I scream, you scream....

Homemade ice cream. Is there anything so delicious? I don't think there is. And it couldn't be simpler. All you need is this:


Oh yeah, and one of these.


Don't have one? I didn't either. But you can always "borrow" one from your friend's roommate and never give it back until she just buys a new one and lets you keep it. That's what I did. Thanks Elana, Cody and Aurora! I love my ice cream maker.

Here's my recipe, adapted from Emeril (shudder, I know - but it's good ice cream).

Basic Ice Cream Base:
1 quart half and half
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
vanilla extract (or if you're feeling decadent, a vanilla bean. But those are expensive and I'm cheap)

1. Pour the half and half into a large saucepan with the sugar. Heat it over medium heat and stir it so that the sugar doesn't stick together.


2. Crack the egg yolks into a bowl. See the pretty colors? That's because they're not lame supermarket eggs. I wanted the kind from the Farmer's Market, but they were all sold out. But these are good too.


Beat them! Sing a little song while you do it.


3. Take about one cup of the hot half and half mixture and mix it into the egg yolks. This is so the eggs won't curdle when you add them to the liquid. Curdling is bad, like scrambled eggs in your ice cream. Blech.


4. Add the egg mixture to the pan and stir it. Don't let the eggs curdle. Turn down the heat if you're worried. Add some vanilla.


5. When the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, pour it into a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap. The plastic should touch the mixture. That way, there won't be a weird filmy thing on the top when you take it out.


6. Put it in the fridge and let it cool completely. Then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

After it's cooled completely but before you freeze it, you can add things to it, like chocolate chips, fruit, etc. I grated a chocolate bar in my food processor and mixed it in. However, I forgot to take pictures. Whoops!


Here's the ice cream with my chocolate flan (or flake, as Meredith would say). I promise I'll do the recipe for that one soon. It's something for you to look forward to! I'd give you a piece, but Zack ate the rest of it last night. Maybe next time.....