Vanilla Ice Cream: Recipe For Success With Chocolate Desserts

Vanilla ice cream is beyond doubt the best ice cream. I doubt that I will ever change my view on that!

Here is a photograph which I meant to share with you before now ... but time flies!

For Christmas dinner dessert my family wanted something 'chocolatey' so I bought a rather special chocolate dessert - chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce and chocolate sponge and encased in a Belgian chocolate shell. It would have been fine on its own BUT I could let the opportunity pass by of trying it with some homemade vanilla ice cream. I made up the ice cream mixture on Christmas Eve and kept it in the refrigerator overnight so it was well chilled by the time I came to freeze it.

After the main course was finished, I simply took the mixture out of the fridge and poured it into my ice cream maker. 25 minutes later it was ready. Here it is photographed literally seconds after it came out of the ice cream maker. It doesn't get much fresher than that!

Here is the vanilla ice cream recipe I used. The reason I used vanilla extract? Simple ... I had run out of vanilla pods! It was still a great tasting ice cream though :)

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Ice Cream For Christmas

Making ice cream is lots of fun and this Christmas there will be another group of lucky people who join the ranks of homemade ice cream lovers like myself. Santa will doubtless deliver a new ice cream maker to many homes - and long may that be the case!

For those of you to whom this applies, a piece of advice .... don't be afraid when you take the machine out of the box and the rest of the family look at you with excitement in their eyes, heavy in expectation of the wonderous ice creams you will now feel pressured to make for them. No, stay calm and casual. Remove the instruction manual and recipe booklet from inside the box and set time aside for yourself (perhaps with a glass of sherry) one evening when everyone's busy with other things and immerse yourself in reading them. It shouldn't take long - it's not rocket science after all  :)

Understand the basics of how to use your ice cream maker first and try just one simple recipe. Be patient - it may not work out perfectly the first time but the more recipes you try, the easier it will all become. Some ice cream recipes are simpler and quicker to make than others but dont be put off from trying the more time-consuming recipes, such as those that require a custard base.

My all time favourite is real vanilla ice cream made with a custard base, vanilla pod, fresh heavy/double cream and full cream milk. There's nothing quite like it! I have made all kinds of unusual ice cream and sorbets but I always come back to good old vanilla. Hopefully, when you've made plenty of your own ice cream you will understand what I'm talking about here.

In the meantime, good luck - may the joy of making your own ice cream lighten up your Christmas!

Footnote: If you want to interact with others about ice cream making, visit Ice Cream Recipes on Facebook where you can also view some of my ice cream photos and videos.

Ice Cream Recipes Facebook Fans

My ice cream recipes Facebook page has only been going a short time but is proving a fascinating and rewarding experience. How could that be? Well I wasn't sure at first what the worth would be in writing about ice cream recipes on a Facebook page but it is now clear, even after only a short time, that people of all ages and from all over the world are keen to learn more about how to make ice cream.

There has been a wide variety of ice cream making questions posted to date and I try my best to answer as many as I can. Here are some of the things I've been asked about ....

gelato recipes

orange ice cream recipe

real vanilla ice cream recipe

cola ice cream recipe

ice cream recipes without corn, milk and eggs

vegan ice cream recipes

Interestingly enough, when I do post answers to questions, people often post back and say 'thank you'. What a nice bunch the Facebook ice cream fans are!

Ice Cream Cones By Post!

Ice cream cones are great fun - especially when they come through the post on your birthday!

That's what happened to me .... it looked like an ordinary envelope but when I opened it I found it was no ordinary birthday card. Three beautiful paper ice cream cones (1 large and 2 small) stared at me from the front of the card. What a lovely idea!

Without thinking, I placed the card down next to my ice cream maker (I was in the kitchen opening the post at the time). Then it occurred to me what a super image I beheld ..... sitting atop of my ice cream maker were 3 hand-knitted, wool ice cream cones - a gift from my cousin Iris some years ago (Iris is a wonder at knitting!). The ice cream maker, the 3 knitted cones and the ice cream cones birthday card all together. I grabbed my iPhone and took a picture.

That's what I call an ice cream themed birthday! Thank you Brian and Pam for sending me such wonderful ice cream cones through the post!.

The Best Vanilla Ice Cream

Like many people, I love vanilla ice cream. I have done ever since I was a child. So it's no surprise that it's the one ice cream recipe that I enjoy making above all others. The interesting thing is that even with the same recipe, the results are never 100% identical. Most people probably wouldn't notice the difference but when you've made and tasted as much vanilla ice cream as I have, even a tiny difference can stand out.

