Welcome to the world of homemade ice cream! I always use heavy cream from Trader Joe's when the recipe calls for cream. Sometimes, I will use a combo of mostly heavy cream, and half & half with excellent results as well.

I've found that adding 2 to 3 T of vodka usually yields a creamy product without affecting the taste--the theory is since alcohol doesn't freeze, it will make the finished product better--but add too much, and you won't get ice crea--because it won't freeze. For some ice creams, like the Amaretto Cherry Vanilla, I used 2 T of Amaretto.

It really is helpful to dissolve the sugar completely, and when you're making a custard base, I usually have good results getting the temp up to 175 degrees--and I don't stop stirring!

Your chocolate ice cream sounds heavenly! I have a recipe for chocolate gelato that I'll be trying soon!

Here's Amaretto Cherry Vanilla (click to make the photos so big you can almost taste it)

...and Lavender Honey, using lavender from our garden

and 3-Ingredient 5 Minute Berry Blast Ice Cream (the only ice cream I made in my food processor)

I'd love to see some pix of your ice cream when you make a new batch!
Smiles,
Sooz

"It is also a little rich for my taste, so I may use whipping cream (instead of the heavy cream I used today), or less cream and more milk."

Can you explain what you mean by using whipping cream instead of heavy cream? I thoiught they were the same thing.

Alexa

I really am trying to avoid this homemade ice cream thing and you aren't helping! LOL

Can you explain a little too sweet and little rich for my taste? Sounds perfect to me.

Sooz, thanks for the vodka tip.

We love our ice cream maker as well. I love that in order to have ice cream, we have to make it, and not just open a package. We control the ingredients and end up eating less because we're constrained by the amount of ice cream in the maker. And the kids get to see what's really supposed to be in ice cream.

Chocolate is my kids' fave, but I love a vanilla using a vanilla bean with bits of cherries. Because there is less overrun, the ice cream does end up harder after being in the freezer for a few hours. I'm going to try the vodka tip to see if that helps. If the recipe calls for egg yolk, it's more custardy and not as much of a problem.

AM

Sol, thank you for the vodka tip. Beautiful ice cream pics! And I'd love the recipe for that Amaretto Cherry Vanilla! I'll search to see if it's in the forum.

To explain "a little too sweet" and "a little rich" --- it is rich and sweet, probably not too much for most and I would have gladly gobbled it up in my younger years. I have a BIG sweet tooth but I have cut way back on sweets and fatty foods over the past several years. I don't eat low-carb or low-fat per se, I just eat much less of it. I lost weight and have kept it off for several years, and now I'm more sensitive to rich or very sweet foods. So.... these foods are "treats" now, and the payoff is that I eliminated acid reflux by simply changing my diet (no pills), and I have much more energy and feel 20 years younger than I did 10 years ago. :-)

I mixed the ingredients for Philadelphia-style vanilla ice cream this morning and it's chillin' in the fridge before we put it in the maker later.

We'll eat a scoop of the vanilla, and I'll take the remainder of the vanilla and chocolate to work tomorrow to share.

When I make the ice cream for my mom's party next weekend, I'll probably use less cream and more half-and-half or perhaps whole milk. My family pretty much eats the way I do and may not like it too rich.

I love too rich, too sweet, and too chocolatey ...... do you live near Colorado? I'd be glad to help you get rid of all of that ice cream :-)

Sooz ... and I'd LOVE the lavender ice cream recipe!!!

Sooz ... and I'd LOVE the lavender ice cream recipe!!!

Wow, Jenn thought I was Sol ! What a nice compliment to meeeee!!!

Here's the Lavender Honey Ice Cream recipe, which I found on line!
David Lebovitz' Honey Lavender Ice Cream
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers
1 1/2 cups whole milk (Susans note: I used half & half)
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large eggs (you will only use the yolks) Âroom temp

Sooz's Notes:
2 T vodka (80 proof) to keep the ice cream from becoming icy
A bit of gel food coloring to make it look lavender (or whatever color you want)

Instructions:
Pull the lavender flowers off the stems & measure out the flowers.

