Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style

Vanilla Ice Cream

When the weather finally turned into sunshine and spring a month or so ago, I jumped at the chance to make homemade ice cream. I love the rich vanilla flavor and super smooth texture of homemade ice cream. This is my hubby’s favorite vanilla recipe – Philadelphia-style, made with milk and cream, with no egg yolks (unlike my perfered French-style ice cream). While we each have our preferences, it doesn’t really matter which type I make – one batch will be gone before I have the time to make another.

Clearly I adored the photos I took of my little model, and had to include them in this post! I was astonished that she was so enthusiastic about the ice cream – up until now, she could care less about ice cream and when we got her to taste some, she spit out every single sprinkle that made it into her mouth.

Vanilla Ice Cream

I can’t help it – she’s just too cute. There’s a simple shot of just the ice cream below. There was quite a bit of hand-swatting to keep the little one away from it!   🙂

Like this post? Come back on Friday to see a roundup of more than two dozen ice cream, sorbet, etc. recipes from other bloggers!

Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebowitz (p. 25)

Makes 1 Quart

Ingredients:

      • 3 c. heavy cream (or 2 c. heavy cream + 1 c. whole milk)
      • 3/4 c. granulated sugar
      • pinch of salt
      • 1 vanilla bean
      • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine 1 c. heavy Vanilla Ice Cream cream, sugar, and salt. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds. Add both seeds and pod to pot. Cool, stirring regularly, until sugar is melted.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining heavy cream and vanilla extract. Allow to cool slightly before moving to a fridge to chill for a few hours.

Remove vanilla bean pods (reserving for other uses, if desired – see tip below) and transfer to ice cream make, processing according to manufacturer’s instructions. (My Cuisinart ice cream maker called for 15-20 minutes – I processed it for 20 minutes for a thicker consistency.)

Tip: Vanilla beans can be used a few times before completely losing their flavor. In this case, after using the vanilla bean pod, allow to dry on a paper towel and add to a container of sugar to flavor sugar. Or, add to an existing container of vanilla extract.

{Frozen Fridays} Frozen Desserts

This final week of Frozen Fridays is a roundup of all sorts of tasty treats that sort of fall into their own category. Most are based on homemade ice cream, but all have a little something extra designed to impress.

Roasted Cherry Sundae from Confections of a Foodie Bride
Roasted Cherry Sundae from Confections of a Foodie Bride

{Frozen Fridays: Round Up}

Frozen Desserts

  1. Bailey’s Spiked Ice Cream Cake (from Beyond Frosting)
  2. Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Bites (from Busy in Brooklyn)
  3. Chocolate Dipped S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches (from Love and Olive Oil)
  4. Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake (from Baked Bree)
  5. Dipped Oreo Ice Cream Pops (from Snappy Gourmet)
  6. Frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie (from Bakers Royale)
  7. Ice cream Chimichangas (from Diethood)
  8. Ice Cream Petit Fours (from 17 and Baking)
  9. Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches with Brown Butter Cookies (from Donuts, Dresses and Dirt)
  10. Mudslide Ice Cream Cake (from Endless Simmer)
  11. Neopolitan Ice Cream Cake (from Heather Cristo)
  12. Roasted Cherry Brownie Sundaes (from Confections of a Foodie Bride)
  13. S’mores Ice Cream Cake (from Annie’s Eats)
  14. Snickers Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake (from Life Love & Sugar)
  15. Strawberries and Cream Sandwiches (from Alida’s Kitchen)
  16. Tartufi aka Ice Cream Truffles (from Annie’s Eats)

{Frozen Fridays} Ice Creams, Sorbets, and More!

First off, Happy 4th of July! I hope you’re enjoying this day with family and friends. We’ll be kicking off the day with a lazy morning, and then joining friends this afternoon for the day’s World Cup soccer game, dinner, and fireworks.

Secondly, I’d like to welcome you to Frozen Fridays. Each Friday throughout the month of July, I’ll be sharing a number of recipes to cool off your summer.

To kick things off, I’ve got 25 ice creams, sorbets, sherberts, and granitas that make my mouth water. It’s been hitting the 90s and higher, so I’m looking forward to stocking my freezer with cool treats. Do you have a favorite that’s not listed below? Please leave a comment and let me know (and share a link to the recipe!).

Pistachio Ice Cream from Cook Like A Champion
Pistachio Ice Cream from Cook Like A Champion

{Frozen Fridays: Round Up}

Ice Creams, Sorbets, and More!