My most recent batch of homemade vanilla ice cream was one of the best I've ever made. No, I'm not being conceited ... ask my family, they all said it before I did :)

Here are 2 pictures of it.

The first (above) was taken after serving a couple of scoops into my favorite penny lick glass and the second (outside in the garden, hence the light) after I put a scoop into an ice cream cone and sprinkled some hundreds and thousands on top. Delicious!

I've tried to work out why it was so good and the only thing I can come up with is that perhaps the quality of the vanilla pod I used was a little bit special in some way. The taste of the vanilla in the ice cream that day just seemed to be stronger and more aromatic.

Well, whatever it was, I hope I can get it to repeat next time!

Making Ice Cream Can Be Fun!

Most people love ice cream yet only a small percentage have ever made their own ice cream at home. That's amazing to me - and to anyone who DOES make their own ice cream - because it is not difficult and can be enormous FUN!

Whether you have an electric ice cream maker (photo on the right shows me using mine at home) or not makes only a little difference - it will just take you longer to make your ice cream without a machine that's all. A good analogy would be that of breadmaking with or without an electric bread maker.

I have written a page called Making Ice Cream in which you will find 3 different methods of ice cream making plus links to pages on key ingredients, what a custard base (cream base) is and other types of ice cream you can make such as gelato and sorbets (water ices). There is also a link to my measuring guide for both dry and liquid ingredients.

So what are you waiting for? Enjoy the moment and have fun - and if you have any doubts, think on this:

"We are always getting ready to live but never living" Ralph Waldo Emerson

No Ice Cream Maker?

Having an ice cream maker in your kitchen is a great advantage when it comes to making homemade ice cream. However, not everyone has an ice cream maker which is why I have a page about making ice cream without an ice cream maker.

The other day I came across a book called 'Castle Cooking' by Jenny Bagley. Now retired, Jenny used to be the cook at a castle in Herefordshire. In over 30 years of working there Jenny produced meals, soups and desserts for a wide range of guests including VIPs and members of royalty from around the world.

Jenny's cooking has always been definitively English and traditional and so it was with delight that I read her recipe for Orange Ice Cream Bombe - the instructions to which do not involve the use of an ice cream maker!

So here is it is ... Jenny's Orange Ice Cream Bombe. An ice cream fit for 'the king of the castle'.

Ice Cream Maker Tips - Choosing The Right Machine

If you are looking to buy an ice cream maker for the first time, you will be overwhelmed by the choice now available. Years ago of course it was not the case but today, as with so many other things, it is a very different scenario.

First of all, there is the choice between a manual machine and an electric ice cream maker. The latter, whilst much more expensive, bigger and heavier, actually freezes the ice cream as it churns it so you can go from your ready mixture to edible, servable fresh ice cream within as little as 20 minutes.

Secondly, even with an electric ice cream maker, there are different types and styles to choose from. Gaggia for example have developed their own very distinctive style of machine which you recognise instantly the moment you see one of their ice cream makers and Cuisinart have also developed their own style such as the very popular ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker (see photo left).

Hamilton Beach makes an ice cream maker that looks entirely different again! Indeed, their Hamilton Beach 68330R 4-Quart Automatic Ice-Cream Maker (photo right) actually works in a different way. It requires you to pour your mixture into the canister, insert the dasher into the canister, attach the easy-lock lid and then place the motor over the canister, locking it onto the bucket. Then you add layers of ice and salt to the bucket covering the canister. Your homemade ice cream will then be ready in 20-40 minutes. This particular ice cream maker can also be used for making frozen yogurt and custard. At under $40 it makes a great, affordable gift for a loved one or friend - especially if you know they love ice cream!

So you see ... choosing an ice cream maker is not that easy any more.

Anyone For Tennis? Don't Forget The Ice Cream!

Watching the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on tv is something I have enjoyed since childhood. Over the years great champions have come and gone and the nature of the game has changed radically - everything from what the players wear on court, to racquet technology to the level of fitness and strength required to get to the top of the sport.

My son is an avid Andy Murray fan so we've watched him with fascination this last year and particularly of course during the Wimbledon Championship. Reading about him, it's staggering to discover just how hard he works to maintain peak fitness, from weighted chin-ups to 100m sprints - and that's before he even picks up a raquet! When training for a match he eats a 6,000 calories per day diet! Things like bagels with peanut butter, protein shakes, steak, fruit, cupcakes -and lots of sushi. It's all right being told that you HAVE to eat this if you want to be at the top of your sport but what if you don't like it? I don't know whether Andy enjoys all this food but what I DO KNOW is that one of his favorite foods (when allowed) is ice cream, especially Cookies And Cream ice cream by Haagen-Dazs.

