Fresh Banana & Cinnamon Ice Cream

I'm here for my obligatory yearly blog post. ;)

I had a lot of ripe bananas, 11 to be exact. Hot weather is ice cream weather, although today we decided to take a hot weather break before we hit the triple digits again. I thought this would be a perfect way to use up some of those ripe bananas and I'm very pleased with the result.

Fresh Banana & Cinnamon Ice Cream

6 large very ripe bananas
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mild flavored honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch sea salt

1. With a mixer, mash bananas on low until almost smooth.
2. Add in the other ingredients and mix on low until well combined.
3. Pour into ice cream maker and process for 30 - 40 minutes or until thick.
4. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm.

It looks like baby food, but I promise it doesn't taste like baby food!

Vanilla Peach Frozen Yogurt

Simple to make, light and refreshing.


Vanilla Peach Frozen Yogurt

32 ounces (4 cups) plain whole milk yogurt (don't use non-fat or low-fat)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 medium yellow peaches, diced

1. Mix together the yogurt, sugar and vanilla extract.
2. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart or larger ice cream machine.
3. Churn for 30 - 35 minutes until the mixture is a soft serve consistency.
4. Stir in the peaches.
5. Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze for several hours until semi- firm.

Mango Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Mango Vanilla Bean Ice Cream


4 large, ripe mangos
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoons vanilla bean paste
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of fine grain sea salt

1. In a food processor, puree the mango pulp until very smooth.

2. Strain the pureed mango through a mesh strainer to remove any fibers.

3. Pour the mango puree back into the food processor and add in the cream, sugar, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and salt. Puree until smooth.

4. Pour into a container and chill in the refrigerator until cold, about an hour.

5. Pour into a 1 ½ quart or larger ice cream maker and churn until a firm soft serve, 30-35 minutes.

6. Pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.

Lemon Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream

This ice cream is lovely. Creamy, tart and refreshing.

Lemon Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream

For the ice cream:

Juice from 4 lemons (about 1 cup)
zest from 1/2 a lemon
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a hand mixer or immersion blender until well blended.
2. Chill completely in the refrigerator.
3. Churn until it's a soft serve consistency. (It took 25 minutes in my machine)

While the ice cream processing, make the blackberry sauce:

1/2 pint fresh blackberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Puree the blackberries and sugar in a blender or use an immersion blender.
2. Push the blackberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve using the back of a spoon into a small bowl to remove all the seeds and pulp.
3. Put the sauce into the freezer to chill while the ice cream is churning.

Once the ice cream is done, drizzle 1/4th of the blackberry sauce into the bottom of a freezer safe container. Top with 1/3 of the ice cream. Drizzle another 1/4th blackberry sauce on top of the ice cream and swirl with a knife. Repeat two more times. Freeze the ice cream until firm.

Caramelized Pineapple Ice Cream

This was eaten before I could take a picture!

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 can pineapple tidbits, juice drained and reserved
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half & half
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and drained pineapple tidbits. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until all the brown sugar is absorbed and the pineapple is a dark golden brown color. Chill.
2. Combine the other 1/4 cup brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, agave nectar, cream, half & half and salt. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Chill.
3. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the cream mixture into the maker. Churn until it's a firm soft-serve.
4. When it's done churning pour the caramelized pineapple into the machine and let it mix.
5. Put into a container and freeze until firm.

My Conclusion~

Yum! This was really good. I loved the pineapple flavor in the ice cream from the juice and the pieces of pineapple. The only thing that I would do differently would be to use 2 cups of cream instead of the cream and half & half. I think it would be even better if it were a little more dense.

Reviews~

Mr. Brown Chick - Really good!

Tween Chick - Didn't like it.

Little Chick - Likes it.

Baby Chick - Like it.

Black Cherry Sorbet

I've been wanting to make sorbet for a while, but was afraid it would be too icy without something to help inhibit ice crystals from forming. Corn syrup won't crystallize and that is why it's used in almost all commercial ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, etc. It keeps the product soft after freezing and gives it a smooth texture. However, I do not want to use corn syrup, so I was searching for another product. Yellow Chick suggested that I try blue agave nectar in place of corn syrup. I found out through research that blue agave nectar will not crystallize, plus it's all natural and has a low glycemic index, so I decided to give it a try.

