Easy Ice Cream

Last Christmas, I got a new ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. I’ve been waiting for warmer weather to take it for a spin. This was my first time making home-made ice cream, but I found it was pretty simple to do. I was pretty excited with each step of the process, because I could really see it coming together. Since this was my first attempt and because I was making this ice cream for Brownie Sundaes, I decided to go with vanilla—honestly, it’s my favorite flavor.

Oh-my-goodness, this ice cream was so tasty! Don’t think for a minute that vanilla was plain or boring, because the flavor of the vanilla was so indulgent, rich, and creamy.

Be sure to save the unused egg whites. You can freeze them in freezer bags and use them later.

Source: Easy Ice Cream, Everyday Food, June 2009

Ingredients
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups skim milk
Choice of flavoring (see below)
2 cups heavy cream

Pick your flavor:
Chocolate – In step 1, stir ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder into egg-yolk mixture before adding milk.
Strawberry – Mash 4 cups sliced strawberries with ¼ cup sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Add to ice cream as it churns in ice-cream maker.
Vanilla – After step 2, stir 1 vanilla bean (split and scraped) or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract into custard. If using bean, cover custard and let stand 30 minutes.
Ginger – After step 2, stir a 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks, into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.
Coffee – After step 2, stir ½ cup crushed espresso beans into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.
Orange – After step 2, stir 6 strips orange zest into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Directions
In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until blended. Gradually whisk in milk.

Cook over medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and evenly coats back of spoon (it should hold a line drawn by your finger), 10 to 12 minutes.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir in cream. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Churn in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a resealable plastic container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours (or up to 3 months).