I love making ice cream!!
I made ice cream the other day, and it was not perfect but it was FUN and delicious!
In December a friend gave me an ice cream maker she was not using. I thought awesome now I can make my own ice cream, if only it was the right time year. But then I came to my senses and realized that it is always a good time for ice cream!!!
She also gave me the book Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at Home, which is full of amazing sounding flavors like "Black Walnut Divinity," "Olive Oil Ice Cream with Sea-salt Pepitas" or "Toasted Rice Ice Cream with a Whiff of Coconut and Black Tea." But I decided to start simple and traditional with vanilla! So I made Jeni's Ugandan "Vanilla Bean Ice Cream." Technically mine was not "Ugandan" my bean came from Indonesia. I rember hearing a interview with Jeni on the Splendid Table and wanting to try making her Ice cream
Jeni's "Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream" (my notes are in bold)
ingredients 2 cups whole milk 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out, seeds and beans reserved (this part was the most fun, I did not know that the little black fleck in vanilla ice cream where the seeds)
directions
Prep:
Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Cook:
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla seeds and bean in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir the cornstarch slurry and gradually whisk into the milk mixture. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Makes about 1 quart.
Chill:
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. (I did not have a whisk so it came out will little lumps on cream cheese, its like my dad always says the right tool for the job makes all the difference.) Pour the mixture into a heat-proof 4-cup glass measure or bowl and place in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Freeze:
Remove the vanilla bean pieces. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. (at this point we ate it, and it was a little soft, but delicious) Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.