A Great Oatmeal Ice Cream Recipe

"Finally, ice cream for breakfast," says Bruce Weinstein. When asked, the author of The Ultimate Ice Cream Book (William Morrow), immediately says this is his favorite recipe in his book. He likes to add raisins and chocolate chips to the mix — it's a surefire way to get the grandchildren to eat their oatmeal.

3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside.

2. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats, salt and cinnamon. Reduce the heat and return the milk to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the oatmeal is thick and creamy. Slowly beat the hot oatmeal into the eggs and sugar. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Stir in the cream. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

3. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in one or two batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instruction. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Yield: Makes about 1 quart.

Variations:

To Make Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream: Add 1 cup raisins to the machine when the ice cream is semi- frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the raisins. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

To Make Oatmeal Berry Ice Cream: Toss 1 cup fresh raspberries with 2 tablespoons sugar. Let the fruit macerate at least 2 hours. Stir the fruit into the custard before freezing. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

To Make Oatmeal Banana Ice Cream: Thinly slice 2 small bananas. Toss with 2 tablespoons sugar. Let the fruit macerate at least 2 hours. Stir the fruit into the custard before freezing. Proceed with recipe as directed.

See: Cherry Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream