Kimberlys Guide To Ice Cream: Part 0 - Start easy
It's November, so I am going to talk about ice cream - when it starts getting dark before 5pm, ice cream seems like an easy way to increase happiness when lacking sunlight..
So instead of throwing ourselves off the deep end and making custards and sauces (Says one who did just that. And also created scrambled eggs in lime juice with an "idiot-proof" lime curd recipe.), let's start easy. Peanut butter ice cream!
It's fun and uncomplicated, and you can do all your mixing in a blender. Or a bowl with a whisk if you don't have a blender. The recipe is from The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, which is allowed to live on my desk with my other favorite books (and since you ask, yes, a lot of those are cookbooks. Maybe all of them. Alice in Wonderland gets a place of honor above my desk though.).
In German we talk about an "Erfolgserlebnis", a successful experience, a concept that can be used to start a larger project easily. Do something simpler to get yourself started, and then use that success to tackle the harder stuff. Though in ice cream, if you never want to get more complicated, that's fine. Plenty of delicious ice creams out there that never touch an egg or insist you make a custard, lots of mix this and that and pour into the ice cream maker. No water baths or long overnight chills necessary, and no chocolate that will freeze your churn before the ice cream is done (though, icy cold chocolate custard also tastes pretty good, even if it is not what you were aiming for). If you really want to dress it up, spoon in some jam or honey when you pour the ice cream into containers at the end. Or chop up leftover brownies, if such a thing exists, and stir in bits of those.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream, from The Perfect Scoop
Blend together until smooth:
3/4 cup (180g) smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp (180g) sugar
1 1/3 cup (330 ml) milk
1 1/3 (330 ml) heavy cream
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (shouldn't take more than a few hours), then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.
If you would like:
layer honey or jam (or chocolate sauce!) on the ice cream as you spoon it into containers. For chunky peanut butter ice cream, chop (or don't, depending on how large you like your peanut bits) some peanuts and stir them in after the ice cream is done churning.
Matcha ice cream. Makes days better.
About two years ago, I got an ice cream maker for Christmas. Then I was so terrified I let it sit in my closet til February. It turns out I have a bit of a fear of failure, and maybe new things. A friend had a birthday though, and ice cream was a necessary part of his birthday dinner, so, sure it would be ruined every step of the way, and delighted when it wasn't, I finally tried out making ice cream. The ice cream maker has a permanent home in our freezer now. Our freezer isn't that full most of the time, and when it is, we start by eating the ice cream, all to make room for more.
Sometimes we also need to clear out some baked goods.
It's fun and uncomplicated, and you can do all your mixing in a blender. Or a bowl with a whisk if you don't have a blender. The recipe is from The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, which is allowed to live on my desk with my other favorite books (and since you ask, yes, a lot of those are cookbooks. Maybe all of them. Alice in Wonderland gets a place of honor above my desk though.).
In German we talk about an "Erfolgserlebnis", a successful experience, a concept that can be used to start a larger project easily. Do something simpler to get yourself started, and then use that success to tackle the harder stuff. Though in ice cream, if you never want to get more complicated, that's fine. Plenty of delicious ice creams out there that never touch an egg or insist you make a custard, lots of mix this and that and pour into the ice cream maker. No water baths or long overnight chills necessary, and no chocolate that will freeze your churn before the ice cream is done (though, icy cold chocolate custard also tastes pretty good, even if it is not what you were aiming for). If you really want to dress it up, spoon in some jam or honey when you pour the ice cream into containers at the end. Or chop up leftover brownies, if such a thing exists, and stir in bits of those.
Extras go in...now!
Read your particular ice cream makers instructions though - each machine is a little different, which is why most ice cream recipes say "freeze according to the instructions of your ice cream makers manufacturer" or something like that. So, go read the instructions! Then blend some peanut butter, milk, cream and sugar together, and have fun.Peanut Butter Ice Cream, from The Perfect Scoop
Blend together until smooth:
3/4 cup (180g) smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp (180g) sugar
1 1/3 cup (330 ml) milk
1 1/3 (330 ml) heavy cream
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (shouldn't take more than a few hours), then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.
If you would like:
layer honey or jam (or chocolate sauce!) on the ice cream as you spoon it into containers. For chunky peanut butter ice cream, chop (or don't, depending on how large you like your peanut bits) some peanuts and stir them in after the ice cream is done churning.
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