Ice Cream again - and getting there

 My very first blog post was about making ice-cream. As part of my on-going quest to make my own food, preservative free - as natural as possible. And that way I can eat more of the naughty things - right?

So I tried two recipes - one the traditional custard way.  It turned out like a flavoured iceberg.  possibly due to a churning schedule I couldn't keep to.  The next recipe was basically a frozen chocolate ganache, recipe here. Very delicious, but not a real ice cream and thigh bulgingly full of fat. So I tasked myself to buying an ice cream machine. Off to trusty Trademe I went and after a good amount of researching and umming and ahhing bought myself a machine.

I've used it twice so far, the first recipe from the premium ice cream section of the recipe book that came with the machine.  This was a custard based version, with silver top milk and cream.  It was good, very rich and chocolatey.  I've just made my second lot, this time banana and chocolate - and can I say it is phenomenal.  Made using a lighter recipe, this one doesn't leave a layer of fat in the mouth and tastes so fresh with the fruit.

Chocolate and Banana ice cream

1.5 cups milk (I used trim)

1.25 cups cream

1 banana

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar (castor is best)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

pinch salt

Warm 1/2 cup of milk and add the sugar to dissolve a bit - don't make the milk too hot, or you will have to wait for it to cool before adding to the mixture.

In a food processor, blender, hand mixer or whatever, blast all the ingredients. Pour into a jug and chill.

Churn in your ice cream maker to the manufacturers directions. Mine always comes out super soft, so needs extra freezing after.

Now thats gotta be a health tonic in comparison to the store bought stuff.