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Churning to make delicious homemade ice cream

Photo by Lynn Kessel

There's nothing like a tub of homemade ice cream in your freezer. A myriad of mix-ins can be added to jazz up the flavor.

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By LYNN KESSEL

Tribune columnist

Published: September 16, 2009

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Lynn Kessel

I love getting e-mail from readers.

Sometimes you throw a nugget of insight my way that can be rolled into a future column. Even better are the times you've included a recipe.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how the movie "Julie & Julia" inspired me to spend more time playing in the kitchen, re-enforcing my pleasure of cooking from scratch. So I made an absolutely delicious caramel sauce.

At the end of that column, I invited everyone to buy a quart of ice cream and call me when their sauce was ready.

Well, the day the column was published I received an intriguing e-mail with the subject line, "Challenge," from Anne Davis of Ruskin.

"I enjoyed your article about the caramel sauce," she wrote, "UNTIL I reached the very last paragraph ... 'buy a quart of butter pecan ice cream.' ... N-O-O-O, make your own!"

Davis went on to say she keeps her favorite flavors of homemade ice cream in her freezer at all times, calling the habit "easy, cheap, delicious and very comforting."

"You should give it a try," she wrote. "Lynn Kessel buy [ice cream] at the store? I think not."
Her comment struck a chord.

When I was a youngster, we had an old-fashioned, rock-salt-and-ice machine that made creamy batches of ice cream. In the summer, my siblings and I divided the labor and took turns at the crank. Thinking about it almost brought back that glorious taste of sweet, satin-textured, frozen dessert.

After a volley of e-mails and a beeline to Le Gourmet Chef in Ellenton, I bought a 1.5-quart Cuisinart frozen yogurt-, ice cream- and sorbet-maker similar to the one Davis owns.

No rock salt, no hand churning. And the $59.99 machine was on sale for $29.99.

Homemade ice cream called for some advance planning, because overnight freezing of the machine's canister was required, and the ice cream's custard base had to be refrigerated overnight. Once churned, the ice cream itself then needed to harden in the freezer.

Davis shared her mother's basic recipe for vanilla ice cream. It was simple and luscious, especially with waves of my precious caramel sauce drizzled over it.

Thank you, Anne. Homemade ice cream dances the pants off store bought.

HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups whipping cream

Whisk the eggs and milk in a medium saucepan or double boiler. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes or until the contents coat the back of your spoon.

Cool, then add cream and vanilla. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, stir gently, and then pour mixture into your ice cream maker, while it is running. Churn for 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer contents of the canister to a freezer safe container. If you want to add mix-ins, including fruits, nuts or stale brownies to your ice cream, do so now. Freeze, until hard.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com. For more of her recipes, visit southshore.tbo.com and enter the search words Lynn Kessel or look for her blog at www.lynnkessel.blogspot.com.

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