Go-To Ice Cream -- With a Christmas Twist

While we have no qualms with making overly complicated recipes, we do love a simple no-brainer.

Ice cream is in my families blood. It has always been a favorite treat -- or on occasion, a favorite supper. Ice cream books have two full shelves in the cookbook collections and they keep growing. We know one weird ice cream trick after another.

For years, our go-to recipe was a simple no-cook recipe from the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Book.  Face it, they are kind of experts. While one didn't cook it, it did have eggs in the base, and there are folks who don't eat raw eggs. Their recipe made fantastic ice cream, but it was best eaten on the same day it was made.  Not really a problem, but not good for any advanced preparations.  (The longer it sat, the more ice crystals it formed, so it lost a bit of creaminess after a few days.)

This summer, we embarked on an even easier recipe.  It does require an ice cream freezer, but it only takes minutes to prepare and you are done.  No cooking.  Just freezer time.  In the middle of summer, that can take way longer than the ice cream freezer's anticipated freezing time, but in winter, one has ice cream in just under an hour.

The base is made with one can of sweetened condensed milk and a cup of heavy cream.  It is easy, because you can keep sweetened condensed milk in the pantry, and you can pick up a 1/2 pint of heavy cream, so no measuring.  Simply add a cup of flavoring, give it all a spin in a blender and add to the ice cream maker. In our summer favorite, we added a cup of Hershey's Chocolate spread.  Nutella also works, as do chopped fruit. 

For Thanksgiving, we added a can of pumpkin and a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Everyone wanted pumpkin pie, but when the pie was done, the ice cream flew out of the freezer. 

"Hey, this would be good WITH the pumpkin pie!"

Well yes it would. So here you go.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy cream
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Put all the ingredients into a blender and mix till well incorporated.

Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions.

Enjoy.  

Lilac Syrup

 Every year I have that same day.  I walk out into the yard and discover this, sweet, cloying small that makes me think I dropped a bag of sugar somewhere.  Then I notice the blossoms on the lilac bush and remember that sweet smell emanates from those white petals.  Several years ago, I harvested those blossoms and made a lilac jamely.   I loved it. 

This year, I harvested the flowers and made a simple syrup.  While it was, in preparation terms, a true simple syrup, it was in culinary terms a complex and vibrant syrup; sweet, aromatic, and slightly floral.  A perfect accompaniment to cocktails, an added jolt to ices tea, a surprising glaze for chicken, and so much more.

 Lilac Syrup

4 cups prepared lilac blossoms
2 cups sugar
2 cups water


To get to this point, one needs to pick the flowering buds off their stalks.  It is time consuming as any hint of the green will leave a bitterness that distracts from the sweetness.  It a job that can be done by hand, of if delft, a pair of sharp embroidery scissors.  To make approximately one quart for syrup, you will need four cops of lilac leaves.  Pack them down to insure a good four cups.  Place them in an sealable container and add 2 cups of sugar and leave them over night.  (It is fine to leave the container sitting out, but should you get distracted and find you need an extra day or two before making the syrup, place the container in the refrigerator. )  When you are ready to make the syrup, put the lilacs and sugar into a large pot, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Cover and let steep for several hours.  Into a large glass container or bowl, pour the now cooled syrup through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to remove the solids.  Discard the solids.  Store the lilac syrup in the refrigerator

Another great use for lilac syrup is as a base for sorbet.  Blues berries, cantaloupe, honeydew, or my favorite, raspberries.

Raspberry Lilac Sorbet

1 1/2 cups lilac syrup
2 cups fresh raspberries

In a blender add the raspberries and the syrup.  Blend for about 45 seconds.  Place the mixture into an ice cream freezer and follow the manufacturer's directions.

Think about it, the world is a better place with flowers in it.  And so is your sorbet.

Famous Food Friday -- Vincent Price

Most people remember Vincent Price from his vocation as an actor. But, for some of us, he may be as well known for his avocation as a cook. With his wife, Mary, Price traveled the globe visiting the finest restaurants in the world. In 1965, they gathered recipes from many of their favorite restaurants as well as some favorite family recipes and created a notable cookbook.



A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price is a large, unmistakable tome in its padded leatherette cover.



In addition to the recipes, there are menus and photographs from many of the restaurants. One of the Price’s favorite haunts in Chicago was The Pump Room, founded in 1938, it is still going strong. When the Price's ate there, The Pump Room featured a plaque and a dessert bearing the name of the fabulous Gertrude Lawrence. Lawrence was in Chicago doing a play in 1938 and she went to The Pump Room every night of the 90-day run, firmly establishing its caché.

