Nondairy Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry Swirl

I've been experimenting with some diet changes lately, including eating less dairy. But I love making ice cream in the summer. So I wondered if it would be possible to make a non-dairy ice cream that would satisfy in not just flavor, but also texture. Lately, I've gotten hooked on Almond Dream Bites — a non-dairy almond milk ice cream chunk covered in a thin chocolate coating. They come in a pint container and make excellent little bite-sized treats to keep in the freezer. The mild almond and vanilla flavor pairs really well with the dark chocolate coating. On hot Texas summer days, these are addictive. I like that I can grab one or two of them for a small treat instead of commiting to a whole bowl of ice cream.

So I decided to try this recipe from The Vegan Scoop, using almond milk, soy creamer and arrowroot. Arrowroot is a natural, flavorless starch used as a thickener — an alternative to cornstarch. It's often used in gluten-free baking. But note that it should be added at the end of your cooking, as too much heating will cause it to lose it's thickening ability. The name comes from the plant's historical use in treating poison arrow wounds because it would remove the poison. So it's also handy if you get into a battle of arrows.

I found some beautiful organic raspberries on sale and thought they would make a great sauce to swirl into the ice cream. I used David Lebovitz's recipe for raspberry swirl, which includes a little vodka. This keeps the syrup from freezing hard in your ice cream.

So how did it turn out? I was really surprised by how smooth and creamy the texture turned out to be. It doesn't seem to freeze quite as hard as regular dairy ice cream, so it's scoopable straight from the freezer. The almond milk lends a faintly almond flavor, which I liked with the raspberry. You could use rice milk or soy milk, though, for a more neutral background. The raspberries give it a nice zingy contrast in the ice cream and create beautiful pink swirls. I've also noticed that after eating a spoonful here and there over a couple of days — and removing it from the freezer and then refreezing it a few times, which would cause ice crystals to form in a dairy ice cream — this one has maintained it's original texture without forming any crystals. A bonus!

Overall, this was a really satisfying ice cream on it's own, not just as a substitute food. I'd like to continue experimenting with coconut milk and other flavor bases, but this will be a tasty baseline to compare to.

Nondairy vanilla almond ice cream
1/4 cup + 3/4 cup almond milk (or soy or rice milk)
2 tablespoons arrowroot

2 cups soy creamer
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine 1/4 cup almond milk with the arrowroot. Whisk together. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup almond milk, sugar, and soy creamer. Stir together over low heat. Bring up to a boil, stirring occasionally.

As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat. Immediately add the arrowroot mixture and stir together. You'll notice the mixture thickens as it cools. Stir in the vanilla.

Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. (To speed this up, you can place your pan in a bowl of ice water to cool it down.)

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before freezing in an ice cream maker.

Remove the frozen ice cream from the ice cream maker into a freezer-proof container — until it's a third or half full. Drizzle in raspberry swirl (recipe below) with a spoon and use a chopstick or the handle end of the spoon to very gently swirl it in without combining it completely. You want a distinct swirl of raspberry. Layer in more ice cream and more raspberry, alternately, and swirl together, until container is full.

Makes approximately one quart.


Raspberry Swirl
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (thawed, if frozen)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plain or Vanilla-infused vodka

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Mash the raspberries into the sugar and vodka with a fork. Stir well to combine. Use as is, or to remove seeds, press through a sieve with a spoon into a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.


Ice cream adapted from The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler del Toro.

Raspberry swirl adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Toasted Oat and Brown Sugar Milkshake

Hot news: Just found out that apparently, tomorrow, February 6th, is International Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. That's all the excuse I needed to try out a recipe from my new Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes cookbook. Adam Reid, the kitchen equipment specialist from the PBS show, America's Test Kitchen, gives us this "guide to milkshake modernization." Reid does for milkshakes what David Lebovitz did for ice cream in my favorite ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop, providing easy-to-replicate but imaginative flavors that invigorate the taste buds.

Reid covers all the basics and offers many variations on classics like chocolate and coffee combinations for those who want their old favorites, but he takes you much further with combinations like vanilla, honey and sesame; vanilla rum and salted cashew; Mexican chocolate with chipotle and almond; chocolate Guiness, Vietnamese coffee, strawberry basil; blackberry lavender; avocado coconut and lime; peach with brandy and nutmeg; minted cucumber lemon... I could go on and on.

