vitamix ice cream

Blueberry Sorbet
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup sugar
1 pound frozen blueberries

Place all ingredients into your Vitamix in the order listed. Turn the blender on to Variable 1, then quickly increase the speed to Variable 10. Switch to high then blend for about 30-60 seconds. Use the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades. Eventually four mounds will form around the time that the sound of the motor changes.  Stop the machine as soon as the mounds form. Serve immediately.

Terry’s Piña Colada Ice Cream
1/4 cup cream of coconut
1/2 t Xantham gum
1/2 cup of sugar, or less if you don’t want sweet
1 bag of frozen pineapple
A couple of glugs of rum

I use about 4 Tablespoons of liquid to a bag of frozen fruit, 1O ounces of frozen fruit I think, for ice cream VitaMix style.

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Strawberry Or Other  Ice Creams
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoon confectioner’s Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 cup Strawberries, Frozen

This recipe can be general guidelines for making a delicious creamy ice cream in the VitaMix or any *super* powerful blender that will puree frozen items

Put enough cream in the Vitamix to come up to but not over the blades, that’s just about 1/4 cup. You don’t have to use cream. Vanilla syrup, or any flavor syrup will work. Just what you think would go well with the strawberry flavor.

Add the sugar to the liquid, it doesn’t have to be sugar but Agave or Stevia whatever you like for sweetener. You can use granulated sugar but I like to use confectioner’s sugar because i know it’s going to dissolve totally and quickly. I usually make several cups of powdered sugar at a time and have it on hand.

Add the Xanthan Gum. this is the secret ingredient that keeps ice crystals from forming and allows you to freeze the ice cream. It also gives this the wonderful “creamy” mouthfeel. Last add the fruit, in this case the strawberries.

Then, Turn the Vitamix on high. Don’t mind the noise it won’t break. Use the tamper vigorously. Forcefully push down really hard in all four corners until you hear the machines noise change. It will go from a loud struggle to the grinding of gear sound. If it whines then their is an air pocket and you are not pushing with enough force. It probably will take about 1 1/2 minutes. You can’t run it too long or the force and speed of the motor which will cook soup will melt the ice cream. Just look. If is looks like ice cream it is.  Give it a taste. You’ll be amazed.

I make a Pina Colada Ice Cream that is killer good. You use the same technique. In this case you can use frozen pineapple chunks. The Xanthan Gum is not bothered with the pineapple enzyme that prevents gelling so you can use raw but frozen pineapple. In the Pina Colada Ice Cream I use Coconut Syrup (or coconut cream or milk)  no sugar, I make the ice cream and when it is turn I throw in a good splash of Rum and give it one more spin.  It’s our Favorite.

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Pecan Nut Butter Ice Cream
Recipe By: Lea Ann Savage

The Nut Butter
3 cup pecans
1 tablespoon oil
The Ice Cream
1/4 cup maple syrup or other sweetener
Heavy Cream
frozen heavy cream cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Roast the nuts
2. Place 2-3 cups of almonds and 2-3 cups of pecans in a large zip lock bag and pour oil in 1 Tbs. at a time and squish around until all of the nuts are coated. I like coconut oil for this as it is not damaged by high heat.
3. Spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer
4. bake in a PREHEATED oven at 350 for 15 minutes (be there when the timer goes off, because it is easy to quickly burn the nuts – check them at 13 minutes)
5. allow them to cool
6. Turn the nuts into butter…
7. Remove some of the nut butter to spread on toast the next day.
8. To make the Nut Butter Ice Cream:
9. leave a LOT of Almond/Pecan Butter in the container.
10. add sweetener of your choice
11. 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup (the sweetener choices are endless really)
12. the sweetener above should come to about the 1/4 cup line.
13. add Heavy Whipping Cream to the 1 cup line
14. add frozen ice cubes made from Heavy Whipping Cream (enough to reach the 4 cup line) Reserve some extra “Cream Cubes” in case you need them
15. add 1 tsp. of Vanilla
16. optional – add a few shakes of cinnamon
17. Xanthan Gum – Terry’s choice
18. You could use ice cubes or milk cubes instead of the heavy whipping cream

Notes:  Other sweetener choices. To make a Thick Date Syrup:
– add 2-3 cups of pitted dates into the Vitamix machine
– add water to just the top of the dates (or a tad less). Adding more water = a thinner “syrup”
– if you add 5-6 drops of Stevia, it won’t be enough for anyone to taste the bitterness, but it will really enhance the sweetness of the Date Syrup

Other Thickening Choices Also, if you have a thickener of some kind (for example, Agar Agar or Glucomannan Powder) adding a small amount (perhaps a tsp.) gives the ice cream a much more commerce “creamy” mouth-feel.

Grandmother’s Lemon Custard Ice Cream – Terry

3 zest of Lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 cup half-and-half — or substitute 3 parts milk to 1 part cream
4 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
2 cup heavy cream

In a heavy bowl, combine the lemon zest and lemon juice, and stir in the sugar with a fork. Let it stand for 30 minutes. The sugar helps release the flavor of the zest. Scald the half-and-half over medium heat and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt with a mixer until well-blended. Slowly add about half of the scalded half-and-half and stir gently. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook the custard over medium to low heat stirring constantly until it is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil or it will curdle. Immediately remove it from the heat and strain the custard into a large bowl. Stir in the lemon mixture and the heavy cream.

Lay a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. When the ice cream is thickened and frozen, cover it and place it in the freezer until firm. Let it soften slightly in the refrigerator before serving.