Back in the day, when neighbors knew neighbors and folks gathered on front porches, word would get out in a matter of minutes whenever someone was making homemade ice cream.
In the days of manual ice cream makers, kids would rush in from all sides of the neighborhood, taking turns on the hand crank. And make no mistake, hand cranking is arm-cramping and time-consuming.
Making Strawberry basil ice cream is quite easy.Using an ice cream maker
* 1. Wash the beater, top and cream can well before using. Let the parts cool before using because you will get much faster freezing if parts are cold. * 2. Put the beater in the can, making sure it is set well in bottom. Pour in the recipe mixture to be frozen. The mixture should be cool before pouring for faster, more-even freezing. Fill the can up to the fill line to allow for expansion. * 3. Put the top on the can and place the can in the tub, making sure it’s centered on the rest in bottom of the tub. * 4. Attach the motor, or cranking mechanism if hand-operated, making sure the beater and the can are both set properly. Latch the motor by pushing the thumb lock down over the frame prong. * 5. Plug the motor in on an electric model before packing ice and salt. The can will begin to turn steadily to the right. On manual models, start cranking as soon as the tub is packed. Turn the crank steadily to the right (avoid turning left), but not too fast. Note: The beater is not supposed to turn. It stays still, and the can turns around it. * 6. For the packing ice and salt, use either crushed ice cubes or crushed store-bought ice. The finer the ice is crushed, the better because it will melt more evenly, giving you a smoother-textured ice cream.Source: texascooking.com
“I grew up with my parents making homemade ice cream with a hand crank and literally wore it out,” says Nanette Hawkins, of Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. “Everyone was required to take a turn on the hand crank to earn their bowl’s worth.”
Fast forward several decades and electric ice cream makers have taken away the pain, but not the fun. Kids in the neighborhood still know when someone is making ice cream and flock like seagulls to the house in question. Hawkins can vouch for that.
“We upgraded to electric, but it was so loud we’d wrap towels around it and put it outside to churn,” she says. “Everyone within a mile was able to hear it when it stopped, so they knew it was ice cream time.
Coni Haley, formerly of Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., and now living in Knoxville, recalls ice cream-making time as a family event.
“We used to have family ice cream socials with a couple of hand-cranked freezers. My favorite was peach,” Haley says. “My mom and aunts would sit on the porch peeling peaches while my dad and uncles set up the freezers. It took hours to make and was so worth it.”
Today, electric ice-cream makers can cost from around $20 to hundreds of dollars. Thekitchn.com rated the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, $60, as a No. 1 choice.
“We dubbed this ice cream maker an excellent little machine for a great price,” the website notes. “While you still have to freeze the bowl and chill the mix, this machine enabled us to make two batches back to back in about 15-20 minutes.”
Jim Brewer, of Chattanooga, is another huge fan of homemade ice cream. He, too, grew up in a family where making it was an event. “It was worth the effort,” he says.
These days, although he doesn’t use the manual makers, he often makes ice cream. In fact, he has three electric ice cream makers.
“I make awesome lemon ice cream and vanilla amaretto ice cream,” he brags.
It wasn’t until baby boomer Victoria Harris, of Calhoun, Tenn., was an adult that she began making homemade ice cream. Now she makes it “frequently, especially when requested for birthdays by the grandchildren,” she says.
“I did not grow up eating homemade ice cream. I make it now because it is a special activity and food we share,” she continues. “It is something that builds a unique experience together. I have made the ice cream and served it to children who did not know it could be done. It is now my task to teach my family to make. It is a labor of love. I don’t think of it as a task. It is worth the effort.”
Lori Boyd, of Chattanooga, gets nostalgic when eating homemade ice cream.
“I grew up making eating ice cream — just vanilla. It’s about the only time I eat ice cream,” she says. “I still have a couple of my mother’s recipes. Every time I make it, it’s like going back to my childhood. I love that feeling.”
Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.
Ice cream recipes
Amaretto Ice Cream 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 cup half and half 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup Amaretto Mix all ingredients and pour into ice cream maker. Churn, then freeze for several hours. — Jim Brewer Lemon Ice Cream 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup half and half 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons of grated lemon peel 1/2 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh) Pinch of salt Mix cream, half and half, sugar and salt in a pot and cook over medium heat until mixture is warm. Add eggs and lemon juice and pour into ice cream maker. Churn, then freeze for one hour. — Jim Brewer Cream Cheese Ice Cream 3 cups half and half 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar 2 egg yolks 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed and softened 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and whisk in cream cheese and vanilla bean paste until cheese is melted. Cool completely (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally. Place plastic wrap directly on mixture (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 8 to 24 hours. Pour mixture into 1 1/2-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container. Freeze 4 hours before serving. — Southern Living Key Lime Ice Cream 1/2 cup granular sweetener for ice cream (granulated sugar may be substituted) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 cups 2 percent reduced-fat milk 1 cup half and half 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon Key lime zest 1/3 cup Key lime juice 1/2 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk and half and half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolk until slightly thickened. Gradually whisk about 1 cup hot cream mixture into yolk. Add yolk mixture to remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding solids. Cool 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Place plastic wrap directly on cream mixture; chill 8 to 24 hours. Pour mixture into 1 1/2-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions; stir in Key lime zest, Key lime juice and crushed graham crackers halfway through freezing. Let stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before serving. — Southern Living Curry and Mint Ice Cream 2 cups 35-percent whipping cream 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/2 teaspoon turmeric A pinch of salt 1 cup sugar 6 egg yolks 1/4 cup white chocolate chips In a medium pot, combine the cream, milk, mint, coriander, paprika, turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let infuse for 10 minutes. Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until pale and thick. Slowly begin to add the hot cream mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. If the cream is added too quickly, the eggs will scramble. Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a clean bowl and refrigerate for several hours, until it is cold. Stir in the chocolate chips and then churn in an ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-proof container and store in the freezer. — The Cooking Channel Brown Butter Bacon Ice Cream 5 strips bacon 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 3 tablespoons salted butter 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 3/4 cups half and half 5 large egg yolks 2 teaspoons dark rum or whiskey 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional For the candied bacon, heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny-side down. Sprinkle 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on length. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes. Midway through baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until the bacon is as dark as mahogany. Remove from oven and cool the bacon strips on a wire rack. Once cooled and crisp, chop the bacon into little pieces. For the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half and half. Pour the remaining half-and-half into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in some of the warm brown sugar mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Add the rum, vanilla and cinnamon. Chill the mixture for about 5 hours. Once thoroughly chilled, pour into ice cream maker. Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine. — The Cooking Channel
Strawberry basil ice cream is a homemade treat.