Heat honey with ½ lavender, just until bubbles start to form in the honey (Sooz's note: I used the microwave). Remove from the heat, and let sit an hour or so to extract some of that tasty lavender flavor. It may look kinda funny, but it's okay.

Put the cream in a bowl. Rewarm the honey a bit to make it runny and pour it through a sieve into the cream. Squish those lavender flowers with the back of a spoon to get out as much flavor as possible. Add 2 T vodka to this bowl.

Meanwhile, warm the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve, and the milk is hot.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and beat the egg yolks into a yellow foamy looking foam.

Add the warm milk to the yolks, a tiny little bit at a time, mixing constantly. You have to add the milk slooooowly especially at the beginning.

Put the egg yolk mix back on the stove, and heat, stirring constantly over medium-low heat. Use a thermometer for this next part, as it will keep you from curdling the custard base. Heat to 175°F. Never stop stirring. At 175°F, the custard should have thickened nicely, shouldn't have curdled, and will be ready for the next step.

Immediately pour this through a sieve (just in case there are any cooked egg bits in your custard), pour the hot custard over the lavender flowers (which are in the sieve anyway) and into the cool cream.

Mix gently, and add the remainder of the lavender.
Sooz's Notes: I used violet "gel" coloring and added it with the remainder of the lavender. If you add too little food coloring, it will look a sickly grayish color. Keep adding the gel coloring until you get what color you want. I used the end of a toothpick to add the color, then stirred with a spoon.
Cool in the fridge overnight.

Sieve out the fresh lavender, and run the mixture through your ice cream maker, using the directions for your machine (make sure you froze the freeze-y canister for at least 24 hours). Then, you slowly pour in the sieved ice cream mix into a the machine while the beater is stirring on low. If you pour in the mixture and then turn on the machine, it may cause a problem as the paddle may not be able to move.

Churn for 25-ish minutes. Scoop into a cold container, and leave in the freezer overnight to finish hardening it.

Enjoy!

Here's the link for the recipe to the Amaretto Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. Scroll down and look for the big picture of it!

Thank you, Sooz (where did I get Sol? must have been an ice cream hangover!).

Thanks Sooz!

arline

Usually ice cream made with a cooked egg base is very creamy. Ice cream made without a custard base is snow ice cream texture and grainy.

You're welcome!!
Enjoy and take pictures if you get a chance!
:O)
Sooz

I made variations of the 5 Minute Berry one that is floating around - a Black Cherry Almond which is probably my favorite and a Strawberry Banana which DS#2 loves. The other guys haven;t tried them yet but I can;t believe how easy it is to turn out a great product!

Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

Alexa

Mmmmmmmm, Alexa, Black Cherry Almond!!!! Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

I have a batch of chocolate gelato base ready to go today. I'll shave in some chocolate to make it more chocolatey.

If it comes out yummy, I read that adding 1/4 to 1/2 C Nutella makes it heavenly so I may do that next time!

Sooz

I was given a Williams Sonoma Ice Cream Maker, model WS994, but need the instruction booklet. I will pay for a copy and mailing if you can help. Your ice cream recipes are making my mouth watered. Please rush, LOL.

am also on the prowl for the same manual for a Williams Sonoma older Gelato machine...which looks nearly identical to the Ariete Viva Compact Gelateria...but havent found a manual for either. Here's hoping, as i am willing to pay as well for same...
and longing to try all these wonderous flavors

Angie, I don't know if this will help you or not, but in Nov. of last year, a poster named John Fechtman wrote about looking for a paddle for WS994. He has the ice cream maker, so he probably has the manual, maybe??

Anyway, here's the site--he's the last post at the bottom. I'm not sure how to get his contact info from there, so I'll leave that to you.

http://www.icecreamgeek.com/?p=260

Sooz