Ice Cream

I've fallen in love with my ice cream maker and I don't even eat ice cream.
But the homeboys do and plenty of it.

This new affection for my ice cream maker just started a few weeks ago. Up until this point my ice cream maker languished in the pantry. For years! Don't feel bad for it. It couldn't have been lonely. It had all the other small appliances such as, the toaster oven, the George Foreman grill, and the waffle maker keeping it company.

So, the other day I decided to rescue it. OK, so I didn't really release it from bondage or anything but I got it out and started using it. A lot!!

You see, we live in Phoenix, Arizona. It's hot in Phoenix. No, it's not just hot, it's broiling hot in Phoenix. Especially this time of year. And all you East Coast Southerners can just hush up because though we don't have 90 percent humidity we are in our monsoon season. Which means that we have temperatures of 110+ degrees and 50% humidity. Let me tell you that is plenty hot. (I'm done whining now, sorry)! With the heat comes the need for ice cream or other frozen deserts (according to JR frozen deserts are a food group along with beer and Frito's corn chips).

Back to the ice cream maker.
This is the one I have. It's not expensive. $49.95 on the Cuisinart website but it makes great ice cream. They even offer some recipes so if you lose the user manual, like I have, you can figure out how to use it. If you haven't got one of these I say, "Go get one!"



I particularly like the basic vanilla ice cream recipe in the user manual. Page 4. It's a great jumping off point to making some really interesting combinations. Those of you who know me will certainly understand this statement. For those who don't, you just need to understand that I can't seem to leave well enough alone! I like to call it being creative.


VANILLA ICE CREAM
Preparation: 5 minutes, plus 20 – 25 minutes chilling time; optional 2 hours to ripen.
Makes ten 1/2-cup servings.

1 cup whole milk, well chilled (2% and skim work just as well)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 – 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and
granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 – 2 minutes on low
speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Turn machine on,
pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until
thickened, about 25 – 30 minutes.

Nutritional analysis per serving:
Calories 239 (I would ignore this part. It is completely irrelevant) (68% from fat) • carbo. 17g • pro 2g • fat 18g (ignore this part too)•
sat. fat 11g (oh, and this part too) • chol. 69mg • sod. 30mg (wait, I'd ignore this whole section personally.)

VARIATIONS:
Mint Chip: Omit the vanilla and replace with 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons pure
peppermint extract (to taste). Chop your favorite 4-ounce bittersweet or
semi-sweet chocolate bar into tiny uneven pieces. Add the chopped
chocolate during the last 5 minutes of mixing.
Butter Pecan: Melt 1 stick unsalted butter in a 10-inch skillet. Add 1 cup
roughly chopped pecans and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over medium-
low heat, stirring frequently until the pecans are lightly browned.
Remove from the heat, strain (the butter will have a pecan flavor and may
be reserved for another use). Allow the pecans to cool completely. Add
the toasted buttered pecans during the last 5 minutes of mixing.
Cookies & Cream: Add 3/4 cup coarsely chopped cookies or your
favorite candy (chocolate chip, Oreos®, Mint Oreos®, etc.) during the last
5 minutes of mixing.

Happy ice cream making.

Love,
M