Ice cream with a taste of Norway

Make your own Norwegian-inspired ice creams for Syttende mai at home

CHRISTY OLSEN FIELD
Taste of Norway Editor

Ice cream is an essential part of Norwegian Constitution Day celebrations, enjoyed with a smile by people of all ages.

I have an ice cream maker that works well, but it only comes off the shelf once or twice a year. I find that it’s a lot of work to make the ice cream custard base on the stove, chill it completely, churn it, and freeze it until solid. It takes time, and there are several opportunities for things to go wrong.

No-churn ice cream is a popular trend across blogs and cookbooks, and it’s easy to see why: It’s whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk with the mix-ins of your choice, and frozen in a loaf pan. No special equipment required!

In honor of the 17th of May, I have created four ice creams for you, each one inspired by some of my favorite Norwegian flavors. 

You can use store-bought cones or serve in a dish, but serving these ice creams in krumkake cones this makes it a special Norwegian treat.  You may be able to purchase krumkake cones from your local Scandinavian bakery or specialty store, or if you have a krumkake iron, you may want to make your own. Check out the Taste of Norway section on our website for recipes.

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Jordbær-kardamomme iskrem

(Strawberry-cardamom Ice Cream)

For this recipe, I steep cardamom pods into the cream to bring out the floral notes of this favorite spice. If you don’t have fresh cardamom on hand, you can skip this step. I found that strawberry jam, rather than fresh berries, made for a beautiful color, and the berries kept a better texture when frozen.

2 cups whipping cream

2 tsp. cardamom pods, cracked open

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup strawberry jam (homemade jam is so good here!), loosened with 1-2 tbsp. hot water if needed

In a small saucepan, heat the whipping cream over medium-low heat until it barely reaches a simmer. Remove from heat, add the cracked cardamom pods and let sit for 30-60 minutes. Remove the pods and seed with a fine mesh strainer, and chill the whipping cream until cold.

Whip the infused cream to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk together jam and sweetened condensed milk. Fold the jam-milk mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until combined. Pour the mix into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid, about 4-6 hours.

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Rømmegrøt iskrem

(Sour Cream Porridge Ice Cream)

In the terrific cookbook North Wild Kitchen, author Nevada Berg created a recipe to adapt the beloved sour cream porridge into ice cream. I adapted the recipe to fit the no-churn approach.

2 cups whipping cream, cold

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk 

1 cup sour cream

Pinch of salt

Topping: 

1 tbsp. cinnamon and ¼ cup sugar

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and salt. Fold the sour cream mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid, about 6 hours. Serve with a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top.

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Vanilje iskrem med brunostkaramell-virvel

(Vanilla Ice Cream with Brown Cheese Caramel Swirl)

Brown cheese ice cream has been on my radar for 10 years now, but I didn’t actually attempt it until I saw a recipe for brown cheese caramel sauce on the Tine website. 

When mixed into ice cream, the brunost caramel is reminiscent of dulce de leche! The teaspoon of corn syrup helps maintain the soft caramel texture when frozen. My taste testers, who typically wouldn’t touch brunost in its original form, love this swirled ice cream!

For the ice cream

2 cups whipping cream

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt 

Brown cheese caramel

4 oz. brown cheese, such as Ski Queen, grated

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp. corn syrup

For the ice cream

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Fold the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until combined (no streaks of whipped cream or condensed milk should be visible). In a loaf pan, layer in 1/3 of the ice cream base. Drizzle in some of the brown cheese caramel, about 3-4 tbsp. Repeat the layers two more times. Take a chopstick (or knife), and drag it through the ice cream mixture to create swirls. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, about 4-6 hours. 

Brown cheese caramel

In a small saucepan, gently heat the heavy cream until steaming. Add the grated brown cheese and corn syrup, and whisk until smooth. Gently simmer for 5-10 minutes until it thickens lightly. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 1 cup of caramel.

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Sjokoladeiskrem med Freia melkesjokolade ganache

(Chocolate Ice Cream with Freia Milk Chocolate Ganache)

Freia milk chocolate is one of my favorite Norwegian treats, so here’s a chocolate ice cream to celebrate it. I made a rich ganache with Freia milk chocolate, but you can substitute with your favorite chocolate bar.

For the ganache

¼ cup heavy cream

1 60g bar Freia Melkesjokolade chocolate bar (available online from a number of Scandinavian stores)

Pinch of salt

For the ice cream 

2 cups whipping cream, cold

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

For the ganache

Finely chop chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt. Heat ¼ cup heavy cream until just simmering, and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, and then stir with a whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the ice cream 

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. In a small bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, and salt. Fold the mixture into the whipped cream, until no streaks of white remain. Add 1/3 of cream mixture to a loaf pan, and drizzle with 1/3 of the ganache. Repeat layers two more times. Take a chopstick (or knife), and drag it through the ice cream mixture to create swirls. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, about 4-6 hours.

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What is your ideal Norwegian ice cream flavor? I’d love to hear from you! Write to me at food@na-weekly.com.

 

This article originally appeared in the May 8, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.