Ice Cream Night 2015!

 

Well, we try to have one night a year where we have homemade ice cream for dessert. Of course, we always make too much and end up serving it at multiple dinners throughout the summer...so, I guess we have multiple ice cream nights...but only one night where we debut our ice cream...

At any rate, enjoy these ice cream recipes!

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
7 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract, or to taste
3 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
Green food coloring, optional

Directions:

In a large bowl or pitcher, mix together the sugar, lemon juice, salt, heavy whipping cream, milk, vanilla extract, mint extract, chocolate chips, and food coloring.

Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker's canister and place the canister into the ice cream machine.

Surround the canister with ice and ice cream rock salt in a layered fashion. A couple inches of ice followed by 1/2 cup of ice cream rock salt, followed by more ice and more salt until the canister is covered.

Churn the ice cream for 40 minutes, or until the ice cream is firm.

Remove the canister and scrape any remaining ice or salt off with a rubber spatula.

Transfer ice cream to a freezer safe container and allow to ripen in the freezer until set.

Source: I got this off of the back of my box of Morton Ice Cream Salt. It doesn't appear to be online anymore though. Or, at least I couldn't find it.

Notes: This was really good, but I changed a few things (and I would change some other things next time I made this). This needs way more than 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract. I would suggest starting with 2 teaspoons and then tasting and adjusting according to your own tastes. I lost track, but I may have used a tablespoon or more (and it was still subtle, not overpowering). Just taste as you go, and stop when it is just right for you. The original recipe suggested using 4 drops of green food coloring. I put in way more than that, and you can barely tell from these pictures. I should have put even more in.

I also thought there were too many chocolate chips for my tastes. I would have started with 1 cup of chocolate chips and perhaps added another 1/2 cup...or perhaps I would have just stopped at 1 cup.

 

Apricot Ice Cream

Ingredients:

One recipe Easy Vanilla Ice Cream (reduce sugar in recipe to 1 cup)
2 cups homemade apricot freezer jam (see notes)

Directions:

Prepare Easy Vanilla Ice Cream, but reduce sugar to only 1 cup. Pour into ice cream canister. Stir in apricot freezer jam.

Freeze according to ice cream maker instructions.

Source: A combination of a recipe from my ice cream manual (recipe below) and the fact that I screwed up on my jam and the sugar didn't dissolve, so my jam was grainy and I didn't want to just throw it out, and then it occurred to me that it would probably work fantastically in ice cream.

Notes: This was really good. It was sweet, creamy, and rich...everything a good homemade ice cream should be.

You could use store bought apricot jam, or you could use 2 cups (or more) of chopped fresh apricots instead of using apricot freezer jam.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

6 cups cream
4 1/2 cups half and half
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in ice cream canister. Do not fill the canister more than 2/3 full, as the mixture will expand during freezing.

Stir well until sugar has dissolved.

Freeze 40 minutes or until ice cream is firm.

Pour ice cream into freezer safe container and allow to ripen in freezer until set.

Source: My Nostalgia Electrics 4-quart ice cream maker manual, model number ICMW400. You can download the manual here, but I can't find a link for the recipe online.

Notes: This is such a good and basic ice cream recipe. I use it as the base of many ice cream creations. You can basically mix anything into this and create another recipe. Crushed Oreos? Voila! Cookies and Cream ice cream! Crushed or chopped fruit like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.? Delicious! 

Sure Jell Apricot Freezer Jam

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs. apricots (2 1/2 cups, finely chopped)
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 box (1.75 oz) Sure Jell pectin
3/4 cup water

Directions:

Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. Use 1 to 2 cup size containers.

Finely chop the apricots. Measure exact amount of apricots and lemon juice and put in a large bowl.

Measure exact amount of sugar in a separate bowl.

Stir sugar into prepared fruit. Mix well, let stand 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

In a small saucepan, stir 1 box pectin and 3/4 cup water until well-mixed (though pectin may start out lumpy). Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Stir pectin mixture into fruit mixture. Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes (a few sugar crystals may remain).

Pour into prepared containers, leaving 1/2-inch space at top for expansion during freezing; cover.

