Homemade Ice Cream

I don’t usually post recipes, but I’m sharing this one on behalf of my daughter Katie. This is so easy. Have your wife make the basic vanilla ice cream base, stir in the fruit, then pour it into the Cuisinart and let it churn.

OK, maybe I should at least list the ingredients:

2 vanilla beans, or teaspoon of good vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

6 extra-large egg yolks

3/4 cup superfine sugar

Instructions for preparation might be helpful:

Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put the beans in a saucepan and the seeds in a bowl. The vanilla extract is easier.

Pour milk and cream into saucepan and bring just barely to a boil. Remove from heat and let vanilla beans infuse for at least 30 minutes.

Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Return milk/cream/vanilla to heat and bring to a simmer. Take a ladle of the liquid and slowly whisk into the egg mixture. You want to temper the mixture so it doesn’t curdle and turn into scrambled eggs. Slowly pour the tempered egg mixture into the simmering liquid, stirring constantly. DON’T GET DISTRACTED. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until custard mixture thickens and sticks slightly to the back of the spoon.

Remove custard from heat and let it first cool to room temperature, mix it a bit, and transfer to refrigerator.

You can now add anything to this base to make your favorite flavors. We added fresh mangoes, courtesy of in-laws in Florida, to half the batch, and made a blueberry cheesecake ice cream with the rest. I hand carried the mangoes from Florida, and left Katie behind to summer with her extended family.

Mango Ice Cream

Stir the mangoes into the mixture, pour into the machine, and start churning. It should thicken up in about 15-20 minutes. Pour into tightly-sealed container and put in freezer.

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Stir the blueberries into the mixture. For the “cheesecake,” crumble vanilla wafers into a fine crumb and pour in bowl. Cut up about 4 oz of cold cream cheese and add in small pieces gently coating them with the cookie crumbs. You can start churning, then add the other ingredients one-by-one, or mix together first, then churn. You know your machine.

****As with any homemade ice cream, machine is not required, but you will need to take several additional steps to remove mixture from freezer to whip out ice crystals and keep the ice cream smooth.

All that’s missing is Katie’s review with all of her teen-age enthusiasm. I’ll try my best. The photos and format are nowhere near as good as Kate’s.

My Mom and I made homemade Mango and Blueberry Cheesecake ice creams. They came so delicious! Ice cream makes me think of summer, and this is the best summer ever because I’m getting to spend it with my family in Florida. I last went to Florida when I was like 3 to go to my cousin Fara’s wedding, but I was young and don’t really remember it. My Aunties gave us the sweetest and most delicious mangoes.  They just grow everywhere and they are soo good! I think I’m obsessed with this ice cream, but I need to fight my Dad to get to it.

The blueberry cheesecake ice cream was a little more work, but so worth it. I love blueberries in everything. We put aside a batch for my little munchkins Eli and Penny since they love blueberries too.

See you all in August when I come back for my cousin Amid’s wedding!

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