With that in mind, it seems to me that one of the first things Andy should buy for that wonderful, new home of his in Surrey, England is an electric ice cream maker for the kitchen. Then he could have the best possible ice cream - homemade ice cream using his actual favorite cookies and some rich, heavy cream. Game, set and match!

Homemade Ice Cream - Great DIY

If you ever thought that DIY (Do It Yourself) was restricted to putting up some new shelves or installing new garage doors think again because DIY also applies to foods that you might never think of making for yourself ... but can!

Let's face it, when most people think of ice cream they think of going out to buy a pack of Ben & Jerry's or Walls (or one of many others depending upon which country you live in). Few people actually stop and think about making their own homemade ice cream. Yet it's not that difficult. Granted, it's easier with an ice cream maker but you can also make ice cream without an ice cream maker. What's more, when you make ice cream yourself it always tastes better and it's such a satisfying experience.

So if you've ever done any DIY around your house or garden but never made ice cream, think of it like this .... just as you get a kick out of seeing those shelves installed and carrying your books or dvds with the satisfying knowledge that you've done it yourself, imagine eating a bowl of delicious, fresh ice cream made by your own fair hand. Now that's what I call 'tasty' DIY!

Christmas Shopping? There's still time ... online!

Phewww .... I've actually done all my Christmas shopping - gifts for family and friends and I've even ordered the turkey! However, many of my friends have not and according to a BBC Radio program I was listening to, this seems to be the case for most people. Not to worry though because help is at hand - courtesy of the Internet.

Let's face it, it's a wonderful resource at this time of year and for lots of different reasons ....

• you can stock up on food for the holidays by shopping online thus avoiding braving bleak weather and long supermarket queues;
  
  
• you can get some great recipe ideas online ahead of throwing a party or dinner - such as my ice cream recipes of course;
  
  
• you can shop online for all your Christmas gifts;
  
  
• you can check online to see what's on tv over the Christmas holidays;
  
  
• you can check for the latest weather reports ahead of making any trips to visit people over the holidays;
  

What would we all do without it now? Strange but for young people today they can't relate to that idea. Being from an older generation though, I can not only recall what life was like before the Internet but even before there were pocket calculators! I'm digressing a bit too much here .... so back to thinking about Christmas.

This is the last post I'm going to write about Christmas shopping for this year ... just let me remind you that I have a super little Internet store for US buyers where you can buy all kinds of gifts (courtesy of Amazon) such as:

The Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker (pic left)

The Cuisinart ICE-30BC sorbet/yogurt/ice cream maker

There's also a great range of coffee makers and tea makers

For that ever important fresh ice at parties there are ice makers

One of my favorite gift ideas, especially at Christmas time, is the gourmet gift basket (or hampers as they're called in Britain). In the store you will find some wonderful gourmet gift baskets such as the Lindt Lovers Chocolate Gift Basket. The Sweet Wishes For You Basket pictured right is possibly one of the most stunning and appropriate gift baskets I've ever seen for Christmas.

For British buyers there's a separate online store where you can buy a similar range of gifts including this electric bottle chiller (left) for making sure that the extra special bottle of Chardonnay you've bought is served at just the right temperature. Whether it's for a quiet romantic evening in or for when you have guests to dinner, it's a great piece of kit to have to hand.

Serious lovers of ice cream could enjoy life so much more if they had this superb ice cream maker by Gaggia (right) which is really popular in Britain and Europe. Then when you've made your ice cream you should serve it in style - like in this fantastic, stunning-looking ice cream bowl and spoon set from Alessi.

Whatever you buy for your friends and family this Christmas, I hope you try to make sure it's something they will find rewarding. Happy hunting!

Started Your Christmas Shopping Yet?

When it comes to Christmas gift shopping everyone seems to take a different view. Some people don't like to contemplate the idea of Christmas until around 17 December, a week before Christmas Eve. By contrast some people (me included) like to get their Christmas shopping done early so that they don't have to rush at the last minute coming up with ideas or trekking round a shopping mall amongst throngs of people.

