When I was a brownie in summer camp at Camp Sacajewea we would make hand cranked vanilla or peanut better ice cream on those hot August days, taking turns turning the crank. I can still remember the slightly icy quality of it. Maureen Shay's mother was my troop leader so I suspect she was the instigator of this long love affair I've been having with homemade ice cream. No fancy vanilla bean used here like in my normal ice creams. Vanilla extract is what the Brownies pantry stocked. My aunt Jimmy (her real name was Sylvia) brought apple crisp into the family's repertoire. In the recipe file her name adorns the top of the card. I, of course, needed to make it my own by using pears and making it a bit lighter and more flavorful with the apple juice concentrate.

Ingredients

Ice Cream:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crisp:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut up
• 6 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
• Equipment: 2-quart baking dish; old-fashioned hand-crank ice cream machine

Directions