Banana Buttermilk Ice Cream

I still had some overripe bananas after making the pumpkin banana muffins, and I had leftover buttermilk from making ricotta last week.  I found this great recipe that used up exactly what I had leftover!  The ice cream is really good - it's nice and light and has a great tang from the buttermilk.  And it's so easy to make - what could be easier than blending and pouring?  I think next I'm going to have to try Nicole's caramelized banana buttermilk ice cream recipe.

Banana Buttermilk Ice Cream (from Baking Bites)
Ingredients:
2 large ripe bananas (1 cup puree)
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Puree the bananas and sugar in a blender.  Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and continue to puree.  Pour into the frozen ice cream bowl and mix according to manufacturer's instructions.

Keep in airtight containers in the freezer.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I have (well now make this had) two vanilla beans that I got for a really good price at World Market almost a year ago, and decided that I finally needed to use them!  Plus, I have an ice cream maker that had only been used once...so that meant vanilla bean ice cream!  This was such an easy recipe to make - there were all of 6 ingredients.

The first time I made ice cream, the only actual problem I had was making a custard.  This time, the blog suggested cooking the custard directly over heat instead of in a double boiler, and I successfully got a thickened custard.  For a while I thought it was never going to thicken, and then suddenly it got really thick!  So just have patience and it will work out perfectly.

I didn't have vanilla sugar to use for this recipe, but I will the next time I make something vanilla-based!  I washed off the used vanilla bean and stuck it in a tupperware, covered with sugar.  Within a few days the sugar already had a great vanilla flavor.  I'm going to have to go back to World Market to stock up - $2.99 for 2 vanilla beans is a great deal.

I made just one change, in the proportion and amount of milk and cream.  I only had one small carton of heavy cream so I used 1 cup of cream, and 2 cups of whole milk.  The original recipe called for 2.5 cups dairy total, but I wanted to stretch out the ice cream a bit.  I used 1.5 cups of the whole milk in the custard, then added the cream plus the extra 1/2 cup whole milk right before churning.

So please make this ice cream!  It's really rich (even with the extra milk) and not overly sweet.  If you have vanilla sugar, definitely use it, but I can say that it doesn't negatively affect the flavor if you use regular sugar.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (adapted slightly from Mangio da Sola)
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk, divided
1 vanilla bean
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar (vanilla sugar if you have it)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.  Put 1 1/2 cups of the milk, vanilla seeds, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan, and heat gently to near-boiling point.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and allow the vanilla to infuse for 15 minutes.

In a separate, heatproof bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar, using a whisk or electric beater, until thick and pale.  Add a little of the milk mixture to the egg mixture to warm it up slightly, then beat in the rest of the milk.

Pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir the mixture until it coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the bowl from the heat, and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap or waxed paper to prevent a skin from forming.  

Allow the custard to cool completely by refrigerating mixture for 4 hours to overnight.


Once cool, stir in the cream, 1/2 cup milk, and vanilla extract and churn in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer's instructions.  

Serve immediately, or transfer to a freezer container; cover the surface directly with waxed paper or foil, and put in the freezer.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

After making my strawberry scones, I still had a lot of strawberries left.  One of the first things I thought of making was ice cream.  One problem - I didn't have an ice cream maker!  The night before I went strawberry picking, I ordered an ice cream maker from amazon.  It was actually a great deal, especially after my $20 gift card.
This ice cream is oh so good.  If I was making it for a party, I would have made the graham cracker crust rounds.
I only have a few things I would have changed - mostly just my own technique.  I recommend mashing the strawberries really well.  I wanted to have some chunks still there, but they were so frozen in the ice cream that I think I would have preferred more of a puree.  The original recipe said that the strawberries could be folded into the ice cream, but I think that negatively affected the texture.  As long as there's room in the ice cream maker (there wasn't any left in mine), add it right in the mixer in the last 5-10 minutes.  I made 2/3 of the recipe, and the ice cream base on its own filled my 1 1/2 quart ice cream maker.  Also, make sure the cream cheese is completely at room temperature before using.  I didn't let it sit out long enough, and it didn't mix uniformly into the custard.  Actually, that may have been due in part to the cold custard.  It might be best to mix the custard into the cream cheese when the custard is still a little warm, and then chill that combination before freezing.
But regardless of all of that, the ice cream is so delicious!  I may never buy ice cream again!

Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (from Apple Pie, Patis and Pate)
Ingredients: (I am listing the amounts I used - 2/3 of the original recipe)
2/3 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 2/3 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

2/3 lb cream cheese (I only had 1/2 lb so I made up for the rest with greek yogurt)
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:
Mash the strawberries with the sugar, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick and light.

In a saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer.  Add a small amount of the milk to the eggs and stir well, then ad the rest slowly.  Heat over a double boiler while stirring constantly, just until the mixture thickens to coat the back of a spoon.  (Mine never got that thick, but it worked out just fine.)

Remove immediately from the heat.  Stir in the cold cream to stop the cooking, followed by the vanilla extract and salt.  Strain using a fine mesh strainer.

Cool the custard completely at room temperature.  Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese (and yogurt, in my case) with the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until light and smooth.  Slowly add the chilled custard and mix until smooth.

Pour into the chilled bowl of your ice cream maker, and start churning!

When it is almost set up, pour the sugared strawberries into the machine.

Serve immediately for a soft-serve consistency, or store in an airtight container and freeze.