I've been invited to an ice cream party this weekend. In an attempt to avert total disaster, I've convinced the host to allow me to bring the ingredients for a low point ice cream for them to pop into the ice cream maker along with the high calorie versions.

So I'm looking for a good ice cream recipe quick. Worse, since I've never owned an ice cream maker, I'm not clear how to tell a good ice cream recipe from a bad one and what I can do to trim the calories on some. So I could use some expertise and recipe suggestions. I did see a very old recipe for Plum-Buttermilk Ice Cream in the archives. Has anyone tried this? I have fresh plums on my tree so this might have some real appeal if it tastes good.

So beyond some recipe thoughts, here are some questions I have:

- Can I supstitute Splenda for the sugar?
- What does buttermilk do to ice cream? Is it there to make it thicker? I've never had anything called buttermilk ice cream before.
- I notice the Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream has 1% milk in it. Can I use non-fat/skim?
- Some ice cream recipes seem to have eggs in them (lots don't). Are the eggs adding richness?

Thanks for the expertise!

I'm pretty sure the eggs add richness. I've made chocolate icecream with and without and the recipe that had the eggs in it was much richer. I'm thinking the buttermilk probably has something to do with thickness/richness also.

I'm pretty sure you can substitute Splenda also.

Most recipes we've tried have heavy cream and whole milk in them. We have done it with heavy cream and Skim Plus...because I didn't buy whole milk, and it tasted fine to me. I'm sure you could use half & half and skim.

Sorry I'm not much more help, hope you find a good recipe!

Thank you. That was a great start on help!

Can you take a look at the Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream in the Archives and tell me if it looks anything like your successes?

By the way, congratulations on being a new mom. I love the icon by your name.

The recipe of the day on the 3FC forum yesterday was for Low-Fat French Vanilla Ice cream....You should check it out - if you go to the 3FC home page and click on Low Far Recipes it is listed near the bottom - it sounded yummy

Thanks. It's 4 points though. Ouch. With a BBQ and ice cream that just sounds way too much. 2-3 but tasting like gourmet is my goal. After all, the other ice creams are going to be very caloric.

I know I'm too late for your weekend event, but your question sparked my interest and I noted another VERY SIMPLE Buttermilk ice cream recipe unfer the 3fc low fat recipe link. Ony two ingredients: 2 cups buttermilk, 1.5 cups strawberry preserves. Could probably make with All Fruit and lower points. Let us know what you made and how it went?

I ended up making a Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream I got from this site. It was the best at the party (despite the fact that everyone else's ice cream was incredibly caloric and really, really good--I took a small tastefull of everthing and stuck to mine for the larger portion).

It's fruit season around here and lots of people had used fruit from their trees. Even with all that, low-point, wonderful ice cream that stands up to the high test versions well is very possible.

For those who are new to making ice cream, sugar versus Splenda seems to make no difference. Skim milk seems to work fine too. I'm still not sure what the buttermilk does to the recipe but it certainly tasted good.

The trick is to get a creamy and highly fruity base. The creme anglaise provides the creamy taste in the recipe I made. There may be easier ways to achieve the result.

I used plums from my fruit tree and the fruit taste was intensely wonderful while only 3 points.

I'll re-include the recipe here. I modified it a bit to decrease the points. This is a fussy recipe but the results are well worth it.

---------------------
* Exported from MasterCook *

Plum-Buttermilk Ice Cream

Recipe By :Cooking Light Magazine, June 1999 with modifications by [email protected]

Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : 3 Points Dessert

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 cups plums -- purple
1/4 cup splenda -- was sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups Creme Anglaise
1 cup buttermilk, 1% -- low fat

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a
boil, partially cover, and cook 8 minutes or until tender. Mash plums.
Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; chill.
2. Combine chilled plum mixture, Creme Anglaise, and buttermilk. Pour
mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze
according to the manufaturere's instructions. Spoon ice cream into a
freezer-safe contaner; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.


Source:
"Midlife - 3FatChicks.com"
Yield:
"1/2 cup"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 106 Calories; 3g Fat (22.4%
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 87mg
Cholesterol; 51mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2
Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : Great recipe. Very, very fussy but really, really good.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


* Exported from MasterCook *

Creme Anglaise

Recipe By :Cooking Light Magazine, June 1999

Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : 1 Point 2 Points
Dessert

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 3/4 cups nonfat milk -- was 1% lowfat
1/3 cup splenda -- was sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla -- I used rum extract

1. Pour milk into a medium saucepan. Scald milk. Do not boil. Note: Scalding milk is simply heating it until it's hot. Just place the amount
in a saucepan and heat over medium high heat until you begin to see steam
rising from the surface. You will also begin to see small bubbles at the
edges appear, and sometimes a thin "skin" on the surface.
2. Combine sugar and yolks in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until
blended. Gradually add milk to bowl, stirring constantly with a whisk for
1 minute between additions.
Return mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat 4-6 minutes or until mixture
thinly coats the back of a spoon, stirring constantly (if you stop the
recipe will be ruined) with a whisk. As soon as the mixture coats the
spoon remove from the heat. Quickly stir in extract.
Immediately pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and chill (mixture will
thicken as it cools.)
Yield 1 3/4 cups.
Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.


Source:
"Midlife - 3FatChicks.com"
Yield:
"1 3/4 cups"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 41 Calories; 2g Fat (48.8% calories
from fat); 3g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 86mg
Cholesterol; 25mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2
Fat.

NOTES : 1 with non-fat milk and splenda. 2 points without the
substitutions

This is a very fussy recipe. You will need a whisk and to
whisk every second that the milk and egg mixture is on the
burner. No exceptions. If you stop whisking it will
immediately boil and be ruined.

As soon as your spoon is coating, immediately removed the
milk from the burner and add the extract. Do not add on
the heat. It might look like it is a little seperated. If
you can whisk it and the seperation goes away, it will be
fine.
It needs at least 2-3 hours to firm after done.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0