Too soft first thing in the morning...
Ice Cream has been my Achilles’ Heel. I’m not sure if that’s the correct comparison but the first time I made ice cream was Dorie’s Honey Peach Ice Cream. Sure it looked fantastic, but the taste. Bleah. It ended up having a filmy feel to it. When I washed the spoon I tasted it with, it felt like washing butter off the spoon. Is homemade ice cream supposed to taste like that? I don’t think so. So when I saw the Vanilla Ice Cream pick, I approached it very cautiously. I even thought of skipping it this week. I procrastinated until the last minute and finally made the custard last night. I woke up early this morning to put the custard in the ice cream maker. (I hope I didn’t wake the neighbors – who knew the ice cream machine maker would be noisy? I didn’t remember that part…sorry neighbors!) And look, my post is late in the day because I feel soo ambivalent about it.
Everything went according to plan. I even used the Playing Around section for once and decided to make Cinnamon Ice Cream, being that I love everything cinnamon and all. 1 T of cinnamon is a LOT of cinnamon, even for a cinnamon lover like me! The egg mixture was pretty brown and I was wondering if my cinnamon/vanilla ice cream would end up looking like mud.
Of course I had problems with the custard. I overcooked it. Sheesh. I totally forgot to get a new instant read thermometer so had to rely on my eyes to see when the custard would coat the spoon. Did I tell you that I have very bad eyesight? Even with my contacts in, I couldn’t spot it soon enough so I ended up with lumpy custard. I was hoping the ice cream maker would make it nice and lumpless…
Well, it looked like ice cream when the maker was done with it. But so did the Honey Peach Ice Cream and look how that turned out! I took a small taste because Cinnamon Ice Cream early in the morning is too much even for me. And I could swear that there was a filmy taste to it. I’ll find out for sure later tonight but I’m not hopeful. What am I doing WRONG?? I know it must be my lack of custard making skills, but PLEASE, isn’t there an ice cream recipe that doesn’t require a custard base? PLEASE? So far I’m 0 for 2 and soo sad because I LOVE ice cream! I haven’t purchased The Perfect Scoop because I don’t want to keep making throw-away ice cream! HELP!
UPDATE: I tried the Cinnamon Ice Cream for dessert last night. And there was a little film left on the spoon but there wasn’t a filmy taste left in my mouth! Amazing. So it appears that I did improve a little with this ice cream, but not enough! I don’t want any film period! =) There’s hope yet!
Last Week: Raspberry Blanc-Manger
Next Week: Classic Banana Bundt Cake
LA's In The Kitchen 
Posted by pampinnav on July 28, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I made the cinnamon too. I was also a little leery about the amount of cinnamon called for in the recipe, so I may have dumped in just a hair less. I have noticed that there is a little film on my spoon from my first bite. But as my ice cream softens, it goes away. Perfect Scoop has several recipes for Philadelphia style ice cream, which doesn’t call for eggs at all. Try it out from the library before you buy it. He also has some fabulous looking and sounding toppings and mix-ins! Better luck next time! Don’t give up!
Posted by Margot on July 28, 2009 at 7:56 pm
It’s funny, it didn’t occur to me to try any of the variations and I keep seeing all this yummy cinnamon ice cream. Sorry about your custard problems; I find that they cook way quicker than you think they will. This one was exceptionally fast, though.
Do you have a Cuisinart ice cream maker? Mine came with a booklet that has some non-custard variations; I made the vanilla from that all the time until I discovered David Lebovitz’s Philadelphia-style vanilla, which is also non-cook. The Perfect Scoop does have some non-custard ice creams (and lots of yummy sorbets), so I would definitely recommend it. And this non-cook ice cream from My Baking Adventures is great (and easy, my boyfriend actually made it): http://mybakingadventures.com/2009/07/20/the-weekly-scoop-11-mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/
Posted by Katrina on July 29, 2009 at 11:36 am
I don’t know why you’re having problems (although I’ve learned that custard is tricky, too!), but your cinnamon ice cream looks great! Glad it’s better than the last one.
