Muffin Top

Last year, a friend and I played hookie and made ice cream (that is what foodies do when they play hookie, I guess). I had collected, in anticipation of our (pre-planned) sick day, a slew of ice cream recipes: honey and lavender ice cream, french vanilla, maple walnut ice cream, and buttermilk ice cream, just to name a few. I rattled them the list off absentmindedly. “Buttermilk!” she clapped her hands.

So buttermilk ice cream it was. It was an adventure, having never made ice cream before. We didn’t realize the custard needed a 2 hour chilling and so we sat “idly” as it chilled. (Otherwise we would have planned a SECOND food item!) Um, and we thought the custard had to be near solid before putting it in the ice cream maker, so we stuck the custard in the freezer (not an advisable move, by the way).

And we ran the ice cream maker for an hour and a half, about three times too long, until the ice cream was hardened along the sides of the bowl. I didn’t realize at the time that all I had to was run the ice cream maker for about 30 minutes until it was a creamy slush, then allow it to harden in the freezer. That’s how I got a scratch on the inside of my ice cream maker bowl, running a metal spoon, trying to chisel the ice cream out!

But nonetheless, the tangy buttermilk ice cream was delicious. Nothing beats fresh ice cream.

I made a few more batches of ice cream–I tried out the honey lavender recipe. I’ll decrease the honey and increase the lavender next time. It was still delicious. But the ice cream maker has been at rest since last summer–and in an act of questionable intelligence, the thought of making ice cream did not occur to me until today. I mean, there’s been a heat wave, what other perfect food is there?

I collected my ice cream recipes again. Rose petal ice cream fascinated me. And so did blueberry ice cream. But again, buttermilk ice cream beckoned–maybe I’m just really lucky to have found the perfect ice cream flavor on my first try.

This time, I chilled the custard in the refrigerator not the freezer, and I let the ice cream maker run for a proper amount of time, 30 minutes. And after some subsequent chilling in the freezer, served it with strawberries and blueberries. The buttermilk in the ice cream is such a classic flavor pairing with the berries–like strawberry shortcakes! Except with the surprising cold creamy texture of ice cream alongside the fruit, instead of cake.

Try it, you’ll love it too.

BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM
from Bon Appétit
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whipping cream
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cold buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot cream into egg yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium heat until custard thickens slightly, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Strain into bowl. Stir in 1 cup cold buttermilk. Refrigerate custard until cold, about 2 hours. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Can be prepared up to 5 days ahead. Freeze in covered container.)

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.