What’s better than icy cold ice cream on a hot summer day, huh? Not much. My favorite is a large vanilla/chocolate swirl cone, double dipped in magic shell. But, my favorite Dairy Queen closed last year and, being at home a lot more because of the dreaded COVID, it’s hard not to feel like you are being deprived and deserve to treat yourself to something yummy. So, I finally did it. I made homemade ice cream and this homemade vanilla ice cream that’s actually tastier than store bought ice cream!

As kids; my sister, brothers, friends and I would lose our little minds when the ice cream truck came down the street.  We had supersonic hearing that picked up the ice cream truck bell and music a half a mile away. We’d beg for ice cream money and sit on the stoop waiting for the truck to make it to our block.  

If, on the rare occasion, the truck had driven past our house, we’d chase it like our lives depended on it until we could make it stop.  Hey, we got our ice cream!

A lot older now, I haven’t chased an ice cream truck in at least a year-½ to two years and my Dairy Queen is gone.  Thinking about it now, I have to say I’m not really that sad about either being a thing of the past for me.  

The ice cream truck still comes down the street.  But somehow, and it may just be me (you can check me if I’m wrong), those trucks look a little grimier now.  I’m more than a little apprehensive to get a cone off a truck because my imagination runs wild and forces me to wonder, “when was the last time they ran anything through their ice cream machine to clean it?” “Have they washed their hands?” “How often do they clean their little serving area?”  Now, as these questions swirl around in my head, in an instant, I’m essentially looking at vanilla swirl tetanus on wheels.  If they are sanitary and turns out I’m wrong, well God bless them. But, I’m not taking any chances.  I think the same thing about Dairy Queen these days, too. But still, let’s face it…

No ingredients you can’t identify

I try to be a little more careful what I put in my body these days.  So. Since we grew up on homemade ice cream as well as being ice cream truck chasers, I still feel that I shouldn’t be deprived. I had been wanting to make homemade ice cream for years but made so many excuses that made me feel better about not doing it, it stayed on my bucket list. No churner? Oh well.  It takes sooo looong!  It doesn’t, really.  I’m on a diet.  I mean really, who’s not?

Well, I fixed all that (except the diet part, I’m always on a diet!), and I finally made some of the most delicious ice cream, I can hardly stand it!

Making homemade ice cream isn’t rocket science (the cooling process is a little sciency, though if you’re a nerd). When we were kids (again?!), My mom made homemade ice cream a lot in the summer.  The kids in the  neighborhood loved coming over when they saw the ice cream machine sitting on the porch.  It was the hand-crank kind and if you had to crank it, it practically killed you before the ice cream froze. It was a labor of love and it was the best.

These days, we worry about fat, sugar, carbs, bug life crawling through the ice cream machines, blah, blah, blah.  I do worry about that stuff but, in order to make good ice cream…I mean, real good ice cream, you’re gonna need some of that stuff (not the bugs).

Super easy, super delicious!

I have two recipes that are my new go-tos for the best tasting homemade ice cream going.  Here’s one. It is a french vanilla and the other which will be in another post, is a little lighter as it uses less yolks and more milk/cream.  I love them both. Don’t think for a minute that churning your own ice cream is going to save money, though. I spent $20 on two vanilla beans!

It can get pricey! But, what you get when you make your own is the comfort of knowing what’s in it. No artificial ingredients, commercial stabilizers or starches and colors you are likely to find in store-bought ice creams unless you’re into that kind of thing. The added bonus is you can add whatever the heck you want to your ice cream!And, it’s wonderful with my All Butter Pound Cake that can be found here.

A few tips to make your homemade ice cream CRUSH most store brands:

• Don’t take shortcuts. Chill your custard.  It’s best if it is chilled overnight.  Some ice cream recipes don’t require over night chilling but, this is how you’ll get your best results.
• If you have a bowl in your ice cream freezer, freeze it overnight. Before you add your custard.
• If you have a metal canister, you should freeze it at least for a few hours before churning.
• Over churning your custard will create large ice crystals and a grainy ice cream. Once your machine stops rotating, your ice cream is done. It should be the consistncy of soft serve. It willl harden up in the freezer.
• A little vodka, Everclear or any other alcohol (around 1 TBSP per quart) will keep your ice cream from getting too hard in the freezer. Vodka will not alter the taste of your ice cream. Many other alcohols will.

This one weighs in at a hefty 940 calories per serving! But, it’s so good.  

The Best Vanilla Ice Cream – Williams Sonoma

An electric ice cream maker removes the time-consuming task of hand turning the cream to freeze it, so homemade ice creams and sorbets are easier to make. Note that this recipe requires an extra day for the custard to chill.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 
• 8 egg yolks 
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 

Directions:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk, cream and 1/4 cup of the sugar. With the tip of a knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans into the pan, then toss the pods into the pan. Place over medium heat and bring just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg yolks, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until the mixture falls in a thick, wide ribbon when the whisk is lifted. Remove the vanilla pods from the milk mixture and reheat to a bare simmer. Slowly add the milk mixture to the yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook gently over medium-low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until thickened enough to coat the spoon, about 3 minutes. Draw a finger across the spoon. The custard is ready if it does not immediately bleed back together. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean storage container, let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a tightly covered container and freeze for at least 6 hours before serving. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Family Meals, by Maria Helm Sinskey (Oxmoor House, 2008).

This ice cream would be delicious with buttered pecans or chocolate chips. If you use mix-ins, put them in close to the end of churning your ice cream.

If you try the recipe, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Enjoy!