September 2, 2007
When Shane and I got married, we were given a gift certificate or two to Crate and Barrell. We had received just about everything we needed at that point (what I wouldn’t give for a gift certificate to Crate and Barrell now), so we decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream maker. It is an electric one, nothing too fancy involving rock salt or hours and hours of churning or whatever it takes. It is pretty easy. But, we have only ever used it a handful of times. It has been way too hot lately (today it was over 95 degrees IN OUR HOUSE) so last night, we broke it out. We had two friends over and I made dinner and we settled on berry frozen yogurt. It was a lot of work and I was sweating like crazy while pureeing the berries and doing all of the dishes (I don’t have a dishwasher-a must in our next house, I have decided…as is a space for my sewing machine to be out, lots of bookshelves, and storage). We ate the frozen yogurt and it was good. It did have a few seeds in it since I had no way of straining the pureed berries. It was hard to puree them as it was. Today, since it was 95, we decided to try peanut butter ice cream at nap time. I got all the stuff out again and after about 30 minutes of the machine mixing, it was still liquid. It was obvious it was never going to make it into ice cream. I realized I had bought heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream-I didn’t realize they were different or see that there were two types at the store. Oh well. Probably better anyway. I didn’t need peanut butter ice cream. As I thought about it though, I realized store bought ice cream is a lot cheaper and easier. And the berry frozen yogurt we have sitting in our freezer to reward Ethan for pooping in the potty should he ever decide to do it, is better tasting than what I made. I want it to be fun and cool and delicious, but it was just ok and I was hotter after making it than before I started. We’ll see. Maybe we will try it again. Vanilla or sweet cream with candy bars in it does sound good. Maybe I just need to figure out how to do it right. And to buy the right ingredients….
Comments
Georgia:
Bummer about the cream! I am glad we made the berries! It was soo good!
September 3, 2007 10:54 AM
Tisra Fadely:
It wasn’t the cream. Heavy whipping cream, and heavy cream are interchangeable in a recipe like that. In fact, any liquid that will freeze in a freezer will make an ice cream/ sorbet/ sherbet in an ice cream maker. More than likely, it was that your ice/salt mixture wasn’t cold enough to bring the liquid to the freezing point. We used to have a salt/ice maker that would plug in and used it some, but now we have a Cuisinart with the bowls that pop in the freezer. No mess! We use it all the time…even when its cold, because we are not bound by season in our love for ice cream at this house! :-)
September 4, 2007 9:36 AM
erika:
Tisra, mine’s the bowl you pop in the freezer too-and the bowl was frozen. It is the cuisinart one, in fact. I am wondering if I just didn’t mix it enough. Peanut butter is so sticky. I mixed it with a mixer, but it was still clumpy. Who knows. It worked last year.
September 4, 2007 2:34 PM
tisra Fadely:
Oh. Ours did that, too. We have one bowl (out of two) that needs a good long time in the freezer before it will freeze ice cream properly. One of them will get cold enough doing the “freeze overnight” thing, and the other just better not be used without sitting in the freezer for a week. If THAT doesn’t work, I’d say the bowl is bad. But, it’s certainly not the ingredients. You can put almost anything in those bowls: fruit juice, milk, cream, yogurt. I think the only thing that wouldn’t freeze would be vodka.
September 4, 2007 2:43 PM
erika:
Hm, that is possible. It worked good the first night after being in the freezer for a week, but the second time it had only been in there twenty four hours. Could be…. Email me some of your favorite recipes:)
September 4, 2007 4:08 PM
Tisra:
Eric and I like this vanilla one. It kind of tastes lighter (not saying it is)- more “milky” and less like frozen fat, as some of the homemade creams can. We add in all sorts of things: fruit preserves, chocolate chips, mint flavor drops… it works as a great basic recipe. If you add something chunky (like chocolate chips or nuts) then wait until it is nearly done and add for the last 2 minutes. If not, it all sinks to the bottom of the liquid and makes the freezing process less smooth.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vanilla-Ice-Cream-V/Detail.aspx
We also like this chocolate one, since it requires cocoa instead of real chocolate, which we don’t always have on hand. Every bit as rich as those made with melted chocolate! (used to be on allrecipes with high marks)
Easy Cocoa Ice Cream Submitted by: Hershey’s Kitchens Cocoa, condensed milk and cream are combined in this eggless, cooked chocolate ice cream. Servings: 18
Ingredients: 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/3 cup HERSHEY’S(R) Cocoa Powder 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup light cream 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions: 1. In medium saucepan, stir together sweetened condensed milk and cocoa. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
Gradually add whipping cream, light cream and vanilla, beating with whisk until well blended; refrigerate until cold.
Place in ice cream freezer container. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
September 4, 2007 5:35 PM
Georgia:
And Goldschlager. That won’t freeze either :) he he. Althought mesmerizingly shiny, Goldschlager is no longer favorite novelty booze, famous for it’s stomach-churning gold ‘rush’
September 4, 2007 5:41 PM