So far, I was able to make very decent basic ice cream. Now I would
like to try adding various berries - dried cranberries, fresh
raspberries, or blackberries. But I am not quite sure about the
technology.

Can I add pureed berries into the soft ice cream - after the icecream
maker, but before it goes to the fridge to ripen ? Or should I add
them before it goes to the icecream maker ? In the latter case, I am
afraid to damage the blades and walls of the cylinder with the
seeds.

In article
>,
ivk > wrote:

> So far, I was able to make very decent basic ice cream. Now I would
> like to try adding various berries - dried cranberries, fresh
> raspberries, or blackberries. But I am not quite sure about the
> technology.
>
> Can I add pureed berries into the soft ice cream - after the icecream
> maker, but before it goes to the fridge to ripen ? Or should I add
> them before it goes to the icecream maker ? In the latter case, I am
> afraid to damage the blades and walls of the cylinder with the
> seeds.

Does the manual that came with the ice cream maker offer any
suggestions? Mine recommends macerating the fruit in some sugar for
several hours (overnight?) before adding it to the ice cream or the
fruit will become hard little fruit ice bits.

If you're pureeing the fruit I'd add it at the very end of the freezing
before you take the dasher out. It should be kind of swirly that way.
JMO.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Yes, I Can! blog - check
it out. And check this, too: <http://www.kare11.com/news/
newsatfour/newsatfour_article.aspx?storyid=823232&catid=323>

ivk wrote:

> So far, I was able to make very decent basic ice cream. Now I would
> like to try adding various berries - dried cranberries, fresh
> raspberries, or blackberries. But I am not quite sure about the
> technology.
>
> Can I add pureed berries into the soft ice cream - after the icecream
> maker, but before it goes to the fridge to ripen ? Or should I add
> them before it goes to the icecream maker ? In the latter case, I am
> afraid to damage the blades and walls of the cylinder with the
> seeds.

You want to mash them at least slightly, then macerate them
in sugar first. This is important to prevent the berries
from freezing solid and becoming too hard. No worries
about hurting the blades because that will soften it.

For a 1 qt batch of ice cream, mash the berries a bit and
macerate them in 1/2 C sugar for an hour. Chill them
completely along with the ice cream base, then mix together
and run it through the machine.

Thanks a lot for your piece of advice. Do I need to change the recipe
for the base (like add more whipping cream, or more egg) to make the
base harder, considering that now it will be dilluted by a "watery"
substance ? And what would be good proportions between the base and
berries for
1. dried cranberry
2. raspberry
3. bluberry

BTW, the gap between the blades and the walls of the cylinder in my
icecream maker is razor thin, and blades are plastic, so I am still a
bit uneasy about the seeds.

ivk wrote:
> Thanks a lot for your piece of advice. Do I need to change the recipe
> for the base (like add more whipping cream, or more egg) to make the
> base harder, considering that now it will be dilluted by a "watery"
> substance ? And what would be good proportions between the base and
> berries for
> 1. dried cranberry
> 2. raspberry
> 3. bluberry
>
> BTW, the gap between the blades and the walls of the cylinder in my
> icecream maker is razor thin, and blades are plastic, so I am still a
> bit uneasy about the seeds.

Nope, you won't have to change anything in the base recipe.
The berries add water, but the added sugar to the berries
will compensate and make the sweetness balance out.

Yer good to go.

ivk wrote:


> And what would be good proportions between the base and
> berries for
> 1. dried cranberry
> 2. raspberry
> 3. bluberry

The dried cranberries should be added at the end
after it's spun. Remove the ice cream from the cylinder
to a bowl and mix in any nuts, dried fruit, m&ms, etc,
by hand. Pack and freeze as usual.

For all fresh fruits, 1/2 C sugar per qt works for me. You
want want to make minor adjustments per your own tastes
to get the sweetness just right but I haven't found the
need.

Thanks a lot, RegForte. Though when you mentioned M&Ms I felt shivers
down my spine :-)

Now about the proportions. Most recipes suggest 1 C of sugar per 1 qt
of basic ice cream. So you're suggesting 50% more sugar if fresh fruit
is added ? I am usually taking 25% less sugar that indicated in
recipes, so will need to recalculate.

Also, do you think blueberry would work ? I am afraid it's taste may
be way too subdued for ice cream.

ivk wrote:

> Thanks a lot, RegForte. Though when you mentioned M&Ms I felt shivers
> down my spine :-)
>
> Now about the proportions. Most recipes suggest 1 C of sugar per 1 qt
> of basic ice cream. So you're suggesting 50% more sugar if fresh fruit
> is added ? I am usually taking 25% less sugar that indicated in
> recipes, so will need to recalculate.
>

The 1/2 C number is based on my experience. I think
I started with 1/3 C then bumped it up a bit. It's all
about your own tastes here. It will all work, as long as
the fruit is soft and macerated enough. It needs to
be quite mashed up before use. I use a potato masher.

If you really like tweeking your recipes (which I
don't, I'm lazy and go with 1/2 C per qt for everything),
here are some numbers from "The Ben and Jerry Ice Cream and
Dessert Book".

Fruit Fruit/sugar Ratio
(by wieght)
============== =================
Banannas No added sugar
Apples 4 to 1
Strawberries 4 to 1
Peaches 4 to 1
Plums 4 to 1
Pineapple 4 to 1
Apricots 3 to 1
Blackberries 3 to 1
Cherries 3 to 1
Rasberries 2 to 1
Papaya 3 to 1
Mango 3 to 1
Pear 3 to 1

I'm too lazy for that though, not to mention the fact that
sweetness of any given batch of fruit can vary a lot
anyway.

> Also, do you think blueberry would work ? I am afraid it's taste may
> be way too subdued for ice cream.

There's some truth to that. If you're looking for 100% crystal
clear flavor and texture of the fruit, you won't get it by
mixing it into ice cream. Life's a trade-off

That said, blueberry ice cream is fantastic. Go for it.

ivk wrote:
> Thanks a lot, RegForte. Though when you mentioned M&Ms I felt shivers
> down my spine :-)
>
> Now about the proportions. Most recipes suggest 1 C of sugar per 1 qt
> of basic ice cream.

No the recipes that I use. FWIW, the recipes that came with my Cuisinart
ice cream maker call for 1/2 cup of sugar with 2 cups of cream and 2
cups of milk.

> So you're suggesting 50% more sugar if fresh fruit
> is added ? I am usually taking 25% less sugar that indicated in
> recipes, so will need to recalculate.

Any time that I have added plain chopped fruit I ended up with solid
chunks of fruit. The best fruit results I had were with Italian plums.
They had been way to sour to eat, so I made a compote by cooking the
chopped plums with sugar. I then added some of the compote to a batch of
ice cream and it turned out to be excellent.

RegForte wrote:
> ivk wrote:
>> Thanks a lot for your piece of advice. Do I need to change the recipe
>> for the base (like add more whipping cream, or more egg) to make the
>> base harder, considering that now it will be dilluted by a "watery"
>> substance ? And what would be good proportions between the base and
>> berries for
>> 1. dried cranberry
>> 2. raspberry
>> 3. bluberry
>>
>> BTW, the gap between the blades and the walls of the cylinder in my
>> icecream maker is razor thin, and blades are plastic, so I am still a
>> bit uneasy about the seeds.
>
> Nope, you won't have to change anything in the base recipe.
> The berries add water, but the added sugar to the berries
> will compensate and make the sweetness balance out.

Adding sugar to the berries ahead of time will draw out some of the
moisture from the fruit, making a sauce, which will flavour the ice
cream when it gets mixed in during the freezing process. The sugar will
also prevent the fruit from freezing into rock hard chunks.

Dave Smith wrote:


> Any time that I have added plain chopped fruit I ended up with solid
> chunks of fruit.

That's because you didn't macerate them.

Dave Smith wrote:


>>
>> Nope, you won't have to change anything in the base recipe.
>> The berries add water, but the added sugar to the berries
>> will compensate and make the sweetness balance out.
>
>
> Adding sugar to the berries ahead of time will draw out some of the
> moisture from the fruit, making a sauce, which will flavour the ice
> cream when it gets mixed in during the freezing process. The sugar will
> also prevent the fruit from freezing into rock hard chunks.

Read a basic book on ice cream making then get back to us.

On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:48:41 -0700 (PDT), ivk >
wrote:

>Thanks a lot, RegForte. Though when you mentioned M&Ms I felt shivers
>down my spine :-)
>
>Now about the proportions. Most recipes suggest 1 C of sugar per 1 qt
>of basic ice cream. So you're suggesting 50% more sugar if fresh fruit
>is added ? I am usually taking 25% less sugar that indicated in
>recipes, so will need to recalculate.
>
>Also, do you think blueberry would work ? I am afraid it's taste may
>be way too subdued for ice cream.

Blueberry is not a popular ice cream flavor, not one of the half dozen
major national brands I checked sells blueberry ice cream... one local
company sells blueberry cheesecake ice cream... they all sell
strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry. I love blueberries, I even
grow my own, but I don't remember ever buying blueberry ice cream. I
think fresh whole blueberries are best used to top vanilla ice cream.
Blueberries seem to work best in baked goods, pancakes, and cold
cereal. My favorite way to eat the blueberries I grow is plain... no
store bought blueberries taste even close to fresh picked... unless
you've eaten fresh picked you only think you know how blueberries
taste.

brooklyn1, I think the purpose of this group is exactly to discuss
things you can't buy from "major brands". I ate blueberry icecream in
Europe, it had this violet color and tasted fantastic. But who knows
how they manufactured it, what kind of blueberries they were using,
and what they have added to promote the subtle blueberry flavor...
Never hurts to try, though.

RegForte wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>
>
>>>
>>> Nope, you won't have to change anything in the base recipe.
>>> The berries add water, but the added sugar to the berries
>>> will compensate and make the sweetness balance out.
>>
>>
>> Adding sugar to the berries ahead of time will draw out some of the
>> moisture from the fruit, making a sauce, which will flavour the ice
>> cream when it gets mixed in during the freezing process. The sugar
>> will also prevent the fruit from freezing into rock hard chunks.
>
> Read a basic book on ice cream making then get back to us.

Yeah, what do I know. I have only been making ice cream for 5 years.

RegForte wrote:
> ivk wrote:
>

>
>> Also, do you think blueberry would work ? I am afraid it's taste may
>> be way too subdued for ice cream.
>
> There's some truth to that. If you're looking for 100% crystal
> clear flavor and texture of the fruit, you won't get it by
> mixing it into ice cream. Life's a trade-off
>
> That said, blueberry ice cream is fantastic. Go for it.
>
>

Why not try making a blueberry syrup (either cooked or just fresh
berries pureed with sugar) to stir into slightly softened ice cream when
you eat it? That way you could add more syrup to your ice cream until
the flavor is strong enough for your taste.

gloria p

Gloria P wrote:
>RegForte wrote:
>> ivk wrote:
>>
>>> Also, do you think blueberry would work ? I am afraid it's taste may
>>> be way too subdued for ice cream.
>>
>> There's some truth to that. If you're looking for 100% crystal
>> clear flavor and texture of the fruit, you won't get it by
>> mixing it into ice cream. Life's a trade-off
>>
>> That said, blueberry ice cream is fantastic. Go for it.
>>
>>
>
>Why not try making a blueberry syrup (either cooked or just fresh
>berries pureed with sugar) to stir into slightly softened ice cream when
>you eat it? That way you could add more syrup to your ice cream until
>the flavor is strong enough for your taste.
>
>
I can't see smushing up perfectly good fresh blueberries, I simply
sprinkle a bunch of fresh picked atop vanilla ice cream, same as I
would into a bowl of corn flakes. I used to use canned blueberry pie
filling, adding to the very end of dashing ice cream, but now that I
grow my own I'm not about to eat them any other way but fresh picked.

