A Flavorful Chill

I've made ice cream before (I wrote about strawberry ice cream back in April), but I've never made an ice cream that was custard-based until today. Yes, it may be a little bit more trouble, but the rich flavor is worth the effort.

I started this recipe 6 hours before I needed it–any less time would have made me anxious. This recipe uses five egg yolks. I separated the egg, putting yolks in the ramekin and the whites in a freezer container for an egg-white omelet in the future.

Vanilla Bean Custard Ice Cream

2 cups 2% milk

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

pinch salt

1 whole vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped

5 large egg yolks

1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, whisk together milk, cream, half of the sugar, salt, and the scraped vanilla bean (including the pod). Bring the mixture just to a boil.

2. While the milk/cream mixture is heating, combine yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk until the mixture is pale and thick. This will help thicken the custard as well as give it a rich, delicious taste.

3. Once the milk/cream mixture has come to a slight boil (I watched until it started to roll slightly beneath the surface), whisk about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the yolk/sugar mixture. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. DO NOT boil or the yolks will overcook–the process should take only a few minutes.

4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer (toss out the vanilla pod) and bring to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

5. Pour the mixture into your ice cream freezer and follow the manufacturer's instructions. The ice cream will have a smooth, creamy texture. If you want a firmer texture, pour the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze for a minimum of two hours.

I have a Cuisinart automatic ice cream maker that makes this such an easy process. So far this year, it is my favorite kitchen toy!

Hmm. Hot apple crisp with a scoop of the rich, custardy ice cream would be divine! I guess October isn't too late for ice cream after all!

Bon appetit!

Ravioli Cook-off!

The phase of the moon is the most barren right now--until March 19--so I have no planting news to share. And I have no camera (that will change by this weekend) with which to take new photos, so I'm pulling a pic from about a month ago.

I know. It's St. Patty's Day, which would call for something Irish, but this is what you get instead. I hope to inspire you with the notion that making your own pasta is not an insurmountable task!

Yes, you see a drill. Our dear friends, Deli (in the pic with me) and Lucas come to family dinner from time to time, and we make it a cooking Event--yes, with a capital "E"! On this particular day, we decided we would make home-made ravioli with our own pasta rather than won ton wrappers, which may be perfectly fine but why not use the real thing? The dough was made--he made one and I made another--when we discovered that I could not find the handle to my manual pasta maker. Oh my! What would we do! Anthony came up with the solution: Why, use the power drill, of course! So that is what we did. That was the biggest challenge of the day, so ANYBODY can make pasta. We started at 2 p.m. and ate by about 4:30 p.m. Not too bad.

I call this a cook-off, but it's really in fun that we have our "challenges". Lucas is a marvelous cook, and he made a sauce he concocted years ago. It was Divine--yes, with a capital "D"! We had three types of stuffing: sweet potato; lamb; and brie, mushroom, shallot, and garlic. We also had a brown butter and sage sauce.

Deli is our dessert goddess and made a wonderful chocolate cake. Soooo good!!

So, next time you have a free afternoon and a couple of friends, break out the pasta machine (and a power drill if necessary) and create a wonderful meal with wonderful memories. You'll know exactly what went into the food you made, and you'll have fun, too.