Summer Ice Cream Sundaes

Every Memorial Day, our family pulls out our (very fancy) ice cream maker for a summer of homemade ice cream. We get around to it less than I'd like. And we have no excuse, given that our machine does not require the ice and rock salt and constant monitoring that my mother's 1970s version did. When we do get inspired, there are so many delicious recipes for homemade ice cream, it's fun to figure out what to make. Lavender & Lemon. Rose Petal. Fresh Mint. Peach. Strawberry. My personal favorite is the peppermint ice cream my darling Sewanee friend, Claire Reishman, makes with chipped King Leo sticks (or other peppermint candies) that add a minty crunch to the velvety ice cream. And to top it all off (or to top off any of the above) my mother-in-law, Linda Brodie, has the most delicious chocolate sauce I've ever had in my life. She gives us a big Mason jar full every Christmas, and I often sneak to the kitchen after everyone is asleep and eat it from the jar with a spoon. It's that good!

Hope these recipes make it onto your Memorial Day Menu!

Claire's Peppermint Ice Cream

Ingredients

4 C milk

3 C mixture of half and half and heavy cream

6 yolks, plus 1 whole egg

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 whole vanilla beans (or vanilla extract if vanilla bean is not available)

Beat together eggs and sugar. Slowly add warm milk and cream mixture and vanilla bean, and stir over moderate heat until the mixture coats a spoon. Cool. Using a mallet, pound peppermint sticks into small mince, and add to the cream mixture. The quantity is variable, so use your judgment. Remove the vanilla bean and refrigerate at least two hours (or overnight).

Freeze in an ice cream freezer and serve.

Linda's Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients
1 16 ounce can of Hershey’s Syrup
1 14 ounce can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 stick of butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix all together in a saucepan and heat on low heat until butter is melted. Add vanilla.
Store in refrigerator.
T delicious over ice cream or makes rich hot chocolate.