Peppermint

Remember to read the notes and hints in Quick Basic Vanilla

WARNING! If you're tempted to substitute sugar and peppermint extract, rid the thought from your mind-- no extract yet has been able to capture the effervescence of peppermint candy!

1. Place half-and-half and heavy whipping cream into a two quart sauce pan.
2. Add crushed peppermint candies
3. Heat gently on the stove until just dissolved (DO NOT OVER HEAT)
4. Place warm disolved peppermint candies, half-and-half and heavy whipping cream into the freezer can
5. Add 10 drops red food coloring (†)
6. (Optional) Refrigerate mixture for an hour or two (saves on ice)
7. Add whole milk until the level reaches the fill line (*)
8. Add paddle, top with lid and place in mixer
9. Alternate ice and rock salt until area around can is filled to the top
10. Plug in mixer
11. Check every 15 minutes to add more ice and salt as the ice melts (**)

† The red food coloring is optional, but the ice cream won't turn pink just from the pink in the candies alone :(

• (*) I sometimes like to fill to an inch below the fill line so that the mixer doesn't have to work quite as hard and hopefully stop when the ice cream is a bit thicker... this practice can save on the manufacturer's recommended "pack time". This extra space sometimes also causes the cream in the ice cream to whip adding a bit more air, helping the ice cream stay soft when left-overs are frozen.
• (**) Watch for the "floating ice" syndrome... you'll think you have enough ice in the mixer, but the ice is just floating on warm water :(. If this happens, either drain enough water off so that the ice packs all the way to the bottom or push new ice down forcing water to leave by the drain hole.