Let stand at room temperature 2 hours until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Otherwise, store in freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator.

Source: I got this from a box of Sure Jell pectin. I can't seem to find the exact same recipe online, though you can find similar ones here. Sure Jell is a Kraft brand.

Notes: I slightly changed the wording of this recipe to help you avoid the reason that my jam had grainy sugar. In the original recipe, it says, "Stir 1 box pectin and 3/4 cup water...in small saucepan." I was making this while distracted by kids and I saw, "Stir 1 box pectin and 3/4 cup water..." and I automatically poured it into my fruit/sugar mixture...despite the fact that I have made freezer jam a countless number of times, I still seem to screw up on this particular step here and there and end up messing up a batch of jam. So, be sure to dissolve the pectin in the water before adding it to the fruit/sugar mixture! Even so, this really is the best recipe for freezer jam!

 

Berry Sorbet

Ingredients:

2 (12-oz) bags of frozen mixed berries
1 cup apple juice
1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cups cranberry and raspberry juice mixture

Directions:

Finely puree the berries in a blender with apple juice and water.

Strain mixture into a large saucepan to remove seeds. Discard seeds.

Add sugar to the seedless berry mixture, bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir in remaining juices.

Pour into a large glass bowl and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Pour mixture into the canister of a 4-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to ice cream maker's instructions.

Do not fill the canister more than 2/3 full, as the mixture will expand during freezing.

Source: My Nostalgia Electrics 4-quart ice cream maker manual, model number ICMW400. You can download the manual here, but I can't find a link for the recipe online.

Notes: This was a fan favorite. Refreshing and so delicious. Oh, and I know it isn't ice cream, it's sorbet. :)

 

 

Marshmallow Kit Kat Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk (1 oz)

2 cups chopped Kit Kat candy bars

1/2 cup marshmallow ice cream topping

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Stir the chopped Kit Kats into the condensed milk and then fold the whipped cream in.

Swirl the marshmallow topping gently into the mixture. Do not stir it all the way in. Spoon into a freezer safe container and freeze until solid, or overnight.

Source: Inside Bru Crew Life. You can find it here. 

Notes: This was sweet and rich, but oh so good. I loved it.

Easy Cookies 'n' Cream Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

20 chocolate sandwich cookies

Directions:

Combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. 

Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator or in an ice bath until completely cool.

Place the chocolate sandwich cookies into a gallon size plastic bag. Using a rolling pin or a rubber mallet, break up the cookies, being sure to leave some large pieces. Store the cookies in the freezer.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is nearly finished freezing, pour the frozen cookie pieces into the machine, and allow to mix thoroughly. (You will still have to stir it up a bit after the machine is done.)

Store in an air tight container and freeze for an additional 2 hours.

Source: Real Simple. You can find it here. 

Notes: This was a crowd favorite. The kids especially loved it. I somehow missed getting a picture of this one though!

 

Strawberry-Basil Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5-oz) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 (16-oz) container fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Whisk together first 6 ingredients; cover and chill 2 hours.

Meanwhile, pulse strawberries, basil, and lemon juice in a food processor 5 or 6 times, or until finely chopped. Stir strawberry mixture into chilled milk mixture.

Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions (instructions and times will vary).

Remove container with ice cream from ice-cream maker, and freeze 30 minutes.

Transfer mixture to an airtight container or a loaf pan covered tightly with aluminum foil; freeze 3 to 4 hours, or until firm.

Source: Southern Living on MyRecipes.com. You can find it here.

Notes: Some people weren't fans of having basil in their ice cream. I, however, loved it. I thought this was great.

 

Nectarine Rose Gelato

Ingredients:

3 soft-ripe yellow nectarines (1 1/2 lbs. total) pitted and sliced

2/3 cup sugar, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Small pinch kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon rose water

Directions:

Coarsely mash nectarines with 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan using a potato masher. Let stand until very juicy, at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cornstarch in another medium saucepan. Add whole milk, buttermilk, cream, salt, and honey; whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Set pan in a bowl of ice water and stir often until cool. Chill until needed.

