Hand-Cranked Ice Cream

Making homemade ice cream was one of our favorite things to do when we had a bunch of people over while our children were growing up. We had enough people to crank the ice cream and it was heavenly. The children loved everything about it – cranking it and eating it. Here is a recipe that will work in old-fashioned hand-crank ice cream makers. This recipe will yield a little bit more than half a gallon of ice cream. Multiply the ingredients to make a larger quantity. Note that you need to scald the milk in advance and then let it cool down, which requires some advance planning.

Ingredients

2 quarts whole milk

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1½ c. honey

4 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

For the ice cream making process you will need salt used specifically for an ice cream maker and a bag of ice.

Directions

Scald the milk in a large pot, allow it to cool, and then refrigerate it. I usually scald it a day in advance and pour it into canning jars. Scalding the milk causes the milk crystals to form into ice cream with a nice texture. The flavor will be the same whether you scald the milk or not. I suggest you dissolve the honey into the milk while it’s hot. You can also substitute maple syrup for the honey, and this is runnier so will blend into the milk more easily if you don’t dissolve it into hot milk in advance. You do have to scald the milk in advance and cool it back down because you can’t make ice cream with warm milk. (Ice cream will happen without scalding the milk but the texture might be less than desirable.)

Note that this recipe works fine with “lactose-free” milk. There is actually no such thing as lactose-free milk. This milk actually contains lactase enzyme to help digest the lactose. So you could simply use regular milk and take a lactase enzyme tablet. (The higher the fat content of the milk, the less problem the lactose-intolerant person will have with it.)

To make the ice cream, combine all the ingredients in the canister of the ice cream maker, insert the beater, close it up. Put crushed ice around the canister and sprinkle the salt on top of the ice. Start cranking. Usually it takes about 20 minutes to crank a batch of ice cream. When it starts to feel stiff and hard to crank then it’s probably done. You can always open it up to check and then close it up and keep cranking if you want the ice cream thicker.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Blueberry Galette (Gluten-Free)

This dessert is simpler to make than a double-crust pie and perfect for a small group dinner party. For larger groups make more galettes! This recipe works with many other fruit fillings, such as other kinds of  berries, peaches, and cherries. A lovely combo is cherries and raspberries. 

Ingredients

Pastry:
1¼  c. brown rice flour

¼ tsp. xanthum gum (do not be tempted to go overboard on the xanthum gum)
½ tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. maple syrup
grated rind from ½ lemon
8 tbsp. (4 ounces) butter (semi-soft)

¼ c. full-fat sour cream
3-4 tbsp. cold water

            For the glaze:  beaten yolk from 1 egg

Filling:
2 c. blueberries
3-4 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon

Directions

Pastry:

Combine the flour, xanthum gum, lemon rind, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter (using a pastry cutter or two knives) until it is about the size of peas. Add the sour cream and maple syrup and blend in. Add cold water a little at a time until the dough holds together (but is not sticky-gooey). Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes before rolling it out.

Filling:

Combine the cornstarch with the lemon juice until it is all dissolved. Add the honey (or maple syrup if you prefer). Stir together and set aside. Wash and de-stem blueberries. Set them aside separate from the lemon juice mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Assembly:  Roll the dough out on a large cutting board covered with a piece of parchment paper. Roll to about ¼-inch of thickness, or about 14 inches across. Put the blueberries in the center of the circle of dough, leaving about 2 inches of border all the way around. Fold the dough up over the berries all the way around to contain them within the middle of the galette. Pinch the dough as needed to seal the blueberries in the center. Dust excess flour and dough from around the edges of the galette. Separate the egg yolk from the white, put a drop of water in the yolk, and brush the dough with egg yolk. Lift the parchment containing the galette and place it on a cookie sheet. Pour the lemon juice, cornstarch, and honey mixture evenly into the middle of the galette to coat the blueberries. Put it immediately into the oven (before the wet ingredients soak the dough) and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Upon removal from the oven, allow the galette to cool for 5 minutes and then slide it off onto a plate for serving.

If you eat wheat, you can make a traditional whole wheat crust rather than the gluten-free version. It will be easier to work with, but just follow the same directions.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!