Since tomorrow is ice cream for breakfast day, I wanted to try a shake that combined breakfast flavors in a shake. I narrowed down the contenders to two: toasted oatmeal and brown sugar or maple bacon. I know, bacon is the it girl of food fashion these days, but something about the toasted oats and brown sugar sounded so comforting. So I'll try the bacon shake next time.

I love toasting old-fashioned steel cut oats before cooking them. It really brings out the flavor of the oats and makes them much nuttier. Reid's recipe used a pinch of ground cloves to flavor the shake. I'm not a huge fan of cloves, so I switched to cinnamon. Use what you like. Nutmeg might be good too. And with all the cedar flowing through the air around here, I wasn't looking to add to my nasal challenges anymore, so I made a mostly (except for a teeny bit of butter) nondairy version subbing vanilla almond milk for the milk, and nondairy ice cream (I used vanilla Nada Moo), for the traditional vanilla ice cream.

Results: It was creamy and luscious and by far the best oatmeal anything I've ever tasted. I only made a half recipe version for myself and really regretted that after I finished the photos and had a taste. Wow. I wasn't prepared for it to be that good. It was fun and unexpected and most-of-all, addictive.

This might be fun to serve at a brunch in little shot glasses before the meal. Reid suggests a variation using Scotch and some honey to further elevate the heavenliness of this concoction. That could be even more fun for a special brunch.

Toasted Oatmeal and Brown Sugar Shake

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup thick cut or steel cut oats
2/3 cup + 1/2 cup cold milk (or soy, rice, or almond milk)
2/3 cup water
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg
8 small scoops vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

First, make your oats...
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add the oats, stirring continuously, and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden brown. You'll smell their nutty fragrance.

Standing back a bit (it will sputter!), pour in 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup water and salt. Bring up to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer until oats have softened and liquid has been absorbed, about 15-18 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Let cool until room temperature. (I speeded this up by scraping the oats into a small bowl and putting it in the fridge for a few minutes.)

(If you wanted to make this ahead, you could have the oats cooked and in the fridge until you're ready to mix the shake together and serve.)

In a blender, combine 1/2 cup of the cooked oats, 1/2 cup of milk, brown sugar, and your spice of choice, and blend for at least a minute, until oats are completely smooth. Add in the ice cream and pulse to break it up initially. Then blend full speed until well combined.

Pour into cold glasses and serve immediately.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Adapted from Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes by Adam Reid.

Ice Cream from San Francisco's Bi-Rite Creamery

I'm just back to the dizzyingly hot inferno of Austin after a cool and delicious reprieve in San Francisco. It was a tasty adventure and I have much to share with you. I'm still walking around in a fog, adjusting back to Central time. I'll have more photos soon, but here's a start...some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted.



Bi-Rite Creamery & Bakeshop is an ice cream shop in the Mission district of San Francisco. It's affiliated with the delightful little Bi-Rite Market just up the street. They use organic and sustainable ingredients from local producers to make their delectible flavors. I was also happy to see that they use biodegradable cups and spoons. But most importantly, they offer a creative array of flavors that are mind-blowingly good.



I tasted half a dozen flavors before settling on one scoop of ginger ice cream and one of malted vanilla with peanut brittle and bits of chocolate. Wow. The ginger was velvety sweet and luscious, not too strong. And the malted vanilla was perfectly accented by the peanut candy and bits of chocolate. I'd be in big trouble if I could get access to this ice cream regularly.

Aside from trips to MOMA, I'd never spent much time in the Mission before. It was a beautiful day and worth the trek just for this ice cream. They have little benches on the sidewalk in front of their storefront or you can walk a block down the street to the park. Don't miss it!



Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street @ Delores
San Francisco

Report from the Field: NM

We're back from a few days spent in a cabin on the mountain above Taos, NM. It was true cabin time so there was a lot of cozy laziness, but also hiking, reading, exploring the river bed, fishing, hot tubbing, snoozing, and playing with the dog. Not so much cooking though. But that was on purpose. We took meals we'd made beforehand and frozen so we wouldn't have to work much. And that turned out to be a nice indulgence. But we also picked up a few things at Cid's natural food market in town. You can get quite a slice of Taos life sitting on a bench there and watching the world go by.