Bring nectarines to simmering over medium heat, stirring often, and cook until fruit is almost jammy in consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rose water. Set pan in a bowl of ice water and stir often until cold.

Stir cream mixture into fruit mixture. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 2 1/2 hours.

Recipe notes: You can make the milk base up to 2 days ahead. Keep chilled until ready to use.

Source: Sunset recipe found on MyRecipes. You can find it here.

Notes: A little rose water goes a long way, but feel free to use additional rose water, to your taste, if you want a little more rose flavoring. Just be careful to only add a little at a time because rose water is potent stuff.

I really liked this. It is a little more exotic, so it wasn't a crowd pleaser, but for those who enjoyed the flavor combination, it was fantastic.

Summer Is For Homemade Ice Cream

 

Is there anything better than homemade ice cream at a family dinner in the summer? Oh, and don't forget to check our other big ice cream post. Oh, and in addition to that, here are some other ice cream and sorbet recipes...here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Easy Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

6 cups milk
3 large cans sweetened condensed milk
15 tablespoons cocoa

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk and sweetened condensed milk.

Dissolve the cocoa in a bit of hot water.

Once dissolved, stir cocoa into the milk mixture until completely blended.

Pour ingredients into the freezer canister of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Do not fill the canister more than 2/3 full, as the mixture will expand during freezing.

Pour into a freezer safe container (or freeze in your canister, if you like), and place in freezer to allow ice cream to ripen. Ice cream will need 2-4 hours to ripen before it is ready to serve.

Source: I got this recipe out of my manual for my new ice cream maker. My old ice cream maker went kaput, so I got a new one--a Nostalgia Electrics Old Fashioned Ice Cream Maker. You can view the manual, and this recipe here. The recipe is on page 9.

Notes: At first, I thought I would describe this ice cream as tasting like a Frosty. However, that wasn't quite it...after thinking a little longer, I realized that it reminded me of a fudgesicle. Good stuff! My oldest son really loved this especially. It took around 40-45 minutes to thicken and freeze the ice cream, and at least 2 hours to allow the ice cream to ripen. If you eat it before ripening the ice cream, it will be more like a shake. In order for the ice cream to set up enough to be scoopable, it has to ripen in the freezer first.

 

Above: Easy Vanilla Ice Cream with blueberries mixed in.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

6 cups heavy whipping cream
4 1/2 cups half and half (if adding mix-ins, use only 4 cups half and half)
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
Mix-ins, if desired (such as crushed Oreo cookies or mashed fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, etc.)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in ice cream canister. (See notes below regarding mix-ins)

Do not fill canister more than 2/3 full as the mixture will expand during freezing.

Stir well until sugar has dissolved.

Follow manufacturer's instructions for freezing ice cream.

Pour into a freezer safe container (or freeze in your canister, if you like), and place in freezer to allow ice cream to ripen. Ice cream will need 2-4 hours to ripen before it is ready to serve.

Source: Again, I got this recipe out of my manual for my new ice cream maker.You can view the instruction manual here. The recipe is on page 9.

Notes: Vanilla ice cream on its own is to die for. However, I added mix-ins. I decreased the half and half to account for the extra mix-in ingredients.

For Cookies and Cream Ice cream, I added a full package of Oreos. I roughly crushed 1/3 of the package and added it to the cream mixture at the beginning of the freezing package. I then crushed the remainder of the package of Oreos and folded them in when it was time to ripen the ice cream. If you add Oreos at the beginning, it will turn your ice cream gray. So, if you don't want it to look that way, I would suggest crushing and folding in ALL of the Oreos at the very end. However, I like to mix in a little at the beginning because it infuses the ice cream with an Oreo flavor throughout. Go by your personal preference though.

For fruit ice cream, I would say to add about 1-2 cups of mashed fruit (depending on how fruity you want your ice cream) to the cream mixture at the beginning and then freeze. You might get a little fruit stuck to the paddle of the ice cream maker at the end of it, but that can easily be spooned back into the ice cream and folded in.

 

Above: I think raspberry ice cream is my all-time favorite. It just tastes so good!

