If it isn’t obvious yet, I have a thing for homemade anything and everything — homemade broth (using scrap bones, including fish bones), homemade tomato sauce (from fresh tomatoes, herbs and spices), homemade pesto (using basil from my own garden), spring roll wrappers, barbecue sauce… We extract tamarind juice and coconut milk at home… Call it an obsession, if you like, but if it weren’t for the penchant for homemade anything and everything, this blog wouldn’t exist.
So, now, I start a new chapter in my self-imposed career as a cook and foodie — I am learning to make ice cream at home. I read and heard that it’s just a matter of dumping everything into the ice cream maker but nothing can be more misleading than that.
Of course, I have a very reliable and highly-recommended ice cream maker — the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence™ 2 Qt. Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker. I bought it at Gourdo’s and it didn’t come cheap. But, hey, if I’m going to invest in something, it might as well be a good investment, right? I wasn’t about to order one of those ice cream makers from the Home TV Shopping channels which, I read in various online forums, suck like anything. So, I chose Cuisinart.
And I have all the basic ingredients too.
But is it really a matter of dumping everything down the funnel of the ice cream maker?
No, it is not. Apparently, there is an ice cream 101. Ice cream is either cream/milk based or custard based. And the richest, creamiest, most drool-worthy ice cream is custard based. Yes, egg yolks tempered in scalded milk and cream then chilled before the mixture is poured into the ice cream maker.
Does that mean that the chocolate and pecan ice cream that you see in the photo was a failure? No, it wasn’t that bad. It tasted delicious, actually, but I have issues with the texture. I’ll have to study, experiment and learn some more. When I’m finally happy with the result, there will be ice cream recipes in this blog.
