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avid Lebovitz has spent the past 25 years churning out all variety of frozen treats — at home and in res-
taurants. Beginning his career with his very first summer job, scooping ice cream in a soda fountain, he
went on to train as a pastry chef in France and Belgium. He then spent more than 12 years in that capac-
ity at Chez Panisse, the Berkeley, Calif, "slow food" icon founded by Alice Waters, whose philosophy is to
serve only the highest-quality products, only when they are in season.
Now living in Paris, Lebovitz has taken his own passion for seasonal, sustainable, farm-fresh foods and shares them
wherever possible — in classes he teaches, in the culinary tours of Paris he leads (as well as weeklong chocolate tours of
Europe) and in his award-winning food blog, David Lebovitz ... Living the Sweet Life in Paris
(davidlebovitz.com ). And, of course, he has recorded his favorite musings and recipes in four books. His newest,
The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments (Ten Speed Press; $24.95), is a gorgeous ode
to the magnificent world of ice creams, sorbets, granitas, gelatos — plus all the mix-ins and toppings that accompany
them. Guiding the reader through a joyful historical tour of ice cream, The Perfect Scoop offers hundreds of irresistible
concoctions, from Aztec "Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream, which calls for a hint of spicy ground chiles, to Mojito Granita,
plus loads of extras, like Peanut Butter Patties and Classic Hot Fudge — all with an emphasis on intense and sophisti-
cated flavors. Here, excerpted from The Perfect Scoop, are four luscious reasons to crave the July heat.
MARSHMALLOW SAUCE
I love sticky marshmallow sauce perhaps more than anything else on earth. When
it's spooned over a hot fudge sundae, the combination sends me skyward to heaven.
Make it for yourself and see what all the fuss is about.
This sauce must be made just before serving, as it doesn't hold well. But it never
lasts long around my house, and I don't think you'll have any trouble finding some-
one to help you finish it all up rather quickly either.
3 /4
cup cold water
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored powdered gelatin
'A cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 large egg white
Big pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour 1/2 cup of the cold water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top;
set aside. In a small, heavy-duty saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, mix the
remaining 1/4 cup water with the sugar and corn syrup. Put the egg white in the bowl
of an electric stand mixer.
Bring the sugar syrup to a boil. When the syrup reaches about 225°F, begin beat-
ing the egg white with the salt. Once the syrup reaches 240°F and the egg white
is stiff, pour the hot syrup into the mixer bowl in a slow stream while beating on
medium-high speed. (Aim the syrup between the whip and the side of the bowl to
keep the syrup from clinging to the whip.)
Once you've added all the syrup, scrape the softened gelatin into the warm sauce-
pan and stir, allowing the heat of the pan to melt the gelatin. Pour the gelatin into
the egg white mixture while whipping, as you did with the sugar syrup. Continue to
beat until the mixture cools to room temperature, then whip in the vanilla. Serve this
sauce as soon as possible after it's made. Makes 2 cups.
WATERMELON SORBETTO
I wouldn't dream of visiting the vast Central Market in Florence without my friend
Judy Witts, known throughout town as the Divina Cucina. With Judy as my guide,
butchers and cheese merchants greet us like given-up-for-lost family members, and
everywhere we turn another oversized platter appears, heaped with Tuscan delights:
sheep's-milk pecorino, candied fruits spiced with mustard seeds, fresh raspberries
dotted with syrupy balsamic vinegar, and, gulp, juicy tripe sandwiches (which I
haven't built up the courage to try). And because we're in Italy, it all ends with shots
of grappa taken straight from little glass vials, obbligatorio after all that sampling.
This sorbetto is adapted from Judy's recipe. One of her favorite parts is the little
chocolate "seeds" it contains. Since watermelons have a lot of water, take the sorbetto
out of the freezer long enough ahead of serving to make it scoopable — 5 to 10 min-
utes. To pass the time, serve shots of grappa, and if there's any left by serving time,
splash some over the sorbetto too.
3 cups watermelon juice (see Note)
1/2 cup sugar
Big pinch of salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 to 2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips
In a small, nonreactive saucepan, heat about 1/2 cup of the watermelon juice with the
sugar and salt, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir the
sugared syrup into the remaining 21/2 cups watermelon juice in a medium bowl. Mix
in the lime juice and vodka, if using.
Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according
to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last minute of churning, add the mini
chocolate chips. Makes about 1 quart.
Note: I find that I get about 3 cups of watermelon juice from a 3-pound chunk of
watermelon. Cut away the rind, remove any seeds and then cut the juicy, pink flesh
into cubes and puree them in a blender or food processor. Any extra juice can be fro-
zen for another use, such as watermelon margaritas.
PERFECT PAIRING: This sorbetto makes excellent Watermelon Popsicles. Simply
pour the mixture into plastic popsicle molds and freeze until very firm.
• JULY 2007
• I 7