Ice Cream

This is one such food item that doesn’t need any coaxing for a second helping! Ice creams have always been the most preferred kinds of desserts and can range from the very popular strawberry flavor to the off the track, mint flavored ones. Various countries have their own interesting stories behind this popular dessert. America got its first brush with ice cream when the natives in Ibarra, Ecuador invented the sorbet. In India, the Mughal emperors used ice cream in fruit sorbets. The kulfi, which is still a very popular form of ice cream and is readily available in India, is found to be on the similar lines of the Persian ice cream. The ancient ways of the preparation of ice cream was quite tedious as compared to the way ice creams are made today. Today, we can enjoy all these delicious flavors at the nearest ice cream parlor. But there is nothing more delicious than homemade ice cream as well! An ice cream maker would just come handy in case of homemade ice creams. This would help to ease the process. Ice cream cakes and ice cream sandwiches are also gaining popularity. Read on for some easy and interesting ice cream recipes that would have people asking for more.

Ice Cream Recipes:

Coffee Ice Cream
Milk (1 3/4 cups)
Vanilla (2 teaspoons)
Cream (1 3/4 cups)
Sugar (2/3 cup)
Unsweetened cocoa powder (2 teaspoons)
Cornstarch (4 tablespoons)
Instant-coffee granules or espresso granules (3 tablespoon)

You would also need an ice cream maker for this recipe.

Preparation:
You will need to begin stirring the ½ cup of milk with the cornstarch. Use a small heavy saucepan to bring the following ingredients to a boil- Cocoa, sugar, cream and the remainder quantity of the milk (1 ¼ cup). Boil this over moderate heat and keep stirring. Whilst you are doing this process, add the coffee granules to this combination. Now is the time you will have to add the cornstarch mixture to this preparation. Stir it slowly. Once you return it to a boil, remove from heat after some time.

Once you have removed it from the heat, you can add some vanilla to the saucepan. Bear in mind that you have to keep stirring continuously. This saucepan also needs to be cooled down. An easy way out would be to keep the saucepan in a large bowl or pan with ice-cold water. Keep whisking this at regular intervals.

An ice cream maker would really prove to be handy, as now you would need to freeze the coffee mixture in the ice cream maker. Once done, store it in an airtight container and freeze. Scoop out this delicious coffee ice cream anytime when required!

Chocolate Ice Cream
Rich and creamy chocolate ice cream has always been my favorite. Do try this at home but remember to save some helpings for your friends and family!

Unsweetened Chocolate Cocoa Powder (1/3 Cup)
Sugar (1 1/2 Cups)
Evaporated Milk (1 Can)
Whipping cream (2 Cups)
Vanilla extract (1 Teaspoon)

Sauce Pan (Should hold 2 quarts)
Whisk
Spatula
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons

Preparation:
The first step you would need to begin with is the mixing of cocoa and sugar. Use the 1/3-cup of the unsweetened cocoa powder and mix it with the 1-½ cup of sugar. While mixing the cocoa powder you may notice that it tends to form lumps therefore use the spatula to press the mixture on the sides of the pan. This would even out the texture of the mixture. Once you have the right consistency, add the can of evaporated milk to the cocoa sugar powder mixture.

This pan would need to be placed on medium heat. Do ensure that you keep stirring the mixture constantly. This would be needed to dissolve the powder along with the evaporated milk. Once it mixes well, remove from heat and place it in the refrigerator. Wait until it comes down to the room temperature. It can even be kept for a longer time as per your convenience.

Now, add the whipping cream (2 cups) along with the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) to this mixture. This would require you to mix it well so that there is no formation of large chunks in this mixture. Keep stirring so that the ingredients of the mixture blend smoothly. This chocolate mixture needs to be added in the ice cream maker. (The time required may be a little over 35 minutes.) Serve in a tall glass. Use a little whipped cream while serving or add some chunks of chocolate as toppings.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Half-and-half (1 qt.)
Sugar (1 cup)
Whipping cream (2 cups)
Vanilla extract (1 tablespoon)
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Ice cream maker
Mixing bowl
Spoon
Cups (to store the ice cream)

Preparation:
Take a large mixing bowl to mix the half and half with sugar (1 cup). Mix it well, till it dissolves completely. Next, add the vanilla extract (1 tablespoon) and the whipping cream (2 cups) to this mixture. Add this mixture to the ice cream maker. The duration of the period required for the mixture to freeze would vary, sometimes over 25 minutes. If you have problems with the consistency or the texture of the ice cream, keep it in the freezer if the mixture appears soft. Use some chocolate syrup and pour it over the vanilla ice cream whilst serving.