Black Cherry Sorbet ~

2 1/2 cups black cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted

2 cups 100% black cherry juice (I found this at Fresh & Easy)

1/2 cup blue agave nectar

1/8 cup lemon juice

1. In a food processor or blender, blend together all the ingredients.
2. Chill in the refrigerator until very cold.
3. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture in.
4. Churn until it's soft but holds it's shape.
5. Freeze until firm.

My Conclusion ~

It has a sweet taste, almost too sweet. It would be better if it were more tart. I'd also like a more intense cherry flavor, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that. Next time I'll add a lot more lemon juice, as black cherries tend to be very sweet. That would probably help with the overall taste. I over processed it as well, resulting in a fluffy texture (you can see that in the picture) which I don't really care for. I churned it for 30 minutes when I should have stopped at 20 minutes. The good news is that the agave nectar seems to have done the trick. It's soft enough to scoop right out of the container. It was okay, but nothing great.

Reviews ~

Only Little Chick & Toddler Chick would taste it and they both liked it.

(canned) Peach Sorbet

Unfortunately, Mr. Yellow Chick borrowed my camera and hasn't returned it... he's asleep so I can't ask him where it is. I'll take a picture tomorrow. :)

~Ingredients~

2 - 15 ounce cans peaches in pear juice
1/4 cup sugar
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
Pinch of Salt

~Directions~

1. Puree peaches in a blender - don't overdo it, you don't want to whip a lot of air into it, and having some "peach bits" in the sorbet is just fine.
2. Add other ingredients and pulse to combine.
3. Process in ice cream machine until a soft-serve consistency is reached.
4. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm.

~Conclusion~

I probably should have chilled the mixture - I completely forgot until it was already processing and I realized if it had been chilled it probably would have set up to a firmer soft serve.

~Reviews~

Yellow Chick: Simple, easy, tasty, and refreshing. :) This would be very nice on a hot summer day.
Mr. Yellow Chick: He's asleep, so I'll have to ask him tomorrow...

Orange & Vanilla Ice Cream

~Ingredients ~

1 Cup Orange Juice Concentrate

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Half and Half

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Sugar

Pinch of Salt

~ Directions~

1. Combine all ingredients until well combined.

2. Process in Ice Cream maker until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.

3. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until firm.

~ Conclusion ~

It was too strong tasting... almost bitter. I should have used 2 cups of cream. And I think it could have used a bit more sugar as well.

~ Reviews ~

Mr. Yellow Chick: Doesn't like it - but he's sure someone else would. (Ha!)

Mrs. Yellow Chick: It's just too strong - it needs to be sweeter, and less powerful.

Fresh Bananas

Fresh Banana Ice Cream~

3 very ripe bananas

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half & half

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon banana flavoring

1. In a medium bowl, use an immersion blender to puree the bananas.

2. Add lemon juice and blend well.
3. Add in the cream and half & half and blend well.

4. Add sugar and banana flavoring and blend until sugar is dissolved.

5. Put into the refrigerator until well chilled.

6. Turn your ice cream maker on and pour the mixture into it.

7. Churn until the mixture is a firm soft-serve.

8. Put into a container and freezer several hours until firm.

My Conclusion~

Smooth and creamy. I think it needs more banana flavor and some vanilla to balance it out. I would probably add another teaspoon of the banana flavoring as well as a teaspoon of vanilla. Maybe a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors as well.

Reviews~

Mr. Brown Chick: "Tastes like frozen bananas."

Tween: "I don't want to try it, I don't like bananas that much."

Little Chick: "I totally love it!"

Baby Chick: Tasted it and wanted more. Enough said!

Blueberries!

This ice cream picture looks nasty. I made this ice cream twice, and both times my freezer quit working, the ice cream melted and then re-froze. I don't think that my freezer likes blueberry ice cream! It was a beautiful, creamy purple color before it melted. I hope that this doesn't make you gag! I just couldn't post without a picture.

Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream~

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half & half
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1. In a food processor, puree the blueberries.
2. Pour blueberries into a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Push the blueberry puree into the bowl to strain the seeds out.
3. In the bowl, add the cream, half & half and sugar with the blueberry puree.
4. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
5. Pour into your ice cream maker.
6. Churn for 30 minutes or until it's a firm soft-serve consistency.
7. Put into a container and freeze until firm.

My Conclusion ~

Creamy, refreshing flavor. Easy to scoop. Has a really great fresh blueberry taste.

