Weekly Recipe: Ice Cream Three Ways by Basics with Babish

A scoop of creamy, delectable ice cream can brighten anyone’s day and melt all your worries away. What's better than your usual, store-bought brands? Homemade ice cream you can make specifically to please your own taste buds.

The process may seem daunting, but with this easy-to-follow YouTube video from chef Andrew Rea of the Babish Culinary Universe, you've got recipes for not one, but three different kinds of chocolate ice cream. The first is a simple, banana-based option. Next is a sweetened, condensed milk "shortcut," and the final is a classic, hand-churned ice cream.

You simply need the listed ingredients, a mixer and the willingness to hand whisk away, depending on which of the three you decide to go for. Not only can you tweak the recipe to your flavor preference, you can also have some fun!

“Three different methods, three different amounts of time, three different upper body strength requirements, but all delicious," Rea says in the video. “It’s like what they always say: 'you get what you pay for,' or, in this case, you get what you whisk for.”

See also: Weekly Recipe: Swedish Meatballs by Kitchen Sanctuary

According to Rea, the ultimate game-changer would be to scoop up all three types of ice cream with distinctly different textures into one bowl with chocolate whipped cream and chocolate shavings to create the ultimate chocolate sundae. It's up to you how to relish the final product, especially with so many options to choose from.

Rea’s recipe on the Babish Culinary Universe is just what you need to treat yourself. The full recipe and video are available below.

Equipment:

• Blender Stand mixer (with whisk)
• Whisk
• Instant read thermometer
• Bowls

Blended Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, frozen
• Whole milk
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (or more to taste)

Method:

1. Start by slicing up two bananas into 1-2 inch slices and place them on a baking sheet to freeze for about two hours or until frozen.
2. Put your frozen banana slices into a blender and start to blend them. You want to liquify them, so add whole milk in, a little at a time, until thick.
3. Once it’s thick, add 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder along with a little more milk and blend until creamy.
4. Pour into a bowl and cover directly plastic wrap (push it down so it is against the liquid) and freeze for four hours, or overnight. Serve and enjoy!

Sweetened Condensed Shortcut

Ingredients

• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
• 4 Tbsp melted butter (optional)
• 2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder (or more to taste)

Method

1. Whip some heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer (with the whisk) until it becomes whipped cream, and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, empty one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and optionally ½ stick of melted butter.
3. Add 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Add more cocoa powder if needed for optimal chocolatey-ness.
4. Next, add your whipped cream mix to the bowl and slowly fold in until everything is evenly combined.
5. Once everything is combined with no streaks, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least four hours, or overnight. Serve and enjoy!

Standard Ice Cream (Hand Churned)

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• Medium bag of ice
• ½ cup Kosher salt

Method

1. In a medium saucepan combine 2 cups whole milk, two whole eggs, and 1 cup of white sugar. Whisk to combine.
2. Make sure pan is under a medium-low heat and whisk until temperature reaches 175°F.
3. Remove pan from heat and add ⅓ cup of cocoa powder, or whatever flavor you’d like. Whisk and add 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until fully incorporated.
4. Place in a metal bowl and put plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture and place in the freezer.
5. In a large metal bowl, fill halfway with ice and add ½ a cup of kosher salt. Mix together.
6. Remove ice cream mixture from the freezer, remove plastic wrap and set on top of the ice.
7. Push the bowl down into the ice so it’s nice and cozy, and start whisking your mixture. Whisk for 10 minutes while scraping down the sides when you can.
8. Once you’ve whisked for 10 minutes place a clean kitchen towel over the whole mixture and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Repeat this 3 more times. Once you’ve done the previous step a total of four times, cover your mixture with plastic wrap all the way down to the mixture and freeze for at least 4 hours.
9. Serve and enjoy!