Ice and Salt

One of the best purchases I made when my daughters were young was an electric ice cream maker. It came with a little recipe book for different flavors of ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.

The girls loved to add the ingredients to the machine from the crushed ice and coarse salt in the tub, to the heavy cream and fruit in the churning can.

We once made pistachio ice cream, and someone (I’m not naming names) put in enough green food coloring to qualify the ice cream as Master of Ceremonies at the Saint Patrick’s Day parade.

None of us ever left the side of the ice cream maker while it was churning away. We watched the process evolve like a newborn babe. Bowls and spoons were on the table ready for the moment the mixture was just right.

Recently, we had weekend guests for the July 4th holiday, and there was mention of homemade ice cream. I was encouraged, okay, forced to find the old ice cream maker up in the attic. There it was sitting next to some forlorn-looking Barbies and My Little Ponies.

After some prodding and the introduction of pliers, the ice cream maker started to do its thing. A half hour later, we had delicious creamy vanilla ice cream that put a smile on everyone’s face.

Down through the years, many stories arose as to the origin and creator of ice cream, with Marco Polo entering into the process. Alas, that is untrue. Facts are hazy, but china seems to be the originator of freezing milk as an icy treat. This was brought to England, and in 1774, a caterer named Phillip Lenzi announced in a New York newspaper that he had just arrived from London and would be offering for sale various confections, including ice cream.

Apparently, the frozen confection took hold, because Dolly Madison, wife of President James Madison, served ice cream at her husband’s Inaugural Ball in 1813.

The first improvement in the manufacture of ice cream, which was previously made in a large bowl requiring a lot of stirring, was by a New Jersey woman, Nancy Johnson, who in 1846 invented the hand-cranked freezer.

Jacob Fussell, now known as the father of the American ice cream industry, began commercial production in Baltimore, Maryland in 1851. Thanks, Jacob.

Now that I dusted off my old ice cream maker, I think I’m going to use it more often again. It might be a little more trouble than driving to the store and reaching into the freezer section for a half gallon, but homemade does taste so much better.

What attracts me now to making homemade ice cream is the fact that I can tweak the ingredients to make it less sweet than store-bought without sacrificing taste. The addition of fresh seasonal fruit makes it so delicious.

If you’re interested in purchasing an ice cream maker, there are many makers available in varying price ranges from $25 to $600. There’s even a hand-crank model for those who really want to stick to “homemade.” Happy churning.

Fresh Summer Peach Ice Cream
You could use 3 cups of half-and-half instead of milk and cream. I used light half-and-half. If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar, use half Splenda and half sugar.

5 peaches (about 1- 1/4 pounds)
1- 1/2 cups sugar
1- 1/2 cups milk
1- 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the peaches for 1 minute and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel and pit the peaches and in a food processor or blender, purée them.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, milk and cream, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the purée and the vanilla and process mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes about 1- 1/2 quarts.


Velvety Lemon Ice Cream
1- 1/4 cups heavy cream
1- 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Chill well. Transfer mixture to your ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 2 quarts.