Graham Cracker Ice Cream

It’s slightly overcast today, but there is still enough sun to make the weather feel nice. No wind, thank goodness. Daylight Savings is throwing me off, but yoga put me back on track. As I walked home along Telegraph, I breathed in all that is Berkeley – the two white girls from Oakland with lip piercings and sequined purple handbags, the pedestrian with the Ninja Turtles hoodie, Patches grooving to 70s rock, the hipster with the SLR who I am sure is experiencing what i am, but chooses to express it through photographs, the musky smell of incense and weed; and me, in my llama jacket (it’s what I expect I would wear should I ever own a llama) and a yoga mat.

At the poster store, I spotted a 3D Beatles frame of “Yellow Submarine” that I’m dying to have, but it’s too expensive for right now. I would hang it next to my record clock of “Abbey Road.” I’ll nab it one of these days.

To an outsider, Berkeley  is a weird, intriguing place. To me, it is home, more home than my “real” home would ever be. I am not guilty about that, although sometimes I think I should be, but I know that my heart is here, and I have no intention of changing that.

I was going somewhere with this – ice cream.  While yoga eased my mind and muscles, a heaping bowl of freshly made graham cracker ice cream eased my tummy. There are few things more delicious than a spoonful of just-churned ice cream, not because the anticipation is finally over and the two-day process of making it is finished (although that does have a lot to do with it). Freshly churned ice cream has no ice crystals, making it extremely smooth. There is air whipped into it, making it light enough to melt immediately in your mouth, but creamy enough to hold its shape in the bowl. The crunch from the graham cracker crumbs adds texture, and I’m always a fan of crunch. And the beige hue is reminiscent of the snack, with flecks of cinnamon for good measure. It may be overcast outside, but inside it is nice and warm.

A lazy Sunday indulgence.

Graham Cracker Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp cinnamon

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar (I used granulated, but I imagine brown would taste better)

Salt

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

6-8 graham crackers

• Bring the milk and cinnamon to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Crush 3 graham crackers into crumbs. Return milk to a boil and pour over the crumbs. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Bring milk and crumb mixture to a boil and temper into yolks. Return everything to the pot and heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to avoid the eggs curdling. Cook until thick; this is your anglaise.
• Remove from heat; immediately stir in cream. Let mixture come to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator overnight.
• Churn the next day according to your ice cream maker’s directions. Break the remaining crackers into chunks and fold into ice cream once it is done churning. Nom.