i was recently asked what my favorite dessert is. i’m sure based on the recipes that i post on my blog, you would guess cupcakes are my favorite. surprisingly you would be wrong (say what?!?!). as much as i love cupcakes (and i love them a lot), my favorite is actually ice cream. i think i get this from my grandma who since i can remember always has ice cream in her freezer, from fat boy sandwiches to praline and cream ice cream, she had all different kinds. she loves ice cream just as much i do… probably even more.
since i got an ice cream maker, i’ve enjoyed making different kinds of ice cream. i’ve made strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and more. but making my own ice cream allowed me to see just how much fat and sugar goes into making it. although these rich and creamy ice cream recipes were quite delicious, i wanted to see if i could make a lighter version so i could feel just a little less guilty about indulging in my favorite dessert.
i was so excited when i found this recipe in cooking light (one of my favorite cooking magazines). they figured out how to make creamy ice cream that isn’t high in fat. yes! the trick is to use a little bit of light corn syrup and low-fat evaporated milk. because the evaporated milk doesn’t have the high water content that low-fat or skim milk does, this ice cream doesn’t end up icy like many low-fat ice creams do.
(i only just saw that i didn’t get low-fat evaporated milk. oops!)
but i have to admit, when i first tasted the finished ice cream i didn’t really like it. the evaporated milk taste was prominent which i wasn’t quite expecting (though i don’t know why since clearly there is evaporated milk in the ice cream, silly me). but after i ate a few more bites, i stopped noticing it. instead the vanilla flavor stood out and i was shocked how creamy it was considering there is no cream in this ice cream. amazing! also, chris added some chocolate chips and later a chocolate peanut butter sauce to his ice cream which made it extra special.
i can’t wait to use this as a base recipe for other kinds of ice cream – i’m thinking maybe light strawberry ice cream or how about raspberry? ooo so many possibilities. i can’t wait!
like other ice cream bases, you start by combining the half and half, evaporated milk, some of the sugar, and corn syrup,
and vanilla beans and the pod
in a medium saucepan and warm it until it reaches 180 degrees F.
i love using my handy dandy thermometer.
then remove it from the heat, cover it, and let the milk mixture sit for 10 minutes.
in the meantime, mix the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar in a medium bowl.
now slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg yolk/sugar mixture. whisk constantly to ensure the eggs do not scramble.
there you go…
now pour the base into the saucepan and return it to the stove. heat until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F.
pour the base through a mesh sieve
and then discard the vanilla pod and little bits of vanilla and egg (yuck).
cover the base with plastic wrap. be sure the plastic wrap touches the top of the mixture to ensure a layer of film doesn’t form on top.
refrigerate the ice cream base for at least 6 hours or overnight. last part – freeze the ice cream base according to your ice cream machines instructions.
look! it’s ice cream!
transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container…
and freeze until firm.
now it’s ready to eat! scrumdiddlyumptious!