Preface. When Mr. Big Food says “perfected over many years,” he means many many years. And he’s not kidding, it’s rich and worth the effort.

JOHN’S ICE CREAM

BASIC RECIPE

4 C milk
12 egg yolks
1 1/3 C sugar
1 ½ C chilled whipping cream

Heat milk in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Whisk yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until mixture is thick and pale (can use electric beater on low speed for this). Slowly add hot milk to mixing bowl, whisking or beating constantly. Return milk mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens to custard consistency (and candy thermometer registers 185˚). (Don’t allow to boil.) Stir in cream and set mixture in refrigerator to cool, until thoroughly chilled. Pour into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. After churning, freeze several hours to mellow. Soften slightly in refrigerator before serving.

Here are some favorite flavorings. Try some or all, or make up your own.

STRAWBERRY, PEACH, OTHER FRESH FRUIT

Add 1-2 C crushed fruit and an additional ½ C sugar to Basic Recipe after custard has thickened (and before chilling). After churning, stir to mix well. For Peach or Pear, use 2 C, increase sugar to 2/3 C, and add 1 Tbsp peach or pear brandy.

SPECIAL PEACH

Begin with about 8 C peaches, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped (about 2 lbs) and combine 1 ½ C peach schnaps or brandy. Cook in the saucepan in which you’ll later make the ice cream base over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes or until almost all liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl and proceed to make ice cream base in the saucepan (don’t wash it). Before chilling custard, stir in peach mixture, 1 tsp vanilla, and an additional ½ C peach schnaps or brandy. Proceed as directed above.

CHEESECAKE

To add a Cheese Cake flavoring to any flavor, cut up 8 oz cream cheese and beat into egg yolk-sugar mixture along with 3 tsp vanilla. Proceed as above.

FANCY VANILLA

To milk, add 2 split vanilla beans before heating. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Proceed as above.

CRÈME DE MENTHE

Add ½ C crushed peppermint candies and ¼ C crème de menthe as custard begins to thicken. A few drops of green food coloring can be added for color. Stir ice cream well after churning.

PEPPERMINT

Add 1 C crushed peppermint candies to milk before heating. Stir in ¼ C candies, crushed coarse, right after ice cream has been churned.

ALMOND, PECAN, PEANUT, CASHEW, MIXED NUTS

Add 1 ½-2 C unsalted chopped nuts to milk when first heating. For almond, add an additional ½ tsp almond extract. Mix ice cream well after churning. Excellent combined with Chocolate.

CHOCOLATE

Add 5-6 squares baker’s chocolate (any flavor) plus an additional ½-1 C sugar to custard while it is thickening.

TUTTI-FRUITTI

Add ½ C drained crushed pineapple, ½ C crushed peaches, and ½ C crushed strawberries, plus ½ C fruit juice, to custard after thickening. Stir ice cream well after churning.

BANANA

Mash 6 ripe bananas and add to custard as it begins to thicken. ½ C coconut flakes can be added as well.

COFFEE

Add 4 Tbsp instant coffee granules to custard as it is thickening.

COFFEE LIQUEUR

Add 2 Tbsp instant coffee granules to custard as it is thickening, and ½ C coffee liqueur to custard just before churning.

PECAN BRITTLE, PEANUT BRITTLE, HEATH BAR

Add 8 oz candy, broken into small pieces, into ice cream before churning. Stir ice cream well after churning.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS, PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS

Add up to 1 bag candy chips to custard just before churning. Stir well after churning.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA

Add 10 oz white chocolate, finely chopped, as for Chocolate (no need to add additional sugar) and proceed to make custard as directed. After ice cream has been frozen in ice cream maker, stir in 1 C coarsely chopped macadamia nuts. Proceed as directed.

DARK CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY

Add 12 oz bittersweet dark chocolate morsels or chunks and ¼ C dark rum while preparing custard, as directed for Chocolate (no need to add additional sugar). Mash 1 ½ C strawberries. Combine ¼ C water and 1 C sugar, and cook over low heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium and heat to simmer. Pour over berries, and proceed as above for Strawberry.

LIME COCONUT

Add 1 C sweetened canned cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez) and 2 Tbsp sweetened lime juice (like Rose’s) while preparing custard. After freezing custard in ice cream maker, stir in ½ – 1 C unsweetened shredded toasted coconut.

RUM COCONUT

Replace lime juice in Lime Coconut recipe with ½ C dark rum and proceed as directed.

PISTACHIO

Add ½ C chopped pistachio nuts to milk in Basic recipe, fold in 1 tsp almond extract before heating custard to thicken, stir green food coloring into cooked custard prior to chilling to desired color, and proceed as directed above. Stir ice cream from bottom after freezing in ice cream maker.