 

Above: Blueberry ice cream is my husband's favorite. It is probably tied, for me, in second place with blackberry ice cream.

 

Above: Oooh...cookies and cream ice cream...yum.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 pie crust (from a refrigerated pack of two, or from scratch

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

1 can sweetened condensed milk (fat-free or regular)

8 ounces cream cheese (reduced-fat or regular)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 ounces (one and a half 8-ounce containers) Cool Whip (fat-free, lite, or regular), or 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, whipped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Mix granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Unroll pie crust and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Press lightly with your hands so it sticks to the crust. Spray the crust lightly with cooking spray.

Bake crust for 8-12 minutes, or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely before making ice cream.

Place cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Mix in vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Fold in Cool Whip (or whipped cream).

Crumble cooled pie crust into small pieces and stir into ice cream mixture. You can reserve 1/4 of the pie crust to use as garnish, if you desire.

Place ice cream in a large resealable container and freeze for at least 4 hours (but overnight is better). Will keep in the freezer for up to one month.

Recipe notes: If you don't like Cool Whip, you can use fresh whipped cream instead. Beat 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Sweeten with granulated sugar, to taste. Once cream is whipped, fold into the ice cream mixture in place of the Cool Whip.

Source: We found this on a site called Crazy for Crust. You can find it here.

Notes: I really, really liked this one. We didn't go the light route, and we used regular sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream (instead of the Cool Whip). Holy decadent, Batman. This was good.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Above: Vanilla Ice Milk, Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream, Pralines and Caramel Ice Cream, Blackberry Ice Cream, and finally, Toasted Coconut and Almond Ice Cream.

Nothing compares to homemade ice cream. Even the very best store bought ice creams can't hold a candle to what you can make at home. Sadly though, due to the expense (both money-wise and calorie-wise) homemade ice cream is only something you should make once in awhile. We decided to make some for Memorial Day.

In addition to the flavors pictured here, we also made Cake Batter Ice Cream and Blueberry Ice Cream.

I hope you like them...but pace yourself! You could gain 10 lbs in a day if you go overboard on this stuff!

Vanilla Ice Milk

Ingredients:

3 cups skim milk
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Thoroughly combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Freeze as directed. Stir after freezing to blend any unfrozen skim milk into frozen mixture.

Makes: This recipe is designed for a 4 quart-size ice cream maker.

Source: Rival Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Maker user's manual.

Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup toasted, chopped almonds
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
6 beaten eggs
2 cups canned milk
6 cups half 'n' half
4 cups whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Toast chopped almonds in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend sugar and cocoa together and add 6 beaten eggs, 2 cups canned milk, and 4 cups half 'n' half. Stir and heat until almost boiling. Cool; then add remaining 2 cups half 'n' half, 4 cups whipping cream, and 3/4 teaspoon almond extract. Add nuts just before freezing. Pour in 6-quart ice cream freezer container and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Each 1/2 cup serving contains: 195 calories, 14 g fat, 16 g carb, 40 mg sodium, 68 mg cholesterol.

Source: Deseret News, submitted by Diane C. Anderson, of Fruit Heights, Utah. May 21, 2002.

Note: I was actually able to fit this into my 4 quart ice cream maker. It took a little longer to freeze and I had to ripen it in my freezer (in a freezer safe container) a little longer before it was ready, but it still worked. It would definitely have frozen faster in a 6 quart ice cream maker, however.

Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups milk, or half-and-half

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Transfer to an ice cream maker, and freeze following manufacturer's instructions. Store in an airtight, freezer safe container.

Source: Martha Stewart website, Copyright 2010.

Pralines

Ingredients:

Butter
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup half-and-half
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Butter bottom of a heavy 3 quart saucepan. Cook brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugars dissolve; stir in pecans. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 238 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla; let stand 3 minutes. Beat with a wooden spoon 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Working rapidly, drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand until firm.

Source: Southern Living, November 1999.

Note: I used a full package of pecans--which measures 2 cups (instead of 1 1/4 cups). I didn't have a candy thermometer, so as soon as the mixture started boiling, I timed it at exactly eight minutes. I also let the mixture cool a little over 5 minutes. This made it so that when I started stirring it, it crumbled into individual caramel covered nuts. I spread the individual nuts onto a wax paper covered jelly roll pan and let them cool completely.

Pralines and Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 recipes Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream (see recipe above)
1 recipe Pralines
1 jar caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

Prepare Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream and freeze in a 4 quart ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. During the last five minutes of mixing time, add pralines.

When you are transferring your ice cream to a freezer safe container, do it in layers. Ice cream, caramel ice cream topping, ice cream, caramel ice cream topping, etc. Lightly swirl the caramel topping before putting ice cream on top of it.

Makes 4 quarts.

Source: Pretty much from my own brain, but it is a compilation recipe. Ice cream recipe from Martha Stewart, pralines from Southern Living. I just love pralines and caramel ice cream and shakes and I had never found a great recipe for it before, so I figured I would have to come up with it myself. This was to die for! Mission accomplished.

Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, or Mixed Berry Ice Cream
(see notes below for more options)

Ingredients:

2 recipes Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream (see recipe above)
3-4 cups berries of your choice (see note below)

Directions:

Depending on how you want the consistency of your ice cream, you can either keep the berries whole, blend all of your berries in a blender, crush them with a fork, or blend half of the berries and put the rest of the berries into the ice cream mixture whole.

Prepare Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream and stir in berries. Freeze in a 4 quart ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Source: Martha Stewart and your own creativity!

Notes: Be creative. If you don't like berries, use this vanilla ice cream recipe and mix in crushed Oreos, crumbled cookie dough, crumbled brownies, your favorite candies, etc. To make cake batter ice cream, simply mix in a box of dry cake mix into the vanilla ice cream recipe of your choice.

Cake Batter Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup white cake mix, sifted
Sprinkles, optional

Directions:

Whisk together milk, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, cream, and cake mix in a saucepan until well blended. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and place in the refrigerator or freezer until liquid is cold.

Pour the chilled mixture into a 2 quart ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Transfer ice cream to a one or two quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Note: If you would like sprinkles in your ice cream, you can add them to the ice cream mixture during the last 5 minutes of mixing, or you can fold them into the ice cream as you transfer it to a freezer safe container.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Ekho

Toasted Coconut and Almond Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
3 cups low-fat milk (divided)
3 large egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) nonfat sweetened condensed milk
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

Directions:

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, while you make the base for the ice cream.

Pour 1 1/2 cups milk into a large saucepan. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise; scrape the seeds into the milk and add the pod.

Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until steaming. Whisk egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking until blended. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the back of the spoon is lightly coated, 3-5 minutes. Do not bring to a boil or the custard will curdle.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl. Add the softened gelatin and whisk until melted. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Whisk the ice cream mixture and pour into the canister of a 2 quart ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add coconut flakes and almonds to the ice cream maker. If necessary, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.

Serves 8 (Yields 1 quart, 8 1/2 cup servings).

Tip: To toast chopped dry nuts, cook in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2-4 minutes. Cool toasted nuts completely before adding them to the ice cream maker.

Nutrition Information: 276 calories, 9 g fat, 91 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 10 g protein.

Source: Delish.com

Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups half and half
5 cups whipping cream

Directions:

Scald milk until bubbles form around edge of pan. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in half and half, vanilla extract and whipping cream. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Freeze as directed.

Strawberry: Add 5 cups pureed strawberries to chilled mixture before freezing.

Banana: Add 3 1/2 cups mashed bananas to chilled mixture before freezing.

Peach: Add 5 cups pureed peaches to chilled mixture before freezing.

Mint Chip: Omit vanilla and substitute pure peppermint extract (to taste). Chop your favorite bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate bar into tiny uneven pieces. Add the chopped chocolate during the last 5 minutes of mixing.

Source: Rival Ice Cream Maker user's guide.

Notes: I thought you might appreciate having another version of vanilla ice cream. The Martha Stewart recipe is amazing, but if you're looking for a less decadent version of vanilla ice cream, this one is for you.