National ice cream month

Sunday, July 6, 2008 8:30 PM EDT

Statistics show more ice cream is sold in July and the most popular flavors are vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry, Neapolitan, chocolate chip and French vanilla.

The market is flooded with reduced-fat, fat-free, low-carb, no sugar added, sugar free made with Splenda, added calcium or lactose-free ice creams. Take your pick.

A variety of topping are most popular and they range from granola to M&M's, to jelly belly's, nuts, coconut, shaved chocolate, crushed oreo cookies, dried fruit, fresh fruit, crushed Heath bars, raisins, gummy's and poppycock. Experiment with a variety for your next treat.

"People from Finland eat the most ice cream in the world, (over 42 pints a year per person) and the United States runs third place ( over 27 pints a year per person). Today you will see great, easy homemade ice cream recipes, toppings and ice cream desserts. If you don't have a modern day ice cream maker, buy one. They are so easy to operate and easy to clean.

Strawberry Ice Cream

1 cup of sugar, divided

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

Dash of salt

1 1/2 cups of milk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups of pureed strawberries

1 1/2 cups of whipping cream

1 teaspoon of almond extract

Combine 3/4 cup of sugar, flour and salt, set aside. Scald milk in top of a double boiler; add a small amount of the milk to the sugar mixture, stirring to make a smooth paste. Stir sugar mixture into the remaining milk; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Combine strawberries, remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, whipping cream, and flavorings; stir into the custard. Pour into the container of a 2 quart electric ice cream maker or a hand-turned maker, and freeze according to instructions.

Peach Ice Cream

6 ripe peaches, peeled, stoned

2 peaches peeled and diced

1 cup of sugar

3 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla

In a large bowl, mash the six peaches into a coarse puree. Stir in 1/4 cup of the sugar. Let this stand for one hour. Add the cream, milk, and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar and vanilla to the peaches. Stir to blend. Refrigerate, covered until very cold, at least 3 hours or as long as three days. Stir the mixture to blend, add diced peaches and pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to directions on the freezer. Eat at once or freeze up to 8 hours in a covered container.

Eggnog Ice Cream

6 eggs, separated

10 tablespoons of sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup of brandy

1/4 cup of rum

2 tablespoons of dry sherry

1 cup of milk

2 cups of heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg

Cook the egg yolks, sugar, brandy, salt, rum, and sherry in a double boiler until very light and thickened. Remove from heat, add the milk and cream; cool. Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold them in the cream mixture. Pour into a ice cream machine canister and process according to directions of the ice cream maker. Sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream

2 cups of milk

1 3/4 cups of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of vanilla

4 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of chocolate chip cookie dough

2 cups of light cream

Scald milk until bubbles from around the edge. Remove from heat. Add the sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in light cream, vanilla and the heavy cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Freeze as directed by your ice cream machine's instructions. Once ice cream has been through the entire ice cream process and is now a chilled soft ice cream, add the chocolate chip cookie dough. ( Cut up the cookie dough into small pieces before adding) Take a spoon and mix the dough around through the ice cream. Put the ice cream in the refrigerator until frozen solid. This will take several hours.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

2 cups of light cream

1 cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of butter

2 cups of heavy cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2-3/4 cup of toasted praline pecans

Combine the light cream, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly over low heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Let the mixture cool and put in it the ice cream machine. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla. Freeze according to directions. After it is beginning to harden, spoon in praline pecans. Tip: you can purchase praline pecans, Private Selection Brand at your local Kroger's. Rough chop them and add to the almost frozen ice cream.

Mint Chip Ice Cream

3 cups of half and half

1 cup of heavy cream

8 large egg yolks

9 ounces of sugar

1 teaspoon of peppermint oil

3 ounces of chocolate mint candies, chopped coarsely

Place the half and half and the heavy cream into a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over the low heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon and reaches 170-175 degrees. Pour the mixture into a container and allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the peppermint extract oil and stir to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 8 hours or until it reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour the mixture into an automatic ice cream maker, add the chopped candies and process according to directions. Serve after about 30 minutes as soft serves or freeze for 3-4 hours to harden.

Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream

1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin

2 1/4 cups of cold skim milk

1 cup of nonfat dry milk

4 oz. of egg substitute

5 teaspoons of NutraSweet or Equal

1/8 teaspoon of lemon extract or almond extract

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Sprinkle gelatin over skim milk in a small saucepan, allow gelatin to soften for a few minutes. Stir mixture over low heat until gelatin completely dissolves. Remove from heat and place saucepan in another cold bowl of iced water to cool to room temperature. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until well combined. Add milk-gelatin mixture and blend for a few more seconds. Chill in refrigerator until ready to freeze. Blend for a few seconds before pouring the mixture through a strainer into the ice cream maker. Follow instructions for freezing. Makes about one quart.

Sugar Free Chocolate Ice Cream

1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin

2 1/2 cups of low fat milk

1/2 cup of Nestle Quik Sugar Free Chocolate Drink Mix

1 cup of drained yogurt ( the solid half of 2 cups of yogurt strained overnight)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Dash of salt

Soften gelatin in 1/2 cup of milk. Heat in a small pan until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and place pan in another bowl with iced water to cool mixture to room temperature. Pour mixture into a blender or food processor, add remaining milk, Quik, yogurt, vanilla and salt. Blend for a few seconds before pouring into the ice cream maker. Freeze according to directions. Makes about a quart.

Caramel Nut Topping

1 cup of light brown sugar

1/2 cup of white corn syrup

1 cup of thick sweet cream

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients except the nuts and boil to a soft stage; stir until boiling point then cook without stirring until soft ball stage. Cool mixture and add nuts. Serve over vanilla ice cream. Makes one pint.

Hot Fudge Topping

3 level tablespoons of cocoa

3/4 cup of sugar

Dash of salt

2 tablespoons of water

2/3 cup of Carnation Milk

Mix ingredients together and boil slowly for three to four minutes. Remove from the heat and add one teaspoon of vanilla and two tablespoons of butter. Makes one cup.

Raspberry Topping

1 1/2 pints of fresh raspberries

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, boil for 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Puree in a food processor or blender, strain and cool. Chill until ready to use. Pour over ice cream.

Kahlua Topping

2 cups of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of Kahlua

2 tablespoons of instant coffee granules

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup of sugar

Bring the first four ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and cover the pan. Let it steep for 15 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar to blend in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Return custard to the same saucepan. Cook over low heat until the custard thickens and coats the spoon. Strain the custard in a bowl. Cover and chill. This topping does not keep for more than two days.

Blueberry Topping

1 lb. of fresh blueberries

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the cornstarch dissolves. Boil until the mixture thickens, stir occasionally. Cover and refrigerate.

Butterscotch Topping

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of water

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of butter

Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat until the mixture is a light golden brown in color. Remove from the heat.

Add the cream and stir until smooth. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Blend well. Can be reheated.

Mango Topping

3 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon of sugar

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Strain the sauce into a bowl and refrigerate until well chilled.

Praline Pecan Ice Cream Delight

1 quart of vanilla ice cream, softened

1 quart of strawberry ice cream, softened

1 can of chopped praline pecans

1 large can of crushed pineapple, drained well

20 chocolate oreo cookies, crushed

Whipped cream

3 maraschino cherries, chopped

Use a 9 x 13 inch glass casserole, which you have lined with foil and sprayed with a little cooking oil. Make your foil come up the sides and up the ends at least 4 inches above the rim, so you can take out the frozen dessert to cut into squares. Spread all of the vanilla ice cream over the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle all of the cookie crumbs over the vanilla ice cream. Place plastic wrap over the ice cream and chocolate crumbs. Freeze 1/2 hour. Pull back plastic wrap and add the drained crushed pineapple. Then place the softened strawberry ice cream on top and spread. Sprinkle with the chopped praline pecans. Cover tight with foil and freeze overnight. Remove the foil and right before serving put the frozen dessert up out of the pan and place on a cutting board and cut into squares. Then place on a serving dish and drizzle with caramel or chocolate fudge topping if you choose, garnish with whipped cream and chopped cherries. Tip: Praline pecans are available at Kroger's in the speciality section of nuts. Use the whole can. The best brand is Private Select.

Waffle Berry ala Mode

1/2 cup of strawberry jelly warmed

1 cup of fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup of blueberries

1/2 cup of raspberries

1/2 cup of blackberries

3 -4 waffles, toasted

3-4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Whipped cream for topping

Gently toss the strawberry preserves with all berries, set aside. Place three waffles on a plate plate and spoon berry mixture on the waffle. Top with a scoops of vanilla ice cream, one tablespoon of the topping and whipped cream. Makes three to four servings.