Vanilla Ice Cream
Jennifer IserlohWhen I was a kid, ice cream was synonymous with summer. I had a trained ear and could pick out the perky chimes of the ice cream truck from miles away. Ice cream is a cool, satisfying summer treat, but a scoop a day can keep the bikini away.

Most people don't know that one pint of many commercial ice creams contains more fat than you should eat in a whole day. That doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy this calcium-rich treat. Making your own is immensely satisfying, and without having to worry about loading up on fat and calories while avoiding crazy preservatives that no one can pronounce.

It's so much fun to make your own ice cream and once you learn how to temper eggs, you can experiment with some pretty wild flavors. I covet my neighbor's fancy ice cream maker, but with its not so sweet price tag of $500, I'm content with my Krups version at just $70. I just keep the insert in my freezer so it's always ready to go any time I want to churn up a new creation.

Add-ins: Try one of these add-ins to make your flavor special -- like 1 tablespoon of culinary lavender flower buds, the seeds scraped from one whole vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon of your favorite finely ground coffee plus a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cayenne chili, or 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped basil leaves and 1/2 cup of blueberries or raspberries.


Get the Skinny Chef's Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.