Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

 
Alternate title #1: How an innocent blog post turned into a Costco shopping spree.

Alternate title #2: Uh-oh. I’m in sooo much trouble now.

 
The Ivory Hut: Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

 
In my previous post about ice cream cravings, I lamented the fact that my favorite ice cream flavors were either too difficult to find, or too expensive to regularly stock. I asked you to share your favorite flavors, and boy, did you make me hungry with your comments. In fact, it finally reached the point where I threw caution to the wind and boxes into my car, and turned a routine supply-replenishing trip to Costco into a full-blown impulse buying session. Except, in this case, the impulse did not hit me from nowhere. I knew exactly what caused it.

And I fully intend to continue passing on the blame to you. It makes the prospect of expanding waistlines a bit more bearable if I get to point the finger at someone else.

 
The Ivory Hut: Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

 
Okay, so not all of that was ice cream related. Although I did remember to pick up a couple of quarts of heavy cream, half-and-half, and a gallon of milk. I wasn’t taking any chances; I wanted to be able to make my ice cream already as soon as the bowls were frozen.

 
The Ivory Hut: Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

This is the ice cream maker I got. A Cuisinart, and it came with two bowls. I had been researching ice cream makers for some time now, and I knew this was the one recommended by America’s Test Kitchen. I do have a KitchenAid mixer, and its ice cream attachment is top-rated among the $100-or-less models. But this one was almost half the price of the attachment, and the double bowl sealed the deal for me. (You can also buy the ice cream maker from Amazon, which could help me buy more ingredients to play with.)

My first attempt was a straight up chocolate ice cream, following the recipe included in the Cuisinart manual. It seemed simple enough: you pulse good quality chocolate along with sugar until everything is powder-like, then pour in hot milk to make a ganache. Mix in some heavy cream, a touch of vanilla, and then chill the mixture. The fire up the machine, and watch it go.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the machine didn’t make as much noise as some reviews said it did. After about 30 minutes, I found myself staring at a wonderfully rich soft serve blanket of chocolate. It’s amazing to see how just some milk, sugar, cream, and a block of Valrhona bittersweet chocolate could turn into such decadent goodness just by the addition of cold and slow churning. After some hours in the freezer, it was exactly as I had hoped it would be.

 
The Ivory Hut: Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

 
Ecstatic with my first success, I decided to try one of my favorites: coconut ice cream. In the Philippines, it’s called macapuno ice cream, and sadly, the English translation of macapuno in no way does it justice. “Mutant coconut.” My goodness. It almost sounds radioactive, no?

Macapuno is a type of coconut that has thick but jelly-like meat inside. It’s easily grated into “strings” or long shreds, and it’s a much more pleasant texture to mix into ice cream than regular, flaked coconut. But since the only mutant currently within reach is my flower garden that hasn’t been weeded since last summer, I had to make do without any add-ins. That didn’t faze me at all. What I really cared about was getting the right kind of rich, creamy coconut taste that I remember enjoying while growing up in the Philippines.

Enter David Lebovitz, whose Quick Coconut Ice Cream Recipe with Saffron caught my eye. It’s a recipe he attributes to Nicky Stich of delicious:days, and like him, I was drawn by the promise of “quick.” And that it didn’t call for eggs. I certainly wasn’t in the mood to separate eggs at 11pm, much less figure out what to do with the orphaned egg whites. (I hate wasting ingredients.)

I stuck to the basics, skipped the saffron, and doubled the recipe. I fudged some amounts too, which didn’t seem to hurt one bit. It was every bit as easy as the recipe promised: a can of coconut milk, 2 cups heavy cream, and 1/3 cup sugar. Scalded to let the sugar dissolve completely, cooled, then poured into the ice cream machine.

Let me tell you this: the darn thing was so absolutely delicious that I didn’t miss the pieces of mutant anything in it. And I seriously, seriously considered hiding the entire container in the freezer in the garage.

 
The Ivory Hut: Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

 
Like I said earlier: I’m in sooo much trouble now.

 
The Ivory Hut: Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.

 
 

Basic Chocolate Ice Cream
(Recipe from Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker instruction manual)

1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the sugar and the chocolate in a food processor and pulse until granulated. Scald the milk and pour it into the food processor. Mix until blended. Let cool, then stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Chill then pour into the ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Makes 1.5 quarts.
 

