Burr!  It’s cold outside tonight; but never too cold for homemade ice cream.  What a cliche. Really, nothing compares to homemade ice cream, although some of the ice cream chain stores come close. And where could you ever find persimmon ice cream?

When my father and father-in-law happened to be in town at the same time, they would always disappear together to locate the best ice cream store. Our family loves ice cream, and we made many favors of homemade ice cream when I was growing up.

I’ve continued to experiment with different types of ice cream over the years. Traditionally ice cream is rich in cream–making it a high fat, high calorie dessert. I have made several variations which are low in fat and taste surprisingly good. Persimmon Ice Cream is one such example.

It was a sad day when my trusty Waring Ice Cream maker broke. Now I’ve got a little 1-1/2 quart Cuisinart ice cream maker which works well. It doesn’t need ice or rock salt to work. Keep the mixing bowl in the freezer. When ready to make ice cream, simply remove the mixing bowl, add the ice cream mix, add the paddle and set on its base. The machine plugs into the wall outlet. The frozen double wall bowl with freezing compound serves as the rock salt and ice and freezes the ice cream. No hassle. There are many brands of ice cream makers on the market–the Cuisinart one works for me. So there is no excuse not to make homemade ice cream.

The best ice cream, as far as I am concerned, is a cooked custard type of ice cream. However, for simplicity, there are others that taste good. This recipe substitutes evaporated skim milk and adds instant vanilla pudding. The result is a rich, creamy dessert.  Homemade ice cream is much softer than commercial ice cream. And, without the cream, it tends to become grainy; so best consumed in a day or too.

For the persimmons, use very ripe ones. I used Fuyu persimmons for this ice cream. The three types of persimmons I’ve seen in our markets are (left to right): Tanenashi (the ones I grow), Fuyu and Hachiya (very astringent)

Persimmon Ice Cream

2 fuyu persimmons, (3/4 cup pulp)
1/2 box of of instant vanilla pudding mix (1/4 cup) – (use the other half for another recipe)
1 12-oz can PET fat free evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp Frangelico liqueur (optional)

• remove skin and stems from persimmons, mash pulp; it should be about 3/4 cup,
• add persimmons, vanilla pudding mix, evaporated milk and sugar to food processor bowl,
• Pulse for a minute or so until all ingredients are blended; alternately, add ingredients to a medium bowl and blend with a wire whip.
• Add Frangelico liqueur, if desired,
• Transfer to ice cream maker bowl, and process until frozen, according to manufacturer’s directions.
• Serve immediately. Serves 6 – 8.

For a printable version of this recipe (so you don’t print the entire blog), go to mayleeskitchen.com