Adults reluctant to attend ice cream making class on Martha's Vineyard leave addicted to homemade ice cream.
One class at the Farm Institute and I'm ready to to buy the machine and start churning out fresh-tasting deliciousness
When Lindsey from the Farm Institute on Martha’s Vineyard called me back, she was firm: “the ice cream making class you signed up for is for 3 and 4-year-olds.” I thought about my five adult guests, all successful professionals, and still had to ask: “Is that really a problem?"
Turns out, yes it was. But. She offered to create an adult class. Just for us.
So I said yes, please.
I was searching for a different kind of activity – one that would be a bit of a surprise and a little off the beaten path for summertime visitors to the island. And ice cream-making at the Farm Institute, a gorgeous property with almost views of the ocean and a constant gentle sea breeze, seemed just right.
On the day of the class, I could tell my guests were skeptical about going. Full transparency, I was too. Maybe it will be a little too childish – despite the “adults only” designation. Definitely fattening. But life is a bit of an adventure, I thought, so let’s give this one a go.
The Farm Institute: a Martha's Vineyard's Hidden Gem
The Farm Institute is a gift for this island. Originally cultivated by the Wampanoag Indians (because every place on this island was settled first by the Wampanoags) and then European settlers, it is a 162 acre working farm as well as a farm-based educational hub.
It runs weekly farming and cooking programs for kids, families and adults. It also leases its land to other local farms. It’s a kick to walk around, pick and pop a strawberry into your mouth, snap off a piece of asparagus, google at the baby cow, and gawk at the sheep, goats, chickens and ducks roaming around.
Custard vs. Regular Ice Cream: It’s a matter of taste. And mouth feel.
But my group was on an ice cream mission.
We walked into the kitchen, a bright, airy and air conditioned space set up with ice-cream making work stations.
The leader walked us through how to make a custard ice cream vs regular ice cream.
Basically, custard is what happens when ice cream goes to culinary school and comes back talking about "mouthfeel." It’s richer and denser than regular ice cream because it’s loaded with egg yolks; it feels more indulgent. And it is.
We watched as our teacher prepared a batch of custard-based ice cream. I’m thinking to myself, “this looks easy enough…not sure why I need her.”
And then it was our turn. She distributed instructions and we all freaked out about what to do first! She walked us through the process step by step. Here’s what we did:
Gently combined 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder, pinch of salt and 2 cups heavy cream in a saucepan. Simmered and continuously stirred it.
Whisked 3 egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until ribbons formed.
Tempered the eggs with the warm milk. That means we added some of the warm eggs to the milk and then slowly returned the eggs to the saucepan. We stirred the eggs and chocolate milk over gentle low heat until it thickened. The “tell” is when you drag your finger across the chocolate coated spoon and your fingerprint stays.
Finally, we cooled the mixture and churned it according to directions. You can add chocolate chips before and/or after churning if you are a chocolate freak looking for double or triple the chocolate-y-ness..
The simple recipe for “regular” ice cream that actually works.
The regular (ie., no eggs/not custard-based) strawberry ice cream was more straightforward. You mix all the ingredients together and put it into the ice cream machine and watch it churn and turn into dessert.
The ingredients are:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
mashed strawberries - about 2 cups. or to your preference.
We mashed the strawberries growing right outside the window and added it into the mixture at the end.
Despite the very specific ingredient amounts, batches by different teams turned out differently. Some of us put in a little extra cream and, well, then the ice cream turns out creamier. Some of us added more strawberries and well, then, the ice cream turns out more intensely strawberry. Some of us did both (not saying who those indulgent-seeking ice cream makers were…..) but the result won the blind taste test. Just sayin…..
Thankfully, no matter what we did, it turned out great.
I now have a lifetime supply of creamy cold deliciousness.
We each left with a pint or two of our creamy deliciousness. My guests were leaving the next day and couldn’t take the ice cream with them. So, oh no! I ended up with 10 pints of homemade ice cream. That translates into many nightly bowls of the freshest, most luscious ice cream of my life.
What does it take to make ice cream at home?
An ice cream maker. Like this one from Cuisinart and available on Amazon.
The more I eat the homemade version of ice cream, the more I want.
The fresh, creamy taste with no chemical additives is so great, I could become an addict. Give it a try if you can, and let me know what you think. It will put a smile on your face. It certainly put a smile on ours.
The Particulars:
The Farm Institute
14 Aero Ave.
Edgartown MA 02539
508-627-7007
email: thefarminstitute@thetrustees.org
Class costs vary from $16 -$40/person depending on class
The FARM Institute is such a treasure!
Just made the strawberry version and OMGOSH. (Thanks for the earlier tip--extra strawberries!)