Reviews ~

Mr. Brown Chick: Loves it, it's very creamy.

Tween Chick: Doesn't like blueberries, won't try it.

Young Chick: Loves it's! Yummmmmm...

Baby Chick: Gobbles it up.

Blackberry Sorbet

~ Ingredients ~

4 cups fresh blackberries

Slightly less than 1 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 tsps fresh lemon juice

~ Direction ~

1. Rinse the blackberries under cool water pour onto paper towels to dry.

If you're picking fresh blackberries like I did, you might find you have a lot of "blackberry fuzz" with your berries. Place the blackberries in a 2 quart bowl. Fill with water and stir berries with your hand to allow the "fuzz" to float to the top. Carefully pour the water out of the bowl. a lot of the "fuzz" will stick the sides - wipe it off, and repeat the rinsing 2-3 more times.

2. Puree blackberries, water, and sugar in a blender until smooth.

3. Strain puree to remove seeds.

4. Add lemon juice and pinch of salt to the puree and mix well.

5. Chill mixture.
6. Add to ice cream maker and process until it reaches a soft serve consistency.

7. Transfer to container and freeze.

~ Conclusion ~

My FAVORITE so far! The fresh blackberry taste is to die for! I will definitely make this again, and I wouldn't change a thing. This was ready for the freezer in just 10 minutes - and it didn't get too much air whipped into it like my other ice creams have, so I was very happy. It's nice and "solid", but still smooth. I hope it doesn't get too icy in the freezer. I saw several notes online which indicate a little alcohol in the sorbet will keep it from becoming icy, but I don't drink alcohol, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up if it develops ice crystals.

~ Reviews ~

Yellow Chick: I LOVE it - wouldn't change a thing!

Mr. Yellow Chick: He loves it too!

Fresh Cherry Ice Cream

Fresh Cherry Ice Cream

3 1/2 cups cherries, with the pits removed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Cut the cherries in half and removed the pits.

2. Combine cherries and sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth.

3. Add cream to ice cream maker.

4. Start the ice cream maker and pour the cherry puree into the cream.

5. Churn for 20-30 minutes or until a firm soft-serve consistency.

6. Put into a freezer safe container and freeze for several hours.

My Conclusion

I started out by just copying Brown Chick's plum ice cream exactly, except for the cherries vs. plums of course. It turned out the cherries were much sweeter than the plums, so it was far too sweet. I added an additional 1 1/2 cups of cherries, and that balanced it fairly well, but I would probably use even less sugar if I did it again.

Reviews

Yellow Chick: I think it's pretty tasty, but could be a little more tart and a little less fluffy.
Mr. Yellow Chick: He liked the flavor a lot, but doesn't like how fluffy my ice cream always seems to turn out.

Red Plum Ice Cream

Six years ago we planted two plum trees in our backyard. We thought that they were ornamental plum trees and would never produce. A couple of years later we noticed very small plums growing. Every year they have gotten larger and now they are big enough to eat. We can't remember what kind of plum they are unfortunately. They are fairly small, about 1/4 of the size of a normal plum. The plums are very dark red on the outside and dark red on the inside. They have a nice, tart flavor but not too tart. I decided to make ice cream using them, and here is the result.

Red Plum Ice Cream ~

2 cups small red plums, halved with the pits removed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Cut the plums in half and removed the pits.

2. Combine plums and sugar in a food processor. Puree until smooth. There will be a little skin left, but not much.

3. Add cream to 1 1/2 quart or larger ice cream maker.

4. Start the ice cream maker and slowly pour the plum puree into the cream.

5. Churn for 35 minutes or until a firm soft-serve consistency.

6. Put into a freezer safe container and freeze for several hours.

My Conclusion ~

This turned out better than I expected. The ice cream is a pretty pink color. It's very light and creamy, tart and refreshing. I think the level of sweetness is perfect. I want to eat the whole container! This is my favorite ice cream by a mile. It's that good! It also stayed soft enough to scoop after being frozen. It was good to the last bite.

Reviews ~

Mr. Brown Chick: "The levels of tartness and sweetness are perfect. It's really good."

Tween Chick: Doesn't like it because she doesn't like plums.

Little Chick: "Mmm...this tastes so good."

Baby Chick: Took a taste and wanted more.

My Review Of Caramel Apple Ice Cream

Last week I made Yellow Chick's Caramel Apple Ice Cream.

