Ice Cream Stroganoff

• 120 gram – water
• 90 gram – butter
• 60 gram – whole milk
• 3 gram – kosher salt
• 1 gram – white pepper
• 0.5 gram – mustard powder

Combine water, milk, butter, and salt in saucepan

Bring to full boil over medium-high heat

• 120 gram – all-purpose flour

Remove from heat, add flour all at once, stir vigorously with wooden spoon until cohesive dough forms

Return to medium heat, cook 2-3 minutes stirring constantly until dough dries and pulls away from sides of pan

Dough should film bottom of pan slightly; this is critical for structure

Transfer to stand mixer or bowl, cool 2-3 minutes until warm but not hot (approximately 60 degrees C)

• 200 gram – eggs

Add eggs gradually, beating between additions, until dough forms smooth ribbon (V-shape) when lifted

Transfer dough to piping bag fitted with 1.5cm round tip

Pipe 5-6 cm mounds (approximately 2.5-3 cm tall) on parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 5cm space between each

Creates profiterole-sized balls; smooth tops with wet finger if needed

Bake at 190 degrees C (375 degrees F) for 20 minutes

Do not open oven door during first 20 minutes or choux will collapse

Reduce heat to 160 degrees C (320 degrees F), bake 15-25 minutes more until dry, light golden, and firm

Rotate pan if browning unevenly; choux should sound hollow when tapped

Turn oven off, crack door open 10-15 cm, let cool in oven 10-15 minutes

Prevents collapse from thermal shock

Remove from oven, cool completely on wire rack

• 150 gram – whole milk
• 4 gram – kombu (dried kelp)

Combine 150g milk with kombu in sous vide bag or heat-safe container

Sous vide at 60-65 degrees C for 45-60 minutes

Alternative without sous vide - heat milk with kombu to 60-65 degrees C in double boiler, maintain temperature 45-60 minutes, monitoring with thermometer

Remove kombu when subtle oceanic flavor is achieved (not fishy or overpowering)

• 150 gram – whole milk

Combine infused milk with remaining 150g milk

• 150 gram – mushrooms

Finely chop mushrooms to near-paste consistency (food processor or knife)

• 15 gram – butter
• 2 gram – kosher salt

Cook mushrooms with butter and salt over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fully dry and slightly glossy

Mushrooms must release all moisture and reduce to approximately 50g dry paste; final duxelles should be spreadable and nearly dry with no visible free moisture; use all of this in the base; approximately 15-20 minutes

Cool completely before adding to ice cream base

• 40 gram – granulated sugar
• 0.8 gram – xanthan gum

Pre-mix xanthan gum with sugar to prevent clumping

• 300 gram – heavy cream
• 50 gram – duxelles

Combine kombu milk, heavy cream, and duxelles in saucepan, heat to steaming (70-75 degrees C)

With immersion blender running, create vortex and slowly sprinkle xanthan-sugar mixture into liquid

Blend for at least 30 seconds until fully dispersed; vortex method prevents clumping

• 90 gram – eggs

Whisk egg yolks in separate bowl until smooth

Temper yolks by slowly adding one-third of hot dairy mixture while whisking constantly

Prevents curdling; add gradually, whisk vigorously

Return tempered yolks to saucepan with remaining dairy, cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until 82-84 degrees C (nappe consistency)

Custard should coat back of spoon, leave trail when finger drawn through; do not boil or curdle

• 170 gram – crème fraîche
• 6.5 gram – white soy sauce
• 4 gram – Dijon mustard
• 3.5 gram – vegan fish sauce
• 1.8 gram – kosher salt
• 0.65 gram – MSG (monosodium glutamate)

Remove from heat immediately, add crème fraîche, fish sauce, soy sauce, MSG, mustard, and salt

Stir until completely incorporated

Taste base warm and adjust seasoning

Target flavor is savory, tangy cream; no single element (soy, fish sauce, mushroom) should be identifiable; slightly over-seasoned warm is correct as freezing dulls flavor

Strain through fine mesh sieve into clean container (optional but recommended for smooth texture)

Chill rapidly in ice bath, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight

Base must be completely cold before churning for optimal texture

Churn in traditional ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions until soft-serve consistency

Traditional machine produces classic ice cream texture

Divide churned ice cream evenly between two freezer-safe containers

Split for dual texture approach — one for Ninja Creami superfine processing, one for traditional texture

Transfer one portion to Ninja Creami pint container, freeze until solid (level with lid, do not overfill)

This is the Creami batch — must freeze solid overnight before processing

Transfer second portion to standard freezer-safe container, press parchment directly to surface to prevent ice crystals, freeze until scoopable

This is the traditional batch — standard ice cream texture

Remove frozen Creami pint from freezer and check that ice cream is solid throughout

Must be frozen solid overnight (minimum 24 hours for best results)

Install pint into Ninja Creami outer bowl with paddle attachment

Lock lid in place and select "Ice Cream" program

Program runs approximately 2 minutes

After cycle completes, check texture — should be superfine, smooth, and creamy

If texture is crumbly, respin using "Re-Spin" function; if too soft, add small amount of liquid (milk or cream) and respin

Scoop processed superfine ice cream into serving container or hold briefly

Creami texture is best served immediately after processing; if holding, refreeze 10-15 minutes maximum

• 400 gram – filet mignon

Dice filet mignon into approximately 1 cm cubes

• 3 gram – kosher salt

Season cubes lightly with kosher salt

Light seasoning now; will season again after searing

Place cubes in sous vide bag in single layer, vacuum seal

Do not overcrowd; use multiple bags if necessary for even cooking

Sous vide at 130°F (54°C) for 45-60 minutes until uniformly medium rare

130°F produces perfect medium rare; cubes cook quickly due to small size

Remove from water bath, pat cubes thoroughly dry with paper towels

Critical step - beef must be completely dry before searing to develop crust

Hold at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to sear (up to 2 hours)

Remove sous vide beef from bag, pat extremely dry with paper towels

Moisture is the enemy of browning; be thorough

• 15 gram – neutral oil (grapeseed or canola)

Heat heavy pan (cast iron or stainless steel) with neutral oil over high heat until nearly smoking

Sear cubes in small batches without crowding, 30-45 seconds per side until deep brown crust forms

Sous vide beef is already cooked; searing is purely for crust development. High heat, quick sear, do not overcook.

• 2 gram – kosher salt

Season immediately with flaky or kosher salt upon removing from pan

Season while hot so salt adheres

• 20 gram – butter
• 15 ml – brandy or cognac

Optional - for last batch, add butter and brandy to deglaze, creating light pan sauce to drizzle over beef

Be careful of flare-up when adding alcohol to hot pan; light glazing with reduced pan juices improves integration with cream elements

Hold beef cubes warm (not hot) until assembly

Approximately 50-55°C; do not hold hot or carryover will overcook

Reheat choux balls if necessary - place in 160 degrees C oven for 5-8 minutes until warm and crisp

Choux should be warm for optimal contrast

Using a serrated knife, cut the top 1/3 off each choux ball to create a lid

Cut horizontally with a sawing motion; reserve lids for garnish or discard

Lightly brush interior of choux ball with melted butter just before plating

Enhances aroma and helps integrate melting ice cream into base

Place warm choux ball (bottom portion) centered on serving plate

Scatter filet mignon cubes into and around the choux ball

Beef should be warm, approximately 50-55 degrees C

Using warm spoon dipped in hot water, form quenelle of ice cream and place slightly off-center on plate

Ice cream should be cold and scoopable but not rock-hard; temper 3-5 minutes before scooping if needed

Serve immediately with temperature contrast intact

Target - choux warm, beef warm, ice cream cold, syrup cool; reads as dessert, eats as stroganoff