Well now I understand why you see all these beautiful pics of ice cream on the cone. No one ever takes pics of the custard base or hot cream mixed with sugar that decides to separate and look like watery froth. There’s no time for pics when you have to whisk patiently and anxiously await the magical 170 degrees pre-custard straining (geez that sounds gross).  But it’s all okay because it turned out great!!!!

So here’s two pics and my secrets to success. This was my third time making ice cream this summer, and here are my (not that qualified) tips for success. THIS epicurious ice cream base is phenomenal. I used it to make peach ice cream earlier this summer and it came in handy for my dad and grandma’s favorite, mangoooo. If you haven’t noticed, mangoes are on sale lately, so take advantage!

Ok, don’t forget to freeze your ice cream canister in the freezer for “awhile” before making it so that it will totally freeze in a short period of time. Make sure to let the cream base cool completely before putting in the fridge. DO NOT put chunks of fruit in the ice cream machine, they’ll turn to ice. Instead, use puree! Here I pureed mangoes with a bit of sugar and the juice of two limes (from some recipe I cannot find…)

Lastly, taste develops more the second day after you’ve made it!

So this is what my kitchen looks like after making this…basically a warning that yes this is messy!

Mango puree

Mango ice cream