To start, the Wilder girls and women were not pushovers. Mother Wilder was strong, capable and smart, and her husband recognized this. I loved seeing this model of a marriage. The girls bossed around their brothers (just like I did my own little brother!) Plus, there is the FOOD. Oh my, the food scenes in this book are delightful!
This is where I found my inspiration for today's recipe:
Almanzo ran after Royal to the ice-house. They dug a block of ice out of the sawdust and put it in a grain sack. They laid the sack on the back porch and pounded it with hatchets till the ice was crushed. Alice came out to watch them while she whipped egg-whites on a platter. She beat them with a fork, till they were too stiff to slip when she tilted the platter.
Eliza Jane measured milk and cream, and dipped up sugar from the barrel in the pantry. It was not common maple sugar, but white sugar bought from the store. Mother used it only when company came. Eliza Jane dipped six cupfuls, then she smoothed the sugar that was left, and you would hardly have missed any. She made a big milk-pail full of yellow custard. They set the pail in a tub and packed the snowy crushed ice around it, with salt, and they covered it all with a blanket. Every few minutes they took off the blanket and uncovered the pail, and stirred the freezing ice-cream.
I remember making homemade ice cream with my grandparents. I recall that my grandmother made it like the Wilders until something called "Junket" came along. IJunket was a tablet and it was added to the ice cream. I don't recall eggs being a part of the Junket ice cream recipe. How many of you remember Junket?
My ice cream recipe has taken an even more modern twist: no dairy products! I know, can it be ice "cream" without the cream? As a purist, I say no, but the taste will have you saying otherwise!
Instead of an old-fashioned churn, I am using this new piece of equipment for making the ice cream. Introducing the
Chef'n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker, Lagoon Color
which I love! You freeze the ice cream maker for 24 hours before you use it. Then take it out and pour the ice cream mixture onto the frozen surface. Wait a minute, then using the tools provided, scrape and form the ice cream. You can add in chocolate chips, nuts, marshmallows, whatever you like in ice cream! It's fun and delicious, too.
Dairy Free Homemade Ice Cream
2 c unsweetened coconut milk
1 c coconut cream Vanilla flavored (not the canned, the one in a carton near the coffee creamers)
1 t vanilla
1/2 c Swerve (sugar substitute)
Whisk all the ingredients together until well incorporated. Pour into a container and place in the refrigerator to cool before using, for at least one hour. Remove the Sweet Spot from the freezer, place on a firm and level surface. Pour 1 c of mixture onto the Sweet Spot. Wait one minute, then begin scraping until the ice cream is of the desired consistency. If you want add ins, this is the time to put those in, folding until well distributed. Repeat this procedure until all the cream mixture is used. Or, like me, save it for another day!
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| Homemade Ice Cream with Homemade Magic Shell |
