Egg Nog Ice Cream

I thought I'd share a couple of my ice cream recipes that are perfect for the holidays.

Egg Nog Ice Cream

This is very rich and creamy and totally delicious. We put up our tree tonight and then treated ourselves to this ice cream as we admired it.

1 1/2 cups egg nog (I used Trader Joe's organic egg nog)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup granulated sugar (preferably unbleached and organic)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons rum or brandy (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.

For those avoiding dairy, here's a recipe that will be in my new cookbook "Better Than Ice Cream" which will be coming out this spring.

Makes 1 quart

Banana Nog Ice Cream

1 3/4 cups soymilk (or other nondairy milk)

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar

1 (12 ounce) package firm silken tofu

1 ripe banana, peeled

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons rum or brandy (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Chill at least 2 hours. Freeze mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. If you are using the alcohol, this ice cream will be on the soft side. Put in the freezer for 2 hours before serving to allow it to harden – this also helps the flavor to ripen.

 Makes 1 quart

 Enjoy!