Chill out with Martha Stewart’s easy ice cream

What to do: In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until blended. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and evenly coats back of spoon (it should hold a line drawn by your finger), 10 to 12 minutes. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir in cream. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Churn in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a resealable plastic container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours (or up to 3 months).

Pick your flavor:

Coffee: After step 2, stir 1/2 cup crushed espresso beans into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Ginger: After step 2, stir a 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks, into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Orange: After step 2, stir 6 strips orange zest into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Chocolate:  In step 1, stir 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into egg-yolk mixture before adding milk.

Vanilla: After step 2, stir 1 vanilla bean (split and scraped) or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract into custard. If using bean, cover custard and let stand 30 minutes.

Strawberry: Mash 4 cups sliced strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Add to ice cream as it churns in ice-cream maker.