Make Fried Ice Cream
Fried ice cream has probably been around since the late 1800s, although the origins are a little obscure. It's a treat that involves what seems impossible––placing a frozen treat into boiling oil and keeping it intact. Fortunately, the impossible works and the result is a truly delicious indulgence that is ideal for dessert, parties and festivals alike. If you've been used to ordering this dessert treat when eating out, be reassured that it's easy enough to make at home too, and it'll taste just as good.
Contents
Ingredients
- 1 liter (33 ounces) ice cream, any flavor
- Crushed cereal, such as corn flakes, frosted flakes, cinnamon squares, or puffed rice (it is also possible to use finely crushed sweet hard cookies/crackers or plain breadcrumbs).
- Flour (a small bowl of it, approx 1/2 cup).
- Oil (use an unflavoured oil that has a high heat point).
- 2 eggs (beaten in a bowl large enough for dipping).
- Cinnamon and/or sugar (optional).
Steps
- Prepare the two baking sheets by lining with a silicon liner or parchment paper. Then place the sheets in the freezer for half an hour prior to making the ice cream balls.
- Scoop symmetrical balls of ice cream. Try to make each scoop about as large as your fist. Make as many scoops as will fit on the baking sheets.
- Harden the scooped ice cream balls in the freezer. Place the sheets of ice cream balls into the freezer and leave them there for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.
- Set out the bowls for dipping. Place a bowl of flour, a bowl of beaten egg and a bowl of crushed cereal or fine cookie/cracker crumbs in the workspace, in a formation that makes it easy to dip in order.
- Coat the ice cream. Remove the balls from the freezer, then:
- Roll each ice cream ball first in the flour bowl. A little flour over each ball provides increased strength.
- Roll each ice cream ball in the beaten egg.
- Lastly, roll each ball around in the crushed cereal. (For a tastier treat, you can add cinnamon and sugar to the crushed cereal. Just make sure you still have enough cereal bits on the ice cream to coat the surface of the scoop.)
- Alternatively, you may dip the ice cream balls in cake batter to make a thin, donut-like coating. Then either fry the balls directly or sprinkle / roll them in crushed cookie or biscuit crumbs to give a crisp shell. This method can be done immediately before frying, or like the method above may be re-frozen as follows.
- Place the ice cream balls back on the baking sheets, then back in the freezer. Freeze for at least two hours before frying.
- At this point, you can actually keep the ice cream balls frozen for up to two months if needed.
- Fry the coated ice cream balls. Heat up the oil until it shimmers - approx 185C or 364F. Fry the ice cream balls in batches two at a time to avoid reducing the temperature of the oil. A low temperature won't fry them crisply. Fry until each ball turns a light/golden brown all over. Remove as soon as it's done.
- Serve the ice cream balls. Serve immediately after frying, with chocolate or caramel sauce or other favorite sauce.
- If you'd like the dessert to be colder, place it back into the freezer for a few more minutes after it's fried, then pull out and serve a little colder. This is a personal preference and isn't essential.
Tips
- A metal spoon or strainer can be helpful for putting the ice cream into the oil and taking it back out.
- Add a pinch of salt to the oil before you fry to help prevent splattering.
Warnings
- Make sure that the oil remains hot if you're making multiple ––reheating it risks splattering and even fire.
- When you remove the fried ice cream from the oil, there will still be some oil on the outside––this oil is hot enough to burn, so wait until it's cooled a bit before serving. In the time taken to plate up and deliver though, this should provide sufficient cooling time.
- Never leave hot oil unattended.
- Use extreme caution when working with hot oil. It can splatter and cause serious burns.
Things You'll Need
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicon liner
- Bowls
- Slotted spoon or ladle
- Serving plates
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Sources and Citations
- Methodology checked against Taste of the Orient, p. 272, ISBN 186256-035-8 (no date provided).
