beauxeault

Yeah, actually after I wrote "equal parts" I realized that I only think of the recipe I use as equal parts because it is one basic container of each. So, 1 pint cream (16 fl. oz) plus 1 can (14 fl. oz.) of condensed milk. Not quite the proportions you mention, but not really 50:50 either.

I've used the "no-churn" recipe from a different source, but it's basically the same: equal parts whipped cream and condensed milk plus some flavoring, then freeze. It is a similar but different texture, somewhat lighter than a traditional ice cream, and in my freezer it gets hard enough that it's worth letting it warm up or putting it in the microwave for 20 seconds before scooping. But it is much much better than the results I used to get in an old-time churn, and not a lot inferior to what I get from a frozen-canister ice cream maker. And it is a lot easier than either of those methods. I find the no-churn approach good for trying out a flavor combination if the flavor can be added with relatively little liquid (Kool-Aid flavors, for instance), but if you have to add more than a small amount of water to get the flavoring in, it can overwhelm the foam of the whipped cream and make the texture harder and less smooth and velvety.

That, by the way, was also a joke. Since it may not be obvious.

I'm a little unclear about how to best incorporate the soap into the ice cream. Would I need extra thickener? How long should I cook it?

I'd be interested in your thoughts about best methods for using lavender.

Regarding the discussion about mint, I tend to prefer spearmint to peppermint when I have the choice in hard candies, but what I've read suggests that the mint flavoring used in home cooking seems to almost always be peppermint. And yet, most of the baked goods (both home-made and commercial) that incorporate a mint flavor don't seem to have the sharpness that I dislike in peppermint hard candies. So is there something about including peppermint in other flavors that ameliorates its sharpness, or are people using a non-peppermint mint? And what about the mint plants I can get from the local nursery or even the grocery store, or also the mint leaves I can buy? They say "mint" but don't seem to be peppermint, and yet almost all mint flavorings I can find seem to be peppermint. I've seen some spearmint extracts, but they seem to be relatively rare.

Thanks, Teo. I'll try that as well. Because of the lower viscosity of butter vs. sugar syrup or chocolate, it would seem perhaps a bit easier than the sugar or chocolate approach, and also suggests I could get results with possibly fewer added calories (I know, I know, this is ice cream - probably shouldn't focus too much on calories).

Thanks. I'll try it, starting with the sugar syrup, since that would leave the flavor profile open, allowing me to add flavor to the crunchy bits.

I've recently begun experimenting with home-made ice creams, beginning with recipe's from Jenni Britton Bauer's book and more recently branching out into some no-churn recipes. One thing I'd like to be able to do is to use an add-in that provides a good sharp crunch when the ice cream is eaten. I'm looking for something that is a fairly small particle size, say 1/8 to 3/8 inch diameter, and something that I can add to the ice cream either during churning for a churned ice cream or before freezing in a no-churn recipe. The trick is finding something that will not become soft or soggy as a result of absorbing moisture from the mix. The other restriction that complicates my search is that my son has a nut allergy so I'm trying to avoid nuts. Besides, nuts provide a more dull crunch that is not really the sharp crunch I'm looking for. So far I've tried crushed meringue candy, crushed biscotti, crushed Oatmeal Squares cereal, and Honey Bunches of Oats granola. The meringues, somewhat against my expectation, didn't dissolve, and remained pretty well intact in the final product, but their crunch just doesn't provide enough resistance when surrounded by ice cream. All of the other add-ins got soft. I'm aware that all kinds of options (including those I've tried) exist for ice cream toppings, added after freezing and prior to serving. But I want these crunchy bits dispersed throughout the ice cream, not just on top. I have a few other candidates to try: Crushed Oreo cookies seem to work in "cookies and cream" recipes. I plan to try this, but in a lot of cases I'd prefer something I could flavor in different directions. I'm thinking about Grape Nuts cereal, which seems to retain crunchiness in milk longer than some cereals. It also occurs to me that a hard toffee, broken up, might work. So what do you experts think? Anyone have experience with this or other suggestions?