I Made Ice Cream

by Chewy

     I have to tell you about my new acquisition in the kitchen. After much deliberation and lengthy perusal of customer ratings and professional recommendations ( I WAY over think things sometimes), I am now the proud owner of a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. My original purpose for purchasing this item was to have the ability to make a dairy free, sugar free , gluten free frozen dessert for my daughter (because the Beanie Brownies were beginning to be passé). Since then, I have discovered the various uses this machine offers.

     Some of you may remember the ice cream makers, from years back, that required vigorous strength training prior to production. Consisting of a wooden barrel, inner canister and a crank, this machine demanded copious amounts of ice and salt just to get the show rolling. Offering ice cream as the carrot, parents broke child labor laws and enticed their offspring into cranking this torture machine for what seemed like days. As the ice cream started to set, it became harder to crank and many a child was left exhausted and spent never having accomplished the goal  of their labor. This is when a milk shake became an acceptable substitute for ice cream. Years later a cord was added, electricity did the work, but it was still necessary to provide ice and rock salt. Move ahead a couple of decades more and we now have the slimmed down version that I have fallen in love with. Effortless to use, you simply place the “special” bowl in the freezer overnight, pull it out the next day, add ingredients and 20 minutes later you have ice cream. Admittedly, it is a bit soft at this point (think DQ consistency) but still edible and delicious. Stick in the freezer for a bit and it hardens up nicely.

     One of the things I appreciate about this gem is that I am no longer confined to the flavors ice cream producers limit me to. La Confectionista described me perfectly in my bio when she stated that I like “down right weird stuff”. Always game to try anything, making my own ice cream enables me to put together flavors and ingredients you don’t normally find in the frozen food section. No longer limited to the mundane, my palate is all a tingle with the prospects that await me.

     Recognizing that not everyone is so adventurous, I will supply you with a simple, refreshing and versatile Lemon Sorbet Recipe. The back story on this is that my daughter and I were making homemade Limón cello which required the zest only of 20 lemons. I was now burdened with 20 naked lemons and no desire to make lemonade. Having thought ahead enough to freeze my ice cream bowl, we juiced the lemons, added a simple syrup and voile, lemon sorbet. Sweet, tart and totally pucker worthy, enjoying in a bowl was refreshing beyond words. Adding vodka to it made for an intoxicating experience. You can’t beat either on a hot day.