June 2010
I had been keeping an eye open for an ice cream maker in all my flea market wanderings, and finally, I spotted this old timey gem! I was more than a tad skeptical an $8 ice cream maker would in fact make ice cream, but the vendor gave me his word and told me I could return the following week if it didn’t churn out satisfactory desserts.
There’s no need to justify having an ice cream source in your life, but specifically, the QT Pi(e) Project was in need of some mode. When I spotted this marvelous, vintage machine, the pies and ice cream were one step closer to happily ever after.
So we took the little lady for a whirl and put a ReadyMade ice cream recipe to the test as well.
Our ice cream supply needed to be just as local as our pies, so we used pure maple syrup, from just west of our border, as our sweetener.
No need to return the new ice cream queen!
The Recipe
Adapted from ReadyMade Magazine
For Creme Fraiche:
2 c heavy cream
2 T buttermilk
For Creme Fraiche Ice Cream:
1 1/4 c nonfat milk
2 1/2 c cream
1/2 t salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
7 egg yolks
1 c crème fraîche
Creme Fraiche:
Place heavy cream in a bowl or large jar. Add the buttermilk, which will act as the culture. Partially cover the jar or bowl and let it sit at room temperature until mixture has thickened to approximately the consistency of yogurt. Stir it gently a couple of times over the course of the process so you can keep tabs on how it’s doing. You’ll notice that it thickens in clumps at first, and then more broadly. Depending on the temperature of my house, it takes between 12 and 48 hours to thicken properly. When it’s ready, give it another good (but gentle) stir, cover, and refrigerate for at least a day before using.
Creme Fraiche Ice Cream:
Mix the milk and cream in a saucepan and heat until nice and hot before adding the egg yolk extravaganza.
Whisk milk and cream in a heavy-bottom saucepan with the salt and half the sugar maple syrup. Whisk egg yolks in another bowl with remaining sugar maple syrup.
Turn the heat to medium-low and bring cream mixture up to just before a simmer, whisking frequently. Ladle a quarter cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolks and beat thoroughly, then pour the egg mixture into the cream mixture. Switch to a spatula and run it along the bottom of the pan constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Set a metal bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Strain the cream mixture through a fine sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth into the smaller bowl and stir. When cooled, whisk in the crème fraîche. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for 2 hours. Freeze per your ice cream maker’s instructions.