On the way home, we stopped by Tara's Organic Ice Cream in Santa Fe. I've been reading about Tara's all over the place. She's had a shop in Santa Fe since 2006, but recently opened a new location in Berkeley. She uses all organic ingredients and has one of the most extensive and creative flavor lists I've ever seen. Take a look at that menu board! I've been dying to try her ice cream, so we cruised by there. The ice cream gods must have been looking out for us, because it turns out the Santa Fe store is closing later this week. We managed to sneak in just in time. The gal behind the counter said their focus is on the Berkeley location so they're shutting down the Santa Fe store for awhile. But they may reopen it later.

We tried the mocha chocolate, kaffir, and lemongrass ice creams, and the strawberry tarragon and hibiscus agave sorbets. I always like the Asian flavors, so I really enjoyed the kaffir and lemongrass. But the strawberry tarragon was an intriguing combination. I might try adding some tarragon next time I make a batch of strawberry. The hisbiscus was very refreshing. It was a little icier than the other sorbet made with sugar, but very tasty.



I was really disappointed that they didn't have their pandan flavor ice cream available. That was first on my list to try.

If you'd like to try some for yourself, they do mail order.


P.S. This is completely unrelated to food, but I had to share this photo of our sweet pooch. Here's wishing everyone out there this much joy in their adventures as summer draws to a close.

Austin Ice Cream Fest This Saturday

If you're still craving more ice cream, check out the second Austin Ice Cream Festival tomorrow in Waterloo Park. There will be entertainment (including the Biscuit Brothers), all kinds of contests from ice cream making to popsicle stick sculptures, and lots of vendors with ice cream. Check it out from 10am to 7pm on Saturday (8/9). Waterloo Park is downtown, a couple of blocks east of the Capitol. Map here.


And while we're back to the subject of ice cream, Apartment Therapy Kitchn is having their own ice cream month and posting lots of ice cream recipes. Their blog has loads of other recipes and great kitchen design ideas, renovations and tours. Check them out.

Happy weekend!

Making Ice Cream

I'm wrapping up my celebration of ice cream month with these tips on making ice cream at home. I'll be focusing on other things for awhile, but you can count on more ice cream and sorbet recipes here now and then.

1. Get the handbook.
If you're new to making your own ice cream, my most valuable tip, even before you pick out an ice cream maker, would be to tell you to get the absolute handbook on ice cream making, David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. It's got everything from recipes for ice cream, sorbets and granitas to the lowdown on how to make them. David has a hilarious and popular blog about cooking, baking, eating and life in Paris. But before he lived in Paris, he worked at the famous Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse. His book is full of fabulous recipes for all the basics plus incredible exotic flavors like Vietnamese coffee, malted milk (another of my faves), cheesecake, pear caramel (possibly the best ice cream ever), orange-Szechwan pepper, and basil to wonderful sauces, cones, cookies and candies to serve with your ice cream. I have a whole shelf of ice cream cookbooks, but this book is the one.

2. Don't use metal spoons to scoop the ice cream out of your canister.
I've made enough ice cream to be on my second ice cream maker. The canister of the first one eventually started leaking. That leads to my next tip, use only rubber, silicone or wooden spatulas to take the ice cream out of your machine's canister. A metal spoon will scratch it and eventually you could end up with a leak and freon in your ice cream. Nobody wants that.

3. Get a larger capacity machine.
My current ice cream machine, a 2-quart capacity Cuisinart, I really like. Mine is usually stashed away in a cupboard, but it's stainless on the outside and sleek enough to look good on your counter. Mostly, I like that the canister is a little larger than most, which are usually 1- to 1 1/2-quarts. The Cuisinart is 2-quart. Most recipes will say they yield about 1- to 1 1/2-quarts. But the ice cream will grow a little in the machine as air is incorporated into it. You don't want to have to throw out the excess ice cream base (the horror!) or have it flow out of your machine before it's finished processing. (By the way, these are pretty reasonable now, between $50-$80. I've seen the best prices on Amazon and at Costco.)

4. Keep your ice cream machine canister in the freezer.
Otherwise, you need to freeze it for 24 hours to be able to use it and an ice cream craving might strike at any time.

5. Buy an extra canister.
If you want to make ice cream for a party or a crowd (more than 4 people), it's worth it to buy an extra canister for your machine. That way you can make double batches or two flavors at once. This might sound indulgent, but I've had friends blaze through a batch before I ever got to taste it.

6. Chill your ice cream base thoroughly before processing.
This means at least overnight in the coldest part of the fridge. This will help it freeze faster and smoother.

7. After processing, remove the ice cream from the canister immediately.
Otherwise, it will freeze to the sides of the canister and be very difficult to get out.

8. Store your ice cream in the freezer in two smaller containers rather than one large container.
That way, when you take it out to serve, not all of the ice cream will be melting and refreezing, which can cause more ice crystals to form.


More tips from the pros...


From David's book:
• Make your ice bath BEFORE you start your custard.
Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and then a few cups of water. It will stop the cooking of the custard and cool it faster.

• Temper the eggs when making custard-style ice cream.
Whisk your egg yolks in a bowl. In a saucepan, heat your milk and sugar; when the milk is at a simmer (steaming but not boiling) very slowly pour a small stream of milk into the eggs while whisking CONTINUOUSLY. The whisking is very important. It helps prevent clumps of scrambled eggs. David suggests using a ladle to do this so that you can control the flow better. Then pour the combined custard back into the pan and reheat, stirring continuously with a heatproof silicone spatula or straight-edged wooden spatula until it thickens enough to coat the back of your spatula. Test this by running your finger down the back of the spatula and if it leaves a trail, it’s done. Do NOT let the custard boil. Stir continously. Remove from heat immediately and pour through a strainer into your cold cream that’s sitting in the ice bath.

• Make softer ice cream by adding a bit of alcohol.
Alcohol doesn’t freeze so it helps prevent ice crystals from forming. David suggests adding no more than 3 tablespoons of 80-proof liquor to one quart of ice cream base.


From: The Sweet Life, Desserts from Chantarelle by Kate Zuckerman & Tina Rupp
This book has a wide range of dessert recipes, not just ice creams. It also includes an extraordinary amount of background information to educate bakers. She really explains the chemistry and science behind her recipes. I found this very valuable.

• Avoid ice crystals.
Ice crystals form when water freezes. These crystals can grow larger and become “discernible” on the tongue and to the eye. You don’t want sharp or large crystals in your ice cream. So you’re looking for ways to make the crystals small enough so that they aren’t tasted or seen.

• Ingredients
Adding soluble ingredients – sugar or salt – lowers the freezing point of water. The lower the freezing point of a fluid, the more ice crystals will form during freezing and the smaller each crystal will be. Sugar results in smaller ice crystals and improved texture. Liquid sugars (honey, agave, corn suryp, maple syrup) lower the freezing point of a fluid even more powerfully. Adding these gives a smoother texture than you’d have with only table sugar.
Proteins (in dairy or eggs) have large molecules that get in the way of ice crystal formation. In some conditions, proteins absorb water, form a gel and prevent ice crystals from growing larger. Proteins in a custard-based ice cream are heated and agitated allowing them to form a gel. Water locked into a gel can’t migrate to ice crystals (increasing their size) or form its own ice crystals at normal freezer temps.
Skim milk powder, used in commercial ice cream, is an easy way to add protein and sugar to your ice cream base. These molecules also get in the way of ice crystal formation. Egg whites are sometimes used in the same way in sorbets to improve the texture without using dairy.
Fat from dairy and eggs physically block ice crystals from growing in size. Whipped fat also holds air, lightening texture and increasing volume. Dairy fat also contains natural emulsifiers, which bind to both fat and water, improving texture and stability in an ice cream base. Lecithin is the emulsifier in egg yolks. In commercial ice creams, artificial emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides) are added to increase the number of water molecules bound to fat rather than remaining on their own.

• Churn the ice cream the day you want to serve it.
The natural emulsifiers are most effective the first 24 hours after the ice cream is churned, giving it the best texture. As it sits in the freezer, ice crystals begin to grow and increase in size, attracting water molecules and ruining the emulsion.


From Gourmet magazine:
• The ratio of milk to cream affects crystals.
Milk has more lactose. Too much lactose can make the ice cream gritty. One way to produce smoother ice cream is to heat the milk to just below scalding (175°) before using it.


Whew. That sounds like a lot. But making ice cream is really, really easy. And you'll be amazed by the flavors and the response you get from those lucky enough to taste your creations.

Now, go forth, and make ice cream.

Horchata Ice Cream

When it comes to Mexican drinks, I've always been more into agua frescas than horchata. But for some reason, lately, I can't stop craving horchata. It's cold, light enough to be refreshing, yet comforting at the same time.

Horchata is a drink made from rice and a little cinnamon. I used the recipe in Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate at a Time cookbook. His recipe goes one step further and adds almonds to the mix which is how it should always be made, as far as I'm concerned.

Horchata will remind you a bit of rice pudding but it's much lighter and only a little sweet. It's flavors are very soft. And it's light enough to be a true drink, not a dessert.

I couldn't help but think what a great ice cream flavor this would make. I made Bayless' horchata but with milk instead of water and then added that to an ice cream custard base. It turned out to be as delightful as the drink. It is a little richer, thanks to the eggs and a little cream. But it isn't overly sweet. The hint of cinnamon and almond round out the flavors but gently. This recipe has a little higher ratio of milk to cream, so it freezes a little harder. But I like that it's not too rich. The eggs add enough richness on their own.

To start, make the horchata:

2/3 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/4 cups blanched almonds
3-inch piece of cinnamon
2 1/2 cups whole milk (or water, if you're only making horchata and not ice cream)
1 cup sugar
cheesecloth

Heat the milk (or water) over low heat until it comes to a simmer. In a bowl, combine the rice, cinnamon stick, and almonds. Pour the warm milk over the rice and stir together. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Add the sugar and then whiz in a blender. You'll want to blend it on high until completely smooth, several minutes. Strain through a fine sieve lined with a cheesecloth. Use a spoon to press the solids against the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible.

You should have about 1 1/2 cups of horchata concentrate. Pour into a quart container and put a strainer on top.

(To make horchata for drinking, add 2 more cups of cold water. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Serve over ice.)

Adapted from Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate at a Time.


To make horchata ice cream:

1 cup whole milk
1 cup cream
5 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
slivered almonds, toasted (for serving)

Warm milk and cream to a simmer over medium heat.

While the milk is warming, whisk together the egg yolks in a separate bowl.

When the milk is warm, very slowly. and whisking constantly, pour the milk mixture into the bowl of egg yolks. Whisk together and then pour it all back into the saucepan.

Heat the custard mixture over low heat, stirring or whisking constantly. Keep whisking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. (You can test it by running your finger down the back of the spoon. If it leaves a trail, you're done.) Take it off the heat immediately.

Pour the custard through the strainer into the horchata mixture. Add the ground cinnamon and whisk well to combine.

Put the horchata container into a larger bowl, then fill the outer bowl with ice. Pour some water into the outer bowl, forming an ice bath. Let cool in ice bath on the counter until the ice melts. Then remove it, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Freeze in ice cream maker according to its instructions.

Serve with slivered almonds sprinkled on top.

Makes a little less than a quart.

Chocolate Pandan Ice Cream

Chocolate ice cream is not to be taken lightly. It's serious business. I've tried many recipes, but this one is, by far, THE ONE. The chocolate ice cream recipe is based on David Lebovitz version from The Perfect Scoop. It is the best I have ever tasted. Hands down. David is the man. And I would have stopped there, very satisfied. But I'm a big fan of Katrina Markoff's creations for her company, Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

On her web site, I had seen her ice cream flavors. But I'd never gotten around to actually placing an order. My husband and I sent each other her chocolates many times during our courtship. But then our Whole Foods began carrying much of her line and it seemed just too indulgent (even for me) to order ice cream from across the country. So I pined for the chocolate pandan flavor, having only tasted her chocolate pandan truffle.

