I

ONCE MADE BRUSSELS sprout ice

cream. Allow me to explain. Instead of

going to the movies, my boyfriend and

I make ice cream on Friday nights. And

over four years, we’ve found ourselves in some

flavor territories better left uncharted.

We’ve based most of our adventures on a

recipe from this magazine’s sister publication,

Cook’s Illustrated. It calls for using an ice cream

maker to create a delightfully rich and luxuri-

ous texture, and it can accommodate all sorts of

flavors and mix-ins.

An ice cream maker works by churning a

mixture (usually milk, cream, sugar, and egg

yolks) as it freezes to keep the ice crystals small

as they form and to incorporate air—so that

instead of a solid block of frozen milk, you have

silky, scoopable ice cream.

But did we really need to use the machine?

Last year, I found a recipe for a no-churn

orange ice cream tucked in my editor’s grand-

mother’s recipe box. It called for whipping

heavy cream in a blender to stiff peaks and then

blending in sweetened condensed milk, evapo-

rated milk, corn syrup, sugar, and citrus zest and

juice—about a minute of work. No ice cream

machine, no churning. You just pop the blended

mixture in the freezer and wait.

The results rocked my world: velvety,

creamy, scoopable ice cream. How could it be?

As I read through the ingredient list, one piece

of the puzzle was clear. The whipped cream—

or, more specifically, the air trapped within

it—stood in for the air normally incorporated

by an ice cream maker. But in my experiments,

I learned that too much air was trouble. When

I used a stand mixer instead of a blender to

whip the cream, I introduced too much air and

ended up with a texture similar to that of frozen

whipped topping. Not bad, but it wasn’t ice

cream. I’d stick with the blender, which

produces whipped cream that’s not quite as

fluffy—a positive here.

The sweetened condensed milk and corn

syrup called for in the heirloom recipe, both

liquid sweeteners, helped create a smooth

texture. I’d keep those. I found that I could

replace the evaporated milk with whole milk

(which I had on hand) with no negative effects.

Two cups cream to 1 cup sweetened condensed

milk and ¼ cup whole milk was the best, most

consistent ratio.

This basic formula proved very adaptable. A

hefty 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and ¼ tea-

spoon of salt (to enhance the flavor) produced

an intense vanilla ice cream with a texture that

could hold a generous scoop of add-ins.

Melted chocolate incorporated beautifully.

Soft stir-ins such as jams and caramel took a bit

more experimentation, but with some tinkering

and a light hand, I found the ratios that worked.

With a blender, some pantry ingredients, and a

little know-how, the ice cream world can be your

oyster. (But please don’t put oysters in your ice

cream—or Brussels sprouts. Trust me.)

12

Easy

Ice

Creams

by Morgan Bolling

No

Need

to

Churn!

(^1011)
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