To be honest I always try to do my Christmas shopping in October - before Halloween in fact. I will usually make one trip to a main shopping area, spend 2 or 3 hours there browsing and getting my ideas together and then when I get home I will go online to look for the best deals for the gifts I've decided to buy. I don't always find what I want straight away but by the 2nd or 3rd time I've been online I've got my list together of where I'm going buy my Christmas gifts. More often than not the suppliers are a mixture of the 'big guys' such as Amazon and the smaller, specialised retailers.

Here's are some examples of ice cream related Christmas gifts online ....

Electric Ice Cream Maker

USA Shoppers - Amazon.com have some great deals and their customer reviews and star ratings are a great bonus in helping you choose the right machine. This Cuisinart ice cream maker comes with an ice cream recipe booklet, 3 year warranty and has some great customer reviews. It's also at an affordable price and from a top ice cream machine manufacturer.

UK Shoppers - Amazon.co.uk is a good route to take. There's a Phillips ice cream maker which is stylish and compact, has a 5 star rating and at under £50 is great value for money.

Ice Cream Books

On both the above Amazon stores there are sections dedicated to books on ice cream covering subjects such as ice cream recipes, making gelato, old fashioned ice cream and granitas. I could spend hours just browsing through these books alone! So I shall take a closer look at ice cream books in a later post and list my personal choices for what I think make great Christmas gifts.

Ice Cream Maker Tips - Cleaning

All kitchen appliances have their pros and cons so a range of tips on how to use them properly is useful. The ice cream maker is no exception. So if you're planning to make ice cream as part of Thanksgiving celebrations, get ahead, get your ice cream maker out and give it a good checking over.

In this and subsequent posts I plan to cover some of the key tips in how to use your ice cream maker to best advantage.

Let's start with tip 1 - Cleaning Your Ice Cream Maker

If you have an ice cream maker then cleaning it properly before and after use will be something you are used to. If, however, you are about to buy an ice cream maker then my advice is make sure you develop the habit of cleaning it properly from the moment you take it out of its box. Clean it and do it properly every time you use the machine. That way not only will you be making your ice cream hygienically but you will also help preserve the working life of your ice cream maker. As anyone knows, ice cream can be messy, especially if you've just made a batch of fresh ice cream, served it up for the family to enjoy and then you forget about the remnants left in the ice cream bucket or bowl, only to come across it a couple of hours later., warm, runny and sticky .... yugghh! Always try to clean your machine as well and as quickly as possible after you have finished using it.

That also applies to the utensils you use - making sure they are clean before you use them is really important otherwise your ice cream could become contaminated. Here's a list of the utensils you are most likely to use when making ice cream:

• measuring spoon (or scales, measuring jug or cup)
• food grater
• mixing bowls
• spatulas (wooden or plastic are preferable to metal)
• sieve
• saucepan (if you are making a custard base ice cream)
• ice cream scoop
• storage container(s)

Just remember - a clean machine is mean machine!

More reading on ice cream maker tips

Rise Of The Ice Cream Machines

Making ice cream is big business - yes, of course for the commercial ice cream producers such as Ben & Jerry's, Baskin-Robbins or Dreyers but also for the manufacturers and retailers of the type of ice cream maker that you can buy for home use.

Ice cream has been popular for as long as I can remember, starting with the simple ice cream cone you could buy as a child from the ice cream truck when it came round through to today when supermarkets stock a wonderful, wide range of ice cream flavors you can just put in your trolley, check out and take home to enjoy at your leisure.

Over recent years, however, there's been a significant increase in the number of people interested in home cooking and recipes. In line with that, manufacturers have recognised the need to supply these people with more machines and gadgets to help them with their homemade foods. From juicers to smoothie makers to bread makers ... the list goes on.

When it comes to ice cream makers we are almost spoilt for choice. There are the larger sized, 'professional' type ice cream makers that retail for around $700 in the USA such as the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker (via Amazon) and in the UK there's the incredibly popular Gaggia Geletiera 74500N Ice Cream Maker that retails for around £260. There's also a good range of less expensive ice cream makers of course that are still really quick and efficient as they have their own built-in freezers so you can freeze the ice cream as it mixes and batches (ready in about 20 minutes from when you put your mixture in the machine). At the 'value for money' end of the range there are ice cream makers which require the use of a freezer before the ice cream is ready, hence it takes longer to produce the ice cream.

If you have never made ice cream before don't worry about getting the best ice cream maker that money can buy - get what you can afford and just have a go. The important thing is to have some good ice cream recipes to follow and to make your ice cream with enthusiasm! Don't be afraid to try out new ideas too. Like any other food, when ice cream is made properly, it's wonderful.

