August is a prime time to enjoy cool and creamy ice cream, especially this year with the weather being so consistently sunny and warm.
If you fancy making some yourself, but don鈥檛 have an ice cream maker, today鈥檚 two recipes are designed for you. They are for听a style of ice cream where no听churning is required. There鈥檚 also no need to turn on the stove, as you have to do when making traditional ice cream.
Unlike that ice cream, where you make and then cool a custard mixture and then churn and freeze into ice cream, in this technique, that custard is replaced with thick, canned, sweetened condensed milk.
To make the ice cream, you flavour condensed milk and then beat and fold in whipped cream. The mixture is then frozen in a glass or metal loaf pan and frozen, with the end result being an ultra smooth and creamy ice cream that tastes divine.
For today鈥檚 recipe, I chose to听make two always-popular flavours, vanilla and chocolate.
The vanilla ice cream is simply听flavoured with a generous amount of pure vanilla extract. The chocolate one is flavoured with cocoa powder that, when combined with the condensed milk, creates a wicked, fudge-like flavour.
Each ice cream recipe yields about 1.4 litres, about six to eight听servings. For a quick, but always well-received summer dessert, I听like to scoop and serve these ice听creams topped with local听berries.
If you want to further accent the flavour of each ice cream, once partially frozen, you听could swirl something into it, such as听crushed cookies, raspberry jam听or听caramel sauce. You then continue to freeze the ice cream until solid and scoopable. You swirl the听items into the ice cream听when it鈥檚 partially frozen, because in that form they鈥檒l have听something to cling onto, helping to keep听them听suspended in听the ice听cream, not sinking to the听bottom of the pan.
No-churn Vanilla Ice Cream
This easy-to-make ice cream is听a听sweet, cool summer treat.
Preparation: 10 minutes, plus freezing time
Cooking time: None
Makes: About six to eight (3/4 to 1 cup) servings
听
1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk, regular or low fat (see Note)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract, or to taste
鈥� pinch fine salt
1 (473 mL) container whipping cream
听
Place a nine- by five-inch glass or听metal loaf pan in the freezer to听chill.
Place the milk, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Taste and add a drop more vanilla, if desired.
Place the whipping cream in another bowl, or bowl of your stand mixer, and whip until firm peaks form.
Whisk about 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture to lighten it. Now fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a spatula until well blended and no globules of whipped cream remain.
Pour and spread the ice cream mixture into your chilled loaf pan. Set pan in the freezer and freeze two hours, until ice cream is quite thick, but still not frozen solid.
At that point, if desired, you could swirl in flavourings with a small spoon (see Eric鈥檚 options).
Whether you swirl in other flavourings, or just leave the ice cream as is, cover it now and freeze until it鈥檚 solid and scoopable, about four hours. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
听
Note: You鈥檒l need two (300 mL) cans of sweetened condensed milk to get the amount required for this recipe. You鈥檒l only use part of the second can. Save the rest for another use.
Eric options: Items that you could swirl into this ice cream include 1/2 to 1 cup raspberry or strawberry jam, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce or lemon curd; eight crushed Oreo cookies; or 1/2 to 1听cup chocolate chips.
听
No-churn Chocolate Ice Cream
The combination of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder in this recipe creates a divine chocolate fudge-like taste.
听
Preparation: 10 minutes, plus freezing time
Cooking time: None
Makes: six to eight (3/4 to 1 cup) servings
听
1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk, regular or low fat (see Note)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (see Note)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract, or to taste
鈥� pinch fine salt
1 (473 mL) container whipping cream
Place a nine- by five-inch glass or听metal loaf pan in the freezer to chill.
Place the milk, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Place the whipping cream in another bowl, or bowl of your stand mixer, and whip until firm peaks form.
Whisk about 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture to lighten it. Now fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a spatula until well blended and no globules of whipped cream remain.
Pour and spread the ice cream mixture into your chilled loaf pan. Set pan in the freezer and freeze two hours, until ice cream quite thick, but still not frozen solid.
At that point, if desired, you could swirl in flavourings with a听small spoon (see Eric鈥檚 options).
Whether you swirl in other flavourings, or just leave the ice cream only chocolate flavoured, cover it听now and freeze until it鈥檚 solid and scoopable, about four hours. Keep听frozen until ready to serve.
听
Note: If your cocoa has lumps, sift it or whisk it through a fine sieve before using it. You鈥檒l need to buy two (300 mL) cans of sweetened condensed milk to get the amount required for this recipe. You鈥檒l only use part of the second can. Save the rest for another use.
Eric鈥檚 options: Items you could swirl into this ice cream include 1/2 to 1 cup white chocolate chips; 1/2 cup to 1 chopped chocolate-covered almonds, chopped chocolate malted milk balls, chopped chocolate mint patties, or chopped Skor candy bars; or 1/2 to one cup caramel sauce.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in听the Life section Wednesday and听Sunday.
