Test #1. Partial success. The idea of maple ice cream has been vindicated strongly, as has the overall functionality of the ice-cream making machine. (Cuisinart, btw, and quite recommended based on this limited test)
The recipe in question, derived from reading through a lot of other recipes and trying to merge them, is a complete failure. For reference, the basic idea was to make a creme anglaise – boil the milk, cream and flavor mixture, whisk it in to eggs, hold it at 170F for a few moments, strain and chill – and then freeze it. The resulting flavor is hard to describe, and best not thought about too closely, especially this close to lunch.
Test #2 will use a lighter recipe, perhaps one omitting the eggs altogether. If anyone has a favored category of ice cream recipes that they think may be worth using in future tests, please let me know.
Yonatan Zunger’s Blog 
If you need something to thicken and/or make your ice cream smoother and creamier, let me suggest xanthan gum. You can buy it in some stores (I know Piazza’s in San Mateo carries it, not sure where else). A little bit goes a *long* way, so experiment first.
I have the Cuisinart maker as well. Quite handy, it is.
My version of maple ice cream is a simple sweet cream (milk/cream/sugar) with a bit of the sugar replaced by dark maple syrup. Tasty.