It’s one of those things you want to try at home—making ice cream from scratch. Even though we are spoiled for choice with a gazillion brands out there, nothing quite beats a tub of homemade ice cream, and most of us have tried to churn a batch at some point in time.
The internet is a great place for inspiration, recipes and hacks, and offers just the right motivation when you fail. But once you have the perfect toolkit and a good recipe, it’s only a matter of time and patience before it all comes together.
The Indian summer allows plenty of scope for experimentation with seasonal fruits and berries—mango, jamun, chikoo and jackfruit make for exceptional flavour variations. And with equipment now far more affordable, homemade ice-cream projects feel a lot less intimidating.
Here’s what you need to make your own ice cream.
SERVE BOWLS
Beautiful ice-cream bowls can add an element of fun and charm. These bowls have an elegant clear glass look complemented by a pop of colour at the bottom. Go ahead and serve your freshly churned ice cream in them with a touch of style and indulgence.
Price: ₹4,099; available on The Purple Pony
MIXING BOWLS
Your ice-cream base requires a cool environment and stainless steel chills the ingredients quickly. The best tip is to place the mixing bowls in the freezer before combining your dairy and sugar mixture at a low temperature, allowing everything to whip smoothly. This bowl comes with a bright enamel coating, a change from your regular stainless steel vessels.
Price: ₹1,160; available on Nykaa
INSULATED STORAGE BOX
Keeping your ice cream cold and stable can be stressful considering India’s long and harsh summer. Get your hands on containers that have a double-wall insulation, which keeps the ice cream stable. They are also convenient to store a variety of frozen desserts like sorbets and frozen yogurt.
Price: ₹598; available on Amazon
KULFI MOULDS
Kulfi moulds are a great addition to the pantry in a way they give that classic cylindrical shape, and are meant for individual servings and portions. They come with lids so you can enjoy your kulfi straight out of the mould.
Price: ₹279 (pack of 6); available on Hazel Kitchenware
ELECTRIC ICE-CREAM MACHINE
An ice-cream machine is a great investment, especially if you plan to make ice cream at home frequently. Simply pre-freeze the bowl overnight, add your ingredients, and let the machine do the rest. It can create everything from gelato and ice cream to frozen yogurt.
Price: ₹7,999; available on Access
THE RIGHT SCOOPER
A reliable ice-cream scoop can make a difference when serving frozen desserts at home. A sturdy plastic scoop glides through the ice cream, shapes cookie dough, and portions cake batter with minimal effort, keeping prep neat and hassle-free.
Price: ₹199; available on Home Centre
MANGO YOGURT SEMIFREDDO
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
6 tbsp honey
One and three-fourth cup mango pulp
Half cup yogurt
Half cup fresh cream
1 cup whipping cream No.2
A pinch of salt, as per taste
For garnish
One and one-fourth cup fresh mango, cubed
2 tsp soaked chia seeds
Chopped nuts (of your choice)
Method
In a bowl, combine eggs, egg yolk and honey. Place a stock pot with some water on the stove and top with the bowl of eggs and cook over a double-boiler while constantly whisking on low-medium heat, making sure the eggs do not catch at the bottom of the bowl. Cook till it becomes a nice thick ribbon consistency. Take off heat and whisk in the mango pulp, yogurt, salt and cream. Emulsify or mix till well combined.
Whisk the whipping cream No.2 with a hand blender till it reaches a soft peak.
Gently fold the yogurt mango mixture into the whipped heavy cream until just combined. Pour this mixture into desired glasses or set into a pan to scoop.
Set in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.
To assemble, spoon a layer of fresh mango cubes into chilled bowls, top with scoops of mango semifreddo and layer with soaked chia seeds. Scatter chopped nuts like almonds, hazelnut, pistachio and walnuts.
By chef Prathana A. Narang, chief product officer, Lick, Bengaluru
ROASTED ALMOND COLD COFFEE ICE CREAM
Makes 8-10 scoops
Ingredients
Half cup condensed milk
One-fourth cup cream
One-and-a-half-tbsp coffee powder
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
Half-cup roasted almonds, chopped
Method
In a pan warm up cream and add instant coffee to it. Mix until the coffee dissolves. Let this sit aside until it cools down.
With an electric beater or a hand whisk, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
In a bowl combine condensed milk along with the cream and coffee mixture and a pinch of salt. Mix it well.
Fold in the whipped cream in 2-3 parts without overmixing it. Fold in the almonds. Transfer the mixture to a clean container and let it freeze for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Transfer the ice cream to the fridge for 15 minutes to soften it up a little. Scoop out the ice cream, pour over a spoonful of coffee decoction and garnish it with chopped roasted almonds.
By Saloni Kukreja, founder, Indu Ice Cream, Mumbai