Happy May, everyone! Can we declare the ice cream season officially open? Even if you've been making ice cream all year long, you've got to admit that there's something special about that first batch of homemade ice cream eaten outside on a sunny afternoon. What will you make for your first batch?
Weekend Project: Break Out the Ice Cream Maker!
To Get You Started
If you're thinking about investing in your own ice cream maker, check out our reviews of Cuisinarts top products: the basic Automatic Ice Cream Maker and the commercial-style ICE-50bc Supreme. But don't worry, you can still make many kinds of ice cream without the fancy equipment. We've had a lot of success making simple flavors using the old camp-fire coffee can technique and also simply using sealed plastic bags.
We prefer using a simple custard base for our ice creams, though you can also try a pudding-like base with cornstarch instead of eggs. Once you're happy with your base recipe, then comes the fun part! You can infuse herbs and spices into the milk base, add frozen berries or other munchies to the churned ice cream, or even swirl in caramel, chocolate, or jam!
•Basic Recipe for Custard Ice Cream
•Technique for Ice Cream Base with Corn Starch
•Ideas for Creating Your Own Ice Cream Flavor
Oh, You Want Some Recipes?
Thanks to our Best Licks ice cream contest last summer and the year before, we've got quite an archive of ice cream recipes to tempt and inspire you! Our winning recipes last year were Chocolate Gelato with Salted Caramel Pecans, Creamy Espresso Crunch, and Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt with Pistachio Biscotti Bits. Check out our full list of recipes for even more flavors and ideas!
If you're in the mood for something simple, there's always the classic flavors vanilla and chocolate. Sometimes that's really all we need to hit the spot.
Do you think you'll break out the ice cream maker this weekend? What flavors are you craving?
Related: DIY Mochi Ice Cream Balls
(Image: Flickr member iLoveButter licensed under Creative Commons)
Tags
Ice Cream, Spring, Summer, Projects, Recipe Roundup, ice cream, weekend project, weekend cookingRelated Links
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This morning I had decided to make my first of the season ice cream batch this evening. I am fortuante to have two great cookbooks (one of which is David Leibovitz') from which to choose a recipe. Looking forward to it.
view rosebud's profile
For my first batch in the ice cream maker is probably going to be frozen yogurt. I'll probably do some homemade yogurt thinned with some coconut milk. Then I've been dreaming of doing some tart cherries, some coconut, some chopped almonds, and some chopped good quality chocolate. Mmmmmmm.
view laetitiae's profile
no ice cream, but i made the strawberry yogurt pops last week. They're delicious. Still have some yogurt, so I might make some coconut/almond ones, since it's what I have on hand. Don't know how I will incorporate those into the yogurt though - Maybe simmer the coconut in some milk?
view chusmabilly's profile
I made a batch of coffee ice cream last weekend (David Lebovitz's recipe). Maybe not such a "springy" flavor, but one of my favorites!
view jamiealyse's profile
Hum. I'll be making Patricia Wells Yogurt Sorbet with 2% yogurt. Wonderful stuff with a mock pinkberry flavor.
view JudiAU's profile
what's the best way to store your ice cream? My ice cream tastes great the first day, but after being in the freezer, for even a day- it tastes stale. Does anyone have any recommendations? I typically just use glass bowls with air tight lids.
view sprinklewithsalt's profile
I have already made my first batch, the pink lemonade recipe from last year's contest. I've gotta finish up that before I make any more, but our freezer is all nice and clean now so that I can find it :)
(Please tell me the Best Lick contest is coming back this summer? That was fun.)
view Kakugori's profile
I made a double batch of vegan black cherry two weeks ago - it's so good.
sprinklewithsalt - I use a large Tupperware container that probably dates to the 1970s. Old Tupperware in good condition isn't always the easiest thing to find, I'll admit, but it's airtight and the plastic is nice and thick.
view Stiletto's profile
I made Lemon Poppy Seed last weekend during our heat wave. Divine.
view sinnela's profile
I made ginger ice cream (David Lebovitz) last weekend. Delicious!
view amandaR's profile
I'm making my first batch of the season the weekend too! Working on a banana creation.. too many brown ones in the freezer!
view moderatemoderation's profile
After watching Iron Chef last night, I'm going to have to try brown butter and lemon verbena. Very excited for that...
view Staar84's profile
We use to make ice cream in coffee cans! A big one and a small one. Your soon to be ice cream ingredients went in the small can while your ice/salty goodness went in the larger. We children had to roll the darn thing around for what seemed like an eternity, but the ice cream was well worth the effort.
I want to replicate such a summer's afternoon in my life, but we don't buy coffee in cans like that!
view ReneeNouveau's profile
I was planning on making my first batch of ice cream EVER this weekend! I haven't narrowed down the exact recipe, but I know I want it to be a buttermilk ice cream.
view UptownGirl's profile
I made pistachio gelato this wee. Instead of buying a $20 jar of pistachio paste, I made my own. Soooo good!
http://good-life-eats.blogspot.com/2009/04/pistachio-gelato.html
I want to learn how to make frozen custart. Had some while on a trip to St George last summer. So creamy and smooth. We went there 3 times during our short trip!
view goodLife{eats}'s profile
a few weeks ago we had our first bbq of the season and i broke out the cuisinart to make a mixed berry sorbet. as soon as the strawberries are in season here i'll be making strawberry ice cream. commercial strawberry ice cream doesn't come close to the goodness of homemade fresh strawberry ice cream.
http://threadtrace.wordpress.com
view cassiopia's profile
I made ice cream all winter - mint chocolate chip, lemon white chocolate, passion fruit meringue, and so on. But the strawberries are starting to arrive...
For those looking to keep ice cream from tasting stale and to keep it creamy, try putting some plastic wrap right on the surface of the ice cream when you put it in the freezer to harden. Then put the lid of your container on it. It makes a huge difference.
http://backseatgourmet.blogspot.com
view Mama Ark's profile
i made my first batch a month ago. it was frozen yogurt with a blackberry swirl.
view duckumu's profile
It was coconut, and it was months ago... it gets warm early here.
view whytephoenix's profile
Last week, I used Bittman's eggless icecream (cornstarch) recipe as a base and snuck in some fresh mint and peppermint oil and then made a mexican chocolate version. It sounds odd, but the texture is amazing, very different from regular icecream - creamy, chewy, pudding-like...GOOD.
Basic recipe here.
view mstinagray's profile