These were picked from my blueberry patch not ten minutes before I
took this pictu http://i29.tinypic.com/2v7waoi.jpg

BTW, do I still need to add vanilla extract to ice cream with fruits
or berries ?

ivk wrote:

> BTW, do I still need to add vanilla extract to ice cream with fruits
> or berries ?

My personal tastes: leave it out. Doesn't work
well in fruit ice cream.

YMMV big time

ivk wrote:
> BTW, do I still need to add vanilla extract to ice cream with fruits
> or berries ?


Yes,

ivk wrote:
Default How to add berries to homemade ice cream ?
So far, I was able to make very decent basic ice cream. Now I would
like to try adding various berries - dried cranberries, fresh
raspberries, or blackberries. But I am not quite sure about the
technology.

Can I add pureed berries into the soft ice cream - after the icecream
maker, but before it goes to the fridge to ripen ? Or should I add
them before it goes to the icecream maker ? In the latter case, I am
afraid to damage the blades and walls of the cylinder with the
seeds.

I add berries before the icecream goes to the icecream maker. Also you can decorate your icecream after it.

ivk wrote:
> So far, I was able to make very decent basic ice cream. Now I would
> like to try adding various berries - dried cranberries, fresh
> raspberries, or blackberries. But I am not quite sure about the
> technology.
>
> Can I add pureed berries into the soft ice cream - after the icecream
> maker, but before it goes to the fridge to ripen ? Or should I add
> them before it goes to the icecream maker ? In the latter case, I am
> afraid to damage the blades and walls of the cylinder with the
> seeds.

I always put the berries in before I put it in the
ice cream maker. Been doing it that way for nearly
forty years. That was the way my grandmother did it
too.
Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article
> >,
> ivk > wrote:
>
>> So far, I was able to make very decent basic ice cream. Now I would
>> like to try adding various berries - dried cranberries, fresh
>> raspberries, or blackberries. But I am not quite sure about the
>> technology.
>>
>> Can I add pureed berries into the soft ice cream - after the icecream
>> maker, but before it goes to the fridge to ripen ? Or should I add
>> them before it goes to the icecream maker ? In the latter case, I am
>> afraid to damage the blades and walls of the cylinder with the
>> seeds.
>
> Does the manual that came with the ice cream maker offer any
> suggestions? Mine recommends macerating the fruit in some sugar for
> several hours (overnight?) before adding it to the ice cream or the
> fruit will become hard little fruit ice bits.

I always cut mine up and sugar it and leave it overnight.
I don't bother pureeing it, just put it in as is. It's soft
enough that it will break up during the freezing process.
I don't like large pieces of fruit in my ice cream because
they tend to get ice-hard and I hate biting into a piece like
that.

> If you're pureeing the fruit I'd add it at the very end of the freezing
> before you take the dasher out. It should be kind of swirly that way.
> JMO.

If you're using an old fashioned freezer (either hand-cranked or
electric) it would be difficult to do it that way. Maybe it would
be a little easier with the counter-top type of freezer (the kind
where you freeze the container ahead and then it freezes the ice
cream. Anyway, I find it simpler and less messy to just put it in
before freezing.

Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

ivk wrote:
> Thanks a lot for your piece of advice. Do I need to change the recipe
> for the base (like add more whipping cream, or more egg) to make the
> base harder, considering that now it will be dilluted by a "watery"
> substance ? And what would be good proportions between the base and
> berries for
> 1. dried cranberry
> 2. raspberry
> 3. bluberry
>
> BTW, the gap between the blades and the walls of the cylinder in my
> icecream maker is razor thin, and blades are plastic, so I am still a
> bit uneasy about the seeds.

Don't worry about it! The seeds are not a problem.
Really! It's true!

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?