Raspberry Ice Cream

 
 A little while back my friend Ramona posted a raspberry ice-cream recipe that she uses all the time, when making any fruit ice-cream. I tried it first with my peaches, but I found it too creamy (if that's possible) so I tweaked it just a tad and tried it again with some raspberries. Now, I'm in love. I don't use any other recipe when I want a fruit ice-cream.
  Is in low calorie? No. Is it low fat? No. But good ice-cream shouldn't be either one of those things. You can convince yourself that it's a little healthy. I mean, there is quite a bit of fruit in there, but it's ice-cream people. It's meant to be an indulgence. A wonderful summer-time treat that celebrates all the wonderful produce that is so delicious and abundant right now.
   You can use this recipe for any fruit. Also, if you are adverse to the seeds in your berries you can always strain them out before adding it to your ice-cream base. I just leave them in. I like the texture it gives.

The creamy ice-cream will take on whichever hue of fruit your put into it. Since I used seductively red raspberries, then this ice-cream came out perfectly pink. No food coloring here people, just fruit. The way it should be.

I love making my own ice-cream, not only because I can create any flavor that pops into my head, but also because I can control the ingredients. There are only real ingredients. No preservatives or crazy ingredients that you can't pronounce. Just pure goodness. Experiment on your own, and let me know which fruit flavor ice-cream is your favorite. My kids prefer the peach ice-cream, but I think I like the raspberry better. My next one to try is blueberry.

Here's the recipe:
adapted from 5 Minutes for Mom

***The amount of fruit in the recipe can vary depending on your taste. You should use at least 3 cups, but I have used 4 cups without any textural difference to the final product. Also, I find that storing the ice cream in cardboard containers (like the professionals do) helps the ice-cream remain softer and more scoopable. I like these ones (affiliate link).

Raspberry Ice-Cream

*16 oz fresh raspberries (about 3 1/2 cups), washed (or any fruit you like)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups cold milk
2 cups cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, combine the fruit and sugar and mash VERY well with a potato masher and set aside for about 20 minutes. Alternately, you can pulse the mixture in a food processor just enough to puree the fruit but not the seeds, and then set aside. After the sugar dissolves, you can strain out the seeds or leave them in (I leave them in.) Stir in the cold milk, cream and vanilla making sure everything is well combined. Refrigerate mix for at least 30 minutes (the colder it is when it goes into your machine, the faster it will be done).
Pour the cold mixture into your prepared ice-cream maker, and churn the ice-cream according to the manufacturers instructions. (Mine took about 25 minutes to be done.) This recipe makes 2 quarts of ice-cream, so I have to make mine in two batches (since my machine only takes 1 quart at a time). Just cover and refrigerate any leftover ice-cream mix to churn at a later time.