The Sweet Taste of Success

I know plenty of people who will confess to having envy. House, car, career -- any of these can inspire the little green-eyed monster in the best of us. But what about... kitchen envy? Or I guess in this case, gadget envy, which I experience nearly every time I pass by a glittering Fancy la Pants or Chef-Wannabe storefront display filled with every gotta-have-it thingy and whatchamacallit. You know what I'm talking about... toys.

Normally I can resist the siren song of the Kitchen Stuff because I have neither the money to buy them or the space to put them in. But just this once, I answered the call -- with J's full support and approval! It won't take much to understand why when you see...

THIS! Cuisinart 1 1/2 quarts

That's right, we got an ice cream/froyo/sorbet maker! I think I smiled all the way home. In the picture above, you see the base, the clear cover that holds the bowl in place, and the special paddle that goes inside. The bowl, which is also green, was already in the freezer getting nice and cold.

I debated quite a bit about what recipe to try first, since I'm a complete ice cream novice. I went with a traditional custard style, which mixes a dairy product (in this case, half-and-half) with egg yolks, sugar, and salt to form a base.

Mmm custard-y

Then I debated some more about what flavor to add. We don't have any local fruits ripening just yet, but the grocery store had a decent deal on blueberries, so that's what I chose.

They don't look nearly as appetizing all smushed, but they still taste good!

This whole thing is mixed together, and sits in the refrigerator to chill for a while. Then the magic happens: pull the bowl from the freezer, set up the mixer, turn it on, and pour in the cold mix. It took around 18 minutes for this batch to go from liquid to solid.

After sticking the almost-ice-cream in the freezer for 2 hours, I took it out to scoop and serve. Take a look at the final product!

Yummmmmm

I was a little nervous as I watched J take a bite. Then another. Then a whole lot more... he finally looked up and said, "This is... ice cream! I mean, it tastes great, very creamy, sweet, definitely blueberry... but it's... ice cream!" I took this to mean that he, too, had doubted the outcome, but we were both in for such a wonderful surprise. Oh yes, there will be many versions of this treat to come. I'm already eyeing a simple little pineapple sorbet as my next attempt.

So I guess you could say that my little bout of toy envy, indulged on this rare occasion, has been very much a success!