How funny, I picked this up at Target just 2 hours ago. Picked up to examine but didn't purchase, so I will be monitoring your post.

My favorite "basic" is David Lebovitz Philadelphia Style..

No eggs...and so so easy..I have used 1 c of heavy cream, 1 c of 1/2 n 1/2 and 1 c of milk..or 2 c half n half and 1 c milk..I add way more vanilla (I make my own with Golden Rum 2t at least) and 1/2 c sugar works fine too. I have added a couple big handfuls of chopped bittersweet chocolate to the heating cream portion too.

Vanilla Ice Cream Philly Style

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Steps
Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and add the remaining cream, the half-and-half, and the vanilla extract.
Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, for at least eight hours or overnight.
When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod (reserve the bean for another use), then freeze in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer�s instructions.

Here is a link that might be useful: David's Ice Creams and Sorbets

I have only made ice cream one time, and it was excellent. The recipe is from Giada De Laurentis on Food Network:

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato:

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup

4 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts.

Yield: about 4 cups gelato

A half pint is one cup, and so, you can only make small quantities. My sister gave me one, and I used it for making sorbets. Puree the fruit you want, add sweetener, and then put it through the machine. It makes two regular servings, but if you serve it in crystal champagne glasses, you get get four servings. I used mango and passion fruit in mine, but I only used passion fruit when I had a passion vine. However, you can buy passion juice for cheap, and that works fine.

Lars

Actually, the machine will make up to 12-oz safely. Yesterday I used the basic recipe that was included with the machine, and churned 1 cup at a time. I can see that it will do 1-1/2 cups. Their recipe included 2 cups half-n-half, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, sugar and some vanilla. I used fat-free h-n-h and it worked beautifully. YUM.

Mustangs, we bought ours at Target. I was looking at it and thinking this would be a nice Christmas present, but hubby put it in the car, figuring that it wouldn't be on Target's shelves in December (if he even remembered it!).

I will have to try that egg-less recipe above - sounds yummy!

Donna