Homemade (Popcorn) Ice Cream at peasants FEAST
Summer’s Don’t-Miss Dish
By now, we all know many Covid stories. The past year has brought immeasurable disruption, heartbreak and hard times, as well as surprising stories of survival, love and hope. In early March 2020, local chef and caterer Michael Cherney and his wife, Sarah, got the keys to the building that would become their new, family-run restaurant in Solvang. Then everything changed.
As we all entered lockdown, the Cherneys’ plans—15 years in the making—were no longer valid. They made a decision: Their story would be of community and of love. Shifting immediately to a to-go business model, they opened their doors on April 1, 2020. Cherney’s menu at peasants FEAST is a product of many things: a stint at a Michelin starred restaurant, experiences working farms and producing food, plus years of cooking and eating up and down the Central Coast. The menu was pared down during the pandemic, and the new dining room transformed into a homeschooling room for their two kids.
Twelve-year-old Reina, an aspiring pastry chef with an affinity for ice cream, liked helping in the restaurant. She decided to try making a buttered popcorn ice cream, along with a growing list of other favorite flavors, and to offer them on the menu. Most of Reina’s ice cream flavors come straight from the farm: Peaches and cream from Buttonwood Farm, strawberry from Roots Farm, popcorn kernels from Finley Farms and mint from chefs’ home gardens.
To prepare the popcorn ice cream, pop corn in a big stockpot with clarified butter. Heat 2 cups whole milk in a pan to a bare simmer, add 2 cups popped popcorn, cover and turn it off. Leave it until it’s room temperature, about 1 hour. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.
Return popcorn milk to the pan, add some butter and heat to medium. In a separate bowl, combine 3 egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar; whisk until smooth. Add a cup of warmed popcorn milk to the egg mixture and whisk vigorously. Pour the mixture back into the pan with remaining popcorn milk. Heat to 165° whisking constantly. Strain it again, then refrigerate completely. Freeze according to ice cream maker directions. Serve with a little fleur de sel (sea salt).
