big brother and sister came home from camp ravenous (not the name of the camp but it kind of sounds that way?). after a dinner of annie’s mac and cheese, meatballs, and broccoli (one of my very best culinary creations, really), we decided to make vanilla ice cream. william picked up this cuisinart ice cream maker at a garage sale in our neighborhood at least a year ago. score. i think there was one failed attempt at ice cream because we didn’t know to freeze the bowl (rookie mistake!). now we know better and the bowl has been in our freezer for a good year. i bought heavy cream for just the moment and here! here it is.
we mixed and poured and now… we wait.
we’re making the most basic cuisinart vanilla ice cream right now. is it going to be good? is there some secret members-only ice cream recipe club i should know about?
Girl – I might have already mentioned this but the best ice cream recipes ever are Jeni's Homemade. She has a cookbook that I LOVE and have tried at least ten from. All are amazing. Want me to email you the vanilla one?
gimme the jeni's (and thanks jolie!)
THE best vanilla ice cream is the following:
1 c sugar
4 eggs
2 c heavy cream
1 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla (I always add a drop or two more)
1 tsp arrowroot powder
Mix eggs and sugar first, then add the rest of the ingredients. No more store bought for us–the good stuff is just too delicious!
arrowroot powder?! i have never even heard of that. thanks rachel!
It's a non-gmo alternative to cornstarch. It thickens it up nicely and keeps it suuuuppper-soft, even after being in the freezer for days. Seriously, it's the best, hands down.
This ice cream? The best vanilla I've ever had: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/serious-vanilla-ice-cream-recipe/index.html
alton brown knows what he's doing. i'll check that one out, thanks!
I haven't made ice cream in SO long! This will be good memories for them! We had a machine at home but, I remember my 3rd grade teacher doing a class "project" – we made our own vanilla ice cream… in baggies with salt & ice. That's about all I remember plus having to move it back & forth, back & forth so it would mix together & become creamy! Hope they love it!
I used to make ice cream in a bag! I learned it from my American Girls newsletter, and I used the recipe in a how-to speech in high school. 🙂
even the most basic vanilla home made ice cream is waaaaaaaaaaay way better than store bought! no worries!
i made the basic vanilla recipe that came w/ my machine (can't remember the name right off the top of my head) and all i did was break up a bunch of chocolate bars and throw them in. SO amazing. 🙂
it better beat haagen dazs (my fave).
I have been a bit disappointed with my homemade icecream — too icy, not creamy enough. Sigh.
I have heard …. but not tested …. the idea that icecream manuals have it all wrong (as they would). That it's best to churn first, THEN freeze in the bowl. Haven't had the heart to try it, because the thought of all that cream going to waste makes me sad.
the title of this post is like the title of my life.
LOL. baby boy marshall has had lots of ice cream, eh?
My Oh My, this:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/04/08/salted-caramel-ice-cream-recipe/
I made this shortly before moving across the Atlantic and leaving my ice cream maker in storage. A fond fond memory.
it's got butter in it thus… yes.
This is not a ice-cream-in-a-machine recipe, but it could be a fun project for the older kids to do with Parker on some hot, summer afternoon….
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/ice-cream3.htm
And it's an education. My mom is a kindergarten teacher and she would have her class team up with a 6th grade class each year to work together in pairs and make bags of ice cream. 🙂
-Amy
I second Jolie – Jeni's is where it's at.
I don't know what the recipe is but my grandparents make such yummy homemade ice cream. I know they use rock salt but I think that is just used around the actual container when they are adding ice. I am really not sure. But I should probably learn how to make it asap!
anything with a custard base! Gotta have eggs. The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz has all the best ice cream recipes. Here's a link to his vanilla recipe, but his chocolate is our fav so I'll include that too! His books has lots of great sauces, mix-ins and cone recipes too.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/02/vanilla-ice-cream/
http://www.mouthofwonder.com/2012/05/chocolate-ice-cream-from-david-lebovitz.html
look at their eager little faces! such sweet boys.
and homemade ice cream? sounds like heaven.
xx
Be careful! That cuisinart vanilla recipe has way to much vanilla extract. I only only add about half the amount now and it is good. I highly recommend the Jeni's Splendid ice creams book. It has some great recipes!
i thought 1 1/2 T seemed like a lot!!!
Yeah, I think I only add a teaspoon. Has to have been a misprint!
Add bailey's! 😀 SOOO good!
What is it about those things that are so enticing…and then they sit there? Kurt scored one at a yard sale too and I said – "you're on your own hubs"….he never made any and we sold it for $100.
So maybe that's it…get it at a yard sale, sell it and make a profit?
Terrible.
terrible or genius?!
i love that william found it at a garage sale.
that is my kind of pre-teen.
We use these all the time. Our new favorite ingredient is vanilla powder. That's right. /vanilla powder./ It's crushed vanilla beans. It makes for the best vanilla ice cream.
Another variation we LOVE is strawberry ice cream. I'm at work, so I don't have the recipe at the moment, but I can tell you right now that you puree fresh ripe strawberries, sweeten it with real maple syrup (because apparently that's healthier?), and arrowroot powder goes into it, too. I'll look it up later. I think it's in Nourishing Traditions. It's not overly sweet and it's tastes so fresh, which is why we love it so much.
Yum.
that strawberry sounds amazing – i have nourishing traditions so i will look it up! thank you!
We bought the same machine last month. Love it. I made a great coconut sorbet with pieces of toasted coconut. So delicious. I shared our first two ice cream recipes on the blog too:
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream – http://smallhomebigstart.com/2013/07/homemade-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.html
Butterscotch Ice Cream – http://smallhomebigstart.com/2013/08/butterscotch-ice-cream.html
We LOVE this machine! You need to get Ben and Jerry's cookbook! Here is one of the recipes I've tried: http://thepharrsideofarkansas.blogspot.com/2011/06/menu-monday-i-really-meant-to-post-this.html
As an American expat currently living in Nigeria who LOVES ice cream I use my ice cream maker all the time! The cuisinart recipes are a good starting point, they are much simpler than Jeni's and don't contain eggs which is why I really enjoy them! With a little experimenting you will find the right ratio of cream to cow milk. If you use almond milk the ratio will change a bit again. Ice cream is $20 a pint over here so I'm always experimenting with a new ice cream recipe! Good luck and enjoy, the process is half the fun!! 🙂
Ohh I'm sort of obsessed with making ice cream. I like Alton Brown's mint chip recipe. Sometimes though, instead of putting in the "chips" I put in oreos, and oh my word, it's soo good. Fresh strawberry is always a favorite too.
Oh my goodness, those pictures are adorable! I hope it was delicious!