My Conclusion~

When I put the ingredients together, it didn't taste sweet enough, so I added 1/4 a cup of granulated sugar. But the end result still wasn't sweet enough for me. I would probably add another 1/4 cup of sugar to it. I also added just a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors. I used a whole can of the caramel. I like a lot of caramel. I think it could use some more, maybe two whole cans. It didn't taste very apple-like to me. I used Langer's frozen apple juice concentrate. I wonder if there was a difference in sweetness/apple taste between that brand and the brand that Yellow Chick used. There was a definite buttery taste, which I like. The texture was good, a little icy (probably from the apple juice), but that wasn't a big deal. Even after it was frozen it was easy to scoop. If I make it again I'll try to find a way to infuse more apple flavor into it. Maybe some apple pieces? If you have any suggestions, let me know, I'm all ears!

Mr. Brown Chick: Thought it could use even more caramel. Likes it.

Tween Chick: Doesn't like caramel and apple together, so she only tasted it and didn't like it.

Little Chick: "Yum!" Ate it every day until it was gone. Whined when it was gone.

Baby Chick: Likes it.

Caramel Apple Ice Cream

Caramel:

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1. Remove label from can of sweetened condensed milk.
2. Place unopened can in a small saucepan.
3. Fill pan with water to within about 2 1/2" of the top.
4. Cover pan and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to maintain a slow boil, and cook for approximately 2 hours.
6. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Ice Cream:

12 oz Frozen Concentrated Apple Juice
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 Cup Milk (I used whole milk, because that's what I had, but any type should work)

1. Whisk together Apple Juice Concentrate, Cream, and Milk.
2. Assemble and start ice cream maker.
3. Slowly poor mixture into the ice cream maker.
4. Churn for 20-30 minutes until the ice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency (I churned mine for just over 20 minutes).

Swirl the Caramel:
1. Scoop a layer of ice cream into the freezer container.
2. Spoon a small amount of caramel over the ice cream in the freezer container.
3. Use a knife to "swirl" the caramel through the ice cream.
4. Repeat layers, adding desired amount of caramel until all the ice cream is in your container.
5. Freeze.

Conclusion:

Tastes just like a caramel apple! Even Mr. Yellow Chick agrees. I should have put more caramel in the ice cream to begin with, but since I had extra I just put more on top when I dished it up. The ice cream turned out pretty fluffy, I think even the slowest speed of my KitchenAid is a bit faster than ideal to make ice cream... so the cream got a lot of air whipped into it. Because of how much air was whipped in, it seemed a little "crumbly" when dishing it up, but I don't think that changed the taste.

Reviews:

Yellow Chick: I love it! Tastes just like a caramel apple!

Mr. Yellow Chick: "It's Delicious!" And he agreed that it tastes just like a caramel apple.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream ~

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups 1% milk

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

pinch of salt

1 cup chopped/slightly mashed fresh strawberries

1. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn starch and salt. Stir to combine.

2. Add in the cream and milk. Whisk until well blended and the sugar and corn starch are dissolved into the milk.

3. Over medium-high heat, cook the base until it just starts to boil, stirring continually with a whisk so that it doesn't burn.

4. Pour into a bowl and chill in the fridge or freezer, stirring often until cold.

5. Using a food processor, process strawberries until chopped/slightly mashed.

6. Pour ice cream base into a 1 1/2 quart or larger ice cream maker.

7. Turn machine on and immediately pour the strawberries into the machine with the ice cream base.

8. Process about 45 minutes until mixture is cold and like soft serve.

9. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.

Conclusion:

The base is really creamy and sweet. It's perfect by itself. The only thing that I would change (Yellow Chick and I agree on this) is pureeing the strawberries, adding a little bit of sugar and letting it sit for a while before adding it to the ice cream. I think that the finished product would be creamier and less icy. Adding the strawberries in a chopped/crushed state left some bigger pieces which made the ice cream get a bit too icy when you freeze it in the freezer. It's not a big deal, but I think it could be slightly better.

Reviews:

Yellow Chick: Loved it - At least I think she did from the expression on her face when she was eating it.

Mr. Brown Chick: Loved it - Had a heavenly look on his face while eating it.

Tween Chick: Doesn't like strawberry ice cream and wouldn't try it.

Little Chick: "Oh my gosh! This is SO good!"

Baby Chick: Didn't try it (yet).