Recent Obsession with Homemade Ice Cream

Anyone who really knows me understands that I have a weakness for ice cream. As far as I'm concerned, life doesn't get any better than a bowl of cold, creamy, chocolatey goodness. Any bad day can be survived and any good day becomes more fantastic with ice cream. Yeah, I know it's not considered healthy to have a comfort food, but it does come in handy to have something that can reliably make me happy when I desperately need it. There have definitely been days during the past couple years of medical school when Austin prescribed ice cream. What a smart guy! It works every time. It's oh so magical!

In a stroke of genius last week, I decided to pull out my KitchenAid ice cream maker. Last time I endeavored to make homemade ice cream was somewhat disappointing. Luckily, this time I stumbled across a couple of amazing recipes online and it turned out great! It was better than the store bought stuff - like on par with Ben and Jerry's!

I was planning on taking some of my homemade ice cream to a dinner party with friends, but Austin begged me not to. This is a big deal for Austin, since he is 1. Not a sweet tooth 2. Lactose intolerant. In five years of marriage, I have tried to no avail to get him excited about ice cream. It was so rewarding to see his eyes widen as he took that first bite of the butter pecan. "Wow, that's good!" he exclaimed. He then suggested that we only eat one spoonful a day after dinner so that it would last longer. If only I had that much self control... Needless to say, we will definitely make this again!

Chocolate Ice Cream (food network)

• 1 1/2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 8 large egg yolks
• 9 oz sugar (a little over 1 cup)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170-175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4-8 hours. 

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take appx. 25-35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3-4 hours to harden.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream (allrecipes)

• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, cook pecans in butter until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring constantly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl; set aside. Combine brown sugar and half and half in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; remove from heat. Gradually pour hot mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Return custard to saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture coats the back of a spoon (see Editor's Note). Remove from heat and stir in cream, vanilla, and pecans.
3. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers' directions.