I wish it were in my power to name and recommend “a perfect freezer” of any kind. Grinding is slow work; it is hard work; it is hot work at a season when action begets discomfort. My heart leaped high within me when a correspondent wrote gushingly of a freezer that “did the business of, and in itself without calling upon housewife or cook for so much as a turn or touch.” Upon trial of the “perfect” machine, I found the product—after I had faithfully obeyed instructions—coarse-grained, and shot with icy needles. I can, however, refer to a self-freezing process practised in my household for twenty odd years, and with never a failure.
Pour your cream, of whatever kind, into the freezer, surround with alternate layers of ice, shaved or cracked almost as fine as snow, and rock salt. Fill to the top and pour over all two quarts of the strongest brine. Bury the freezer out of sight in cracked ice and throw a piece of carpet, or a doubled sack over all, and don’t touch it again for an hour. Open then and beat and churn, when you have scraped the frozen cream from the sides down into the middle. Have a stout “dasher” in miniature made, and work diligently for at least five or six minutes. The granulation and ice-needles of the “perfect machine” were the consequence of neglect of this beating and churning. Now close the freezer, pack down again in rock salt and finely pounded ice, burying it out of sight as before, put a weight on the top, unless the freezer be fast to the bottom of the outer vessel, and let all alone for two hours more—longer if you like.
You will have then a pillar of lusciousness, smooth as cream can be and should be. Dip the freezer in hot water and turn out, or wrap a towel wet in hot water about it to loosen the cream.
All ices are the better for being packed down in ice for some time after they are frozen. It is a ripening and mellowing process. If you wish to add fruit or nuts to the plain custard or cream beat them in when you open the freezer to “churn” the contents.
Vanilla ice cream
Make a custard of a quart of milk, seven eggs and four cupfuls of granulated sugar. Remove from the fire and flavor with vanilla extract. When cold beat into the custard a quart of rich cream, and freeze.
It is made more elegant and delicious by pouring over each plateful, when served, a hot or a cold chocolate, or cold strawberry sauce.
Chocolate sauce for vanilla ice cream
Rub four heaping tablespoonfuls of sweet chocolate (grated fine) to a smooth paste, with six tablespoonfuls of cream. Add two cupfuls of boiling water, and cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly, for ten minutes after the boil begins. Flavor with vanilla or other extract when cold. Before using, beat for three minutes hard.
This “dressing” is especially nice if a few spoonfuls of whipped cream be beaten into it just before serving. It should be very cold, or very hot. If the latter, omit the whipped cream but froth by heating over the fire.