Spanish Turrón Ice Cream

It’s Christmas again. No, wait, that’s not true! But Miriam Garcia turns a typical Christmas confectionery into an ice cream that deserves to be eaten all year.

Do you know what turrón is? It is a nougat-like confectionery mostly made with almonds, tons of almonds… and also sugar, honey and egg whites. It is typical Christmas fare all over Spain, although originating from the southeast Mediterranean coast, in the region of Valencia (check here the Spanish pronunciation of turrón). It is usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake where almonds can be left whole or ground to a paste to yield the following traditional varieties:

• Hard (the Alicante variety): A compact block of whole almonds in a brittle mass of eggs, honey and sugar; 64% almonds (premium quality).
• Soft (the Jijona variety): Similar but the almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix more chewy and sticky; 60% almonds (premium quality).

Jijona is a small town known since the Middle Ages for its excellent honey and productive almond orchards. This local produce gave birth to turrón, referenced for the first time in a document of 1531. Turrón is such a valued confection that today its formulas and quality are standardized and endorsed by a Regulation Council.

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And I guess you are wondering why I am talking about Christmas now, right at the beginning of Spring. Well, because the same as turrón itself reminds any Spaniard of Christmas, ice cream flavored with Jijona turrón is a variety that no Spanish ice cream shop fails to stock during the warm season. And as in Spain it is very common to have turrón leftovers at home after Christmas, this is a wonderful way to give this traditional confection a totally different twist. And that is exactly what I did. So as warmer weather is on its way in the northern hemisphere and just in case you happen to lay your hands on a tablet of Jijona turrón, here is the recipe for this creamy, rich and very Mediterranean ice cream.

Spanish Turrón Ice Cream

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5 from 9 reviews

• Author: Miriam García
• Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

A classic ice cream in the Spanish summers, flavored with turrón, a typical Christmas confection

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Custard:

• 0.75 cup (150g) sugar
• 2 cups (500ml) whole milk
• 3 medium eggs (whites and yolks separated)

Ice Cream Flavouring:

• 5.25 oz (150g) soft Jijona turron (crumbled)
• 3 tbsp Malaga wine or sweet Sherry
• 0.85 cup (200ml) whipping cream

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Instructions

Make the Custard:

1. Mix sugar, milk, and egg yolks in a saucepan.
2. Cook using a double boiler, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Avoid boiling to prevent curdling.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Flavoring:

1. Blend the crumbled turron with Malaga wine into a smooth paste.
2. Mix this paste into the cooled custard until well combined.

Combine and Freeze:

1. Whip the whipping cream to soft peaks and fold gently into the turron custard mixture.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Carefully fold these into the mixture, ensuring no white streaks remain.
3. Freeze the mixture in your icebox, stirring every hour until fully set, or use an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Notes

• Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
• Stir the custard mixture continuously for even cooking.
• Fold ingredients gently to maintain airiness.
• Check sweetness and adjust before freezing, as cold diminishes sweetness.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Freezing Time: 240 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Ice Cream
• Method: Freezing
• Cuisine: Spanish

*A note on sugar: the sugar content is a very region-dependent and even personal matter, and it should be adjusted to your liking, so I recommend you try the mixture before churning. Usually European confectioneries, pastries and sweet things in general are less sweet than for example in the United States. And remember frozen desserts should always be on the sweet side before freezing or churning, as the sweetness will be less noticeable afterwards.

And there you have it. To my taste this ice cream is so rich that I don’t need any topping or sauce on mine, but feel free to use some chocolate sauce or almond brittle…

Try another great Spanish recipe – Padron Peppers – here.