What with winter and then the annual festival hiatus and all, you may have thought I had finished proselytizing the ice cream machine. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Now that it's summer again and work is on the ramp-down phase, I am back in the kitchen. Specifically, I am packing the freezer so full of plastic quart containers that the thing barely shuts. You see, I am still working diligently to lower the cost-per-use rating on this little machine* to infinitesimally small levels. On my quest, I have learned a few lessons that may help you in similar pursuits.

Ice cream lesson #1:
If you have an ice cream maker like mine, you can only make ice cream once a day.
In a recent (and uncharacteristic) fit of ambition, I recently attempted to make three ice creams in a day. However, only the first of those ice creams actually froze that day. The second sat in the bowl and spun and spun and spun... and failed to become ice cream. I had foolishly assumed that since the bowl felt cold after the first batch, it would only take an hour or two to firm back up. Wrong-O! The bowl really does take at least overnight to get cold enough. One batch per day, so plan ahead if you are having a party.

Ice cream lesson #2:
Seriously, just make the custard kind.
The low-fat ice cream at the grocery store uses ultra-powerful mixers and nifty chemicals to mimic the texture of real ice cream, and you really can't do it at home.** I've had my best results making custard-based ice creams with eggs, rather than cream-only versions, even though they are a little more work (i.e. 7 minutes more). The ice cream bible states that the emulsifying properties of egg yolks make the ice cream silkier and denser than ice creams made without them, and I am a believer, particularly when the ice cream in question is flavored with a simple herb or spice - as below. The result is that your ice cream will indeed have fat and calories, but it will be so  luscious and divine that you'll be completely satisfied after just a small serving.

Ice cream lesson #3:
Ice cream is better when it has a little kick.
I like salty in my sweets, and I also like a little spicy in there, too. So when I read about vanilla black pepper ice cream in Molly's amazing new book (which made me sob and sniffle and giggle and want to cook), I knew it would be on the top of my summer ice cream list. Thus it came to pass that this was the first ice cream out of the bowl this year, and we loved it, and I have already made it twice. In fact, I now almost can't imagine making vanilla any other way - unbelievably smooth, delightfully sweet, and with a ticklish pop of peppery bite after each mouthful.

Vanilla Black Pepper Ice Cream
Adapted from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

I've altered the original recipe to use a vanilla bean, but you can substitute that with a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract if you like. As with most ice creams, you'll want to get started the night before you hope to eat it.

2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, freshly ground at the last possible minute

Special equipment: Ice cream maker

To prepare, whisk together egg yolks in a small bowl and set them near the stove. Put one cup of cream in a medium bowl over an ice bath.*** Set a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl of cream.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining cup of cream, milk, sugar, and the scraped-out contents of one vanilla bean. Gently warm milk mixture over medium-low heat, stirring intermittently, until just barely too hot to touch. Whisking constantly, slowly and carefully pour a tiny trickle of the warmed milk into the egg yolks. Keep whisking and pour in as much milk as the small bowl will hold, then transfer the custard back into the saucepan.

Heat the custard gently, stirring constantly - really - with a silicon spatula or another solid, flat-edged utensil. Do not let it boil, or you will have scrambled eggs and not ice cream. The custard is ready when it is starting to steam and it thickens just enough that when you run your finger down the back of the spatula, the mixture does not flow back together. As soon as you reach this point - which can take from 5-10 minutes, depending on the heat of your stove - pour the custard through the strainer into the waiting cream. Stir the custard into the cream, then cover and chill overnight.

Once the custard is thoroughly chilled, freeze it according to the instructions of your ice cream maker. While the ice cream is churning, I like to hand-grind the peppercorns using my mortar and pestle. You could also use a spice grinder. I find that my pepper mill does not grind the pepper finely enough. Add the freshly ground pepper into the ice cream as it churns. Once the ice cream has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a storage container and freeze for two hours before serving. 

*Cost-per-use rating after last summer was about $4. So far this summer, I've already gotten in down to $3. And it's technically just the first day of summer.
**That said, a good bit of improvisation vis-a-vis ratios of half-and-half, cream and whole milk is possible, based on what you have on hand. Just keep the total cream-to-milk above 50%, and you'll probably be fine. Just don't try to use anything less than whole milk - your ice cream will be all weak and crystally.
***In the interest of full disclosure, I almost never bother with the ice bath and I have yet to have a problem with a single batch of ice cream. But every recipe says to use one, so I feel guilty not telling you so.