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Diane Prather: Homemade ice cream

Diane Prather / For the Saturday Morning Press

Rocky Road Ice Cream

• 1 1/3 cups sugar

• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups milk

• 3 (1-ounce) squares

unsweetened chocolate

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

• 1 cup miniature marshmallows

• 2/3 cup toasted broken pecans

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the milk. Add the chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Boil and stir for two minutes. Stir a small amount of this hot mixture into the beaten eggs, then return all of it to the pan. Cook over low heat one minute, stirring constantly. Place in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and all chocolate is dissolved. Stir in cream. Chill. Then churn freeze. Transfer the ice cream to a plastic freezer container. Stir in marshmallows and nuts. Leave in the freezer for at least three hours.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

• 1 1/3 cups sugar

• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon salt



• 3 cups milk

• 3 (1-ounce) squares



unsweetened chocolate

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

• 1 cup miniature marshmallows

• 2/3 cup toasted broken pecans

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the milk. Add the chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Boil and stir for two minutes. Stir a small amount of this hot mixture into the beaten eggs, then return all of it to the pan. Cook over low heat one minute, stirring constantly. Place in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and all chocolate is dissolved. Stir in cream. Chill. Then churn freeze. Transfer the ice cream to a plastic freezer container. Stir in marshmallows and nuts. Leave in the freezer for at least three hours.

Last week’s column ended with some comments concerning safety recommendations for preparing recipes using eggs. The column featured an old recipe for making mayonnaise. The egg yolks called for in the recipe were not cooked.

Years ago, people routinely prepared recipes such as eggnog, ice cream and mayonnaise without cooking whole eggs or egg yolks. However, according to Karen Massey, Routt County Extension director and Family Consumer and Science agent, recent research has shown that pathogens are found inside the egg shell as well as on the outside. Thus, eggs should be cooked to 165 degrees to avoid food poisoning.

The alternative to cooking the eggs/egg yolks is to purchase them pasteurized. So this week, I checked at a local grocery store. I could not find pasteurized egg yolks, but I did find the liquid egg mixes, a couple of brand names, that are found in milk-like cartons. The eggs mixtures are made with egg whites or with whole eggs and egg whites. According to the information on the carton, the mixture is pasteurized.

To find out more about safety when cooking with eggs, you might visit the State Egg Board website or call Karen Massey at 970-879-0825.

Meanwhile, I checked my “to try” recipe file for homemade ice cream recipes that use a cooked custard. (I’m trying to remember where I stored our crank ice cream freezer. There’s nothing more fun than taking turns cranking the ice cream freezer.)

To make “Rocky Road Ice Cream” (recipe from an old newspaper clipping), you will need: 1 1/3 cups sugar, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 cups milk, 3 (1-ounce each) squares unsweetened chocolate, 2 eggs (beaten), 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, 1 cup miniature marshmallows, and 2/3 cups toasted broken pecans.

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk. Add the chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Boil and stir for two minutes. (The chocolate does not dissolve completely, so the mixture will look speckled. There is no problem. You will beat the mixture a little later.)

Stir a small amount of this hot mixture into the beaten eggs, and then return all of it to the saucepan. Cook over low heat one minute, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Place in a small mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with a mixer until the mixture is smooth and all of the chocolate is dissolved. Stir in whipping cream. Chill. Then churn freeze.

After freezing, transfer the ice cream to a plastic freezer container. Stir in the marshmallows and nuts. Leave in the freezer for at least three hours before serving.

If you have information about safety when cooking with eggs or about pasteurized eggs, call me at 970-824-8809 or write to me at P.O. Box 415, Craig, CO 81626. Also, do you have ice cream recipes? Send them my way.

Did you know there is a recipe for hot eggnog? I found it this past week. More about this recipe when eggnog season rolls around again.

Copyright Diane Prather, 2013


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