Gotta clean out the freezer, I said to myself.
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Latest attempt at a basic vanilla, this time using Trader Joe’s vanilla paste rather than extract.
I followed the corn starch thicker recipe from Ask The Ice Cream Queen
Rather than add the extract at the churning stage, I added the paste in two doses, one tablespoon with the sugar and milk, which gets gently heated til everything is dissolved, the briefly brought to a boil before pouring over the cornstarch slurry. Once that’s all mixed and beginning to thicken, I add the heavy cream and the remaining tablespoon of paste, whisk well to dissolve, and then let the mixture cool on the counter for 20 min or so before going into the fridge to chill.
Churn as normal the next day. Perfect texture. Nice and smooth, very creamy, still VERY scoopable even after several days in the freezer.
Now I just need to find better containers. Deli pints and quarts are fine, as are those semi-disposable glad/ziplock ones, but it seems prolonged cold leads to much more brittle plastic. They’re not expensive, so it’s hardly a serious problem, but I’d like to find a better, reusable, solution.
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The flavor of the vanilla paste was a SIGNIFICANT upgrade from the extract. Nice, rounded flavor without that boozy aftertaste.
It also doesn’t discolor the final product as much. And I like the little specks.
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Literally just scooped some homemade ice cream out of a glasslock container. I love these things for ice cream.
Before I started using these, I used fairly heavy-duty Rubbermaid containers. These are better.
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Showing me this made me actually smack my own head🤦♂️
We have a bunch of these, in several sizes. They’re tucked in a cabinet that I seldom go to, and thus ignored when looking for candidates.
I have one in the freezer now so it won’t melt stuff right out of the machine. Sorbet will be churned after lunch.
Thanks!
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Today I made a small batch of strawberry sorbet with some of last years frozen seedless puree. I added just a little sugar, a squeeze of lemon, and a teaspoon of raspberry brandy. This came out quite tasty, but I should have made a bigger batch. 
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Yes, you should have made a bigger batch. I don’t think you could have made it any prettier!
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Sweet Cream Ice Cream
I’ve been curious about this ice cream “flavor” since I saw it on TV–“America’s Test Kitchen”. It’s just heavy cream, milk, and sugar.
NO vanilla or nutmeg or Nilla wafers or nuthin’ –
some light corn syrup and cornstarch for texture.
So, I love the richness, in the way that I like clotted cream. But haha it is a little bland after the first 7 large mouthfuls 
Don’t think I’d do it again, but it would be a great base for other flavors, or plopped on any strongly/ brightly flavored dessert.
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I’m not sure I’ve ever had plain ice cream without vanilla…
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Sweet cream is the American equivalent of fior di latte gelato (that has more milk than cream, and no corn syrup or corn starch in the base version), which I adore, but is rarely available near me. Because there are no external flavorings, the flavor of the milk and cream used can make of a difference.
It is often found with scant other mix-ins like chocolate chips (aka straciatella) or seasonal fruit, so you could add something like that if you’re finding it too plain as is.
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This is a case where I’d go for the local organic glass bottle small producer milk and cream. If it’s the ONLY real flavor in the dish, it makes sense to spring for the good stuff.
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It didn’t sound like the flavor of the cream was the issue, rather that there was no flavor other than the cream.
I LOVE Bravetart’s recipe for Stracciatella and make it each summer. https://www.seriouseats.com/stracciatella-gelato-sweet-cream-chocolate-chip
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Sweet cream was my favourite flavour from Greg’s ice cream in Toronto. I miss that place. The flavour was so fresh and creamy and enhanced anything it was served with, though I mostly enjoyed it plain.
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Be careful storing it. Because the flavor is just the cream without anything else, it can be a magnet for any other stray smells/flavors that might be migrating about in your freezer!
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Actually, I’m making a pan of gingerbread to go with it this afternoon – the two can then perfume each other.
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YUM. That sounds great.
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Perfect!
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