamon

4 oz. cold butter, cut into chunks

2 eggs

Apricot Jam (see Main Course...prepared big batch)

Preheat oven to 350° F.  In a large bowl, mix together flours, sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Work the butter in quickly with your fingertips to form a crumbly dough.  Stir in eggs until mixture comes together.

Roll dough into balls the size of golfballs and set on a lined baking sheet.  Press down in the center of the cookie with your thumb.  Place ~1/2 tsp. Apricot Jam in the center of each.

Bake ~25-30 mins., until golden around edges.  Let cool on rack.  Eat as is or use for Ice Cream Sandwich cookies.

*to make Chickpea flour, I ground dried, unsoaked chickpeas in my food processor...adding just a few at a time...adding a few more as they started to turn to powder...until I had as much flour as I needed.  Strain through a sieve to remove any large bits that may not have broken down.

*If you'd like to see everybody else's entries...click HERE!


My other two courses...click on starter to see my 7 assigned ingredients plus my pantry/free items...

 *Starter

* Main Course