is &
Food
I Only Have Ice Cream For You
Flavorful frozen treats to cool off July.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
T
he best thing since freezers? Ice cream. If
there were no other use for freezers, ice
cream would merit it. Who really knows
who invented it or where? And what difference
does it make if Nero or the Chinese think they
were first. All we know is that it is one of the
world's favorite desserts, eaten everywhere on the
globe in one form or another.
By itself, ice cream is amazing. It's the perfect
dessert for any summer gathering and it is so easy
to serve — scoop, then eat — that sometimes
we're embarrassed to serve it, thinking it isn't spe-
cial enough for our guests.
Why then do people stand in line for so long in
front of parlors, street stands and soft serve win-
dows for what seems an.
for chocolate-
vanilla twists, Blizzards and
nd fancy mix-in concoc-
tions that can cost as much as a meal? And aren't
those low-carb dieters standing in line waiting to
cheat on regimes? And didn't we, as children,
chase the Good Humor truck down the street just
for a 10-cent treat?
What's amazing is that of all the flavors — from
apple pie to chai to white chocolate chip — the
most popular flavor, still, is vanilla.
Okay, so ice cream's good. But like all things
good, we are always looking at ways to make
things better, or at the very least, diverse. This is •
how shakes, sundaes, pies, cakes and other delica-
cies were concocted. And where the recipes below
come into being.
July is National Ice Cream Month. Not that we
need any coercion to consume large quantities.
With a classic vanilla recipe (a custard that's
frozen, like all ice cream should be), you can go
in so many culinary directions by just adding any
of your favorite flavorings — canned black cher-
ries, fresh strawberries or raspberries, ground cin-
namon, strong cold coffee, liqueur, chocolate
chips, chopped nuts, melted peanut butter,
caramel sauce ... you name it.
Remember that real ice cream is very rich, so a
little goes a long way. For even more fun, try any
of the other creamy creations below.
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REAL VANILLA ICE CREAM
Vanilla beans are superior to extract, but extract
works great too, in a pinch.
3 cups half-and-half
1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
Pour the half-and-half into a heavy saucepan over
medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half,
lengthwise, using a small, sharp knife. Scrape the
seeds into the half-and-half and add the empty bean
as well. Alternately, add vanilla extract instead.
Cook the mixture, stirring once or twice until very
hot (do not boil).
While the half and half is cooking, combine sugar
and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Using an electric
mixer, mix the mixture for 1 minute. Slowly drizzle
the hot half-and-half into the egg mixture, mixing
all the while (do not pour the mixture into the eggs
too quickly or the eggs will scramble).
Return the entire mixture to the saucepan over
medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly
until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of
a thin pancake batter. Cover the custard with plastic
wrap (directly on the surface of the liquid) and chill
for 1 hour or more.
Transfer the cooled mixture to an ice cream maker
(add any other ingredients at this point — 1 cup or
more dry ingredients, 1 cup peanut butter or nutel-
la, 2 t. ground cinnamon or 1/4 cup liqueur) and
freeze according to machine instructions. Makes 5
or more cups (depending on what you stir into the
ice cream).
QUICK BUTTER PECAN CARAMEL
ICE CREAM PIE
3 quarts butter pecan ice cream
1 prepared graham cracker crust
12 oz. caramel ice cream topping, melted in
microwave oven
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 cup hot fudge, melted
Sweetened whipped cream, garnish
Allow the ice cream to soften to spreading consis-
tency (not a liquid). Spread half the ice cream over
the pre-made crust. Drizzle half the melted topping
over the ice cream and all of the chopped pecans
over the topping. Gently spread the remaining ice
cream over the pie, spreading neatly. Cover with
plastic wrap and chill until the ice cream is firm.
Just before serving, drizzle the melted hot fudge
over the pie. Cut the pie into 12 wedges and serve
with a dollop of whipped cream. Makes 12 servings.
HUMMERS
A favorite dessert shake.
1/2 cup light rum
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 quart or more vanilla ice cream
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until
smooth. Pour into glasses and serve. Makes 6 or
more servings.
TROPICAL FRUIT SMOOTHIE
1 mango, peeled and diced (discard large center
seed)
1 banana, cut into chunks
1 peeled ripe kiwi
1 cup drained pineapple chunks
1 quart nonfat vanilla cream or frozen yogurt
Maraschino cherries, garnish
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until
smooth. Pour into glasses and serve. Makes 6 or
more servings.
TIRAMISU ICE CREAM SUNDAES
1/2 cup coffee liqueur
1/4 cup strong prepared coffee, cold
12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) mascarpone cheese
1 large pound cake, cut into 1-inch cubes or 16
soft lady fingers
1 quart coffee ice cream
1/2 cup chocolate syrup (such as Hershey's)
Unsweetened cocoa powder, garnish
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Combine liqueur, coffee and mascarpone in medi-
um bowl and mix well by hand or electric mixer. Set
aside.
Divide the pound cake among 8 large wine glasses
or dessert bowls. Scoop 1/2 cup of ice cream into
the glasses, over the cake. Spoon the mascarpone
mixture over the ice cream and drizzle the chocolate
syrup over the mascarpone. Sprinkle with the toast-
ed almonds and serve. Makes 8 servings.
BROWNIE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM TORTE
Brownie Layer:
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 T. butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 T. flour
Filling:
1/2 gallon (2 quarts) chocolate fudge ice cream
(or any flavor you prefer)