Ice Cream Cones

I have walked by the waffle cone maker at Crate & Barrel a handful of times and I always stop to admire it. I dream of fresh from the iron crispy cones wrapped around homespun ice cream. Still, I can't bring myself to purchase this one-function machine. I have such little space and it just seems frivolous.

Imagine my excitement when I saw another clever blogger had made waffle cones on a panini press. It was relatively easy to get the hang of rolling the piping hot cones, and the taste cannot be beat. 

They look artistic and are surprisingly crisp. I filled my cones with salted caramel ice cream with a fudge swirl. I had bookmarked a recipe courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (you know, those amazing pints that sell for $12/pop and include flavors like goat cheese with cherries and riesling poached pear) that appeared in the Washington Post recently. Jeni has done the research and knows what she's talking about. Boil the milk and cream for 4 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry, boil another minute, whisk in a knob of cream cheese and the salted caramel and cool. This was creamy, dreamy ice cream. I swirled in some homemade chocolate sauce.

Ice Cream Cones (adapted from Gale Gand via Panini Happy)
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a medium bowl with a whisk or electric mixer, whip the cream with the vanilla until mousse-like (it won’t form peaks.) Sift the remaining ingredients together and stir them into the cream to make a batter. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat the panini grill to medium high heat (about 375°F). My cones definitely got browner at this temperature. For each ice cream cone:
Place a heaping tablespoonful of batter onto the grill and close the lid, completely pressing the batter. Grill for about 90 seconds or until the pressed cone is browned but still malleable; it will be an oblong shape. Carefully transfer the pressed cone to a cutting board or piece of waxed paper.
Position your cone mold  in the center of the pressed cone, leaving about 1/2″ of space between the long edge of the pressed cone and the pointed end of the cone mold.
Working quickly and carefully (the cone will be very hot!), roll the pressed cone around the cone mold to shape it
Leave the cone on the mold for about 10 seconds to set the shape.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Chocolate Swirl (adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and Bouchon)
For the salted caramel
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 cup cream

Melt the sugar over medium  high heat in a large pot.  Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color. Add the butter and stir it in until melted. Pour in the heavy cream and whisk until you get a smooth sauce.   

For the chocolate sauce
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup corn syrup

Heat the cream and corn syrup over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 3-4 minutes. Whisk until smooth. 

For the ice cream base
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to form a smooth slurry.
Whisk together the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a large (4-quart) saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, reducing the heat as needed to make sure the mixture does not boil over; cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the salted caramel. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon resealable plastic food storage bag and seal. Submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
Freeze: Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the chocolate sauce and ending with a spoonful of sauce; do not stir. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.