Guess what? I’ve FINALLY got that ice cream maker I’ve been hankering after for YEARS! It arrived two days ago and I’ve already been putting it through its paces. Well, with this heatwave, it was absolutely necessary!
To start things off, and to get to know my way around my new toy, I made a batch of basic vanilla ice cream. A good vanilla ice cream is both delicious and very flexible – allowing various toppings to provide an extra twist – and combining well with lots of other dishes such as fruit pies, meringues and so on.
The ice cream maker has twin bowls, so it can make two different ones at the same time. This is perfect because Justin and I don’t like the same kind of ice creams. He likes simple vanilla, coffee, strawberry… that type of thing. I like the jazzy, Ben & Jerry’s type of ice cream with lots of added syrups, nuts, chocolate chips, caramel chunks and sprinkles. Another good thing about the ice cream maker is that, with the click of a switch, you can adjust the settings to make just one bowl.
I followed the recipe that is included in the instruction booklet – I’ve just updated the measurements to include metric and imperial measurements. Luckily, as I tend to try out lots of US recipes, I have a trusty aluminium (or should that be aluminum) cup that I rely on.
It couldn’t have been easier – done & dusted in 25 minutes flat. I did have to pre-freeze the water-filled freezer bowl overnight, though; good thing I’m an instruction booklet reader type of person!
Four ingredients, 25 minutes and the resulting simple vanilla ice cream was amazing. Justin had his with a fruit sauce we made earlier this summer… and I sprinkled a few chopped nuts and cacao nibs over mine!
I’m so happy with the first batch – and excited about experimenting with various flavour combinations in the future.
Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest for later
- 180ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup whole milk, well chilled
- 140g/5oz/⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 300ml/10½ fl oz/1½ cups heavy (double) cream, well chilled
- 1tsp pure vanilla extract, to taste
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved (about 1 to 2 minutes on a low speed)
- Stir in the cream and vanilla to taste
- Turn the machine on, pour the mixture into the freezer bowl, and mix until thickened (about 20-25 minutes). The ice cream will have a soft creamy texture
- If desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until firm. It takes about 2 hours to 'ripen'