I have, in fact, been using my ice cream maker quite regularly. I just haven’t posted many recipes, partly because so few of the desserts I’ve made have stuck around long enough to have their pictures taken. It’s a pity, since some of them were quite pretty, but so be it. I may as well post the recipes, anyway. (Several can be made without an ice cream maker; I’ll mention that wherever applicable.)

One of my first dairy desserts was a maple-pecan ice cream from Joy of Baking. It was very good, rich and custardy, with a prominent maple syrup flavor. I served it with bread pudding, but it could easily stand alone.

Lots more after the jump!

I also tried making Coffee Heath Bar Crunch from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book, but for various silly reasons I didn’t end up quite following the recipe. It was yummy, anyway, but I’d rather not post what I did — there were too many little mishaps. Instead, I offer this “concept recipe”:

Not Quite Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch

• ingredients for 1 quart coffee ice cream, from your favorite recipe*
• 4 original Heath Bars (1 1/8 oz each) or 4 1/2 oz (about 1 cup) Heath Bar pieces (available in the baking isle of many supermarkets)

If using whole Heath Bars, use a sharp knife to cut them into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks. Place the chunks or pieces in a bowl, cover and freeze.

Make the ice cream. After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it’s done), add the candy, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.

I’ve also tried a couple of David Lebovitz’s frozen yogurts. I made this strawberry frozen yogurt twice, with fresh California strawberries (the local ones weren’t in yet), and Stonyfield Farms whole milk organic yogurt. It came out a gorgeous shade of pink, which I was determined to photograph the second time, but I couldn’t find the camera. The flavor was slightly tart and very refreshing. (DH said, “I don’t usually like strawberry ice cream, but this I like.”) Since I made it with unstrained yogurt, the texture was very light, more like sorbet than traditional frozen yogurt, with just a bit of creaminess.

Just last night, I made this vanilla frozen yogurt, and Oh My Goodness, was it ever wonderful. (Bear in mind that I love yogurt, even plain. This recipe is for real yogurt lovers, not those looking for a less fattening substitute for ice cream.) It would be superb with a little bit of fresh lemon juice and zest, topped with fresh berries. (There are a few tips in the comments for making frozen yogurt without an ice cream maker. Sandhya’s method looks simplest.)

Now that I know how creamy frozen yogurt can be, I’d like to try the strawberry version with strained or Greek-style yogurt. Stay tuned.

In the parve department, I returned to my berry sorbet, this time using fresh berries rather than frozen. The berries weren’t terrific (I got them from Haymarket), but they still made delicious sorbet. I don’t think it was better than the one made with frozen berries, though. Oh, and I accidentally left out the vodka, which didn’t seem to do any harm to the texture. (See DebraG’s comment on the original post for a tip on making sorbet without an ice cream maker.)

Finally, I tried this chocolate sorbet recipe, also from David Lebovitz. It was rich and chocolaty, and the texture was much smoother than that of my first chocolate sorbet, but it was still slightly gritty. (One of the commenters had the same problem.) This won’t stop me from making it again; maybe I can improve the texture by boiling it longer, or something. I served it in a dish of strawberry rhubarb compote, a nice combination that I may repeat.

That’s all for now, but there will definitely be more.

*For that characteristic Ben & Jerry’s richness, you’ll want to use a recipe that makes ice cream with about 25% butterfat. Based on my estimation, this Emeril Lagasse recipe should fit the bill (not that I’ve tried it). If you prefer to use fresh coffee rather than instant, you can try this recipe, from David Lebovitz (via Elise).

(Cross-posted to Apikorsus.)