With a basic custard base up your sleeve, you can add flavorings and make pretty much any sort of ice cream you want. Here is the base I’ve been using so far this season.
Basic Custard Ice Cream Base
2 cups (one pint) half and half
1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream
1 cup sugar
5 or 6 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
In a medium saucepan, heat the half and half, sugar, and a pinch of salt over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until they thicken and turn pale yellow. As the half and half begins to simmer, remove it from the heat. Whisking the yolks constantly, sloooooooowly drizzle about a cup of the hot half and half mixture into the egg yolks. Add the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Return the pan to the heat, this time over medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. This should only take a minute or two. Remove it from the heat and strain the custard through a fine meshed sieve. Add the heavy cream and any flavorings you choose and chill the mixture in the refrigerator until cold (at least 4 hours and up to 2 days). Freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker, then return to the freezer until hard.
I made this variation for the Fourth of July:
Blackberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
20-24 ounces frozen blackberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 basic ice cream base (above)
Place the frozen blackberries, lemon juice, sugar, and salt into a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are broken down and the mixture has thickened, 20-25 minutes. Press this mixture through a fine-meshed sieve, being sure to get as much of the berry mixture while leaving the seeds behind.
Prepare the basic custard ice cream base as detailed above. After straining and adding the heavy cream, stir in the strained blackberry mixture. Chill and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.
While the ice cream churns in your machine, place the chopped dark chocolate in a small bowl. Melt in the microwave or over a double boiler, stirring frequently. Set the melted chocolate aside and keep stirring it every minute or so to cool it down. Try to get it as cool as possible while still keeping it pourable. When the ice cream is finished churning, put about a third of it into the container you’ll freeze it in. Drizzle a third of the melted chocolate onto it. Repeat with remaining ice cream and chocolate, then place in the freezer to solidify.
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