Homemade Organic Ice Cream

For my birthday this year, my partner gave me a surprise: a brand new ice cream maker!

I probably had mentioned casually that it would be fun to have one, so we could make our own -- and voila! Wishes came true :-)



My partner is very thorough when buying appliances -- and checks all the reviews before even starting to shop; the overwhelming reports on this model of Cuisinart ice cream maker are "two scoops up", so it was an easy choice.

Now, it so happens that the most recent issue of Cooks Illustrated contains (among other things. . . ) page after page of awesome recipes for making frozen custard, ice cream (with and without eggs) and sorbets at home!



If you want to make your own ice cream at home (especially if you have memories like I do of getting to lick the dashers from the old-fashioned, hand-cranked ice cream makers from childhood -- made with fresh whole cream right from the cow) -- then this is the place to start.

Get a really good ice cream maker (this model is perfect for us because we don't need large quantities -- a quart is enough.)

And don't even bother with a recipe search through old (or new) cookbooks; just buy the August issue of Cooks Illustrated and follow their recipes (adding the special fresh summer fruit or other ingredients of your choice.)


Now I can hardly wait to get to our local Farmers Market and buy some fresh cream from Herondale Farms, and get our first batch "cooking." Or maybe make some outrageous sorbet from some of those delicious plums. . . or. . . (oh dear, the possibilities are endless!)

I'll let you know how it goes!

Until then, bon appetit -- and enjoy the weekend with something cool and refreshing.

Yours for extraordinary dining -- for everyone,

Nancy

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