Looking at the statistics of visitors to my website, it's clear that year upon year there is an increase in the number of people searching for ice cream maker recipes. The rise of the ice cream machines goes on!

Ice Cream Making & Ice Making At Home

As everyone who reads my website knows, I have a passion for making ice cream at home. I even have 2 different kinds of ice cream maker - both are electric but one freezes as it batches allowing me to make a traditional fairly frozen ice cream and the other is one of an increasingly popular type of machine which produces more of a gelato (semi-frozen) ice cream. My latter ice cream maker even has compartments for sprinkles, an ice cream cone holder and a lever for dispensing the ice cream when it's ready. It's like having my own little ice cream parlor. Experimenting with ice cream mixtures has never been more fun!

My kitchen has other machines in it of course - for making anything from bread to ice. My ice maker is a small, light and portable ice maker, ideal for home use. It doesn't make ice cubes but rather ice nuggets. See photo for the shape of them. It's really handy whenever I want fresh ice in a reasonable quantity. Also I don't have to worry about making space in the freezer to try and produce a few ice cubes from a tray of water.

I also have one of those mini chocolate fountains - great for parties and get-togethers. In fact, when I come to think of it, all the machines I've just talked about could be used in one fell swoop for a summer party - homemade ice cream and dipping chocolate (with fruit) for desserts and freshly made ice for all the drinks. All we need now is the sunshine!

New Year Sorbet Recipe

Looking back over the last year and looking ahead to the next is something that we all do and on/around 31 December is usually when we do so. It can be at a New Year's Party or indeed just at home quietly enjoying some time alone or with family/friends.

Whatever you do over New Year someone in your family will doubtless be doing a little cooking or baking - if that person is you and you think an alcohol-based homemade ice cream is appropriate, then here's a recipe that's truly in the spirit of a New Year's celebration - white wine sorbet.

It's really easy to make too, especially if you have an electric ice cream maker. The sweetness of the wine plus the orange and lemon juice make for a really refreshing sorbet.

Then there's another option if you want to make an ice cream that's a little more challenging but nevertheless alcoholic in flavor - you could try this coffee, rum and walnut ice cream recipe. Rich but oh so creamy!

My thanks to all the regular readers of ice-cream-recipes.com for visiting the website in 2007. I hope you will all return in 2008 and continue to enjoy the new recipes and information that I so much enjoy offering. I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Making Homemade Ice Cream

Say the words: “Ice Cream” to just about anyone and you’ll get an instant positive reaction – anything from a smile to a few words of praise to profuse extolling of its virtues! Let’s face it …. we love ice cream. Here at ice-cream-recipes.com I’ve been writing about ice cream and researching its many facets for some years now and I’ve yet to run short of new ideas and information to bring to my readers. I suppose it’s because making ice cream is great fun and something you never get bored with. There’s always new recipes to try, new ways to present what you make and even different ways to making ice cream. For example:

Using an Ice Cream Maker
If you want to make your own homemade ice cream on a regular basis, prefer to serve it fresh as soon as it’s made and can afford an electric ice cream maker, then this is the way to go.

I wouldn’t be without mine! Basically, it freezes as it batches taking from just 20 to 40 minutes (depending upon how soft or hard you like your ice cream). To me there’s lots of advantages to having an ice cream maker – here’s my list.

Using a Bowl and Your Freezer
This is the way most people made their ice cream before electric ice cream makers came along. Once you have your ice cream recipe mixture prepared you just need a wide topped bowl, use of your freezer, lots of arm power for regular beating of the mixture and a few hours spare for the freezing process. See my dedicated web page for full details.

Using Rock Salt & Ice (better done outdoors than inside the house – also great as a fun project for children)a) the smallest and simplest method is to use 2 plastic, zippable bags, one smaller than the other. Put your ice cream ingredients into the smaller bag, zip it up and then insert that inside the larger bag with rock salt and ice in between the bags. Roll the whole thing around for about 20 minutes, allowing the rock salt and ice to freeze the mixture. b) same as above but on a larger scale using 2 empty, cleaned food tins (1 larger than the other) that have separate and re-sealable lids. Mix your ingredients in the first, smaller tin and seal tightly using tape to ensure the lid is firmly sealed if necessary. Place this inside the larger tin and pack the rock sale and ice in between the 2 tins. Seal well. Roll around for about 20 minutes.

Whatever method you choose of making ice cream, it’s an enjoyable experience, made all the more wonderful by being able to enjoy what you’ve produced.

The Fun of Ice Cream is here to stay!
Watch our Vanilla Ice Cream Video