Creamy No Churn Ice Cream

Yes, ice cream!  Everybody's favourite summertime dessert that can be made without an expensive, spacing taking ice cream maker.  The best part is you can make it any flavour you like.  The down side.. You do have to wait 4 to 5 hours to have it.  But think of the possibilities.....I tried chocolate with raspberry jam swirl, macha tea flavour, and our favourite cherry ribbon.

There's very few ingredients and actual prep time is minimal.  So get out your mixer and give it a try.

Cherry Ripple

Chocolate & Raspberry Jam Swirl

Creamy No Churn Ice Cream

1 can of sweetened condensed milk or 300 ml

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ c whole milk (or 2%)

¼ c corn syrup

2 Tablespoons sugar

pinch of kosher or sea salt

2¼ cups heavy cream, cold

16 oz mashed frozen but slightly thawed cherries (so it's not one block)*

1. In a medium bowl, whisk sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, milk, corn syrup, sugar and salt together till combined.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks.  (When you lift the beater the cream peaks stay up and don't droop).
3. Fold about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture till combined.  Then add this bowl into the whipped cream bowl and fold gently till even throughout.  Don't beat.  You're trying to keep the softness to keep the ice cream from being too hard.
4. Fold in half of the cherries.
5. Pour into a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan or 8 or 9 inch square pan or anything that hold about 8 cups.  (I use a pyrex glass dish because serving looks much nicer).  Gently place the rest of the cherries across top. If it is too soft you may have to let partially freeze (~30 min.) or everything will end up on the bottom of the dish.
6. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the entire surface.
7. Freeze for at least 5 to 6 hours.
8. To serve, remove from the freezer about 20 to 30 minutes before to soften.

* If making chocolate raspberry swirl.  Decrease vanilla to 1 tsp. Omit cherries and add 6 oz of melted chocolate (either mix fully or swirl with ¼ cup of raspberry or strawberry jam)

Additional ideas:

Dark chocolate - Decrease vanilla to 1 tsp. and add 6 oz melted bittersweet chocolate and ½ tsp espresso powder

Peanut Butter Cup - Omit vanilla and add ½ c. peanut butter to condensed milk portion.  Gently stir in ½ c. chopped roasted peanuts.

Caramel Pecan - Swirl in ¼ c. caramel sauce and ½ c. chopped toasted pecans

Or Skor bits or mini rollos......

Be creative and enjoy your masterpiece.  It'll be delicious anyway you make it.

Easy Pesto

Summer is here which means fresh basil, one my favourite herbs to grow is ready to harvest.  Lovely to add to a salad or torn and sprinkled on Caprese Salad but my favourite thing to do with basil is make pesto.

It's fast and easy and all you need to do is throw all the ingredients into a food processor and 'voila' done.

Serve it on pasta, drizzled over garden fresh tomatoes, add it to mayo to make a sandwich spread, add a dollop to a salad dressing, as a dip with pizza..., so many uses. 

Oh, and if you don't have enough basil.  No problem.  Top up with fresh parsley.  Don't have that, try fresh spinach or arugula.  Of course the flavour will be different but it'll still be great.  

FYI.  Growing basil is really easy.  Buy those little containers of starter basil at your local nursery.  Plant them in at least a 5 litre container using Miracle-Gro potting mixture.  (It really makes a difference).  Place them in full sun and water them well when needed.  In a couple of months, you'll have the biggest basil plant ever.

Easy Pesto

3 c. packed fresh basil leaves

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

⅔ c. grated parmesan cheese

½ c. pine nuts

½ tsp. table salt

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

1. In a food processor add all ingredients except olive oil.  Process till large leaves broken down.  Add olive oil and process till smooth.  30 sec.
2. Use or refrigerate.  You can it in containers (I use those small plastic containers that pizza dip sauces come in when getting take out) or ice cube trays (pop them out after and place in bag).