Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream

This is one of the best homemade ice creams EVER. I loved it. I hosted a little homemade ice cream social at work and served this along with cherry cheesecake frozen yogurt and pineapple sorbet. All three were declared winners!

If you like pistachios or apricots, or just amazingly delicious ice cream, you must try this. I especially like that it remains super scoop-able even when frozen hard.
The wine keeps it soft enough to scoop. That means you can "sneak" a spoonful here and there without waiting for it to soften. Not that I would know anything about that.

Start by combining the wine



and the chopped apricots



in a small saucepan. Heat this mixture and then let it simmer for 5 minutes.



Cover the pan and remove it from the heat,



then let it sit for an hour. In a blender jar, combine the half and half,



sugar,



a few drops of lemon juice, and the apricot mixture.



Puree until smooth (although there will be some nice apricot pieces) then refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. In the fridge this will thicken up quite nicely, so don't become alarmed! Pour the mixture into the ice cream freezer



and process. While it churns, chop up the pistachios.



I just love how beautiful pistachios are! In the last few minutes of churning, add the pistachios.



Yum, I can hardly wait!



Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe bowl that has a cover, and freeze for several hours til it becomes more firm. It will still scoop beautifully. While it freezes, you can go to the store to buy elastic pants.

One year ago: Feta Zucchini Pancakes
Two years ago: Honey Garlic Pork Chops

There are more great ideas at What's Cooking Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Foodie Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Made it on Monday, What's on the Menu, It's a Keeper, Full Plate Thursday, Turning the Table Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday , Sweet Treats Thursday, Fat Camp Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, So Sweet Sundays.

Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream

5 ounces dried apricots, chopped
3/4 cup white wine
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups half-and-half
A few drops of lemon juice
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

In a small saucepan, combine the apricot pieces and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover, remove from the heat, and let stand for 1 hour.

In a blender, combine the apricot and wine mixture, sugar, half-and-half and lemon juice and puree until smooth.

Refrigerate the mixture for at least 8 hours, then pour it into an ice cream maker and process til soft serve stage. During the last few minutes of churning, add the chopped pistachio nuts. Transfer to a covered freezer-safe bowl to freeze more completely.

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker