I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!
Ice cream is one of those classic American summer-time treats. Most of us enjoy ice cream almost any time, but somehow, it seems best during the summer. And homemade ice cream almost always seems to taste the best. Here, for your summer-time enjoyment, I present: ice cream. Enjoy!
PEACH ICE CREAM: Frozen Summer Sun
Kevin D. Weeks was About.com's Cooking for 2 blog for a number of years. It is now written by Janet A. Zimmerman. This was from one of Kevin's posts. He wrote, "Although peaches are best when warmed, who can resist peach ice cream? It's like a bite of chilled sun. When I a kid my mother's peach ice cream had chunks of frozen peaches in it, which I didn't consider ideal. Ice cream should be smooth in my book. So I cook these peaches and then puree them*. I also forgo the egg base in this version and just use milk and heavy cream. Makes about 1 quart."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Yield: Approximately 1 quart.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. fresh peaches; peeled, pitted, and cut into small chunks*
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of peaches)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cardomom
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream**
Preparation:
Dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup water in a medium sauce pan over low heat.
When sugar is dissolved, add peaches, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cardomom, and salt.
Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until peaches are tender.
Remove from heat and puree. Cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Thoroughly combine peaches, milk and cream. Pour into ice cream maker, and follow manufacturer directions.
*Note 1: If you like those frozen chunks, feel free to peel and cut up another peach or two, chill the chunks, and toss them into the final mixture.
**Note 2: You can substitute half and half for the heavy cream.
ORANGE ICE CREAM: Frozen Florida Sunshine
From another of Kevin D. Weeks' post. He wrote, "Growing up, my ice cream preference is for things like orange sherbet, lime sherbet, and pineapple sherbet. Since buying an ice cream maker1 a couple of years ago I've been making ice cream in some flavor four or five times a year. Because I insist on experimenting, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. This orange ice cream definitely worked and the high fat content not only makes it richer but keeps the ice cream softer. Makes 1 quart."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes;Yield: About 1 quart
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (strain to remove pulp)
1/3 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preparation:
Combine orange juice, sugar and orange zest in a sauce pan over medium and bring to simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Chill in refrigerator for 4 hours (until approximately 40 degrees).
Combine all ingredients and process in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions.*
Chill in freezer for at least two hours until set. Garnish with candied orange peel or candied ginger.
*Note: I've found that 24 hours isn't long enough to get the container properly cold — I suspect because I keep opening the freezer for ice cubes in the summer. So I give it 48 hours to chill before making ice cream.
LIME ICE CREAM: Makes Me Feel Fine...
I think Kevin Weeks loved home made ice cream as much as I do. He wrote, "When the temperature hits the 90s I turn to ice cream to cool off and one of my favorites is lime ice cream. This recipe is adapted from my recipe for Lime Icebox Pie1. Sometimes I even make graham cracker crust, break it up, and stir it in at the end but when I made this batch I didn't know I'd run out of graham cracker crumbs. Makes about 1 quart."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk*
2/3 cup lime juice (4 - 6 whole limes)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/8 tsp. salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk*
Preparation:
Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.***
Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
*Note 1: You can reduce the calorie count by using 2 percent milk and low-fat sweetened condensed milk.
COCONUT ICE CREAM
Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com's desserts and baking guide, writes, "This Coconut Ice Cream is incredibly creamy."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 1 to 1-1/2 Quarts
Ingredients:
15 ounces cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez)
1 cup milk
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup packed coconut
Preparation:
Mix cream of coconut and milk until completely combined. Mix in heavy cream. Refrigerate while setting up ice cream maker. Freeze according to ice cream maker’s directions. Quickly stir-in coconut before putting into a container for freezing.
CREAMY STRAWBERRY GELATO IN SHOT GLASS
Carroll Pellegrinelli wrote, "I'll confess this is not a traditional Italian Gelato recipe,1 but it's not technically an ice cream either. It doesn't have any real cream in it to make it an ice cream. Gelatos are typically made with whole milk, which this recipe does have. Rarely does Gelato have sweetened condensed milk in it either."
Regardless of the name, I promise you will enjoy this extremely Creamy Strawberry Gelato.
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: Makes 1 Quart plus
Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup sugar
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
In the food processor, puree strawberries and sugar. Pour in large bowl. Add rest of ingredients. Mix until well combined. Place in refrigerator while preparing ice cream maker. Pour mixed ingredients into ice cream maker. Freeze Creamy Strawberry Gelato according to ice cream maker directions.
RASPBERRY SORBET
Carroll Pellegrinelli writes, "The best way to describe this Raspberry Sorbet is by saying it's a little tart, but not too much. It's sweet, but not overly. Cold and refreshing says it all."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 1-1/2 quarts
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 cups fresh raspberries, gently washed and dried or 5 cups defrosted frozen raspberries with juice may also be used or 2 cups raspberry puree* may also be used
Preparation:
Bring 3 cups water and sugar just to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool.
Process raspberries, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. Put through strainer to remove seeds. Stir lemon juice and puree into cooled sugar water. Mix completely. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Pour mixture into the freezer container of a 1-gallon** ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturers' instructions
Notes:
* If puree is already sweetened, omit the sugar.
** If you only have a quart ice cream freezer like I do, you can either make this in two batches or try this. Freeze extra raspberry mixture in ice trays. Use the raspberry cubes the next time you serve fruit punch or have a big punch bowl.
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