One of my favorite blogs, Little Augury, recently posted about the divine Miss Lawrence. Since she has been swirling in the air, it is fitting and proper that we feature a dish that was named after her. Price says of the dessert,

“the sauce is very much in the tradition of The Pump Room’s cuisine – it is an interesting combination of flavors, and it flames, almost a prerequisite for appearing on their menu."

Gertrude Lawrence in Vanity Fair

Coupe Gertrude Lawrence

Vanilla ice cream
Orange
Jamaican Rum
Salt
Semisweet Chocolate
Brown sugar
Cream

CHOCOLATE SAUCE (Makes 1 Cup)

In a saucepan put: 4 squares semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces, 1 cup brown sugar, 2/3 cup cream, and a pinch of salt. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and sauce thickens. (Extra sauce will keep in a jar in refrigerator for several weeks.)


PRESENTATION

Put: a scoop of vanilla ice cream into each of four bowls or coupe glasses. In a chafing dish put: 3 tablespoons grated orange rind. Stir in pan to heat, then add: 4 tablespoons Jamaican Rum and ignite. While flame is burning add 4 tablespoons of the chocolate sauce. Pour over ice cream and serve.

If you missed Gertrude Lawrence's 1938 performance on the stage, don't despair. Here is a little snippet of what she sounded like.

Someone To Watch Over Me -- Gertrude Lawrence.

Vincent Price was also an innovator by recording a “cookbook” Here is one of his recipes.

Viennese Stuffed Eggs -- Vincent Price


As unusual, our Famous Food Friday post was stolen by Cookbook Of The Day.

Blueberry Ice Cream

Ah. summer. I had about two cups of blueberries that needed to be used or frozen so I made ice cream.



I have an old Simac gelato machine that is roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. In DC it was always more trouble to get out than it was to find ice cream. Here in West Virginia, I have some space. During the summer, the Simac sits on a box in the kitchen floor, easily accessible for ice cream making.

It is truly indestructible. It does have drawbacks. First there is that size thing. Secondly, it does not have a removable basket. It takes longer to clean the machine than it does to eat the ice cream. Owners of this machine, however, are rabid about them. If you can find a way to make the blades, you will have a thriving business as many owners desperately need replacement blades.



I admit, however, that I covet the Cuisinart ICE-50BC. It has a removable bowl! And is about half the size of my Simac. Ice Cream guru David Lebovitz uses this machine and raves. I rave over his book, The Perfect Scoop.


Even with the cleaning, the ice cream was great! I mix my ice cream with an immersion blender, but a whisk or a mixer will work. Beat the eggs till they are thick and rich. Incorporate the sugar fully. Now you just want to mix in the cream,milk, and sugared fruit, giving it a quick stir. Then add to the ice cream maker.

Blueberry Ice Cream

For the fruit:
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

Gently crush about half the berries with a fork and leave half whole.
Sprinkle the sugar on the blueberries and let them set about an hour.

For the ice cream base:
2 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar

Beat the eggs until thick.

Add the sugar to the eggs, mix well.

Add the cream, milk, and sugared fruit, mix to combine.

Pour into the ice cream maker following the manufacturers instructions.

It should take about 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy.

Pimm's Cup Ice Cream

Recently I mentioned my Pimm's Cup Ice Cream and I had request for the recipe. In February over at Cookbook Of The Day we featured Serena Bass' Pimm's Cup recipe. This takes a similar recipe and turns it into ice cream.

A few general ice cream thoughts.

We use an uncooked sweet cream base. This is an issue if you are afraid of raw eggs. Since our eggs come fresh from our chickens, we don't have an issue with eggs.

An uncooked base doesn't hold up well for an length of time. Frankly, we never need to keep our ice cream for weeks, actually it is gone within a few hours.

This recipe has alcohol and therefore it needs to be processed a bit longer as it doesn't freeze quite as hard.

Pimm's Cup Ice Cream

2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups half & half
1 large cucumber, peeled and seeds
1/4 cup 7- up
1/2 cup Pimm's
Fresh mint for garnish


Beat the eggs about a minute till they form thick ribbons.

Add the sugar a little at a time incorporating fully

Add the cream and the half & half

Chop the cucumber in a food processor, add the 7-up and Pimm's

Add the cucumber mixture to the cream mixture

Process in ice cream maker about 45 minutes

I tried serving it in cucumber cups. I hollowed out sections of cucumbers, and dredged them in a mixture of sugar and lemon zest, then piped in a bite of ice cream and garnished with a mint leaf. It looks nice but it is one of those ideas that needs to be served immediately. The moisture in the cucumber melts the sugar quickly. I tried to make the cups in advance, but they ended up being cucumbers sitting in puddle of sugar.

Another option is to slice cucumbers and at the last minute, dredge them in the sugar and simply garnish the ice cream.