The Ultimate Ice Cream Book contains enough recipes to fill your summer days with delicious frozen desserts -- but after acquainting yourself with this book's hundreds of tempting concoctions, you'll want to use it every day of the year. With over 500 recipes, author Bruce Weinstein has put together the most comprehensive cookbook of its kind, covering just about every conceivable flavor of ice cream, sorbet, and granita
This ice cream is delicious on its own or with dark chocolate chips or thin chocolate slivers or crunchy chocolate cookies or creamy chocolate mint candies. Well, any chocolate mixed in is terrific.
Makes About 1 Quart
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
6 drops green food coloring (optional)
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the cornstarch and set aside.
Bring the half-and-half to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot half-and-half into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard though a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the cream, peppermint extract, and food coloring, if using. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.
Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instruction. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.
Variations
After-Dinner Mint Ice Cream Add 3/4 cup chopped chocolate-covered mint candies to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the candy. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
Grasshopper Pie Ice Cream Add 1/2-cup white crème de cacao to the custard before freezing. Proceed with the recipe as directed, adding 1/2 cup crushed chocolate wafers to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the wafers.
Island Mint Ice Cream Add 1/2-cup gold rum to the custard before freezing. Proceed with the recipe as directed, adding 1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the coconut.
Mint-Oreo Cheesecake Ice Cream Add 1/2-cup no-bake cheesecake mix to the half-and-half before heating. Proceed with the recipe as directed, adding 1/2 cup crushed chocolate crème cookies to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the cookies.
Peppermint Candy Crunch Ice Cream
Add 3/4 cup crushed peppermint candies to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the candy. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
