Do you have a favorite memory of your father? Mine involved ice cream and black cherry sodas. My dad would grab the car keys, and my brother and I, and announce it was time for Black Cherry Sodas. We would head to the store and buy soda and ice cream and return home to whip up our treat. This only happened maybe once a year, but it was a really big deal because dad wasn’t a sweets person. The other mystery is where in Twin Falls, Idaho did they have Black Cherry soda when he was younger so he could develop a taste for it.
But then, one Christmas, dad got a hand crank ice cream maker and a whole new world opened up during summers. There would be grilled oysters and clams and dad would get out the ice cream maker. This is dad’s ice cream recipe. Where he got it, I have no idea. After a while, G and I took over the ice cream making. We weren’t happy with plain vanilla ice cream, we wanted to be a little more creative. However, this is the perfect base for any ice cream you want.
This amount of base is perfect for the large hand crank or electric ice cream makers. For a Cuisinart, I would either halve the recipe or make half/save half. With five minutes to go, I would add any extras you want in your ice cream. It’s not an everyday treat; it’s a major time consuming project. But, if you’re like me and have great summertime memories that involve ice cream and your father, I’d suggest you go for it.
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 quarts half and half
2 tablespoons vanilla
Beat eggs thoroughly. Slowly and gradually add sugar and continue to beat until mixture is very stiff. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Freeze in a churn style ice cream maker.
* From the Recipe Box:
This was dad’s recipe. It was always a big deal when he made ice cream.
G and I started making ice cream every Labor Day to celebrate back-to-school. Only kids were invited at first. They could eat as much as they wanted. But as the kids got older, parents slowly started creeping into the mix.
Thomas Special was the best: add malt, chopped chocolate and peanuts to a batch of vanilla. This is our holy trinity.
Chopped Butterfinger Candy Bars were another favorite.
They were good times.
and remember: Don’t underestimate the seductive power of a decent vocabulary. Big kiss, Lynn
From the Recipe Box 