Don’t skimp on the ingredients when creating homemade ice cream

Libby Lovig loves to make homemade ice cream, and despite the fact that she's a registered dietitian, she doesn't scrimp on the fat.

"When I make ice cream, I use heavy whipping cream," said Lovig, Nevada vice president of the Utah /Nevada Dairy Council. "It doesn't make it the healthiest, but it does make it awfully tasty."

Lovig concedes that low-fat milk can be used, but she likes her ice cream on the rich side. Of course, she qualifies that.

"I don't eat it all at once," she said. "I eat it in moderation."

Lovig makes her ice cream with an old hand-cranked device that was owned by her parents.

"It's an antique, but there's a certain nostalgia for me about hand-cranking ice cream," she said.

But you can have your homemade ice cream without having to work so hard, using more modern, easier methods. Robin McGhee, store manager of Sur La Table at the Miracle Mile Shops, said ice-cream makers are popular items at this time of year, and the two biggest sellers currently are a Cuisinart model that sells for $49.95 and a Kitchen Aid mixer attachment priced at $79.95.

The Cuisinart, McGhee said, is the more popular of the two and comes in five colors.

"It comes with an ice-cream freezer bowl you put right in your freezer," she said. "You mix the ingredients, pour them in and add the paddle, turn it on and 25 minutes later you have ice cream."

Not everybody is as enthusiastic.

"I believe there is no good residential ice-cream machine," said Jean-Philippe Maury, executive pastry chef of Aria and Jean Philippe Patisserie at both Aria and Bellagio. "You're not going to get the same texture with a home machine" as, well, one that costs $60,000 or so.

But then again, there's that perspective thing to consider.

"You get a better consistency and flavor in what you're making than the store-bought" ice cream, McGhee said.

Maury said for home use, he'd suggest a parfait glace, something also recommended by Kimberly Valdez, pastry chef of SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas.

"It doesn't involve any spinning of the ice cream," Valdez said. "You cook your egg yolks and fold in your whipped cream. You can add citrus or strawberries or whatever you want to it. You freeze it and when you pull it from the freezer it's so nice and soft."

Maury, Valdez and Jenifer Fournier, pastry chef at Alex and Stratta at Wynn Las Vegas, all stressed using the best quality ingredients available, no matter which method you use.

"Seasonality -- seasonal ingredients -- I really think that's the best," Fournier said. "Peaches at this time of year would be perfect. You could add poppy seeds to it. You could add whatever you want."

Fournier stressed, however, keeping things simple, without too many ingredients.

She also said it's important to balance the fat content.

"You have to be really careful because the fat coagulates and freezes up before the rest of it, so then you have these little fatty pieces in it," Fournier said. "White chocolate's really easy to mess up doing that."

Valdez suggested adding crushed cookies or candies for texture.

"I love doing that kind of stuff -- just making it a little bit fuller by adding some cool product to it, which can be cookies that you just made," she said. "By folding those into it, I think it just adds another dynamic.

"Being creative, using different types of crunchy brittle -- things like that -- definitely makes it a little more interesting."

SIMPLE VANILLA ICE CREAM

1½ cups whole milk

1 1/8 cups granulated sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Process in ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Makes about 2 quarts.

-- Recipe adapted from Cuisinart

SOUR CREAM ICE CREAM

3 cups sugar

3 cups water

6 cups sour cream

1 vanilla bean

To make simple syrup, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. While still hot, pour over sour cream and vanilla bean. Whisk until mixed thoroughly, then strain through a fine-meshed strainer. Cool and process in ice-cream machine, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes about 2 quarts.

-- Recipe from Jenifer Fournier, Wynn Las Vegas

VANILLA PARFAIT

9 egg yolks

1 1/3 cups sugar

½ cup water

3 cups cream

2 vanilla beans

Other ingredients as desired (see note)

Place egg yolks in stand mixer; mix sugar and water in small saucepan and heat to 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, brushing down sides of pan with a pastry brush to prevent burning.

Pour cooked sugar into egg yolks while whipping on low to medium speed. When mixture is cool, remove from mixer and whip cream and vanilla beans to firm peaks. Then fold into egg mixture; the mixture should be soft and pourable. Place in serving glasses or a container and freeze.

Serve frozen; the parfait should be soft and creamy.

Note: Before freezing, you can fold in citrus zest or fresh or sauteed fruit.

Makes about 2 quarts.

-- Recipe from Kimberly Valdez, Wynn Las Vegas

ICE CREAM IN A BAG

1 gallon-sized zip-closed plastic food storage bag

Ice cubes

6 tablespoons rock salt

1 pint-sized zip-closed plastic food storage bag

1 cup milk or half-and-half

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon sugar

Fill the gallon-sized bag half-full of ice and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.

Put milk or half-and-half, vanilla and sugar into the small bag and seal it.

Place the small bag inside the large one and again seal it carefully. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.

Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully.

Note: This is a great summer project for the kids.

Makes about 1 cup.

-- Recipe from the Utah/Nevada Dairy Council

CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

1 pound (about 2 cups) creme fraîche

2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1¼ cups sugar

In a blender, blend together all ingredients, scraping down sides until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Chill until cold and freeze in an ice-cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes about 1 quart.

-- Recipe from Gourmet magazine

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.