A Dangerous and Decadent Fixation

By Kate Riley July 9, 2010

It all started with this strange whirring sound in the middle of the Fourth of July party.  I was catching up with my girlfriends when the sound of a small appliance began to compete with the iPod playlist. 

Turns out, my hub had decided in the middle of the party to make homemade vanilla ice cream.  Huh ?  It was one of those moments where you look at your spouse that you’ve been married to for over a decade and realize perhaps you really don’t know that person at all. 

vanilla ice cream Apparently, he had pulled the never-been-used Krups ice cream maker (so ancient, it’s now discontinued) out of its dusty box the day before and frozen the bowl in anticipation of making ice cream in the middle of the party.  That’s just how he rolls. 

I confess, I mocked him.  “What’s going on here?”   Reply:  “Obviously, I’m making ice cream.  What’s a Fourth of July party without homemade vanilla ice cream?”   Perplexed and befuddled was I.   But my bewildered smirk gave way to a satisfied grin when I tasted his concoction.  He said, “Don’t you remember, we said we would make homemade ice cream this summer?”   That’s right, I did say that

Unfortunately, he’s now created a dangerous monster because I’ve been obsessed all week with my ice cream maker.   Oh, it all started so innocently, with plain vanilla. 

My vanilla soon morphed into pralines and cream with some caramel sauce and chopped pecans. 

caramel pecan swirl ice cream

Then I put in on top of warm brownies to really send my family over the edge. 

caramel ice cream on brownies

 

The munchkins and I picked some wild blackberries on the back hill, and of course they ended up on top of our second batch  of vanilla. 

blackberries on ice cream

But then I was inspired by this recipe on Country Living and just had to make . . .

Blackberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

blackberry cheesecake ice cream

 

12 oz. pureed and strained blackberries

6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1.5 cups sugar

1.5 cups whipping cream

1.5 cups milk

With fork, mix softened cream cheese with sugar, slowly add whipping cream and milk, blend together.  Add blackberries, blend, then process in ice cream maker. 

As you can see, I am in serious trouble. 

One final public service announcement:  Did you know it’s a misdemeanor to rinse an ice cream covered paddle before you lick it clean?   I’m just looking out for you. 

ice cream maker wand

 

My ice cream maker is now my dangerous and decadent fixation.  I’ve moved on to more advanced ingredients, secretly hunting for new flavors on Epicurious.  On behalf of my mid section, someone needs to stage an intervention.  Please, I beg you. 

Or at least join me and we’ll all spiral towards chubbiness together.  Have a great summer weekend . . . and please eat something decadent, just to show you care. 

smiley

.

110 comments

  1. Oh my gosh. ME TOO! Started with strawberry, but after your post I must, must, must get more creative… I actaully have rock salt in my car to continue the obsession! Yeah that is really old school!

  2. we always keep our krups bowl in the freezer so that it’s waiting for us when the mood strikes.
    after seeing your pralines & cream i think the mood is striking!

  3. Oh my! It looks so scrumptious! Makes me wish I had an ice cream maker. But I do have my favorite Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic in the freezer. Going to have a bowl of it after lunch!

    Have a great weekend!

    Clorissa

  4. Yum, yum & YUM!!!! You could make some lavender ice cream w/ the harvest you have. I know, it sounds weird but you have to try it before you knock it (that is if you haven’t already), it’s seriously delicious!

  5. I should send you some Peruvian lucuma ice cream mix – you just add it to a vanilla base. it’s a mix of mango vanilla type flavors.

