Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream is always a treat!
Ice Cream
Makes: 3 quarts
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
- salt for the ice cream maker
- ice
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 Tbsp vanilla
- 3 cups whipping cream
- 3 pints half & half
- ¼ cup milk (optional – more or less to thin mixture)
Instructions:
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the eggs, sugar, and 2 pints of half & half.
- Heat over low/med heat, stirring constantly so it won't scald. Heat until hot but not boiling. (It should begin coating the back of a spoon.)
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Once the vanilla is stirred in, slowly add the rest of the half & half and the cream, pouring in a slow stream and whisking vigorously to keep the mixture from curdling. *I haven't tried this, but supposedly if the mixture ends up curdling, you can pour it into a blender and blend it until smooth again. They say it might taste a tiny bit more eggy, but it doesn't affect the texture of the ice cream at all.*
- Allow the ice cream mixture to cool (if you're making the ice cream later on, cover and refrigerate. Otherwise, you can place the bowl in a larger bowl full of ice water and stir the mixture to help it cool more quickly.)
- When the ice cream mixture is completely cooled, follow the ice cream maker's instructions to freeze the ice cream.
- Once finished in the ice cream maker, remove and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Notes:
Make Ahead: You can easily heat the mixture and store it in the fridge ahead of time – it’s best to cool it for a while anyway.
It is also better if it has at least 4 hours in the freezer after being in the ice cream maker.
Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker: If you don’t have access to an ice cream maker, you can make it with a blender. Make the ice cream base and freeze it flat in a Ziploc bag. (Or in ice cube trays.) Place the blender in the freezer so the ice cream will stay frozen when you blend it. Once thoroughly frozen (it will likely need to freeze overnight), break it into chunks and throw it into a blender. Blend until the right consistency – you don’t want to blend it for too long or else it will melt again. Scoop into a container and place back in the freezer for 1/2 hour or so. (It’s best to not let it stay in the freezer too long or it will completely harden again. If this happens, you should be able to re-blend it and freeze it for another 1/2 hour.)
Leftover Ice Cream Hardening: I wonder if you could quickly blend leftover, hardened ice cream in a blender to restore it to its original light consistency. It may need to refreeze for another 1/2 hour to make it scoopable.
Diet: Gluten Free