Hot Ice Cream!

You may have looked at the title of this Instructable and went "What? That can't be true!". Well, it is actually true! This hot ice cream is made with methyl cellulose, a thickener that works much like Jell-o, but at much higher temperatures. This ice cream is actually poached to cook it; much different than regular ice cream.

Without further adieu, I present Hot Ice Cream!

For this recipe, you will need:

• 306 g yogurt (you can use low fat, whole, 2%, etc.)
• 230 g cream cheese
• 80 g agave nectar (you can use honey, but the texture will be a little off)
• 154 g water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 11.55 g methyl cellulose (1.5%) Methocel SGA 150 (this can be bought online, like on molecularrecipes.com)
• OPTIONAL: Chocolate sauce for garnish

Using a scale, weigh out the yogurt, cream cheese and agave syrup, adding each of the ingredients into a bowl. Add in the vanilla extract, and use a whisk or spoon to mix.

OPTIONAL: Use an immersion blender to get out all the lumps, but be careful not to aerate the mixture, as it won't cook properly.

Heat up the 154 grams of water in a pot until it comes to a boil, and then bring it down slightly, to medium heat. Add the methyl cellulose (carefully, as it's very light and can fly everywhere), whisking constantly as it's added in. Once the mixture is homogeneous (it becomes uniform), take the pot off of the heat and add the mixture to the yogurt-cream cheese base, whisking until combined.

Transfer the completed ice cream base to a measuring cup, or a normal cup, and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in an ice bath for at least an hour, but preferably, like I did, overnight. You don't need to place the ice bath and ice cream base in the fridge unless you plan to keep it overnight.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and then lower the heat to a low simmer. Using a spoon, or an ice cream scoop, take a spoonful of the base and lower the spoon into the water. Wait a few seconds, and slowly turn the spoon on its side, allowing the base to dislodge from the spoon. If you're having trouble, moving the spoon in and out of the water carefully will allow for the ice cream to release itself. Once in the water, cook for 1-2 minutes, until the ice cream has a Jell-o touch. Place on a paper towel to dry for 10-15 seconds, and then transfer to a plate.

If you like, you can drizzle a little chocolate sauce on the top, or garnish with fruit, more agave syrup, or jam! It can really be eaten any way!

FYI: As the ice cream cools, it will "melt", so act fast when you eat it! It works like ice cream when it melts, but backwards! Hope you enjoy!