  6. This looks so delicious during our Eastern heat wave that I want to go out and buy an ice cream maker! I thought you might be interested in this blog, a friend of mine writes Healthy Food for Living and has a whole bunch of healthy frozen yogurt and ice cream recipes. My favorite? A recipe for Banana Soft Serve that is little more than baked bananas pureed and frozen! Genius and good for bathing suit season!

    http://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/?cat=7

  7. Holy cow. I am seriously about to get in the car and go buy an ice cream maker. That looks SO GOOD! This will be an extremely dangerous appliance in my house, but I’m pretty sure I NEED ONE. One good thing is that you have total control over the ingredients you use. Thanks for the delicious post! Or I might come back and unthank you after I gain 10 pounds! :)

  8. We’ve been enjoying our Krups ice cream maker (I found it, brand new in the box, at a Goodwill early this spring for $8!! Best deal ever.) this year as well . . . made buttermilk ice cream as well as strawberry cheesecake ice cream (recipes on my blog) but my newest obsession is anything and everything from David Liebovitz’ book “The Perfect Scoop.” Fantastic recipes, toppings and “mix-ins.” Just thought I’d share in case you’re looking for more inspiration (his chocolate, just plain chocolate, ice cream is the best I’ve ever had!) Enjoy!

    Best,
    Sarah

    PS – My next batch is coconut, to be made this weekend, with coconut milk and topped with caramel. Can’t wait!

  9. Yum Claudia, Thanks Kathryn.

    I definitely need to move to frozen yogurts and sorbets ! I’m thinking I’ll make citrus sorbet this weekend ~ much kinder to the waistline !

    Kate

  10. Oh, it all looks delicious! Nothing beats homemade ice cream. My very first job was scooping ice cream at Swensen’s. I’m a fan of the traditional chocolate chip but that lavender sounds interesting that Nadir mentioned. Perfect for a hot summer day. Or even adding fresh strawberries!

  11. I saw an ice cream maker at one of my favorite haunts, Sur La Table. At that time I did not purchase the machine…I think it was like $59.00. However, I tasted a sample that was just made and yummmo! (I think the product boast something like a 20-40 min turn around time)So, now with your ever so convincing examples I MUST have this machine.

    I’m having a dessert & wine party next month and I think one of the tasty examples you have supplied would make an excellent addition to the desserts I plan to offer.

    Thanks bunches!!! I just know your family is loving every flavor profile you create! Mmmmm

  12. I sauntered over from the Denton Sanitorium. Grin. You speak my language. I. Love. Ice-cream. I have dreamed of having my own machine, but now I see that this would be a VERY bad idea. I will enjoy thinking of you enjoying the luciousness of your creations… sigh…

  13. Kate my dear, how dare you post something so scrum-didly-umptios on a friday!?! Now I’m just going to have to pull out the ice cream maker and rummage through grandma’s recipes to find that dang instruction sheet for her creamy pineapple deliciousness. I’ll have to post the recipe for all to enjoy… once I find it.

    ps, those blueberries look amazing.

  14. Wow! I didn’t know that homemade icecream could be so good! I never paid much attention to it but you had me at the praline… I absolutely LOVE cheesecake in any form :) I’m going to ask for one of these contraptions for my birthday! Yummmmmm…

  15. Warning! Dangerous when armed with an ice cream maker!!! Hehehe! Those pics look absolutely delicious.

  16. We have the same beater licking rule! I have a question about your staircase redo. Can you give me any insight into how you used the craft paint to glaze the railing? I have used it to antique mitered edges on furniture before, but not to glaze. Thanks so much…LOVE your site!

  17. Hi Kate-

    I love the color of the Blackberry Ice Cream, yummy for the eyes!
    I have a Krups Ice Cream Maker also. We always use recipes from a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream book – Cherry Garcia is our favorite.
    I get your posts in my reader and haven’t been to your site in a while. I like your new header.
    Diane

  18. Oh darn it – now I feel the urge of getting me one of those machines… Looks very yummy! :-)

  19. Mmmmmm homemade ice cream is the best part of summer!! Just like snow cream is the best part of winter! For a really yummy variation, get some sliced almonds, and lightly brown them in a frying pan (cast iron works great) and then add them to the vanilla ice cream before you make it, it is oh so yummy!!! I can’t wait to try the blackberry cheesecake recipe thanks!

  20. The Blackberry Cheesecake ice cream took me over the edge. I’m putting my insert in the freezer so when the sun decides to show its face here in San Diego I’ll be ready. Watch out cholesterol, here I come!

