Making Ice Cream

My son's friend was over today and she asked what I was doing.  "Making ice cream," I said blandly.  Her face lit up and she said, "You are always doing the coolest things when I come over."  I smiled and thought, "Really?!"  They seem like ordinary things to me.

Notice frost on outside of the ice cream maker.  You know it's working.

Today I was using a wedding present.  My Waring Ice Cream Parlor.  I got it in 1987 and it still works great.  I really haven't used it that often over the years.  Since my kids are teenagers they've really been the ones to rediscover it.  Today I just got the urge to make my own "Ben and Jerry" like cherry with chocolate chunks ice cream.  I just happen to have all the ingredients.  I discovered this while doing my quarterly deep cleaning of the refrigerator.  The one where I pull all the shelves out and wash drawers and all.  Get rid of any questionable items and jars of who knows what.  I noticed I had heavy cream, half and half, and maraschino cherries.  None have expired.  LOL

It's getting close!

What's great about my ice cream maker and why I kept it is no special ice, no special salt.  Load it up with the ice and salt one has in their kitchen.  I thought it was pretty cool someone put the instructions on how to use it online.  Seems like the instruction book is usually what gets lost over the year.  I have my instruction book though!

Had the perfect size rubber maid container for the ice cream to harden in and to serve out of once done.

With the instructions are recipes too.  It had a recipe for Cherry Nut Ice Cream.  I thought why not swap out the pecans for chocolate.  So, no great creative process on my part.

The ice cream turned far better than I expected.  I expected something "sort of" like Ben and Jerry's.  This was JUST LIKE Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia.   We'll definitely be making it again.  Here's the recipe:

Cherry Nut Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream (1 pint)
2 cups half and half (1 pint)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup juice of cherries
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp salt
20 quartered Maraschino Cherries

Pour heavy cream and light cream into cream can.  Add sugar, cherry juice, almond extract and salt.  Stir thoroughly with wooden spoon or plastic spatula.  Proceed with Basic Steps, page 5.  Fold in quartered cherries and chopped pecans after processing, but before hardening.  (Remember every time it says pecans use a coarsely chopped up chocolate bar.  I found Hershey's Special Dark to be very good.)