ince
ancient times cold was considered synonymous with evil and death.
For centuries this myth was reinforced by doctors
who thought eating cold foods and drinks would upset the digestive system.
But the allure of having a cold drink on a hot summer's day drove people
to dismiss doctor's claims. In ancient times the only way to cool
drinks was to go and collect snow and ice from nearby mountains and lakes.
The snow and ice would be collected during the winter months and then
stored in large pits that had been dug in the ground. Well insulated
these underground 'ice houses' would keep the ice frozen for up to a year.
The ice would then be used to cool their wine and fruit drinks on hot
summer days.
The collecting of snow of ice would continue for hundreds of years and in
North America it became a prosperous business during the winter months.
Ice would be collected from frozen lakes and shipped not only to the
warmer southern states but to many other parts of the world. This
practice continued through the 19th century until technology caught up
with the invention of ice making machines and refrigeration.
The result of the widespread availability of ice was that ice cream could
now be bought and made by virtually all Americans. Over the years
people seemed to have stopped making ice cream at home. But the benefit of making your own is
not only its superior flavor but that you can tailor the recipe
to suit your own tastes. A good example is how you can take the
freshly churned vanilla ice cream recipe and layer it with raspberry sauce
to give this delicious raspberry swirl ice cream. But don't limit
yourself to using raspberry sauce. Try it with
strawberry sauce or
chocolate sauce. Once the ice
cream has been churned you could also fold in chopped nuts, crushed candy,
dark or white chocolate chunks, or fresh fruit that has been macerated in
a liqueur or sugar syrup (this prevents the fruit from becoming too hard
when frozen).
The
four main ingredients in a custard are cream, sugar, eggs, and flavoring.
It is important to get the right mix of these ingredients so the ice cream
will have that smooth texture and rich flavor we so desire. The amount of cream used and its butterfat content
gives ice cream its rich and creamy taste. However, too much fat can
cause a heavy product and smalls lumps of "butter" can form which produces
that grainy texture which is often found in homemade ice creams. Sugar
gives the ice cream its smoothness but too much sugar will prevent the ice
cream from freezing. Eggs are necessary for smoothness and also
gives the ice cream its nice color.
Making the custard the night before so it has time to chill sufficiently
allows the ice cream to freeze before the churn gets too warm and gives the
ice cream its smooth texture.
The
custard should only fill your ice cream machine about half to two thirds full.
This is so the custard has enough room to expand while it freezes so you end
up with an ice cream with a light
texture and no graininess. As the ice cream is still quite soft once
it has been churned in the machine, transfer it to a storage container and
place it in the freezer for a few hours before serving. This also
allows the flavors to mellow. Although I prefer to eat homemade ice
cream the day it is made, it can be stored for a few weeks in the freezer.
It will become quite hard after being frozen for any length of time so
transfer it to the refrigerator to soften for about 30 minutes before
serving.
In a small
saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the half-and-half and the vanilla
bean (if using) to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up).
Remove from heat, take out the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds from
the bean with the back of a knife, and mix the seeds back into the
half-and-half.
Meanwhile in a
stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy
(about two minutes). You can do this with a wire whisk or I like
to use a hand mixer. Gradually pour the scalding
half-and-half into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep
whisking constantly so the eggs don't curdle. If any lumps do
form, strain the mixture first before heating.
Place the bowl
over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a
wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the
back of a spoon (170 degrees F) (77 degrees C). The term 'coat a
spoon' is a technique used mainly as a way to
test when an egg-based custard or sauce is done. A spoon, usually
wooden, is placed in the custard and, when the spoon is raised, the film
of custard on the back of the spoon will stay in place even when you
draw a line with your finger through the middle of the custard.
Immediately
remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir the custard for a
few minutes so it does not overcook. At this point stir in the
vanilla extract, if using. Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely
cold (several hours but preferably overnight).
Transfer the
cold custard to the chilled container of your ice cream machine and
process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once the ice
cream is made , to create the marbleized or swirled pattern, alternate
layers of the ice cream with thinner layers of the raspberry sauce in a chilled container and store in the freezer.
If the ice cream becomes too hard place in the refrigerator for about
30 minutes before serving so it can soften.
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ince
ancient times cold was considered synonymous with evil and death.
For centuries this myth was reinforced by doctors
who thought eating cold foods and drinks would upset the digestive system.
But the allure of having a cold drink on a hot summer's day drove people
to dismiss doctor's claims. In ancient times the only way to cool
drinks was to go and collect snow and ice from nearby mountains and lakes.
The snow and ice would be collected during the winter months and then
stored in large pits that had been dug in the ground. Well insulated
these underground 'ice houses' would keep the ice frozen for up to a year.
The ice would then be used to cool their wine and fruit drinks on hot
summer days. 
