I’ve made it – the FINAL ROUND OF DICED!  I am so excited to contribute my (hopefully) WINNING dessert entry – if you vote at The Ranting Chef on the poll on the right hand side!  Without further ado, let’s get cookin…

Dessert is not my strong suit.  I’m not a big fan unless its flourless chocolate cake, and when given pineapple, dark chocolate, and oatmeal as my required ingredients, I was admittedly a bit confused as to what to do.  I’m not a big pineapple fan either.  Then it came to me, as it usually does, over alcohol – I LOVE pina coladas.  There’s an idea – now how to make that into a dessert?  How about ICE CREAM!?  Well, crap, I don’t have an ice cream maker.  But that didn’t stop me.

With All Hallow’s Eve (my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HOLIDAYYYY) right around the corner, childhood memories have been coming back – and with them, I remembered making ice cream in science class with rock salt, ice, and a few ziplocks.  Perfect!  And I’ll never pass up a chance to let Halloween shine.  I scream, you scream, we all scream…

Pina Ghoulada Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Crumble and Redrum Glaze!
serves 2

Ingredients:

The Ice Cream
1 1/2 c. fresh or canned pineapple
1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp. pineapple juice
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1/2 can coconut milk (or 1/4 c. powdered coconut milk)
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. heavy/whipping cream
1 c. rock salt

The Crumble
1 c. oatmeal
1 Tbsp. dark chocolate chips
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter

The “Redrum” Glaze
1/4 c. spiced rum
2 Tbsp. grenadine
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Preparation:

First of all, a little note – sorry about the lack of pictures!  Of course this is the week my camera decided to cross over to the other side.  I hope my words paint a pretty enough picture for you!

In a medium saucepan, bring the pineapple, pineapple juice, and 1/2 c. sugar to a boil, crushing the pineapple with a spoon as you go.  Mix the remaining tablespoon of pineapple juice with the corn starch and then pour into the mixture once it comes to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until it has thickened a bit (about 2 minutes).

In another saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil.  Whisk your egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl, and then SLOWLY pour in the heated milk while whisking vigorously to create your custard.  Pour this back into the saucepan and cook on low/medium heat until thickened to a consistency a little thicker than honey but not as thick as yogurt – or, if you’re fancy schmancy (as I am obviously not) until a thermometer reads 175 F – it’ll take about 2-4 minutes.  Add your pineapple mixture and vanilla to this, then pour into a container to allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the heavy cream and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours to cool down.

Now for the fun part… ready for a work out?  Obviously if you have an ice cream maker, put this in there and start creamin’ – more power to you.  Otherwise, time for a little Halloween magic!  Fill a ziploc bag with your icecream mixture, then fill a larger ziplock with ice and rock salt.  Place the smaller bag (sealed of course) inside the ice/rock salt bag and start SHAKIN! – I could try and put it into words, but instead, here’s a great video: http://youtu.be/M3-OAwhIvU0?t=1m5s

See, now you’re an icecream magicmaker!

Put that icecream in the freezer and toss your oats, brown sugar, butter and dark chocolate in a sautee pan, heating on medium until a little crunchy and caramelized.  While doing that, heat the rum, grenadine and sugar in a small saucepan.  Once thickened enough, put your icecream in a bowl, top with the crumble, psycho-splatter some redrum sauce on there and enjoy a bite.

If you liked this recipe,  go to The Ranting Chef and VOTE – OR ELSE!  Just kidding – maybe… muahahahah…

Happy scaring, and I hope you enjoyed these little tricks to make this treat all from scratch and wow even the most discerning of witches.

Happy Halloween!
Echo