MaoMao's Ice Cream (Apothecary Diaries)

Prepare an ice bath: fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and add a generous sprinkle of salt to lower the temperature (this helps chill the mixing bowl).

In a smaller bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, turbinado sugar, and vanilla extract (if using).

Set the smaller bowl into the prepared ice bath. Whisk the mixture until it thickens and becomes a bit fluffy — a hand mixer makes this much quicker and easier.

If you want a soft-serve texture with fewer ice crystals, place the thickened mixture in the freezer and whisk vigorously every 15–30 minutes. Repeat this stirring/freezing cycle a couple of times until the mixture is thick like soft-serve ice cream. (If you prefer a simple whipped-cream–style texture, you can skip the freeze-and-whisk cycles.)

Alternative quick method: pour the ice cream mixture into a resealable freezer-safe bag, seal it, then place that bag inside a larger resealable bag filled with salted ice water. Seal and shake the bag vigorously until the mixture thickens to about soft-serve consistency.

Once the base has reached the desired thickness, fold in the chopped toasted walnuts, white peach, apricot, and hawthorn until evenly distributed.

Scoop and serve immediately for a soft-serve texture, topping with extra chopped nuts and fruit as desired. If you want a firmer scoop, transfer to a container and freeze until more solid before serving.