June 15, 2011

Ice Cream Basics…a Guest Post from My Kitchen Addiction

Hi, I’m Jen from My Kitchen Addiction! I’m happy to have the opportunity to guest post for Susan this week… I’ve always admired (and swooned over!) Susan’s recipes, photography, and decorating skills, and I’m honored to have the chance to post here at She’s Becoming DoughMessTic!

According to the calendar, we still have a few days of spring left. But, with temperatures well into the 90’s and evening thunderstorms, I feel as though summer is already in full swing. As much as I love to bake, there’s something about hot and humid weather that quickly takes away my inspiration to bake cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. Instead, when summer arrives, I typically shift my efforts over to cooler options… Like ice cream!

Last summer, I finally discovered the secret to perfectly creamy and rich homemade ice cream… Custard! By starting with a custard base for your ice cream (i.e. incorporating egg yolks into the dairy mixture), you will kick your homemade ice cream up a notch from plain “milky” or “icy” ice cream to creamy gourmet ice cream that beats the stuff you can buy at the grocery store! Here’s the best part… You really only need to learn one ice cream recipe. Once you have a basic recipe for the custard base, you can mix in your favorite flavors to create your own gourmet flavors at home… The possibilities are endless!

To help get you started, I thought I’d share my simple ice cream base formula along with a few tips for creating your own ice cream flavors!

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream Base

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

3 1/2 cups dairy (mixture of milk, cream, or half and half)
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring the dairy mixture just to a simmer in a large sauce pan over medium heat. You want the liquid to be hot, but don’t let it boil. Meanwhile, beat together the sugar and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. As you beat the mixture, it will become thick and lemony in color, falling back into the bowl in ribbons. Gradually ladle about one cup of the hot liquid into the egg and sugar mixture, beating continuously as the liquid is incorporated. This will gradually bring up the temperature of the egg mixture (called tempering) and keep the eggs from scrambling. Transfer the tempered egg mixture to the sauce pan, and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and transfer the custard to a clean mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap against the surface of the custard. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before freezing in an ice cream maker.

Get Creative!

Stir in extracts and flavorings (like mint, almond, or vanilla) just after taking the custard base off of the heat. If you like, you can also add a touch of food coloring.
Mix in your favorite candy or nuts at the just as you finish freezing the ice cream in the ice cream maker.
For a fruity ice cream (like cherry or strawberry), mix chopped fruit with a little bit of sugar, and let the juice drain off into a bowl. Add the reserved juice to the custard mixture and stir in the chopped fruit just as you finish freezing the ice cream.
To make a rich chocolate ice cream, add chocolate chips to the hot dairy mixture before tempering the eggs. Whisk to incorporate the chocolate as it melts.

If you’re still looking for some ideas, check out a few of my favorite ice cream creations…