 

Quick Coconut Ice Cream
(Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz, via Nicky Stich of Delicious Days)

14-ounce can of coconut milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar

Scald coconut milk, heavy cream, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely, pour into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes about 2 pints.
 

 
 

33 thoughts on “Homemade Ice Cream. Finally.”

  1. You are making a very good case for an ice cream maker in my household.

    I mean like too good a case.

    I mean, I am going to have to try not to come back to this page.

    1. You are too funny! Uhm … if I asked you to collaborate with me so we can come up with a good recipe for tiramisu ice cream, would that seal the deal?
       
      Honestly, I couldn’t believe I waited this long to get one. Although, considering how much damage this can do, I might vote for a 7-day waiting period to get a license to purchase this thing. Seriously. It’s like a dangerous weapon.

    1. That looks awesome! I’m pretty sure the scalding is done to make sure the sugar is properly dissolved. Maybe I’ll try using condensed milk too in my next attempt, which will eliminate the need to scald and cool. Which means I’ll get ice cream on the table sooner.
       
      That may not always be a good thing. :)

  2. OMG! WHy did i click that link in your tweet… why oh why? Now I’ll be in big trouble too as macapuno ice cream is my favorite. Oh my, here you are showing me how easy it is to churn my own MACAPUNO DELIGHT! I could already taste it by looking at your photos. I could already see myself drive to COSTCO tomorrow and purchase this weapon err ice cream maker…

    but seriously, the ice cream maker that i remember my mom had was used once because it was more practical to buy than to make hahaha.. but this ice cream maker is different… it’s so handy and it looks like i will be serving homemade ice cream soon!

    1. Seriously, I was amazed at how easy it was to make the same kind of creamy macapuno ice cream that we get in the Philippines. No more just settling for a weak version of it just because it’s hard to find and you take what you can get. Incredibly inexpensive, too! Now I’m itching to try and duplicate all the flavors of our beloved “dirty ice cream” street vendors.
       
      Get thee to Costco so we can experiment together! :)

  3. Oh how yummy!

    I shall definitely dust off the ice cream maker and make that soon! Thanks for the recipes. Most of the recipes I’ve made thus far have been custard bases.

    I have a Deni ice cream maker and it works lovely. Its bright hot pink! I am jealous of the second bowl, I wonder if I could order that somewhere….hmmm, I’ll have to look into that.

  4. YEA for a fellow homemade ice cream maker. I can’t wait to try your recipes (as they keep coming…hint hint). I too have a Cuisinart maker and have thought many times about their chocolate recipe… unfortunately, it’s now apparent, without action. I think it’ll be my first of the summer. That or your commenter’s cookies and cream… yum!

    Oh and let me forewarn you about recipes with condensed milk… they may just put you over the edge… so incredibly delicious.

  5. Yay! I’m so happy for you. I have the same one and love every single thing I’ve made with it. So far, the frozen yogurt is the only thing that doesn’t seem to freeze very well. I can’t wait to try the coconut recipe you shared. Beautiful pictures too!

  6. OMG my mouth is watering just looking at your pictures. I want the Cuisineart ice cream maker, and I want it NOW :-), so help me God.

  7. I love your alternate titles!! our ice cream looks AMAZING! The presentation is beautiful. Congrats on your new ice cream maker. Prepare for loads of yummy fun!

  8. Can’t wait to try these recipes…and I am the same way with Costco! My husband calls it the $500 club because I can’t get out of there without spending a mint. ( :

  9. My mother has the Cuisinart maker, which I can attest works quite well; she was going to give it to me last year, when she said she was going to get another one. Not so much, and I ended up with the KitchenAid attachment when I got the KitchenAid for Christmas two years ago. The attachment works pretty well, by the way, but if I had been faced with the deal you got at CostCo, I’d have bought it, too.

    I love the chocolate ice cream photo above, especially the bowl (or cup?). Lovely. I’m currently working on a workup of the kiwi and mango ice creams I did over the weekend. Once I finish with those, I’ll be making a batch of green tea – I can’t wait to see yours! (Or the tiramisu that you and Liam will be brainstorming up. ;) )

  10. Fabulous! I’m going to have to follow along and start making more ice cream. My freeze bowl has been sitting in the freezer empty for way too long!

  11. I have that very same ice cream maker. You’re gonna love it. If you find a good green tea ice cream recipe, pleast post it!