  21. hello my friend. I must confess i have the same addiction as you. We just purchased our ice cream maker this week, so imagine our excitement to experiment and how much ice cream we’ve inhaled. (brain freeze is now a normal part of our day) We did cherry vanilla last night, but now I have a hankerin’ for that caramel praline stuff up there you made. :) I just made brownies too, so that would be such a nice topping..hmmm, got me to thinkin’ now! Lordy, lordy we’ll just all have to have thick middles together because I don’t see me giving up my ice cream fetish anytime soon! (and from the look of your post, neither will you!)

    Blessings and thick middles
    missy

  22. oh that looks decadent – the bronie dessert one. Can I come for leftovers and crumbs, purdy please??? Now I’m going to have to get my own ice cream maker.

  23. I have one of the Cuisinart machines with a built-in compressor so you don’t even have to have the forethought to chill the bowl first. It lives on my counter and is used at LEAST once a week. Yeah, it’s dangerous. All the fresh berries and fruit are awesome additions this time a year, but I think vanilla is still my favourite, especially nestled between two, soft, freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies. *drool*

  24. mmm delish!

    You have just inspired me to go out and buy an ice cream maker…I’ll be sending you the bill for my trainer next week ;)

  25. With temperatures soaring here this week, I finally cracked and bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker. I’m already four quarts in and dangerously close to a dairy/sugar coma.

    Thank you to eyeseepretty for the link to the Salted Caramel Ice Cream; I can’t wait to make it!

  26. I’m wishing we had brought ours. Didn’t because of the 110/220 difference but since we have a transformer, could have totally used the one we had. Can’t find them here. How sad is that?! Maybe because there’s forty eleven ice cream places in our town. Even itty bitty teeny tiny towns have at least one ice cream store. Seriously! But I’m not a big fan of the ice cream here. I like the sorbets but not the ice cream. Might be a good thing I didn’t bring that ice cream maker…

  27. We have that exact krups ice cream maker and we love it! We are moving soon so I took the bowl out of the freezer to thaw (it lives in the freezer for ice cream at a moments notice!)b before we moved a few weeks ago and my husband has been so bummed! It is our favorite thing to do in the summer time! Can’t wait to bust it out of the box in 2 weeks and dig into those recipes!!
    yummy!

  28. You know, I’ve never tried homemade icecream before. And I hear it far outweighs the store bought goop. I don’t DARE try it. And I also have to admit, I can’t stock icecream period. It’s just not a good idea.

    But let me tell ya, you had me shakin’ in my barefeet looking at your concoction. That’s insanely awesome. AND dangerous! No. I can’t go there. Yet. :)

    Donna

  29. It’s funny to read this. I had been thinking about the ice cream maker while I was on vacation. Now that I’m home, I think I’ll dust it of and give it a try.

  30. I love homemade ice cream. We found an ice cream maker at a rummage sale new in the box for $2 last summer. What a wonderful find it turned out to be! Enjoy your homemade goodness!

  31. I’m MAJORLY craving that blackberry cheesecake icecream now. Too bad I don’t have an icecream maker. Since my baby girl is STILL NOT HERE YET (5 days overdue) I feel like I could definitely justify eating a bowl…nah…a bucket!

  32. Oh my mouth is just watering now! The ice creams looks scrumtious and the brownies…. yum!! Have a great weekend!

  33. My favorite all time homeade ice cream is Heath candy bar. Yum! Now I’m wanting ice cream. :-/

    Thanks for all the helpful paint tips by the way. I tend to worry about matchy matchy way too much. :-)

  34. Mmmm, yummy! We have that same ice cream maker – be careful with the paddle because it breaks so easily! We’ve gone through 3 or 4 of them. I hope we can still order just the paddle in case it breaks again – I ordered 2 the last time it broke, and we’re down to the last one again.

