We all scream for Ice Cream (unless you are lactose intolerant)!

I made ice cream for the first time. I made it a couple times, so now I share with you what I have learned from these two different recipes:

Old Time VanillaIce Cream – Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch salt
Good quality chocolate, for garnish
Directions
Whisk all ingredients together until sugar dissolves. Pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream is made, transfer to an airtight container. Cover tightly and freeze until ready to serve. When ready to serve, make chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler. Serve ice cream garnished with curls.

This turned into a much more like Creamed Ice versus a Ice cream. I was like a sorbet of milk versus a lovely creamy dessert. It did the job well when paired with a brownie, but it wasn't worth keeping after the baked good were gone.

And I also tried out:

Scoopsies' IrishCoffee Ice Cream

(yields 1 quart)

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 cups whole milk 

1/2 cup + 1 tbl dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup + 2 tbl Irish whiskey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbl dark chocolate flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and dark brown sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture starts to simmer. Pour in coffee beans, stir, remove from heat, and let sit for an hour. 

2. After an hour, reheat the mixture on medium heat. While the mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolks with the whiskey and the vanilla extract. Once the cream and milk starts to simmer, take a tablespoon of the mixture and pour it in with the egg yolks to slowly warm them up. Stir quickly. Add a few more tablespoons, one at a time, stirring constantly. Pour the heated egg yolks in with the milk and cream. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir for about 30 seconds. 

3. Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes. Put in a container with plastic wrap right over the custard. Place in the fridge to ripen, preferably for at least eight hours.

4. Pour it into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. When ice cream is ready, scoop out and garnish with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and dark chocolate flakes. 

This one has the addition of egg yolks, heat, and a "ripening" period. This one has the better texture and consistency EXCEPT that I ground the coffee. I thought that it would blend seamlessly slip into the ice cream. I was wrong. While it doesn't bother Husband or most of my friends, I can't stand the texture of the ground coffee. Next time, I will make this with whole beans or Starbuck Via.

A note of warning though...use decaf if caffeine messes with you like it does me.

Until the next nom nom...