Ice Cream!

So, you go to Costco and you get yourself one of these, for about forty bucks:

My gang gave me this for Mother's Day last year.  It comes in RED, too.  Now you tell them right?

Anyway.  You get this and then you get busy making ice cream.  Couple times a week.  Cool thing is, it comes with TWO freezer bowls, so you can have two different kinds of ice cream in your freezer at once, or a big batch of your favorite.

I'm not using the recipe book it comes with for the most part.  I got the general idea and have launched from there.  It's just a matter of a basic "base" recipe and then add-ins and tweaks from there. 

What does your family like?  Plain vanilla?  Done.  Fresh berry?  Simple.  Chocolate?  Chocolate Mint?  Chocolate Almond?  Oreo?  Whatever you like, there's a general recipe and rule, so here you go.

NOTE:  Make this in the morning if you want to serve that evening.  It needs some additional firming up in your freezer.  But we've been known to dig into the soft stuff, too . . .

ANOTHER NOTE:  Using raw eggs can make you sick.  There, I said it.  Hasn't happened to us, but I will only use fresh, organic eggs from a small, local farm.  I wouldn't dare use the white, factory-produced cheap ones from the grocery store.  Choose at your own discretion.

Ice Cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 - 2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the whole egg and yolk and the sugar with a whisk.  Add the cream and keep whisking for a minute to dissolve the sugar.  Add the extracts and the milk, give another whisk to incorporate.  Plug in the ice cream maker, add the bowl from the freezer, turn on the machine, and pour in the liquid.  Set your timer for 25 minutes if you're making this basic vanilla, 20 if you're adding in other things.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it down on top of the ice cream.  Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

OPTIONS:

Chocolate-Mint:  Add 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the egg-sugar-cream mixture, before adding milk.  Add the vanilla extract, and 5-8 drops of peppermint essential oil (or peppermint extract).

Chocolate:  Same as above, omitting the mint.

Chocolate Almond:  Decrease milk by 1/2 cup. Increase the almond extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons.  After 20 minutes of churning, add 1 cup sliced almonds, continue to churn 5 more minutes.

Berry:  Decrease milk by 1 cup.  While the base ice cream is churning, lightly mash either fresh or frozen berries of your choice - one kind or mixed.  After 20 minutes of churning, pour in the berry mixture, churn 5 more minutes

Oreo:  Decrease milk by 1 cup.  While the base ice cream is churning, smash about 12 Oreos in a plastic bag, either to crumbs, or leaving chunks, as you prefer.  After 20 minutes of churning, pour in Oreo crumbs.  Churn 5 more minutes.

Chocolate Cherry:  Decrease milk by 1 cup.  After 20 minutes of churning, add in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate, AND 1/2 cup dried cherries.  Churn 5 more minutes.

These are just SOME of the ones we make.  Be creative!

Plain old vanilla, churned and ready for some chillin' in the freezer.