I think Suzy’s trusty ice cream maker now has a permanent home at the ranch kitchen, but I’ve still got my old White Mountain electric and will put it to use. The version of this recipe I shared in 1996 is available in our archives, and you’re welcome to use it if you feel safer starting with a cooked custard base. However, the version printed below isn’t for a food magazine or a cookbook – it’s the way Suzy always made it herself. She didn’t add dry milk and she never, ever cooked the custard. This pale pink treat will be as refreshing as a cool breeze, now that summer has arrived full-blast. Please enjoy it in her honor.
16 ounces Sweet Stripes peppermint candy
1½ quarts half-and-half
4 whole eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
The day before you want to make the ice cream, put the peppermint candy in a nonreactive bowl and cover it with the half-and-half. Refrigerate until the candy is dissolved. Beat the eggs and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved and then whisk in the milk. Whisk together with the candy liquid and chill for about an hour. Pour into the canister of a four-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Store in an airtight container in the freezer. Yields 3 quarts.
This article appears in July 31 • 2015.