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May 20, 2008

Fresh strawberry frozen yogurt -- and how to make ice cream without a machine

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Recipe at Elise Bauer's lovely Simply Recipes.

Strawberries are next up in the markets, and I want some of this. There's a grown-up version, too:

Best to eat it on the same day as you make it, as it will get icy if it stays in the freezer for more than 8 hours. If you want it to last longer and not get icy, add 2 tablespoons of vodka or kirsch to the mixture right before churning.

But I don't have an ice cream maker, and don't want to pop $50 on the one she recommends.

Chapter 5: Thermodynamics at Sci-Toys uses a baggie, a bag of ice and some salt. Copiously illustrated, it's more science project than culinary art. And the resulting ice cream is photgraphed slumping into a pool of unfrozen liquid which can't pretend it's custard sauce.

Now have each person squish the little bag around in the salt and ice, making sure that the ice contacts the little bag as much as possible, and that the little bag gets lots of kneading, to keep the ice crystals tiny, so the ice cream is very smooth.

...You will know the ice cream is done by feeling the mixture become a paste instead of a liquid. When you take the little bag out of the ice, wipe off the salt water, and then remove the outer bag carefully, so you don't get salt in the ice cream. The little bag will stand up in the bowl, because it is a frozen paste.

This recipe at Cooks.com substitutes a can, and seems to involve vigorous exercise, the better to help you burn off the ice cream:

Put all ingredients in a 1-pound coffee can with a tight-fitting plastic lid. Place lid on can. Place can with ingredients inside of #10 can with a tight- fitting plastic lid. Pack large can with crushed ice around smaller can. Pour at least 3/4 cup rock salt evenly over ice. Place lid on #10 can.

Roll back and forth on a table or cement slab, for 10 minutes. Open outer can. Remove inner can with ingredients. Remove lid. Use a rubber spatula to stir mixture; scrape sides of can. Replace lid. Drain ice water from larger can. Insert smaller can; pack with more ice and salt. Roll back and forth for 5 minutes more. Makes about 3 cups.

Elise links to Paris-dweller David Lebovitz's Making Ice Cream Without A Machine, which uses a brownie pan, and involves frequent visits to the freezer with a kitchen mixer (or whisk or spatula):

You can easily make Stracciatella ice cream with Italian-style chocolate chips: Drizzle pure melted dark or milk chocolate (about 5 ounces, 140 g) over the almost-frozen mixture, then stir, breaking up the ribbons of chocolate as they start to freeze, to create little 'chips'. Transfer the ice cream to a covered storage container until ready to serve.

At, another post in which he coincidentally blogs yet another Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Recipe, David admits to having bought a $299 ice cream maker.

Yet another recipe from Cooks.com may be more my speed. It reads like real cooking instructions (yes, there was ice cream before machines devoted to the task). I remember my mother doing something like this when I was small, using metal ice trays without the dividers:

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM WITHOUT A MAKER

1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk
3/4 c. Hershey's syrup
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. whipping cream

Pour milk into large bowl. Place bowl and beaters in freezer until ice crystals form around edge of milk. Whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in syrup, vanilla, sugar and cream. Freeze 4 to 6 hours. Yields 2 quarts.

I remember splintery shards of flavored ice, like a fudgsicle. After reading the thermodynamics post, I now know she didn't beat it often enough in the freezer to break up those crystals.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 1:07 AM | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: Elise on May 20, 2008 8:32 PM

Posted by: Sheila Lennon on May 22, 2008 7:33 AM