  35. I’ve been on an ice cream kick lately too! Coconut ice cream served w/ fresh strawberries = Yum! Another huge hit was Orangette’s (blog) Fennel Ice Cream!! You must try it! We made your Lavender Lemon Pudding cake, so I’m afraid this ice cream is on the menu for this weekend. I love that my 20th reunion is next weekend and these last couple months I’ve been too busy baking & making ice cream that I’m not working out! ha! Makes total sense, doesn’t it?? =) Thanks for another sure-to-be delicious recipe!

  36. I’m sorry! I meant to ask… do you happen to know the size of your ice cream maker??

  37. Check out a recipe for FroYo. Basically 3 C greek yogurt and 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Give it a twirl and voila. You can even use the fat free greek yogurt (trader joes, costco)
    mmmm and easier on the waistline.

  38. The kids I used to babysit loved making strange flavors and having me try to guess. They once made broccoli ice cream! It wasn’t half bad, actually.

    Maybe try making some sorbet too — I think that’s a bit lighter, since it’s just sugar and not all the cream and stuff.

  39. I tried to eat the screen when I saw that pralines and cream. Your pictures are gorgeous! I want ice cream.

  40. I started this same obsession last summer after finding an ice cream maker at an estate sale. I just upgraded my maker this week–yikes.

    But, my suggestion (not that I’m following it) is to make sorbet. The best sorbet I ever had was made by us :)

    Next recipe on my list is peanut butter cup. Soooooo gooood!!

  41. Delicious sounding recipes and GORGEOUS photos! But leave it to an attorney to say it’s a misdemeanor to rinse an ice cream covered paddle before you lick it clean! So funny I couldn’t help but LOL. Personally, I think it should be a FELONY! (Former legal secretary in a prosecuter’s office here.) :D

  42. OMG, I may have to get the ice cream maker out for this one. It all looks so delicious but the Blackberry is calling my name. Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.

  43. Try this one: 1 can eagle brand milk and 1 liter orange soda. Just mix and put into ice cream maker. Makes wonderful orange sherbet! You can even use the low fat eagle brand and diet soda without affecting the taste.

  44. My fondest childhood memories! Homemade ice cream on the 4th of July! Now I share with my children. If you get to Mexico buy the clear vanilla there. It is amazing in ice cream and cookies!

  45. Oh, girl, dangerous it definitely is. But when the paints get too tight, you can make really yummy frozen yogurt in it. We have one and do just that. It’s as easy as dumping a few containers of yogurt in. Have fun!

  46. Oh I am so jealous I have been eyeing ice cream makers for a while but I am mainly dairy free right now while I am nursing my son cause he is allergic. As soon as I am done nursing I am ALL over this!!!!!

  47. When my mom was growing up, HER mom made homemade ice cream every day. Every. Day. because they had a milk cow and just had that much cream to use up!

  48. We love home-made ice cream; we use the White Mountain hand crank one. Good times! Our fav is peach ice cream made w/fresh picked ripened white peaches and fresh chicken eggs (both ingredients fr our garden). Avocado also my favorite, so we’re going to try for that soon. And ube ice cream is also another goal of mine.

  49. I suggest going to William Sonoma and get the salted caramel gelato mix (can be used in an ice cream maker)–to die for!! and it is on sale!

  50. Great timing! We just busted out our never before-used ice cream maker today! Homemade vanilla is SO good. I am already thinking of new flavor combos and yours look delicious! And, thankfully I licked the paddle — I wouldn’t want a misdemeanor on my record. :)

  51. I showed this to my husband, and he is now convinced we need an ice cream machine. I just started my post-baby diet, so I am resisting! That’s what I get for tempting him…

  52. I am loving this ice cream maker. I’m not even kidding I’m going to look for one ASAP!!! I need that pralines n cream in my life!!!!

  53. “We’ll all spiral towards chubbiness together” – I think you’re wonderful and all Kate, but no siree, I ain’t going thataway at all. I was so tempted to buy an ice -shaving machine just today forfriendsandsmallparties you know but I had visions of floating calories before me so ahem, I didn’t.

