Pistachio Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 4 whole eggs
• 2 1/4 c. Splenda (or sugar)
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar Diabetisweet (or brown sugar)
• 4 c. heavy cream
• 1 pint Half & Half
• 3 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
• 3 or 4 drops green food coloring.

Directions:
Beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add Splenda and Brown Sugar Diabetisweet to the beaten eggs a little at a time, while still beating. Add the cream and Half & Half and the two extracts (vanilla and almond) and mix thoroughly. Add the food coloring and stir again, looking for just the right shade of green to visually transmit the message that this is pistachio ice cream.

Pour into your ice cream freezer and freeze as directed. Five minutes before it’s done, add the chopped pistachios.

If you are using a Cuisinart 1 1/2 quart ice cream freezer, this will make enough for two batches. What I do is add everything but the almond extract and the chopped pistachios. Then I split the unfrozen batter into two containers. I make pistachio with one (which means the green foood coloring, the almond extract, the pistachios) and I either make vanilla with the other or add some strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blueberries. . . . The options are endless.

No cooking necessary! Does that make you nervous? Honestly, it did me, too, but I’ve learned to overcome it. I’m sure the USDA would recommend that the eggs be cooked. If you are so inclined, mix the sweeteners with the eggs. Heat up the cream and Half and Half. Slowly add the warm dairy mixture to the egg mixture, stirring as you do so. You don’t want to cook the egg in a way that gives you a texture of a breakfast scramble! “Season” the eggs by adding the warm cream and Half and Half just a little at a time. Then put the whole mixture into a large saucepan and cook it just a bit. (I’m sure you can find better directions for this process elsewhere.) I just make it with the raw eggs and don’t worry about it.