The Horror of Ice Cream

I found this recent NY Times article twisted even by the standards of the Times. Entitled "When Parents Scream Against Ice Cream", it details the efforts of parents in a number of cities to ban summertime ice cream vendors from parks or even entire neighborhoods. The basic premises are that ice cream is a sugary treat that is bad for kids and that ice cream vendors are "dirty" and "dangerous". But the real bottom line is that all too many parents just don't want to say no to their children when they're asked to buy treats.

Ice cream is an innocent sweet delight, one of life's simple pleasures and here come the scolds to try to take it away. I was going to turn this into a short essay on weenie parents afraid to tell their children no, but figured I would just sound old and cranky. So I have decided to take the more positive path of ice cream proliferation.

We make a lot of ice cream at our house using this new style machine that I got for Father's Day a few years ago. It's easy and works great with no ice or rock salt mess. In the warm months I'd say we average a batch a week. I'm putting in this recipe for dead simple no-cook vanilla ice cream that came with the manual (thank you, Cuisinart!). It's so simple even I haven't been able to screw it up yet.

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups whole milk

1-1/8 cups granulated sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions
In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

We've used half buttermilk/half whole milk for a richer taste. Go make some and give it to your kids! Give it to your neighbors' kids!

Take that, ice cream haters!