Homemade Ice Cream

There is such a joy in eating ice cream ! I am sure that just about anybody in the world ate ice cream in their life, so I am not talking about some unknown product. Now the question that can be raised is : why bother making your own when you have so much variety at the store ? I will tell you why : because you can control what is going inside it and also you know for how long it has been frozen (how do you know that the ice cream on a stick you get at the store hasn't been sitting there for years waiting for you ?) and how it has been handled.
I used Martha Stewart's recipe, but with some additions.

Ingredients:

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 8 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon orange/lemon zest
• nuts of your choice
  
• some chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons cappuccino powder
• 2 TBSP coconut flakes
  

Directions

Put cream and milk into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add vanilla and heat the mixture until hot (do not let simmer), about 3 minutes.
Remove mixture from heat; cover, and let stand 30 minutes.
Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
Beat yolks, sugar and salt with a mixer on high speed until yolk mixture has tripled in volume and can hold a ribbon on surface for 2 seconds, about 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium.
Ladle 1 cup cream mixture in a slow stream into yolk mixture to temper it.
Add another cup cream mixture; beat to combine.
Transfer mixture to saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees; 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour custard (if you think you absolutely must) through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl set in ice-water bath.
Let cool completely, stirring often.
Before freezing it and right after you placed it into containers/cups make sure you add some chocolate, nuts, cappuccino, coconut, zest and stir slowly.
The zest is powerful and it will make the icecream divine.
My fav was the one with orange zest combines with nuts, which you don't need to toast first.
Freeze custard in the cups of your choice (plastic, not glass) or in a larger plastic container with a tight fitting lid.
If you aren't patient and you want to have some soon after you made it, then you must stir it every 30 minutes or so for at least 3 hours.
If frozen for more than 4 hours, let ice cream stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Now that you have tasted this goodness, you will be happy you have the recipe to make it again and again and again !
In the picture I have the vanilla with chocolate chips ice cream.
Yes, you will have 8 egg whites left, but I'll tell you what to do with them in a few minutes !