Posted by pampinnav on July 29, 2009 at 11:46 am
You’re welcome! Yes, please come visit me at http://cookieswithboys.blogspot.com/
I’m glad you liked the ice cream when you tried it again. Good luck!! “See” you soon.
Pam
Posted by Ashley on July 29, 2009 at 11:58 am
Ohh yours looks great too! I haven’t been home to taste mine since it’s been in the freezer, so I’m dying to try it!
Posted by Clivia on July 29, 2009 at 2:21 pm
If you go to amazon.com and look up the Ben & Jerry’s cookbook, you can open the book and see their vanilla recipe on the first page. No cooking required. I’ve made it and it’s excellent.
I’m glad your improved over last time. Don’t give up. Homemade is the best.
Posted by Kayte on July 30, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Cinnamon…need to check that version out soon, decorate it with some of those little red cinnamon heart shaped hotty candy things, etc. Your ice cream looks perfect, and perfecly delicious. I know what you mean about the filmy taste…hard to explain, but like it isn’t quite a clean taste, like a yogurt or a sorbet always finishe off with your tongue feeling clean…that probably doesn’t explain it any better. I think, personally, it’s the extra fat from the cream, the eggs, etc. I liked it, but I do know what you mean.
Posted by Jill on July 30, 2009 at 3:28 pm
It looks very tasty in the photo! I get the “film” thing with homemade ice cream too. I assume it’s all the cream, but I don’t know for sure. Maybe it’s the cooked custard?
I’ve been using my ice cream maker to make fruit sorbets. OK, not the same as ice cream, but they’re good and no cooking and no film.
Posted by fit chick on July 30, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Yummy looking cinnamon ice cream!!! Mine didn’t have a filmy feel, but maybe it’s because of using full fat dairy in it. Great job and glad your are getting better with ice cream, LOL. Glad you enjoyed Wholesome Choice, Sprouts at the Village on Tustin opens tomorrow.
Posted by Cathy on July 30, 2009 at 8:42 pm
It definitely sounds like you are moving in the right direction re: film. I had the same problem with you with the honey peach! I probably cooked that custard about 30 minutes trying to hit the right temperature, and this time abandoned the thermometer in favor of the spoon test (of course it does help to be able to see the spoon! 🙂 But I second Pamela – David Lebovitz’s Philadelphia style vanilla is so good there is almost no reason to mess with eggs. Your cinnamon ice cream looks incredible anyway!
Posted by Kim on July 31, 2009 at 6:54 am
Sorry you had custard problems. It looks wonderful though. I would never of thought to make cinnamon ice cream. Glad it tasted okay after all that work.
Posted by Holly on July 31, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I really think I want to make the Cinnamon version next time – it looks and sounds heavenly! I’m not gonna lie – I almost never cook custard the amount it says to since altitudes can affect that. I just always go with the spoon test and it hasn’t failed me yet. I still think your ice cream looks awesome!
Posted by Carol Peterman on July 31, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I think the lack of a film in my mouth and on the spoon is why I like ice milk so much.
Posted by Michele on August 1, 2009 at 12:54 am
I love cinnamon and your ice cream looks delicious!
Posted by Marthe on August 1, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I see we had the same genious idea of making cinnamon vanilla ice cream 😉
To my taste the ice cream was just a tad too sweet (I never thought those words would come out of my mouth as I have a major sweet tooth), but still liked it loads!
Posted by sara on August 3, 2009 at 7:37 am
That is so weird that you are getting filminess in your ice cream. I can’t imagine why. Well, at least there was improvement from the honey peach, which wasn’t my favorite either. The cinnamon sounds interesting, I contemplated doing it but decided to be safe with the vanilla.Your picture looks great – just some ice cream in a bowl – that’s the way it should be.
Posted by Cakelaw on August 3, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Sorry LA, I am not sure what the filmy thing might be, unless it is the fatty sensation from the cream itself – and there is nothing you can do about that. I enjoyed this one, and I love your cinnamon variation – it looks great!!
Posted by isa on August 4, 2009 at 2:10 pm
It looks very delicious and I love cinnamon ice cream!
I’m sorry you had custard problems.
I second Pamela and Cathy, try David Lebovitz’s Philadelphia-style vanilla, so delicious.