Cornstarch Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup(s) light cream, half-and-half or milk (whole or skim)
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 1/16 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 3 tablespoon(s) cornstarch

Preparation

1. 1. Put 2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. If using a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into liquid, then add pod. Cook until mixture begins to steam.


2. 2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining cream, half-and-half or milk; there should be no lumps. Remove bean pod from pot and discard. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in vanilla extract, if using.


3. 3. If mixture has lumps, strain it into a bowl. Chill until cool, a couple of hours (you can skip this step if you have a machine with a built-in freezer). When cool or if there are no lumps, pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.


4. Yield: 1 generous pint.


5. Honey-Jam Variation Substitute honey for half the sugar. Add 1/2 cup good jam to mixture before freezing.


6. Buttermilk or Yogurt Substitute buttermilk or yogurt for half the cream or milk.


7. Cherry-Vanilla Add 1 cup halved, pitted cherries just before freezing.


8. Strawberry, Blueberry or Peach Add 1 cup hulled, sliced strawberries, blueberries, or peeled and chopped peaches before freezing.


9. Coffee Substitute 1/2 cup very strong coffee for 1/2 cup cream or milk.


10. Coconut Substitute 1 cup coconut milk for 1 cup cream or milk; add 1/2 cup toasted dried coconut if you like.


11. Mint Chocolate Chip Add 1/2 cup minced mint and 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate just before freezing.