Welcome to week two of the Ice Cream of the Week. This week we’re modifying last week’s recipe to make a lower calorie version by using Splenda instead of sugar. I generally don’t go for stuff like this, but I wanted to try cooking with Splenda and this seemed like a good challenge.
This ice cream tastes very good for a sugar free ice cream. The texture is good, but not perfect. It freezes in a bit grainer, crystalline form. The base against the edges of the freezer canister froze so solidly that the only way to get it out was to melt if (fill the canister with cool water and let it rest until melted). There is a slight aftertaste from the sucralose, it’s not bad, but it is noticable. I’m going to have to try baking something with Splenda to see if it is there as well. Overall if you want to make sugar free ice cream Splenda is an acceptable sweetner.
Philadelphia Style Vanilla Ice Cream (with Splenda)
The process of making this ice cream is identical to last week’s ice cream (although with Splenda). Combine the half-and-half and the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer (approx 175° F) then remove from the heat. Scalding the dairy changes the texture of the finished ice cream — making a smoother product. Combine the all of the ingredients into a container that can be stored in the fridge (with a good lid or plastic wrap covering). Ice cream base that is cold makes better ice cream. Aging the base also makes for a richer flavor. After aging the base (4 hours up to 24 hours) freeze according to your freezers directions. Mine takes about 30 minutes. Ice cream can then be transferred to a container to harden in the freezer or served immediately (although it is quite soft at this stage). This ice cream will freeze much more harder than ice cream made with sugar.