Since I’m on a roll, I thought I’d include the recipe I’m making for Heather’s bday tomorrow. It’s the easiest ice cream recipe in the world, doesn’t have the custard to cook, no eggs, and tastes fresh and yummy. If you just happen to have three quarts of half and half taking up space in your fridge, and you don’t know what you’re going to do with it, here’s your answer. Mix three cups of sugar with one cup of the half and half and stir until it is dissolved. Then add the rest of the half and half and stir in 4 tsp. good vanilla (imitation vanilla just isn’t vanilla) and 1 tsp salt. Chill it up nicely in the fridge and then freeze it in your ice cream maker. Now is that easy, or what?
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That sounds almost too easy. 🙂 I’m looking forward to trying it!! Have you ever turned it into chocolate ice cream by adding cocoa powder?
Oooooo…..thanks for this one! With the heat, I have NOT wanted to stand over our stove cooking custard (the whole point of ice cream is to be refreshed and cooled, right?), but we have wanted some vanilla ice cream to go with all the fresh berries at the stands available right now. I am definitely going to be making this! 🙂
And then there’s the Ziploc baggie recipe: http://southerncuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/zip_lock_baggie_ice_cream
Lets kids make their own servings. Since it usually doesn’t get too terribly firm, you can snip off a corner of the baggie and they can squeeze it out into their mouths.
I’d be interested in knowing what kind of ice cream maker you use. My parents have an old hand-crank machine which we still use once or twice a year at family get togethers. It’s fun and makes great ice cream. Your recipe sounds really good!
…Speaking of real vanilla, here is an easy and inexpensive way to make your own: Drop 5 vanilla beans into a 750ml bottle of cheap vodka. Let sit for 1-2 months until it reaches a nice brandy-like color. Now it is ready for use! Each time you use some of this vanilla, top the bottle back off with more vodka. Continue this method until the “vanilla” begins to lose its’ color. This means the vanilla beans are all used up and it is time to put 5 new ones in the bottle. Some people use bourbon in place of the vodka, which makes the vanilla turn out a darker shade. However, I think vodka is best for infusing the unadulterated vanilla flavor.
3 ingredients. Now that is recipe box worthy. It’s going in. Thank You Miss Nancy!
Jo, that’s four, not three: half and half, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Just want to make sure you don’t leave something out! And, Krista, we have an old clunker of an electric ice cream maker, but it still works. I put one drop of oil (machine oil) in the motor after each use, and it has held up for years. Noisy, but no elbow grease needed.
Sarah, do you need to do anything to the vanilla beans, or just put them in whole? I go through a LOT of vanilla extract around here, and a cheaper way to make it sounds very appealing!
I’ve had a good old think about what “half and half” could be? From New Zealand – so I’m guessing some type of milk?
Bec,
Our half and half is half cream and half milk, and we use it in our coffee. Bekah says that in England double cream is heavier than our whipping cream, but the single cream looks more like our whipping cream but it won’t whip. All this to say, she is thinking that you might be able to make ice cream with the single cream, though it may turn out differently than our ice cream does. That is if you have single cream in NZ and if you have an ice cream maker in NZ. Do you?
Valerie,
I have always left the vanilla beans whole.
Thanks, Sarah!
I have both single cream and an ice cream maker 🙂 I never knew double cream existed until a few yers ago. But the single cream over here does whip. Anyway I’ll give it a try – Thanks.
Thanks, Nancy, for letting me know about your ice cream maker!
Vanilla, real good vanilla…. has to be from Mexico! 😉
I made this today, though I only made one quart with a cup of sugar, and added about 1/3 cup instant coffee. Was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Anna made this recipe for Sunday dessert (Samuel Dickison and Ben Saunders were with us). She added fresh blended peaches and it was wonderful. A big hit with everyone.
I realize this is an old post, but my favorite recipe might even be easier than this. Mix a jar of nutella with milk. I’d say at least 4 cups of milk, but you can taste it and always add more. Or you can use a combo of half-and-half and milk. If you want a bigger batch, then use 1.5 jars of nutella. So it’s very easy AND then it tastes like nutella. Double yum. 🙂