Sweet Cream Ice Cream

When I moved to the country and bound myself to a 40-minute drive to the food store, I resolved that I would make all my own ice cream and all my own bread—and since 2015, I have done just that. There are lots of great books about ice cream, but four stand out in my library and are the ones I always recommend to anyone who wants to go on this journey.

The first two books are Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts, both by Jeni Britton Bauer.

Jeni developed her technique using cream cheese as the stabilizer and generously wrote two books sharing her method—uniquely practical for the home cook. I use Jeni’s method all the time, most often making the Sweet Cream Ice Cream from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts. There’s always a pint of this in my freezer.

You may be lucky enough to live near a Jeni’s Scoop Shop, or you may be able to buy her delicious ice cream at your local store—or you can order it online. If you (or a guest) don’t eat dairy, I highly recommend her Lemon Bar flavor, which is so good you’ll find yourself eating spoonfuls from the freezer whether you're lactose-intolerant or not.

The third book I treasure—one that includes a nod to Jeni—is Hello, My Name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree. No matter what recipe or method you use, this book makes an excellent addition to your library. It explains the science of ice cream in straightforward, accessible language and is endlessly usable, thorough, and fascinating. (I gave this book to my nephew, who made the Donuts Ice Cream and said it's the best ice cream he's ever made!)

The fourth book I’ve recently acquired is La Grotta: Ice Creams and Sorbets by Kitty Travers. I’m currently reading it all the way through like a novel. It’s a beautiful book, full of innovative ideas that I plan to explore through the seasons. I’m dreaming of going to her workshop in the UK.

This Sweet Cream Ice Cream from Jeni is lovely and delicate, with only the taste of milk and cream—what Italians call fior di latte, the flavor of milk itself. It’s definitely not vanilla, and it’s splendid in its simplicity. As much as I love Jeni’s Dark Chocolate ice cream, this is the most requested flavor around here.

I use Lyle’s Golden Syrup instead of corn syrup for a subtle caramel note, and because it contains no vanilla. I once spent a week in Italy eating only this flavor, comparing it gelateria to gelateria. The best one I found was in Florence—which turned out to be the city of my dreams (though that doesn’t change the fact that London is the city I’d most like to live in if I had to choose a city other than my own).

I got to eat my favorite gelato in Italy and see Michelangelo’s David on the same day. You can see a million pictures, but when you see it in person for the first time, it takes your breath away.

Ice Cream Chilling in an Ice Bath with Gel Packs Instead of Ice Cubes

Sweet Cream Ice Cream
Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan, 2011 & 2014)
Makes about 1 quart

600g whole milk
336g heavy cream
150g granulated sugar (I use Domino Golden Sugar)
3 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup
14g Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour (what I use) or cornstarch
56g cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Weigh the tapioca flour or cornstarch into a small prep bowl—the kind you use when prepping and doing a mise en place.

Weigh out the cream cheese onto a small flat plate and sprinkle the sea salt over it. Use the tines of a fork to press the salt into the cream cheese. Transfer this to a container that can handle a bit of hot liquid later. I use the tall plastic beaker that came with my immersion blender.

Measure the Lyle’s Golden Syrup into a small glass—I use a 5-ounce measuring glass. If you like, you can microwave it for 30 seconds to make it easier to pour.

Pour the milk into a saucepan. Take a small amount of that milk and whisk it into the bowl with the tapioca flour until completely smooth. Set this slurry aside.

Add the heavy cream to the milk in the pan. Stir in the sugar and Lyle’s Golden Syrup. Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Give the tapioca slurry another stir to ensure it’s still smooth, then whisk it into the hot milk mixture. Return the pan to the heat and bring it back to a boil, stirring the whole time. Boil for exactly one minute—no more. Remove from the heat.

Scoop a bit of the hot mixture into the container with the cream cheese and blend until smooth using an immersion blender (or stir briskly with a whisk). Return this mixture to the pan and stir until fully incorporated.

Strain the base through a fine-mesh sieve. I strain it into an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup—it holds the whole batch and pours easily. Transfer the strained mixture to a tall storage container with a lid.

To chill it quickly, I place the container into a large stainless steel bowl filled with cold water, being careful not to let water get into the ice cream base. I use reusable ice packs to cool the water—they’re easier to work with than ice cubes. When it’s cooled sufficiently, I refrigerate it until it’s very cold. I usually leave it overnight to “cure” the base.

The next day, spin the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

I divide it between two pint-sized cardboard containers. Before sealing, I place a 6-inch circle of parchment directly on the surface of the ice cream. It helps reduce ice crystals and keeps the texture smooth.

This ice cream is best after at least 8 hours in the freezer, so spinning it in the morning means it’s ready for dessert that evening.

Postscript
After many years of happily using the Cuisinart ICE-21, I upgraded—at a friend’s suggestion—to the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker and have been very pleased. David Lebovitz recently wrote about switching to the Breville compressor model and says he likes that one very much, too.

David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence