Several people asked me about ice cream makers after yesterday’s post.  Ice cream makers unfortunately come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes and materials.  From the $25 Ice Cream maker ball, that makes ice cream by rolling around a frozen plastic ball, to the $2800 commercial batch ice cream makers that can make ice [...]]]>

Several people asked me about ice cream makers after yesterday’s post.  Ice cream makers unfortunately come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes and materials.  From the $25 Ice Cream maker ball, that makes ice cream by rolling around a frozen plastic ball, to the $2800 commercial batch ice cream makers that can make ice cream in as little as 20 minutes.  Ultimately I settled on the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2qt model, I say settled because I couldn’t afford the Taylor 220 shown here used for $11,500.  For $79 dollars though I think the Cuisinart was a close second.  Keep reading to find out why I like it.

My earliest memories of ice cream making have to be of my parents begrudgingly pulling out the hand crank machine.  My memory is a bit foggy but I think it was one of those wood style bucket machines that probably had a stainless steel bucket and required the use of lots of ice, rock salt and man power (or kid power if available).  Looking back I can see why we only made ice cream once when I was younger.  Quite simply it was a pain in the ass.  But that was in the olden days surely technology has surpassed such trivial ice cream issues?  Not as much as you would think.

Below $200 dollars you will not find an ice cream maker that has a built in compressor-freezer.  This means you are left with units that have either a non-chilled bucket (typically stainless steel) and require the addition of ice and salt to keep the bucket below freezing.  Or you will find units like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence that use a plastic bowl that requires you to pre freezes the bowl for 24 hours prior to using it.

The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence falls into the pre-freeze bowl category and features a nice clean look with stainless steel housing and a very usable 2 quart capacity.  There is even space under the ice cream maker for cord storage, a little thing that makes a big difference for storage.  Other than the unit itself you have only three addition parts, the plastic lid, plastic paddle and the freezer bowl.  All three are very easy to clean and the lid and paddle can be tossed in the dishwasher if needed.  Operation could not be easier, just freeze the bowl, and assemble the bowl into the housing along with the paddle and lid.  Turn the unit on and pour in your chilled mixture.  30 minutes later you have whatever frozen treat you set out to make.

To me the ease of not having to worry about adding ice and salt make it worth the space I need to have in the freezer for the bowl.  Fortunately at Flavourgasmic we have a storage freezer with plenty of space to keep the bowl permanently on freeze for ice cream any time.  If you don’t have the freezer space than I would consider a traditional model but be warned having to monitor your progress and add ice and salt is kind of a pain.  Either way you will do yourself a favor by not getting a hand crank model.  While you may think to yourself that this is cool or olde tyme, you will soon find yourself cursing your decision and not enjoying ice cream.

Not much more to say.  The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence has been a great ice cream maker for the two years we have used it.  In that time we have produced some truly great ice creams and also some truly horrible ice creams (not the fault of the ice cream maker).  If you are on a budget Cuisinart also makes a very similar 1.5qt model that is about $30 dollars less but has most of the same features.  You will not go wrong either way and there is nothing better on a hot day or when the craving hits than some wonderful, creamy, delicious homemade ice cream!

Nothing is better on a hot summer day than a daiquiri, unless of course you can get your hands on some daiquiri ice.  But if that hot summer day falls during the week and in the middle of the day odds are your boss won’t appreciate you eating alcoholic ice desserts, no matter how hot [...]]]>

Nothing is better on a hot summer day than a daiquiri, unless of course you can get your hands on some daiquiri ice.  But if that hot summer day falls during the week and in the middle of the day odds are your boss won’t appreciate you eating alcoholic ice desserts, no matter how hot it is.  Enter coffee ice cream, the perfect way to sober up after a couple of scoops of daiquiri ice.  Keep reading to find out how I make them both.

Both of these recipes assume that you have and know how to use an ice cream maker.  If you don’t have one I suggest you pick one up.  They are relatively cheap and super easy to use.  I will be doing a review on mine in the next couple of days.  The one thing word of advice I will give is to get a model that is “automatic”.  This means you won’t have to regularly add ice and salt like older machine but instead you will use an insulated insert that gets frozen over night.

Let’s start by getting you drunk.

Daiquiri Ice:
2 ¼ cups cold water
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup rum
¾ cup of sugar
1tbsp lime zest

The key to good daiquiri ice is in the limes.  Try to find the best limes you can for this preparation, I recommend the Persian lime which in the US is typically sold just as a “lime”.  Unlike Key limes, Persian limes tend to be less acidic with a mellower flavor, if however you like the tart factor than by all means use Key limes.  The main goal here is quality.

After you have sourced your limes start by using a zester or microplane to get your zest.  Make sure you only get the outer skin and avoid the bitter pith.  After zesting juice enough limes to get your ½ cup of lime juice, depending on size this can take anywhere from 4-8 limes.

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour this liquid into a sealable container and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.  The key is to get the liquid as cold as possible before going into the ice cream maker.  By doing this you assure that the time it takes to form ice crystals decreases meaning smaller crystals and a much better texture.

After chilling in your fridge for a couple of hours pour the mixture into your already cold and running ice cream maker.  Let the mixture churn in your ice cream maker for 30 minutes, this is about as frozen as you are going to get at this point.  Using a spatula scrap the daiquiri ice out of the ice cream maker into an appropriate storage container and toss into your freezer for at least an hour or two before serving.  To get the best texture let the daiquiri ice stand for about 15 minutes at room temperature before scooping.

Now to sober you up.

Coffee Ice Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
2tbsp instant coffee (I use either Café Bustelo or Medaglia d’Oro, these are usually found in the Hispanic section of your mega mart.)
6 egg yolks

In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, sugar and instant coffee and bring to a boil.  Once the mixture boils reduce the heat to low.

While the milk mixture is heating place your egg yolks into large bowl.  Once your milk mixture has boiled and you have reduced the temperature on it to low, add about a cup of the hot milk to the egg yolks and whisk to temper the eggs.  Once you have raised the temperature of the eggs, add the tempered egg yolks to the sauce pan and cook until the mixture slightly thickens, approximately 5 minutes.

After the mixture thickens slightly strain into a heat safe container and cool in the refrigerator for several hours.  Just like the daiquiri ice we want the ice cream mixture to be as cool as possible prior to going into our ice cream maker.  This means we will achieve a better texture which comes from smaller ice crystals which you get from rapid freezing.

When cold pour the coffee ice cream mixture into your prepared and running ice cream maker.  Again after 30 minutes it’s time to use a spatula to remove the ice cream from its maker and introduce it to your freezer for a couple hours prior to serving.

Truth is we all know that coffee ice cream doesn’t really sober you up from a daiquiri ice buzz.  But at least you will be alert!  Enjoy.