Can anyone say triple-digit temperatures?
It’s all we can talk about these days in Tulsa. Forgive the repetitive whining, but when it gets this hot in Oklahoma there’s only one way to relax — with frozen, homemade treats. Like this ice cream I whipped up this weekend.
I spent the perfect Saturday evening (after running errands all afternoon in the heat, yuck), debating on whether to make strawberry or peach ice cream. Yes, I had a good day.
I finally let the grocery store decide for me — the white peaches were fragrant and perfect. So peach it was. After a lot of iPhone searching in the grocery store (I probably looked like a freak staring at my phone in the produce aisle!), I chose this Peach Ice Cream recipe from Food Network. It was great — even my dessert-challenged husband enjoyed a bite or two.
Since I got my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker a few birthdays ago, I have spent a lot of time trying to perfect homemade ice cream and sorbet. It’s rather hit and miss, depending on your recipe.
Image via Amazon.com
But I’ve tried and failed and have some good tricks on making the best homemade ice cream or sorbet possible.
1. Don’t expect it to be exactly like other ice cream. The kinds you buy at the grocery store are packed with preservatives to make it creamier and dyes to make it colorful. Example, my white peach ice cream was not light orange, but white. Duh!
2. Follow the instructions. Ice cream is tricky, so be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions as well as the recipe’s.
3. Sugar is important. Sugar keeps the ice cream from turning into a frozen block in the freezer afterward, so don’t think you can omit a 1/4 cup here and there. The amount in the recipe is the exact amount you should use. Diet tomorrow.
4. Add alcohol. Many recipes call for adding a tablespoon of vodka or brandy, kirsch or even tequila. It’s not because it’s trendy but because alcohol doesn’t freeze, and adding it to the mixture helps keep its creamy texture in the freezer.
5. Have fun and experiment. I’ve made some really bad sorbet, but it was fun and helped me learn. Don’t blame the ice cream maker if you fail. Try, try again — it’s going to be a long summer.
Here are some other great recipes that I’ve tried:
This is the first recipe I tried in my ice cream maker — and I hit the jackpot. Chef David Lebovitz is one of the world’s authorities on dessert. You’ll be learning from the best on his website, David Lebovitz, Living the Sweet Life in Paris. You must try his fresh strawberry frozen yogurt immediately.
Image via David Lebovitz
Or, if mango sounds divine, you’ll love this Lime Mango sorbet recipe from Simply Recipes. It includes tequila!
Image via Simply Recipes
Enjoy!
Kim A
Kim is a public relations pro by day, homebody by night. Kim worked as a newspaper features writer for more than a decade and she has written hundreds of stories on others' homes. But she is still discovering her own style. Kim and her husband are renovating their late-1950s home, making it their own. For Kim, staying home is a destination. She frequently entertains friends and family, so keeping it simple and comfortable is important (with the exception of her closets – her shopping and bargain-hunting habits take up some serious space). Kim’s perfect place is snuggled up in her PJs eating a homemade meal in front of the TV with her husband.
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I have that same ice cream maker and LOVE it! I have a fat free recipe that is great…and guilt free. Remind me to give it to you….
Kim, this is perfect! I wish I could have a frozen meal three times a day in this heat. Pulling out the ice cream maker as we speak. I’m anxious to try adding the alcohol in the hope that I will be able to scoop my servings immediately rather than having to wait a couple of minutes for the ice cream to soften.
Thanks! Roxanne, it’s actually best to take ice cream out when it’s still a little soft, then transfer to the freezer and let it harden up.
My goal is to try another flavor soon!