Homemade Ice Cream

My fanaticism about ice cream started in the womb {or so my mom tells me}. She couldn't drive past a Baskin Robins during her third trimester. My tastes have moved from vast quantities of cheap ice cream to, well, Ben and Jerry's, and any other rich frozen custard laden with chunks of unexpected ingredients.

Last birthday, my awesome in-laws celebrated my love of ice cream {and 28th year} with a trip here:

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, OH

for breathtaking ice cream. Flavors that redefined what ice cream can incorporate. So my birthday present became...

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Confession: I study cookbooks; I mean lost to the world, engrossed in, pour over cookbooks. My family has picked up on my obsession and given great cookbooks such as Julia Child's seminal work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, or Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook. This Christmas was Deaf Smith Country Cookbook by Marjorie Winn {a daily reader}. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home feels like a quirky friend that I hang out with for creative inspiration.

About the book: 100 recipes for jaw dropping ice cream. Beautifully illustrated with excellent technical descriptions. Certainly the recipes are written for fussy cooks - the 'sweet potato and roasted marshmallow' ice cream calls for homemade marshmallows. They also require an inquisitive pallet - I just finished caramelizing pine nuts to mix into sweet basil ice cream.  But if involved, mind-boggling gourmet ice cream is your thing {and it is definitely ours}, this book deserves space on your shelf.

Peach Frozen Yogurt

For the Menchi's and Berry Body fans in the audience.. Peach Frozen Yogurt. Absolutely delicious, I decided to try my hand at frozen yogurt after G polished off half of mine this weekend. To cope with the simmering summer weather, we're enjoying plenty of homemade ice cream maker treats.

Peach Frozen Yogurt
3/4 c milk (whatever percent you want to use)
1/3 c sugar
Mix these two together until sugar dissolves

3 c yogurt (again, whatever fat content you prefer)
1 t vanilla
1/4 t nutmeg
1 c chopped peaches
Combine last four ingredients with the milk/sugar mixture.

Follow ice cream maker instructions to freeze. You could also try placing it in the freezer in a tupperware and stirring frequently.

If you don't eat the entire batch in one sitting, make sure you store it in a microwave safe container. Otherwise, you will need to defrost it slightly before subsequent servings by placing in the refrigerator several hours ahead.

Enjoy!