[1]
If you’ve ever made strawberry shortcake, a trifle, or whipped cream frosting (all summery desserts, I might add), you’re bound to have leftover whipped cream. Instead of throwing it in the trash, you can make ice cream without a machine. In still freezing, you need don’t a special machine to churn the ice cream. The air is already incorporated via the whipped cream.
Having acquired excess whipped cream from a semi-illegal source (don’t ask, don’t tell), I adapted a chocolate ice cream recipe from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book [2].
Would you take whipped topping from a Starbucks frappuccino, add lots of sugar and eat it by the spoonful? It’s essentially what ice cream is. That’s why I lightened the Ben & Jerry’s recipe by reducing the heavy cream by half and substituting thick, low-fat evaporated milk for the rest of the dairy. I also added some extra steps to ensure a delicious ice cream.
The first thing I did was heat the milk and egg. The simplest ice cream, Philadelphia style, contains no egg and is often not cooked over the stove. It’s the easiest method and comprises typical supermarket ice cream. However, store-bought ice cream contains stabilizers not readily available to the home cook. For homemade ice cream, custard style is best, because egg yolks contain emulsifiers that make everything creamy. Also, heating the proteins in the milk makes it freeze smoother. In this case, heating the liquid also makes the chocolate flavor bloom.
I also added vodka to lower the freezing point (so it won’t freeze rock hard). Rose Levy Beranbaum [3] (author of The Cake Bible, The Pie & Pastry Bible and The Bread Bible) suggests 1 1/2 tsp of 80% proof liquor per cup of liquid. You can use flavored liquor, like Frangelico or rum, but vodka is versatile because it has a neutral flavor.
Lastly, a thorough chill gives time for the flavors to meld and makes it freeze faster, which means fewer sandy ice crsystals.
This ice cream isn’t as rich as Ben & Jerry’s, but it by no means tastes low-fat. It is creamy, flavorful and knocks the socks off of Edy’s!
Chocolate Ice Cream (lightened recipe)
adapted from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book [2]
Makes one scant quart
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 can (12 fl oz.) evaporated milk (fat-free is fine)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup lightly sweetened whipped cream (whipped from 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 Tbsp sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tbsp vodka
Method
Put the cocoa and salt in a saucepan and add just enough milk to make a paste. Add the remaining milk and scald over medium heat.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Temper the eggs by gradually adding the hot milk mixture and whisking constantly.
Transfer the mixture back into the pan and cook over moderately low heat until a thermometer registers 170F, or until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Add the vanilla and vodka. Pour custard through a sieve into a metal bowl set in ice and cold water and cool. If necessary, use a hand blender to smooth out the custard. Cover and refrigerate until cold (preferably overnight).
Fold in the whipped cream and pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Unmold the cubes into a food processor and break up with a fork. Pulse until smooth. (If you don’t have a food processor, freeze in a shallow pan for three hours. After every hour, break up the mixture with a fork, whisk or hand blender. If you have an ice cream maker, add the cream to the milk in the first step. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.)
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least three hours to harden. If it becomes difficult to scoop, thaw in the fridge for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Nutrition (serving size: 1/2 cup)
The new version: calories 203 (34% from fat); fat 8g (sat 5g); protein 7g; cholesterol 75mg; calcium 17%; fiber 3g; carbohydrate 30g
The original: calories 305 (57% from fat); fat 20g (sat 12g); protein 5g; cholesterol 104mg; calcium 8%; fiber 2g; carbohydrate 32g