It's summer. It's hot outside. That means it is the perfect time for home made ice cream.
I want to begin by saying that we were very fortunate. We didn't have to buy our own ice cream maker. The very first Christmas that we were an "us," Kara's dad bought us a Kitchen Aid standing mixer. He must have coordinated with my mom, because that very same Christmas she bought us a bunch of attachments, including the ice cream bowl.
That was many years ago (not actually that many, really) and I've used that ice cream bowl more this month than I have since we got it. The reason? Cooking classes.
We really enjoy going to cooking classes together and two of our favorites have included ice cream (or gelato) for dessert. I wish I could take credit for the recipes that I'm going to share, but they are both thanks to the cooking classes.
So let's start with equipment. You will, unfortunately, need an ice cream maker of some sort for these recipes, both of which require the churning that makes ice cream feel light and fluffy (or silky smooth, depending on type and how long you churn it). Freeze the bowl for a good eight hours or overnight. You want to make sure it is really cold. You're also going to need an air-tight container for storing the ice cream when you're finished churning it. You should chill that, also, though it doesn't need to be for as long.
You'll also need a pot and a heat source. Both recipes have what is known as a custard base. There are eggs and you have to cook them with the milk and cream. Patience is key, for this part, something I've recently learned. When you're patient, you're much less likely to curdle the milk or scramble the eggs, neither of which make for a very delicious treat.
Finally, you need two bowls that can form an ice bath. I don't know why this works so well, but it does. I used to try to transfer my custard to a container that I could put in the fridge to chill it. Usually I made a mess, and the liquidy custard sat in the fridge longer than I want to admit. The ice bath allows you to pretty much immediately stop cooking the custard once it reaches the right temperature and keeps you from having to move the custard around to too many different containers.
Now that you've assembled your basic equipment, on to the recipes.
The first one comes from the home made pasta class we took. It is a lemon mascarpone gelato that Kara adores. You need:
1 cup whole milk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon zest (I usually use the zest of a whole lemon)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or the regular kind)
4 large egg yolks
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemon I zested)
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (extract works too, in the same amount)
1. Prepare the ice bath, put a 1 quart container in the freezer to chill, set up your pre-chilled ice cream maker.
2. Combine milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a medium saucepan and heat to just a simmer, over medium heat. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the other 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in the warm milk.
4. Return the egg/milk mixture back to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Use a silicon spatula to stir, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir. Heat to 175 degrees F, about 5 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Important: do not let the mixture boil! You will scramble the eggs!!
5. Remove the saucepan from the stove and whisk in the mascarpone, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl placed over the ice bath. (You can skip this, if you 1. don't mind lemon zest in your ice cream and/or 2. don't mind if there are a few little globs of overcooked custard) Continue to stir the mix occasionally until it is cold.
6. Transfer the chilled custard to the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacture's directions. Transfer the gelato to the chilled quart container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
The second recipe comes from a seafood on the grill class. This bourbon ice cream was served with grilled bourbon peaches and it was so good that we made it at home the very next day.
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons bourbon
The process for making the ice cream is basically the same as the gelato. You heat the milk and cream with the salt and sugar, all of it, this time, to just a simmer. Whisk the eggs and then mix the warmed milk into them. Transfer everything back to the heat, cook to about 175 degrees, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and the bourbon, chill, churn, freeze, and enjoy.
Two notes about this one. First, when we made it at home, I used an Irish whiskey that we're trying to use up, instead of bourbon. I added a little vanilla and brown sugar to the whiskey and it turned out pretty good. Second, the alcohol content, though low, does influence how the ice cream freezes. It never got as solid as a traditional ice cream so don't be surprised if it's a little melty.
And that's it! You now have the basic ingredients and process for making a vanilla base ice cream or gelato. Once I try a chocolate gelato or ice cream, I'll share the recipe, assuming it's any good.
I want to begin by saying that we were very fortunate. We didn't have to buy our own ice cream maker. The very first Christmas that we were an "us," Kara's dad bought us a Kitchen Aid standing mixer. He must have coordinated with my mom, because that very same Christmas she bought us a bunch of attachments, including the ice cream bowl.
That was many years ago (not actually that many, really) and I've used that ice cream bowl more this month than I have since we got it. The reason? Cooking classes.
We really enjoy going to cooking classes together and two of our favorites have included ice cream (or gelato) for dessert. I wish I could take credit for the recipes that I'm going to share, but they are both thanks to the cooking classes.
So let's start with equipment. You will, unfortunately, need an ice cream maker of some sort for these recipes, both of which require the churning that makes ice cream feel light and fluffy (or silky smooth, depending on type and how long you churn it). Freeze the bowl for a good eight hours or overnight. You want to make sure it is really cold. You're also going to need an air-tight container for storing the ice cream when you're finished churning it. You should chill that, also, though it doesn't need to be for as long.
You'll also need a pot and a heat source. Both recipes have what is known as a custard base. There are eggs and you have to cook them with the milk and cream. Patience is key, for this part, something I've recently learned. When you're patient, you're much less likely to curdle the milk or scramble the eggs, neither of which make for a very delicious treat.
Finally, you need two bowls that can form an ice bath. I don't know why this works so well, but it does. I used to try to transfer my custard to a container that I could put in the fridge to chill it. Usually I made a mess, and the liquidy custard sat in the fridge longer than I want to admit. The ice bath allows you to pretty much immediately stop cooking the custard once it reaches the right temperature and keeps you from having to move the custard around to too many different containers.
Now that you've assembled your basic equipment, on to the recipes.
The first one comes from the home made pasta class we took. It is a lemon mascarpone gelato that Kara adores. You need:
1 cup whole milk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon zest (I usually use the zest of a whole lemon)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or the regular kind)
4 large egg yolks
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemon I zested)
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (extract works too, in the same amount)
1. Prepare the ice bath, put a 1 quart container in the freezer to chill, set up your pre-chilled ice cream maker.
2. Combine milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a medium saucepan and heat to just a simmer, over medium heat. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the other 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in the warm milk.
4. Return the egg/milk mixture back to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Use a silicon spatula to stir, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir. Heat to 175 degrees F, about 5 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Important: do not let the mixture boil! You will scramble the eggs!!
5. Remove the saucepan from the stove and whisk in the mascarpone, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl placed over the ice bath. (You can skip this, if you 1. don't mind lemon zest in your ice cream and/or 2. don't mind if there are a few little globs of overcooked custard) Continue to stir the mix occasionally until it is cold.
6. Transfer the chilled custard to the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacture's directions. Transfer the gelato to the chilled quart container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
The second recipe comes from a seafood on the grill class. This bourbon ice cream was served with grilled bourbon peaches and it was so good that we made it at home the very next day.
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons bourbon
The process for making the ice cream is basically the same as the gelato. You heat the milk and cream with the salt and sugar, all of it, this time, to just a simmer. Whisk the eggs and then mix the warmed milk into them. Transfer everything back to the heat, cook to about 175 degrees, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and the bourbon, chill, churn, freeze, and enjoy.
Two notes about this one. First, when we made it at home, I used an Irish whiskey that we're trying to use up, instead of bourbon. I added a little vanilla and brown sugar to the whiskey and it turned out pretty good. Second, the alcohol content, though low, does influence how the ice cream freezes. It never got as solid as a traditional ice cream so don't be surprised if it's a little melty.
And that's it! You now have the basic ingredients and process for making a vanilla base ice cream or gelato. Once I try a chocolate gelato or ice cream, I'll share the recipe, assuming it's any good.
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