My local grocery store has started stocking a "limited edition" apple pie ice cream (message me for the details, don't want to be shilling). It's one of my favorites -- not only does it have chunks of real apple and graham cracker crust, but the ice cream itself has a delicious apple flavor. The whole thing tastes like you took a slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream and blended it chunky style.
I always figured there was some boring food-science reason you couldn't make a decent apple ice cream, but this shows it's perfectly possible. So why isn't it more common? Apple pie is one of the most popular deserts, and you find apple flavoring in plenty of drinks and candies. What gives?
I really wish I had one of those fancy ice cream makers like they have on cooking shows like Iron Chef because I would definitely see what happens if you tried to make apple ice cream. I don't know if I can get fancier than just basic ingredients with mine... Maybe if I made an apple compote? π€
I think it just works better making apple pie ala mode ice cream Cold Stone style with some vanilla ice cream, pie filling, graham cracker crust and caramel.
Do you have a KitchenAid stand mixer or anything like that? Best thing I ever learned is making ice cream with dry ice. I just put the base in the mixer, start it with the paddle, and start putting in crushed up dry ice, one spoonful at a time. I managed to get dry ice in the little cubes or pellets, put it in a cloth sack, and then use a hammer or blunt object to break it up into small pieces.
It was the best custard ice cream I ever created. Made the base with a sous vide. Chef Steps has(?) the recipe, but I did some experiments with blueberries that was next level the best shit I ever made that I will unlikely ever be able to duplicate again.