The Myth of Homemade Ice Cream

My youngest daughter, Georgi, and I have a deep affinity for ice cream. Much to the dismay of her mother, who is in the midst of a hard core health kick, we venture out for a ritual of post-dinner ice cream at least two or three nights a week. Most of the time we prefer Shake’s because it’s just around the corner from our home, plus, it’s also delicious, and they offer complimentary “Pup Cups” for our new rescue dog riding along in the car with us. We’re also big fans of Braum’s and a Dipped Cone from Dairy Queen…I guess you get it, we love ice cream.

While recently in a nostalgic haze, I procured the family Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from my mother and Aunt Sharon, which was an important part of the desserts we ate during the hot summer months in Missouri. Super sweet, cold, and milky; this ice cream was a real treat, and I loved it as much as any other food from my childhood. It wasn’t particularly creamy, or special in any way we might think today - but somehow the simplicity of milk and sugar when frozen created something extraordinary…and the memories connected to those gatherings with my family when we ate that ice cream together is as important, lasting as any other from my childhood. My maternal grandparents owned a large peach orchard, so this recipe with diced fresh peaches was also a standard during the short months of harvest. Of course, our family used a large, ice cream maker draped in ice and rock salt that whined and whirred loudly for what seemed like an eternity before it produced the beloved dessert. These days we’re using a smaller, much more compact and quieter machine from Cuisinart, and it typically only takes about 20 minutes to have delicious homemade ice cream.

This ice cream is a base recipe, wonderful all by itself, but also neutral enough to successfully hold up additional ingredients of berries, nuts, chocolate, and other bite sized secrets. We love it with the addition of clumsily chopped glazed cake donuts from Wholefoods.…but lately we’ve also made it with fresh raspberries, coffee, and lavender. Regardless of your preference, we hope you enjoy our beloved Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream recipe - now go make a memory for your children and loved ones that will last a lifetime.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Serves 8 to 10 | Prep: 5 Minutes | Churn: 25 Minutes

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INGREDIENTS

2 whole eggs

1 cup sugar

3 cups whole milk

1 cup half and half

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

TECHNIQUE

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar together until well combined, light yellow color. Next, add milk, half and half, heavy cream, and vanilla to the sugar-egg mixture., whisk until sugar is completely dissolved.

Add custard mixture to ice cream maker, follow instructions accordingly. We’re using a Cuisinart 2 quart ice cream maker, allowing 20 to 25 minutes to mix and freeze.

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