  54. Oh my goodness that looks good! I love homemade ice cream! There is nothing better! I am sorry that I cannot join your decadent fixation though. I just got back from our week long vacation in Hilton Head, stepped on our bathroom scale, and saw a 10 pound increase! Not kiddin. Depression has set in and my eating plans for the week are bordering close to starvation. :)
    I will live vicariously through you!
    Blessings,
    Traci

  55. I have to make the praline ice cream…N-O-W. My aunt Joyce gave me a Cuisinart machine a couple of weeks ago and I too cannot stop!. Have you tried Honey Lavender ice cream?!?!?! Do it now. I suggest a kick run around the neighborhood while it’s freezing to fight back!

  56. I have been wanting the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid but have resisted as I know I won’t be able to stop making and eating the ice cream.

  57. OH NO!!! Why did I have to read YOU today??!! Dang – the ice cream maker that I purchased just for the 4th of July (and didn’t use) was being returned to the store this morning. Now I just may have to keep it. The store I’m headed to instead is for cream, salt and sugar… After the store I’ll be spending an hour at the gym and the afternoon walking hills!

  58. I have that exact ice cream maker and can attest to how dangerous it is to your waistline! It makes the creamiest homemade ice cream ever. Sooooo good!

    My husband bought it for me along with the Ben & Jerry’s recipe book and the diet went right out the window! :)

  59. I am in serious trouble. I ordered an ice cream maker because my husband and I have been obsessed with two local ice cream stores this summer. I think I’m going to be in your shoes ever soon. Thanks for the tip about the ice cream paddle.

  60. I live in the tropics (of Australia) and when mango season is on, I make the best ice-cream in the world with the flesh of 2 mangoes, in the blender with half a cup of sugar, grated lemon rind and 300ml (about 1 1/4 cups) whipping cream. So easy, so gorgeous. Your recipes sound wonderful – I will have to try them.

  61. I rarely comment, but I just wanted to say that this post was really cute. :)

  62. Whoa! Many greetings from hot Germany (35 to 37 Centigrades at the moment – doesn’t even cool down much at night).

    Shame on you, you have unleashed another monster! My wife yearns for icecream now, your article reminded her of my cherry and plum icecream creations I made last year.

    Well, thanks! My wife lets me make icecream of which she’ll have some spoonsful and I’ll munch ounces of that stuff (the whole rest) like Winnie the Pooh when he sees Hunney… guess how long it takes until I look like him? ;)

    Nevertheless – you published great new recipes and really beautiful photos. Blackberry cheesecake sounds great, caramel looks absolutely irresistable, I’ll give them a try the next days.

  63. Thank you for the post. I am glad that I am not the only one. You just know how to put it into words so well. My work gave us an ice cream maker for our Christmas Gift and now this summer they have had 3 flavor contests! I am addicted and I finally put the thing away in the shed this week to stop myself, honestly, I dont think that intervention will work, so I will join the Chubby train with you.
    With all ice cream happiness,
    Tamber

  64. I tried out your recipe this weekend (doubled for my 5qt maker) and instead of blending the blackberry juice with the ice cream, I transferred the ice cream to 2 separate containers and swirled in the blackberry. Delish! Thanks for the recipe!

  65. Oh my word – it’s mid winter where I am, but I am seriously thinking of making it this weekend!

  66. Hi! I just found your blog. Your ice cream looks positively scrumptious! I recently became obsessed with ice cream making, as well. Isn’t it wonderful? :D Anyway, I am wondering whether the 12 oz. of blackberries and 6 oz. of cream cheese are weight or volume measurements? Thanks a bunch!

  67. Hi!

    When I read “I’ve been obsessed all week with my ice cream maker” I knew we were kindred spirits…two weeks ago I was at a garage sale and the rest they say is history…I gained 5 pounds in one week. My first creation was maple walnut…I tapped some maple trees this spring and when I saw the recipe I knew it had to be destiny. Now for the past several years I have had a friend spin cotton candy for my school bus kids as a treat at the end of the school year…this year I am making homemade ice cream drumsticks!

    Love your blog…gotta go so many flavors so little time…take care.

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