We All Scream For Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

I grew up in a household where making ice cream was a regular activity. When I was small, it was in a hand cranked churn that required a child to sit on it to hold it steady as a grown-up turned the handle. Then a few years down the road, we got an electric churn. It still took lots of crushed ice and ice cream salt. But all that mess never bothered my parents. They made ice cream of every flavor imaginable—peanut butter being one of the more memorable ones. And I seem to remember orange sherbert that used only orange soda and crushed pineapple once. 

Well, I still enjoy homemade ice cream but I like the small ice cream maker that uses a frozen container to freeze the ingredients, not ice and salt. No muss. No fuss. This only makes 1-1/2 quarts of frozen goodness. Daddy always used a 5-quart churn. My smaller version just means I can make ice cream more often. I'm betting there are lots of these machines stuck on a shelf somewhere. It's so easy and quick to use it. Get it out, dust it off and make your favorite flavor. 

Banana Ice Cream

We enjoyed having Jessica and her friend here for Mother's Day weekend. I heard he liked ice cream, so vanilla ice cream was our dessert. And then since I had all of the ingredients on hand, I made another churn of banana ice cream last night. That is Daddy-O's favorite flavor.

I'm giving you the small version of the recipe my parents made for years. I also substituted Egg Beaters—a pasteurized egg product—for raw eggs. I am not brave enough to use raw eggs any more, although I surely ate my share in ice cream when I was growing up. According to the FDA, the pasteurized eggs are a safer choice.

The ice cream I grew up with was made with evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. Well, the heavy cream version is probably richer and creamier, but I wanted this to taste like what I grew up with. To me, this is what homemade ice cream should taste like.

Before you start, chill the can of evaporated milk in the refrigerator, so all ingredients will be cold when you start. You will have a total of 3 cups of milk when you combine the whole milk and the canned milk.

VANILLA ICE CREAM

1 cup whole milk
1 large (12-oz) can evaporated milk, plus enough whole milk to fill a 2-cup measure
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup Egg Beaters
1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients, being sure to stir enough to completely dissolve sugar. I used a wire whisk. Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.

BANANA ICE CREAM

1 cup whole milk

1 large (12-oz) can evaporated milk, plus enough whole milk to fill a 2-cup measure 

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup Egg Beaters

1-1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large (or 2 small) ripe bananas, mashed well

Mix first 5 ingredients, being sure to dissolve sugar completely. Stir in mashed bananas. Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.

STRAWBERRY or PEACH ICE CREAM

1 cup whole milk

1 large (12-oz)  can evaporated milk, plus enough whole milk to fill a 2-cup measure 

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup Egg Beaters

1-1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup cut-up strawberries or soft ripe peaches, sweetened with 2 tbsp. sugar

Mix first 5 ingredients, being sure to dissolve sugar completely. Stir in cut-up fruit. Sometimes I use an immersion blender at this point to mix it well. Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.

I still have some whole milk and Egg Beaters left. Maybe I should hurry up and make strawberry ice cream before the week is over. That would get me close to the 5 quarts that Daddy always made—just in three different flavors!

Understand that ice cream in this maker is very soft when done. Both ice creams photographed had been put in the freezer first. It tastes good soft when it's first made and it tastes good firm when it comes from the freezer later.