  1. Apple Pie Ice Cream (from Brown Eyed Baker)
  2. Berry Basil Sorbet (from Former Chef)
  3. Blackberry Creamsicle Sherbet (from 17 and Baking)
  4. Boozy Blueberry Thyme Sorbet (from bell’alimento)
  5. Cake Batter Ice Cream (from Baked Perfection)
  6. Caramel S’mores Ice Cream (from Cookaholic Wife)
  7. Cardamon Ice Cream with Spiced Candied Pistachios (from Savory Simple)
  8. Cherry Bourbon Ice Cream (from Books n’ Cooks)
  9. Cherry Garcia Ice Cream (from Pint Sized Baker)
  10. Churro Ice Cream (from Bakers Royale)
  11. Dark Chocolate Ice Cream (from Baked Bree)

    Dark Chocolate Icre Cream from Baked Bree
    Dark Chocolate Icre Cream from Baked Bree
  12. Drunken Cherry Ice Cream (from Savory Simple)
  13. Key Lime Pie Ice Cream (from Cherry Tea Cakes)
  14. Lemon Sorbet (from Live, Dine, Party)
  15. Oreo Fudge Cappuccino Ice Cream (from Inside BruCrew Life)
  16. Pistachio Ice Cream (from Cook Like a Champion)
  17. Raspberry Chambord Sorbet (from Books n’ Cooks)
  18. Raspberry Pina Colada Ice Cream (from Try Anything Once)
  19. Strawberry Angel Food Ice Cream (from A Beautiful Mess)
  20. Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (from Books n’ Cooks)
  21. Toasted Coconut Ice Cream with Fudge Ripple (from Life Made Simple)
  22. Toasted Marshmallow Swirl Ice Cream (from Love and Olive Oil)
  23. Vanilla Bean Honey Ice Cream (from The Foodie Army Wife)
  24. Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: Two Ways (from Annie’s Eats)

Cherry Bourbon Ice Cream, Adapted

So I completely improvised on this one. Got home, intending to make it, and pretty much didn’t have anything right. I thought I had bourbon in the liquor cabinet… nope. Whiskey and Irish Whiskey but no bourbon. Had a hard time finding dried cherries so I used dried cranberries.

The ice cream came out wonderful, soft and creamy, and I’m definitely going to make it again. But bear in mind, from end to end, the ice cream takes 4 days to make (2 days for soaking the cranberries, a day to heat the ice cream, refrigerate overnight, and then freeze). Sooo worth it!

Cherry Bourbon Ice Cream, Adapted

aka Cranberry Irish Cream Ice Cream

Adapted from Alton Brown recipe via Joy the Baker

Yields 1 quart of ice cream

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. half and half
  • 1 c. whipping cream
  • 3/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbs. cherry preserves (I used 2 Tbs. raspberry preserves)
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (I used 1/2 Tbs. vanilla extract)
  • 1/2 c. dried cherries (I used dried cranberries)
  • 1-2 c. bourbon (I used 1-1/4 c. Irish Whiskey.)

Day 1 & 2: Soak dried cherries (or cranberries) in about a cup of bourbon (or Irish Whiskey) in an airtight container for two days.

Day 3: Strain cherries/cranberries, saving bourbon/Irish Whiskey. Chop cherries/cranberries and set aside. Set 2-4 Tbs. of the bourbon/Irish Whiskey on the side for the ice cream. (You can pour the rest over ice and sip while starting on the ice cream).

Leaving the cherries/cranberries and the liquor on the side, combine all other ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the cream mixture reaches 170F. According to Joy the Baker, don’t worry if the milk breaks a bit – it’ll still work out.

When the cream reaches 170F, remove from heat and cool slightly. Add liquor and cherries/cranberries. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight, allowing “the flavors to mellow and improve the texture of the milk.”

Day 4: Freeze ice cream in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. For my Kitchen Aid mixer, set the mixer on Stir for 15-20 minutes.
Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine but will increase in volume and be the texture of soft serve ice cream. Place the mixture in a container with a lid and freeze for at lease one hour before serving.

Raspberry-Chambord Sorbet

This sorbet is super sweet, with just a hint of the Chambord liquor. My only change would be a little more Chambord, but then again, it’s one of my favorite liquors. 🙂

Raspberry-Chambord Sorbet

Recipe Originally from Fine Cooking #16 ; Found on Easy and Fast Recipes

Yields 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c. sugar
  • 1/3 c. water
  • 3 c. fresh raspberries or one 12-16 oz. bag frozen raspberries, pureed
  • 1/4 c. Chambord (raspberry liquor)
  • 2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan over high heat. Cook about 5 minutes, until mixture is simmering and sugar dissolves. Should reduce to about 1/2 c. of syrup.

Combine syrup, pureed raspberries, Chambord, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Let cool to room temperature, or place in fridge/freezer to cool.

Transfer mixture to an ice cream mixer and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. (For my Kitchen Aid mixer, I ran it on speed 1 for about 10 minutes). Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Nutrition: 122 calories per cup