Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

When you make your own ice cream a door to a new world opens, and the door from your old world closes.  The new world of homemade ice cream is cleaner, fresher, creamier, and just plain better.  It's like fresh veggies and frozen veggies, fresh veggies just taste better.  Same with homemade ice cream, it's just better.  And, it's not hard to make.  Most things are easy to make, it's just takes planning.  If you can invest in an ice cream machine, do it, it's worth it.
This recipe comes from a cookbook called, "Ice Cream and Iced Desserts" by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis.  My only change is that I add two Tablespoons of Vodka to the recipe.  This is because the vodka will prevent the ice cream from turning into a solid brick of ice cream.  The vodka keeps the texture light and creamy.  I've used several of this recipes from this book, and the Triple Chocolate is a family favorite.  For this recipe, I used Oreo cookies.  Not homemade, I know, shame on me.  I needed oreo's for another recipe, and I didn't want to waste the pack, so into the Cookies and Cream Ice Cream they went!

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

4 egg yolks
6 T sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
2 T vodka
5 ounces crushed cookies (the original recipe calls for "chunky chocolate and hazelnut cookies", I used crushed up oreos...use whatever you have on hand)

1. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and corn starch in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy.  Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan, bring it just to a boil, then pour it onto the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
2.  Return to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring until the custard thickens and is smooth.  Pour it back into the bowl and cover closely.  Let cool, then chill.
3.  BY HAND: Stir the vanilla and vodka into the custard.  Whip the cream until it is thickened but it still soft enough to fall from the spoon.
BY MACHINE: Stir the vanilla and vodka into the custard.  Stir in the whipping cream and churn until thick.
4.  BY HAND: Fold the cream into the chilled custard, then pour into a plastic or other freezerproof container.  Freeze for 4 hours, beating once with a fork, electric mixer or food processor to break up ice crystals.  Beat one more time, then fold in the cookie chunks.  Cover and return  to the freezer until firm.
BY MACHINE: Churn until thick enough to scoop then scrape the ice cream into a freezerproof container.  Fold in the cookie chunks and freeze until firm

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