Creamy Key Lime Pie Ice Cream for Father's Day!

I have to blame my dad for my love of baking. When I was a toddler, he allowed me to sit on the counter and "help" him make chocolate chip cookies or cake or fudge or whatever treat he decided to bake. In all honesty, I ate batter more than I did anything else. But I guess something stuck from those many times of watching him concoct delicious treats because I'm still baking up a storm to this day.

The theme of this month has been treats that are easy and delicious for Fourth of July get-togethers. However, since it's Father's Day, I wanted to make something that was good for both. I knew I wanted to make ice cream for my next Fourth of July treat and Key Lime Pie happens to be my dad's favorite dessert. And thus, a search for yummy Key Lime Pie ice cream began. While the following recipe is tastes good, I would not suggest it. I found it to be frustrating and disappointing, but I certainly hope you have better luck.

What you need for 2 servings:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon Key Lime zest
1/3 cup Key Lime juice
1/2 cup coarsely crushed graham cracker crumbs

Whisk together the first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk and half-and-half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. The original recipe says 8 to 10 minutes, however, it took me a good deal longer. I would say it took about 20-30 minutes. Be patient and don't stop stirring or else you will have a mess of scalded milk.
Remove from heat.

Beat egg yolk until thick. Gradually whisk in about 1 cup hot cream mixture. Add yolk mixture to remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly.

Pour mixture through a wire mesh strainer to remove any solid bits of scalded milk. If you want it to be green, add a couple of drops of food coloring. I added 2 green and 1 yellow. Allow to cool for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Place plastic wrap directly on cream mixture and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Pour mixture into 1 1/2 quart electric ice cream mixture. Prepare according to machine's instructions. About half way through, add your lime zest, lime juice and graham crackers.

This ice cream is deliciously creamy and refreshing. However, I found this recipe a little disappointing because it says it makes a quart, but it only produced about half of that. I also found it frustrating how long it took for the mixture to thicken in contrast to how long it said it should take. Overall, a tasty concept, but I bet there's better recipes out there.

Good luck and happy ice cream making!
Rosie

Source:Southern Living

Almond Tuiles and Cherry Ice Cream, Part the Second: The Ice Cream

Nothing marks the tail end of summer like a cold, delicious bowl of ice cream. I had never attempted making ice cream before but I thought it was going to be far more complicated than it turned out to be. Admittedly, I was stained head to toe with cherry juice for a few hours, but other than that it was a breeze to make.

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Dash of salt
3 cups milk
4 large eggs
3 cups pitted fresh cherries
3 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon almond extract

 Begin by pitting your cherries. I didn't have a cherry pitter so I was forced to resort to drastic measures-- namely the sharp end of a vegetable peeler. It worked fairly well, though it left me covered in juice.

Stir together the sugar, flour and salt in a heavy saucepan; gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Beat eggs until thick and pale.Whisk about one fourth of hot mixture into eggs; add to remaining hot mixture, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Cool.

Pulse half of cherries in a food processor until finely chopped; remove. Pulse remaining cherries until coarsely chopped. Stir cherries, whipping cream and almond extract into custard.

Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1 gallon freezer.

Freeze according to manufacturers instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt and let stand 1 hour before serving.

 

Isn't it beautiful? And don't think I've forgotten about the almond tuile. That's it on the side. I have to say, they're a pretty wicked combination. The ice cream is so rich and thick that it coats the tongue. The cookies are light and sweet. You can even make little ice cream sandwiches with them! This recipe was a hit with the fam and it made quite a bit. I would certainly suggest it for a summer party.

Yum!

Good luck,
Rosie

Source: Almond Tuiles- Grandma Rose
Ice cream: Southern Living Annual Recipes