Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Ice Cream

Mr. M and I celebrated an anniversary a few weeks back. Though we don't usually exchange gifts for our anniversary, this year we surprised each other: he got me a new kitchen radio, and I got him an ice cream maker.

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Some kitchen appliances are used just once or twice, then stowed away in a cupboard and rarely seen again. I don't think that will be the case with our ice cream maker - we've used it 4 or 5 times already. It's quick and ridiculously easy, with truly outstanding results.

Our first several batches were plain vanilla, so luscious and creamily intense that we had no desire to vary the routine. But the other night we branched out and made chocolate ice cream.

Just a few ingredients - cocoa, sugar, and a pinch of salt...


are whisked with coconut milk beverage until smooth. (The great thing about homemade ice cream is that we can customise the ingredients. Cow's milk and the Micawber tummies do not get along, hence the coconut milk.)


Then heavy cream is stirred in, with a bit of vanilla extract...



...and that's all. (Let's see: cocoa, sugar, salt, coconut milk, cream, vanilla. Compare that to the ingredient list of most storebought ice creams - what a difference!)

The mixture is chilled for about 30 minutes (though the recipe book recommends 1-2 hours), then poured into the frozen bowl (which is kept in the freezer between batches so as to be ready whenever we want it):



Paddle and lid sit atop the bowl, leaving nothing to do but press the power switch.

The bowl begins to rotate, and the liquid swirls around the stationary paddle. In just a minute or two, frozen chunks begin to appear...


...and a few minutes later, the mixture is thick and ready to go. (The instruction booklet gives a freezing time of 15 minutes, but since we make half-batches, ours is usually ready in about 5.)



The ice cream is soft (and utterly tempting) at this stage. Trying to control ourselves, we scrape most of it into a freezer container...


...and freeze for a bit before digging in. (It takes several hours to firm up completely, but we can never wait that long.)


Our chocolate ice cream is rich and creamy and astonishingly good, with a slight molasses-y edge from the brown sugar. Here it is atop a scoop of vanilla (the last of the previous batch):


Thanks to the generous fat content, a small serving is completely satisfying.

Next time, we'll try adding peanut butter. And we have grand plans for coffee ice cream ... fresh mint ice cream ... strawberry ice cream ... the delicious mental list keeps growing. I'm eyeing the nectarines in the fruit bowl, envisioning them swirled into frozen custard with mulberries from the tree behind the house....

It's going to be a good summer. :)


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Do you make homemade ice cream? What's your favourite flavour?

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33 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. What a fun gift to give Sue, I like that you both benefit from it, my kind of gift:o) We only have a small kitchen so I dare not buy another appliance, however i would love one of these together with a bread maker. My favourite ice cream always involves nuts, hazlenut, pistachio yum, oh and I like a little rum and raisin too x Enjoy your experimenting xox Penny

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    1. I will admit I bought it with not only Mr. M in mind.... ;)

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  3. My husband has been wanting one of these for years! After reading this, I think I'll buy him this very one for his birthday in August. Thank you! xo

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    1. You're welcome! When I looked up the photo I was shocked to see that the blue one had gone up $30 in price since I ordered a few weeks ago ... somehow the different colours are all different prices (on Amazon at least). Hope your husband enjoys it! :)

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  4. I'm a HUGE fan of coconut ice cream. I've never tried making my own, though. Sounds amazing and worth the price of the maker. ;-)

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    1. Coconut - I don't think we ever thought of that flavour. Hmmm....

      :)

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  5. Looks like some great fun with that ice cream maker.
    I am a vanilla girl myself, sometimes I like a bit of strawberry!

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    1. Oh, I'm looking forward to strawberry. From fresh local strawberries! :)

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  6. Congrats on your anniversary, and oh, how good you make that look and sound. Maybe we should try that for our anniversary... an ice cream maker to celebrate... YUM!

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    1. Yes, I think you should. Lord knows you both burn enough calories riding! :)

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  7. Aww... the best gift ever! and very clever, you also can enjoy it :) The ice-cream looks so yumm, and surely tastes yumm! I prefer chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch flavors.

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  8. Hey Sue, you've completely convinced me not to buy one.........
    It just sounds so good, peanut butter and fresh mint, i'm drooling here......
    I'm sure you'll get loads of use out of it, enjoy it and belated happy anniversary.

    Claire X

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    1. We made mint chocolate chip tonight - our heavy cream consumption has gone through the roof! I think we'll have to limit ourselves to two batches a week.

      Thanks Claire! :)

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  9. Dairy is a no-no for me, now.

    But ohhhhhhhhh, does this ever look wonnnnnnnderful! -grin-

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    1. Even cream? It's practically not dairy at all, you know - the fat globules are so big they just zip right through your system without being absorbed. (Or so I tell myself.)

      :)

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  10. Yum!

    If Jo gets wind of this, he'll be high tailing it to your house. Just look out the window before you open the door!

    Happy Anniversary (belated)! :)

    Blessings always

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    1. Thanks Stitchy! But I'm afraid Jo would be wanting whisky ice cream and we're fresh out of the hard stuff. ;)

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  11. What a fun way to celebrate an anniversary! Congrats to you both. This recipe with coconut and cream sounds right up our alley. I think peach would be yummy. :-)

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    1. Peach sounds great - with blueberries or raspberries. Or just vanilla on top of peach crumble. :)

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  12. Congratulation on your anniversary..We have not made Ice Cream in ages and ages and I am sure it taste so much better Homemade... My favorite is Chocolate... and yours looks sooooooooooooo very very tasty indeed. Hugs Judy

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    1. Thanks Judy! It was wonderful and didn't last long, I can tell you. :)

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  13. I have very fond memories of being at my Mammaw's house in Mississippi during the summer, churning ice cream the old fashioned way, with all of us cousins taking turns which of course got harder as the ice cream stiffened. Banana and peach ice cream were my absolute favorite. Happy belated anniversary. Sounds like you two got the perfect gifts. You can listen to nice music while you eat your yummy homemade ice cream that is definitely so much better than anything storebought. :) Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. Thanks Tammy - I almost feel guilty that the machine makes it so easy. Just a flick of the switch. :)

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  14. Oh my gosh that looks good, I've debated getting an ice cream maker, what kind is yours?

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    1. It's a Cuisinart Ice-21. I ordered it from Amazon, but I see that the price of some colours has gone WAY up since I got this - the white model is the cheapest right now.

      I would definitely recommend it! :)

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  15. awww Im so jealous. I cannot get an ice cream maker due to my caloric restrictions...yours looks soooooo good

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    1. You could always make sorbets, you know.... :)

      (The voice of temptation.)

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  16. The ice cream looks delicious and custom flavours to boot.
    A perfect addition to Summer and I do hope you're enjoying yours...
    Susan x

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  17. Yum! A friend makes Mocha ice cream ... it's heaven on a spoon! And your chocolate concoction looks heavenly too!

    I wonder if I could persuade Mr Knitso that he needs an ice cream maker when it's our anniversary in September. Then again, maybe while I'm trying to lose weight having ice cream in the house is a bad idea!

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  18. Looks absolutely yummy! I've never tried to make my own. I fear I would be even larger than I am now! My daughter used to make some wonderful flavours....or so she told me! They were usually all gone when I arrived!, enjoy. Joan

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  19. Elan Pro is the leading name in the market which offers a wide assortment of Softy Machine. This gadget is easy to use, and you will always get a smoother and creamier taste of your ice cream, at the same time you can take four or five different flavours in softy cream.

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