Russian ice cream?

June 26, 2009 2:26 PM

Russian ice cream (in particular, this kind) tastes very different from US ice cream. Why is this, and where can I find similar fresh ice cream in the Bay Area?

I suspect it's because there's more cream in the recipe, but I'm not sure.

posted by archagon to food & drink (20 comments total)

"Plombir" might be what I'm looking for, but it apparently only exists in Russia.

Translation of the article: "Plombir (Fr. Glace Plombières) is a French cream-based ice cream with added butter and flavorings (chocolate, nuts, fruit). Appeared in the era of Napoleon III. The Russian variation is slightly different from the original French recipe."
posted by archagon at 2:35 PM on June 26

On the other hand, this blog post implies that "plombir" is just a flavor.
posted by archagon at 2:41 PM on June 26

I'll make an assumption here that Russian ice cream isn't all that different from Bulgarian soft-serve ice cream that we would buy in the streets: the waffle cones, at least, are close to identical. When I moved to the US from Bulgaria, I was quite amazed by just how much cream and sugar Americans like in their ice cream: Bulgarian ice cream doesn't contain nearly that much cream (Cold Stone Creamery is one of the especially cream and sugar-laden varieties), and the American stuff just tasted... heavy. I wouldn't be surprised if Russian ice cream is made with powdered milk (it's a cheap ingredient, after all) and other substitutes.
posted by halogen at 3:09 PM on June 26 [1 favorite has favorites]

Plombir can be found at many Russian grocery stores. I'm sure they exist in the Bay Area. You might want to call ahead and ask.
posted by Krrrlson at 3:23 PM on June 26

Interesting! So you're saying it's because it uses less cream, not more? I've always found Russian ice cream more "smooth" and flavorful than American ice cream, but that might just be nostalgia speaking.
posted by archagon at 3:26 PM on June 26

Krrrlson, I'm aware of those, but I'm looking for something fresh.
posted by archagon at 3:28 PM on June 26

Fresh, eh? Here's a translation of an online recipe, otherwise you're on your own:

Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
0.5L heavy cream
1 cup light cream
1 cup sugar
Vanilla extract to taste

Directions:
Grind the yolks with the sugar, dilute with light cream, add vanilla. Heat slowly, stirring, almost to boiling point to thicken the mixture (do not let it boil).

Strain the resulting mixture into a container and cool until semi-solid. Whip the heavy cream with a mixer until very thick. Combine with first mixture, add raisins, candied fruit, or chocolate flakes if desired, mix, and freeze.
posted by Krrrlson at 4:19 PM on June 26 [3 favorites has favorites]

i love this ice cream, i also knew it as plombir but never knew what it is.
posted by thenuts at 4:55 PM on June 26

I will be watching this thread very carefully. If anyone can direct me to authentic-tasting Russian ice cream, especially крем-брюле, especially in one of those unique Russian waffle-cone-ey cups... eternal gratitude. Archagon, thank you for asking the question!
posted by prefpara at 5:18 PM on June 26

This is a compete guess on my part but could the sugar in it be beet sugar instead of cane sugar?
posted by XMLicious at 5:21 PM on June 26

This is a compete guess on my part but could the sugar in it be beet sugar instead of cane sugar

Having grown up in the sugar beet capital of the US, I can attest that this is not the difference. Beet sugar tastes exactly the same as cane sugar, the only difference is that when you first open the bag it smells...bad.
posted by TungstenChef at 5:49 PM on June 26

Plombir consist of about 20% of dairy fat, that's why it tastes so good. Krrrlson provided you with correct recipe
posted by ivanka at 7:14 PM on June 26

It might not actually be plombir I'm thinking of. IIRC, plombir in Russia was usually marked as such and tasted different from the other ice cream, like the creme brulee prefpara mentioned. Not sure if plombir is simply the "plain" version or a different recipe altogether.
posted by archagon at 10:14 PM on June 26

The ice cream I pay next to nothing for here in Poland is easily the best ice cream I've ever had, and I think one of the main reasons is the freshness of the dairy products. There are no, as far as I know, massive Baskin-Robbins-esque national chains except one. I can't even buy fresh milk from more than about 50 miles away in the supermarket.

Food here generally is just unbelievable fresh overall. I have one day to use the chicken I buy in the market before it starts to go off. Eggshells take a good whack to break. Here's an older comment from a member who grew up in this region of the world about food culture here.
posted by mdonley at 1:41 AM on June 27

I've heard that milk in Russia tastes much better than in the US because they don't legally have to pasteurize it. That could have something to do with it.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 9:01 AM on June 27

I think the secret is in the recipe posted by Krrrison. See that part where it says to whip the cream and incorporate it into the custard mixture? That's not a usual step in making ice cream, and I bet it makes a big difference in the texture of the finished product. I want to try it now!
posted by apricot at 1:14 PM on June 27

I've heard that milk in Russia tastes much better than in the US because they don't legally have to pasteurize it. That could have something to do with it.

I lived for a year in Obninsk, Russia, which has its own milk production facilities. I think the milk there was irradiated instead of pasteurized. In any case, it was by far the very best milk (the milkiest, tastiest, amazingest) I've ever had and I miss it constantly.
posted by fake at 2:28 PM on June 27

Thanks for the recipe! What does it mean "grind" yolks with sugar?
posted by archagon at 2:19 AM on June 28

I think "grind" is just a wonky translation. For regular ice cream you just mix egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is smooth and glossy, and a little bit creamy looking, then you add the cream and/or milk. I imagine they're telling you to do the same thing, it just came out funny!
posted by apricot at 1:11 PM on June 28

Yeah, it was a direct translation of the word they used; I believe they just want to tell you to mix it until the sugar is nice and dissolved.
posted by Krrrlson at 9:53 PM on June 28