Week Sixteen - Quisp Cereal

Welcome to the long-overdue "I HAVE A NIECE!!" post! As I mentioned ever-so-briefly in a previous post, my husband's sister had a baby on Easter! Not just any baby, the first grandbaby in the family! And not just any first grandbaby, but the cutest little girl in the whole wide world! (Note: To any future daughters I may have, Mommy loves you and thinks you're just as cute as her niece!) The past few weeks have been filled with lots of baby-cuddling and a few fun shopping trips and I am loving every minute of it!

Now, why, you might ask, am I making an ice cream based on a weird 1960's breakfast cereal in honor of my new niece? Fair question. To answer this question, I must first rewind to the weekend we all first found out about this beautiful baby. This past August, my husband and I had planned a trip to the New Jersey Shore along with his sisters and their significant others. While composing our grocery list, it was decided that each couple would bring three different types of breakfast cereals. (We're a cereal-lovin' bunch and didn't want to be left hungry!)

 Our most-impressive selection

Upon arrival, my husband and I proudly displayed our selections: Corn Pops, Golden Grahams, and Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. As the other cereals made their way to the kitchen counter, we all wondered aloud about a strange blue box with a peculiar alien-like fellow on the front. My sister-in-law's husband immediately grew wide-eyed and happily frantically described Quisp cereal and it's honorable mascot, Admiral Quisp. He listed the many reasons why it is awesome, including the fact that it tastes like Cap'n Crunch but doesn't stab the roof of your mouth - which Cap'n Crunch most certainly does. Also, Admiral is a higher rank than Captain (or in this case, Cap'n) so obviously this is a superior breakfast treat.

 The Admiral - pretty lame mascot, no?

Quisp was the first cereal to go that week, though I won't agree that it is the best. (Golden Grahams! You're not just good, you're golden!) I should also add that all nine of the other cereals were finished by the end of the week - cereal slobs! But if one thing was clear by the end of it all, it was that we found the world's #1 Quisp fan. And that guy is now a dad. And if he is anything like my dad, I know he'll be feeding his baby Quisp as soon as humanly possible.

So in honor of the new Dad (and Mom, and Beautiful Baby Girl)...

Quisp Cereal Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
2 cups Quisp cereal

1. Pour cereal into a bowl and crush with your hands, just to break it up a bit. Add milk to cover and top with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for three hours.

2. After three hours, remove plastic wrap and pour cereal mixture through fine sieve. Clean sieve and pass mixture through again to ensure all the solids are removed. (That scrambled egg-looking mess was most delicious and I'm certain it could have a second life - I just haven't figured out what. But don't waste it!)

3. Measure out two cups of cereal milk (Drink the rest! You won't regret it!) and combine with heavy cream in a saucepan. Heat over medium high until bubbles start to form around the edge.

4. In a bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk to combine.

5. Add a small amount of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Once combined, slowly pour egg mixture into the milk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

6. Pour through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down directly on top of the mixture. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

7. Transfer cooled mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and churn. Add the cake halfway through, allowing it to mix throughout the ice cream. When completely incorporated, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze.