You adored it as a kid, but you’ve never outgrown it. Here are two words that make everyone’s eyes light up – ice cream!
“In the store-bought category, there’s good, not so good and really bad,” said food writer and consultant Peggy Fallon, author of “The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever” (HarperCollins).
Ice cream maker? Do I need yet another unused appliance taking up space on my counter, I wondered.
“Somewhere people are still hand-cranking, but it’s not for me,” said Fallon. “Cranking will just make you cranky. Unless you’re Amish, I’d go with the electricity.”
Then I leafed through the book and I was smitten. Chocolate pumpkin with hazelnuts; peaches ‘n’ cream; double ginger and Utterly Peanut Butter with a whole cup of peanut butter in a quart of ice cream! But with so many gourmet ice creams available today, why would I want to make my own?
“I think the appeal of homemade ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurts is that you control what goes into them,” Fallon noted. “There are so many odd ingredients in most supermarket ice cream. Just look at the labels. When you make your own, you use real cream, eggs, sugar and milk. If you’re concerned about what you put into your body, it’s better to eat real food.”
Sounds great, but I’m thinking, remember that bread machine you couldn’t live without and the havoc it played with your waistline?
Then I read on. A chapter called “On the Lighter Side” offers mouthwatering light ice creams, frozen yogurts, granitas and sorbets with alluring titles such as Maple Crunch Light Ice Cream, Tangy Orange Iced Buttermilk, and Pear Sorbet with Zinfandel and Fresh Basil.
“It doesn’t always have to be a high-fat experience,” Fallon explained. “You can get the same satisfaction. Many of the low-fat ice creams we’re seeing today contain fish emulsions, carrageenan and all kinds of bizarre things they have to use to keep the calorie count down. By making it at home there are no preservatives.”
Recently, we dined at The Lumberyard in Laguna Beach, where we could not resist their Campfire Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream. Inspired and armed with Fallon’s Tahitian Double Vanilla Ice Cream recipe and my own favorite chocolate chip cookie, I consulted Elinor Klivans, author of “Big Fat Cookies” (Chronicle Books, $17.95) about supersizing these cookies.
Because of their size, these cookies need to be baked longer, she cautioned, so most call for a lower temperature than you may be used to.
“Cookies are a quick-baking item, and there’s only a short interval between a perfectly baked cookie and an overbaked one,” she said. “And because of their high sugar content, they burn easily, so check the bottoms with a spatula to be sure they’re not getting too dark.”
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
TAHITIAN DOUBLE VANILLA ICE CREAM
From “The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever” by Peggy Fallon; the yield is about 1 quart
Tahitian vanilla has a heady floral flavor, worth its extra price.
Ingredients:
• 1 vanilla bean, preferably Tahitian
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Dash salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Tahitian vanilla extract
Method:
1. Using the pointed tip of a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the tiny black seeds into a heavy medium saucepan. Add vanilla bean, cream, and milk; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes to blend flavors.
2. Add sugar and salt. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, about 5 minutes.
3. Beat egg yolks lightly in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in about 1 cup of the warm vanilla cream. Return egg mixture to saucepan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring, until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 170 degrees to 175. Do not let boil, or egg yolks will curdle.
4. Strain custard into bowl, pressing through as many vanilla seeds as you can. Refrigerate, covered, until custard is very cold, at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.
5. Stir in vanilla extract. Poor custard into the canister of the ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer ice cream to a covered container; freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 3 hours or overnight.