b.anne

For Christmas, my parents bought me a Cuisinart ice cream maker and Jeni’s book of recipes. This was in no small part because I made it clear that I really hoped somebody would get me this combination; the ice cream maker is the one that Jeni mentions using for kitchen-testing all her concoctions. The best part of my ice cream maker is that it has two separate canisters, making it easier to plan out multiple batches. The canisters have to be in the freezer for at least 24 hours before spinning out the goods, which then must be frozen for another 4 hours, generally. Making the ice cream takes 1.5-2 hours and all add-ins must be made and cooled prior to putting together your base.

The first two ice creams I made were Black Coffee with Chocolate Freckles and Maple Ice Cream with Buttery Salted Almonds. I expected the coffee to be my fave, but the maple was out of this world in texture and richness. Don’t get me wrong, both are delicious, but I couldn’t believe that the maple had actually come out of my own kitchen.

If you’re interested in starting up an ice-cream making hobby, I highly encourage Jeni’s book. She explains the science behind the process and breaks the recipes down into simple, heartfelt treats. It’s also nice that she lists all her supplies and sources; Justin and I ran around looking for cheesecloth and a sieve (luckily) before we had milk and cream boiling on the stove thanks to her guidance in steeping hot ingredients such as coffee grounds.

If you follow from Cbus, let me know if you’d like an ice-cream tasting. All the tags you can see sticking out of the book are J & family members’ picks I asked for so I could create for special occasions.