Ice Cream Info

Swanky Holiday Scoops

2011-12-27T22:00:00Z

During upcoming New Years celebrations, why not incorporate a scoop of ice cream or sorbet into your favorite holiday drink traditions. Making holiday eggnog? Why not make some Egg Nog Ice Cream to keep it cold?

Sorbets are the perfect addition to holiday cocktails. Add some Cranberry Sorbet to your favorite punch. Top a glass of champagne with a scoop of Pear Champagne Sorbet or Kir Royale Sorbet for delightful champagne cocktail. Make a frozen Blueberry Mojito. Serve a scoop of Raspberry Merlot Sorbet or White & Blackberry Sorbet topped with a splash of wine.

Are you more of a beer drinker? Ever thought about adding a scoop to beer? The results are as satisfying as a holiday dessert. Chocolate Porter Sorbet or Dark Chocolate Stout Ice Cream are a great addition to your favorite dark pint. Want something with a little more fruit? Try a scoop of Lambic Sorbet with your favorite lambic beer and stone fruit.

Not enough time to make your own swanky scoop? Here are a few ice cream shops from which you can order your holiday cocktail scoops:

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and Sorbets
High Craft Road Ice Creams (sold by Dean and Deluca)

Wacky Ice Cream Flavors

2011-07-13T15:37:03Z

As I read through my usual list of food articles and online magazines this week, I noticed many lists of wacky or unusual ice cream flavors. The authors wrote about flavors that were truly wacky, such as Cicada ice cream and Beef Tongue ice cream, while other listed flavors seemed unusual but possibly tasty, such as the Ben Franklin's Tomato (Ice Cream Store, Rehoboth Beach, DE), Rice and Beans (Heladeria, Puerto Rico), and Lobster (Ben & Bills Chocolate Emporium, Bar Harbor, ME).

Gift guide for the Ice Cream Lover

2010-12-09T16:11:00Z

Whether you love ice cream or love someone who loves ice creams, this comprehensive gift guide is sure to satisfy the ice cream lover in your life this holiday season.

Give the gift of ice cream - Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. Any lover of ice cream will enjoy receiving a gift of artisan ice cream on his/her doorstep this holiday season. Choose your own mix of pints from decadent flavors such as salted caramel and dark chocolate or send a holiday package like the Foggy Mountain Holiday Collection, which includes a pint of Blackstrap Praline, Spicebush Apple Butter, and Sweet potato with torched marshmallows. Ice Cream gifts range from $48 (4 pints) to $85 (9 specialty pints). Other artisan ice creams available for shipping: Graeter's Ice Cream, Jake's Ice Cream, Nice Cream

How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker

2010-10-28T01:27:44Z

I make a lot of ice cream, that is obvious, but have you ever wonder what I do with all of the ice cream I make? Eat it, you say? Not all of it, unless I want to gain 50 pounds. An entire quart of ice cream made every week is too much for just my husband and I, so I give it away. And I am lucky enough to receive a lot of great feedback and compliments. Among those accolades, I often here comments such as "I wish I could make ice cream myself, but I don't have an ice cream maker," which are followed by my comment, "Yes you can!" as I launch into a discussion of making ice cream.

Everything you need to make ice cream

2010-05-13T14:43:31Z

In two months, it will be a year since I began blogging about ice cream. The experience has been, well, adventurous. From creamy ice cream to fruity sorbet and sherbet, I have shared many recipes with my readers. I have included store and pint reviews and expanded my repertoire of ingredients (rhubarb, anyone?). But one thing I have neglected to share is a list of what you will need to make the perfect scoop. How could I forget this important information?!

Xanthan Gum

2009-12-18T17:06:43Z

What is this stuff?

Xanthan gum is a small microorganism called Xanthomonas campestris bacteria (its the good bacteria, people, not the bacteria that makes you sick) and is produced through the fermentation of glucose and sucrose (usually from corn).

How is it used in ice cream?

Xanthan gum is found in many foods and is often used as a stabilizer or emulsifier. In ice cream, xanthan gum stabilizes the air bubble structure and gives the ice cream a better texture and more creamy mouth feel.

Equipment

2009-11-04T16:03:36Z

When I make ice cream at home, I now use a Cuisinart® Supreme™ Commercial Quality Ice Cream Maker Model ICE-50BC (ever since Santa brought it to me for Christmas '09). It comes with a 1½ quart removable canister and it has a built-in compressor-freezer so there is no bowl to pre-freeze!. On-demand ice cream....awesome! This model will run you anywhere from $199 to $299.

Before I received this wonderful machine, I used a Cuisinart® Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker Model ICE-20. At the time, I found this ice cream maker to be the best machine for the price. It also comes with a 1½ quart freezer bowl and makes about 2 pints of ice cream (depending on how much mix you make). It takes about 20 minutes to make the ice cream. This model will run you about $60. I had no problems with this machine and it turned out great ice cream every time. The machine is loud, but I actually found it convenient to be able to watch television in the other room and hear how the ice cream is coming along. I had two freezer bowls. This was essential given how often I make ice cream.

If you are interested in more information or purchasing one for yourself, here are a few helpful links: http://www.cuisinart.com/products/ice_cream/ice-20.html
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-ICE-20-Automatic-2-Quart-Ice-Cream/dp/B00000JGRT

Here is a link an excellent review of inexpensive ice cream makers (you have to be a “member” but you can get a free 14 day trial and view the review).

Types of Ice Cream

2009-11-04T16:00:55Z

If you have taken a look around my site, you may have noticed that the majority of my ice cream recipes are made with some form of cow's milk (heavy cream, whole milk, skim milk) and sugar - no eggs. I have chosen to make ice cream without eggs because I believe that good tasting, creamy ice cream can be made with milk and sugar. And I think it is called ice cream for a reason.

In the United States, ice cream is divided into two basic categories: Philadelphia-style (also called "New York" or "American") and French or custard style. Philadelphia-style ice cream is made with milk, sugar, and flavoring while French-style has added eggs. Gelato, the Italian word for ice cream, is a denser version of ice cream - this is because less air is churned into the ice cream base. Gelato is sometimes made with eggs and sometimes without.

Some people hesitate to make an egg-free ice cream because they are concerned that it will not be "creamy enough" or "it will get too icy." But with the proper preparation and ratio between sugar, water, and fat, a Philadelphia-style ice cream can be just as decadent and delicious as a custard-style ice cream.

Fun Fact: 9% of all of the milk produced by dairy farmers in the US is used to produce ice cream. Moo!!