Homemade Ice Cream

Fresh-churned ice cream topped with huckleberry puree. 

Original recipe from 5 Boys Baker.

Nothing says summer's here like a fresh batch of ice cream churned yourself! We use a Red Shed 6-quart ice cream maker (similar to this one) with both the hand-crank and motor stirring option, as the mixing time takes a good hour or two on a hot day. Set aside about three hours to prep this recipe before you want to serve it, just to be sure. This recipe makes about 10 servings, but we can quadruple it in our 6-quart maker to extend the fun. :)

Ingredients:

• 3 c heavy cream
• 1 1/2 c whole milk
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 1/2 T vanilla
• opt: 1/2 recipe broken berries, pureed and chilled
• opt: other toppings of choice
• 5-15 pound ice, depending on ambient temperature and size of recipe
• ~1 c rock salt (like Morton's)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or pitcher, stir all ingredients except the optionals, ice, and salt. 
2. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions. Ours (similar to this one) takes about 5 lbs (1 gallon bag) of ice for this recipe, or 20 lbs (4 1/2 gallon bags of ice cubes) if quadrupled on a 75° day, which we pour around the ice cream canister. Pour 1 c salt over the ice to keep its temp low even when melted. As ice melts down, add more so that the ice reaches the top of the ice cream line. Add a sprinkle of salt with every new ice addition.
3. Use the hand crank or motor for 1-2 hours until desired thickness is reached. Just before serving, pour optional broken berries into canister and mix until just swirled. 
4. Top each serving with fresh berries if desired. Enjoy!