Ice Cream

It has been hot here this week! Jim's work is not air-conditioned, so when he came home the other night, he told me that he wanted me to go buy and ice cream maker. We had been given one as a wedding gift, but after a few years, something cracked, and salt was getting into the ice cream, so we had to throw it out. I started checking prices and realized that I could get an ice cream maker that didn't require ice and rock salt if I spent just a little more money. Some of them were actually cheaper! After thinking about my options and reading reviews, I decided to buy the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker. I liked that it was not another whole machine - just a bowl and a few small pieces. The bowl has liquid in its walls, and it has to go in the freezer for at least 15 hours before it is used. There is a small adapter piece that fits on the motor head, and then there is the dasher, which stands upright in the bottom of the bowl. The adapter clicks into the top of the dasher, when the mixer head is lowered. Once the mixer is running, I just had to pour my prepared ice cream mixture into the bowl, and about 10-20 minutes later, the ice cream was done!

We have used our new ice cream maker twice already this week! On Wednesday, I made Nutella ice cream. It froze up very quickly, and it had a good taste, but Jim and I thought it had a waxy texture.

Yesterday, I made strawberry sorbet. It was delicious! This is the recipe I used.

Strawberry Sorbet

2 1/2 cups strawberries (I used frozen.)

2 T water

1 T lime juice

3/4 cup simple syrup - see below

Using a food processor or blender, puree strawberries and water. Add lime juice to the strawberry puree and refrigerate several hours, until chilled.

Make simple syrup. In a small saucepan, place 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Over medium high heat, stir sugar and water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar completely. Remove pan from heat and place in an ice bath. Chill in refrigerator.

After both mixtures are completely chilled, mix them together. Start the ice cream maker, and pour mixture into the bowl. (It is much easier to do this neatly if your container has a spout!) Mix for 7-10 minutes. This sorbet can be eaten immediately or frozen for a couple of hours to harden, depending on your preference. This recipe makes about 1 quart of sorbet.

If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, and you are wanting an ice cream maker, I highly recommend this one. We are enjoying it, and it is very easy to use!