I scream you scream!!!

Well tonight I made some ice cream for Terri's Mom.  I think she enjoys it even though the first batch wasn't  quite chocolate enough. I decided to post how I make it to show how easy it is to make a batch at home. Prior to making any recipe I gather my ingredients.  Depending on what or how much of something I'm making dictates if I will mise en place.  A fancy way of saying measure everything prior to cooking.  It makes a world of difference when cooking complicated recipes or a large variety of things.  As for ice cream as you can see it doesn't take a lot of ingredients.

I should tell you a little bit about the gadget you see.  It's my cuisinart icecream machine.  I picked it up a Williams-Sonoma http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cuisinart-ice-cream-maker-extra-freezer-bowl/?pkey=cice-cream

It's not too expensive and it comes with 2 inserts.  It's pretty easy to use, just place insert in freezer for 24 hours the first time and than you can get by with shorter freeze times if you put it back in the freeze after cleaning.

Basic recipe for vanilla is:

 1 cup sugar

a pinch of sea salt

3 tablespoons vanilla (more on that later)

2 cups 1/2 and 1/2

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Whisk until sugar has dissolved and place in fridge for 20 minutes to get it cold.  assemble machine and turn it on.  Slowly pour mixture into insert and let it go for 20 minutes.  That's it!! You can eat it at this point or place it in containers and put it in the freezer to harden. Personally I freeze mine overnight. 

For Terri's Mom portion control is important so I use Zip Loc 4 ounce containers.  They are similar in size to the cups you buy in the store and being reusable saves money.

For Terri's Mom I Make a dozen so she can enjoy a little bit each day.  As long as I get the containers back she gets homemade ice cream.  Not a bad deal!

Now as promised a note on vanilla.  I believe when it comes to spices and food in general sometimes you have to invest a little to get a lot of flavor and vanilla is a good example.  For this batch I used a standard store bought vanilla only because I ran out of my favorite.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/nielsen-massey-vanilla/?pkey=e%7Cvanilla%7C6%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-

I won't lie this stuff is expensive,  $11.00 for 4 ounces and I use 1 1/2 ounces per batch.  It leaves those little flecks of bean you see in the more expensive ice cream brands and the difference in the taste is remarkable. 

To flavor your ice cream you can use just about anything you want.  For chocolate I use good old fashioned Hershy syrup in a can call me nostalgic but...

A favorite around here is espresso flavor.  All you need to do is make the basic vanilla mix and add instant espresso powder to taste.  Of course if you want to really make the flavor jump out make a simple syrup but instead of using water use fresh brewed espresso.  Mix 1 cup espresso to 1 cup sugar and reduce till it's thick.  Keep an eye on it sugar is the napalm of the kitchen! Remember boiling is equal to 212 degrees and if you get it on you it will stick and continue to burn!

Just like any other flavor add it till it tastes good.  I have used almond extract and chppoed pistachio with pretty good results.  Have fun with it.  I'm going to try to make oreo peppermint stick around Christmas just because!

Well another day comes to a close.

"Chow for Now"

Pete