  12. There is no way to tell anyone how good this Coconut Ice Cream is. I did a post on my blog on it, I ate a third of it before it got in the ice cream maker, I put it in my coffee. I almost made myself sick eating too much of it. Did I mention I added a little rum to it. I can’t wait for the Green Tea Ice Cream.

  13. Hi everyone! Sorry for not replying sooner. Thanks for the comments. I’m always so happy to see new faces here.
     
    Kara, a flavor using condensed milk is definitely in my list of projects. I’m already brewing one up in my head. My head might explode.
     
    Chau, the model I got is CIM-20.
     
    Winnie, I may start putting even just a touch of coconut milk in most of my recipe. I really love the creaminess and richness that it adds.
     
    Beverly, I enjoyed your post! And I know exactly what you mean about that coconut ice cream base. It’s dangerous!

  14. wow. I’m dying to possess a similar ice cream maker …. hmmm, a crock pot is first on the list, but who knows? Maybe we can find a cheapo one at the flea market in Germany?
    Thanks for the great ideas and recipes!

  15. LOVE the idea of only 3 ingredients…LOVE ice cream and LOVE that I already have an ice cream maker….looks like we are having coconut ice cream this weekend in our house!!

  16. I have this ice cream maker. Have had it for a long time. Too scared to use it. You’ve inspired me. I’m in big trouble too. (hee) I think i lost the instruction manual to mine tho. Does the manual have a basic vanilla recipe too? That’s my hubby’s fav.

    Btw… what do you put the ice cream into to get it harder than a soft serve consistency?

    =)

  17. okay, i’m totally obsessed with ice cream! and i just saw your thai tea ice cream post from another blog and was like “ohhh, i’m gonna make that with green tea” and THEN i saw your other post!

    Thus far i have made a pistacio gelato, the best chocolate peanut butter ice cream (from Joy the Baker) and also her banana pudding ice cream and strawberry buttermilk ice cream…

    your tea one may be next!

    and i have that exact ice cream maker and it works great.

  18. This coconut ice cream sounds really good – I must try this as soon as I finish the lemon-thyme and maple-bacon in my freezer! Thanks for sharing.

    Oh, and @Tess: after you finish making it in the ice cream maker, stick it in an airtight container (tupperware, or something similar), put it in your freezer and in a couple hours it will be plenty hard – but it’s really good straight out of the machine.

  19. anybody who could help me find a 4 gallon ice cream maker so i could do business here in philippines

  20. Anything homemade is delicious, but this ice cream looks like the best. Such a good idea to use the coconut milk, I never would have thought of that. Perfect to do with kids in the summer time!

  21. I was born and raised in the Philippines and I just wanted to let you know that coconut doesn’t translate to ‘macapuno’ in Filipino, ‘buko’ does.

    Also, I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but ‘macapuno’ DOES NOT mean MUTANT COCONUT, of all things. It translates to ‘bountiful tree’.

    Unbelievably ridiculous, vaguely offensive.

    1. Victoria,

      Unfortunately, it’s true. I, too, was a incredulous when I shopped for macapuno in the Asian stores here in the US and found it labeled “mutant coconut.” But all you have to do is do a Google search for “mutant coconut” or even just an image search and you’ll see how they label it here.

      In the Philippines, as with other tropical countries, the coconut tree is so much a part of everyday life and hence we have dozens upon dozens of terms for every part of the coconut and for every stage of its growth. But in other places, they just have that one word for it (i.e. coconut) and they need to find other ways to qualify the term. If you think about it, what they call coconut ice cream here is made with coconut milk and bits of mature coconut, which is technically “niyog” in the Philippines and not “buko,” which specifically refers to young coconut. So even in that case, accuracy suffers due to an inadequacy in language.

      So while I will not argue with you that the term “mutant coconut” is indeed a bit laughable, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it offensive. Especially when even Philippine agricultural blogs and the Manila Bulletin both refer to makapuno as “mutant coconut” or “mutant nut.”

  22. Hi, my search for coconut ice cream invited me to your site. I also just bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker. Would you mind sharing what brands of coconut milk and heavy cream you used? Sometimes using a different brand yields different results. I want my first try to be as good as yours. Thanks! :)

  23. Hihihi on macapuno as mutant coconut. It is indeed the product of a mutation. Victoria you can think of it as “coconut sport” if you don’t want to use the mutant word. But it definitely isn’t buko.

Leave a Reply to emily sCancel reply