Ice Cream. Summer. What more do you want.
We have been driving an hour and a half to Middlebrook MO to buy raw milk from a really rustic farm. One drives over a creek, up a huge hill, past a couple of beehives, and parks near an old dog and a pigpen. The farmer or well family who lives on this 275 acre farm is jovial and living off the land. The cows are wandering in their front yard. Moo. Pigs, rabbits, chickens, cock-a-doodle-doo's, peach trees, and fresh strawberries make for the quintessential suburbanite meets country.
Raw milk is delicious! Get this....he only charges 3 dollars a gallon. Yes, for organic, grass-front yard fed, and raw three dollars a gallon! I cannot even buy a gallon of milk at Aldi's with extra BGH and some antiobiotic flavoring for that price!
The first time we went I got stung by a bee, dropped Scarlett on the ground, and the farmer threw chewing tobbacco on my arm. Helped the sting but did not help the guilt of dropping her in surprise. Damndest thing though. I have five hives in my front yard and I have never been stung. 10 minutes into my coutry experience and sting!
Anyhoo back to the raw milk. I poured of a bit of the cream into a pyrex bowl and soaked a vanilla bean pod in it all day. Sensually scraped the seeds from inside and licked my fingers. A bit of salt and some Mexican sugar later and I throw it in to seperate ice cream maker bowls. In one bowl went the almond extract and the other maker got some rose water. Simple. Raw. Yummy. A close to perfect summer night. A good recipe.
Did I mention a few lightning bugs were caught in between batches of cream?
David stops munching on his ice cream and says "This is one of those moments". The kind that we dreamed about for so many years before we finally had a kid. I agree. Summer night, homemade ice cream, and the kid of our dreams. That makes an amazing recipe and a perfect summer night.