This weekend we got a new toy at our house! I’ve wanted an ice cream maker for a while now but haven’t really been able to justify it. I always thought I’d never use it enough to make it a worthwhile purchase. I’ve been spending enough time in the kitchen in the past 6 months, however, that I figured I could finally make the leap and pick up my ice cream machine. I went with the Cuisinart because it was reasonably priced and got rave reviews everywhere I looked. Last night I set out to make my first batch of ice cream. I only had the machine’s instruction book and the internet at my disposal for recipes (I’ve since picked up this book). I decided to go with the simplest possible recipe in the hopes that I wouldn’t screw it up and get discouraged immediately. This vanilla ice cream recipe came from the instruction booklet and contains only 4 ingredients. It was fantastic! The texture was wonderful and the vanilla flavor was just right. I wound up using closer to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract than 1 and found that was just right for us. I’m looking forward to using this recipe as a base for mix-ins and additions!
Vanilla Ice Cream
from Cuisinart
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes 10 1/2 cup servings.
Now THAT’S a toy I want! Although I eat enough ice cream as it is, perhaps it’s best I don’t have one…
I would love to try to make vanilla ice cream using real vanilla beans in addition to the extract.
It actually works out alright because I’ve been making really small batches so we’re not eating huge quantities of each flavor. Well, that’s what we tell ourselves to make it alright 🙂
Stay tuned…Shane requested french vanilla ice cream for tomorrow made with vanilla beans!