What’s your favorite ice cream shop?
Mine is Maggie Moos…though lately the evil Coldstone has been trying to push them out of business. 🙁 I don’t know what people see in Coldstone; Maggie Moos has more creative flavors (or maybe I just mean fewer fruit-dependent flavors), and the ice cream is creamier.
But whether you like Maggie or the evil conglomerate, sweet cream is a wonderful flavor, one of Dave’s favorites, and I know you will enjoy the simple elegance of this ice cream!
This ice cream is one of the easiest to make. A little whisking, a little heated cream, and voilà! You can skip the eggs and cooking if you are in a hurry, but the custard base is richer and creamier than the plain cream.
Beat two eggs until they are pale and foamy. I used a hand mixer so they would really get nice and light (and so my arm wouldn’t be so tired), but you could also whisk if you want.
Add in the sugar a little at a time and continue to beat until the mixture thickens slightly and becomes smooth. There may still be a little foam on top, but that’s no big deal.
Meanwhile, heat the cream and the milk in a medium saucepan. Stir regularly, and don’t allow the cream to boil. When it is just steaming, pull it off the heat.
Very slowly stream the cream into the egg mixture, beating constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking. When about a third of the hot cream has been mixed into the eggs, switch and pour the egg mixture back into the cream in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
Strain the sweetened cream custard back into the egg bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour, until it’s completely cool.
When you are ready, pull your ice cream maker out of the freezer and set it up according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pour the ice cream batter into the ice cream maker and freeze for about 30 minutes. This ice cream is very soft directly out of the ice cream maker, so scoop it into a shallow freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 30 minutes before sampling!
Sweet Cream Ice Cream
lightly adapted from Ben & Jerry’s
makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup 1% milk
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
Directions:
Mix cream and milk together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to 140° (monitor temperature using a candy thermometer; cream should be just steaming but not close to bubbling).
Meanwhile, beat eggs for 1–2 minutes until pale and fluffy. While beating, add in sugar very slowly; the mixture should thicken slightly and become creamy.
Temper the eggs by streaming in about one third of the hot cream while whisking. Once the egg mixture is warm, slowly pour it back into the remaining hot cream.
Pour the ice cream batter through a fine mesh sieve into a storage container. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready, churn the ice cream in the ice cream maker about 20–30 minutes, according to Kitchenaid’s instructions.
Enjoy!