Then, one day while virtuously gliding by the Central Market ice cream selection, I spotted her ice cream line. Without thinking, I squealed and bounced. I couldn't help it. People laughed, but I didn't care. Vosges chocolate pandan ice cream was here. In my hands. Well, OK, so we bought the Red Fire and Wattleseed too. They were all as good as her truffles, a high standard. But I loved the chocolate pandan most. I'd never even heard of pandan before Vosges. Thus, the quest to make my own began.

I started digging around and found that pandan is a leaf used in Thai and Southeast Asian cuisines. You can sometimes find the leaves frozen in Asian markets. But I found pandan extract to be much more common. The only catch, it's bright green. That works fine in chocolate ice cream, you can't see it. But try a little in some rice and you get a Dr. Seuss dinner. But it's worth it for the flavor. Markoff describes it as having notes of pine nut, vanilla wafers and tree nuts. A small amount goes a long way. But it adds another dimension to chocolate, particularly chocolate ice cream.



So I put just a wee bit (1/2 teaspoon) into my favorite chocolate ice cream and it reached a higher plane. It is aromatic, slightly nutty, but not in a definitive or overwhelming way. It just adds a little something, much like a little coffee is often added to chocolate to enhance it's chocolateness. It somehow makes it more chocolate.

David's recipe is superluscious. He calls for 2 cups of cream to 1 cup of whole milk. I adjusted that proportion to have a little more milk. It could probably go down to 2/3 milk and 1/3 cream, but the texture might suffer then and we wouldn't want that. Be as decadent as you like, but definitely try it with the pandan.

One tip: plan ahead. The base should really be made the day before you want to serve it, to allow enough time for chilling.

Chocolate Pandan Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
5 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pandan extract

Combine the cream and cocoa in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk together as it comes to a boil to combine well. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking continuously. Take it off the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and becomes incorporated. Pour into a large bowl (with a spout if you have one).

Using the same saucepan you just emptied, combine the milk, sugar and salt. Warm over low heat just until it simmers. While it's heating, in a separate bowl, whisk together your egg yolks. When the milk is warm and the sugar has dissolved in it completely, very slowly pour the milk into the eggs, whisking constantly, to temper them. Then pour the eggs and milk back into the saucepan. (I know, it starts seeming a little fussy here, but stick with it. It's so worth it.)

Heat the egg/milk mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until it starts to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon. You can test it by running your finger down the back of the spoon. If it leaves a trail, you're there.

Remove from heat and pour through a sieve into the chocolate mixture. Stir together well.



Place the chocolate ice cream base bowl into a larger bowl. Fill around the sides of the larger bowl with ice and cold water to make an ice bath. Let it chill in the ice bath until the ice melts. While it's chilling, stir in the vanilla and pandan.

Then pour it into a lidded container and place in the fridge overnight to thoroughly chill. This will make for better ice cream.

The next day, process in your ice cream maker according to its instructions.

Makes about 1 quart.

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.



Note: I also tried serving this in little chocolate shells from the baking aisle in the market. Place a spoonful in each just after it comes out of the ice cream machine, while it's still soft. The shells come in a handy plastic tray which was perfect for placing on our toaster oven tray and placing in the freezer. Take them out in about an hour and place in a sealed container. Eat them within 24 hours for best texture.

Vanilla Apple Snow

I just happened to see this recipe in an old Donna Hay cookbook and was intrigued. It just sounded so refreshing. But I expected something icy. Instead it turned out to be smooth and soft, like real snow. I thought it would be a fun experiment, but didn’t expect to fall in love with it. It’s the ultimate cooler for Texas summer. We couldn’t stop eating this stuff. The childhood flavors of vanilla and apple together are mild and light. Kids will like this as a healthier alternative to ice cream and adults will find it is a great palate cleanser, light dessert or just a great way to cool down. And it’s so easy. Just four ingredients plus water.

Donna Hay directs readers to make it in a container in the freezer, which you break up and stir around with a fork every hour or so to fluff it up. I decided to put it in the ice cream maker first to see if that would make it even smoother. If you have an ice cream maker, I’d recommend that. It creates a wonderful, ephemeral, melt-in-your-mouth texture that is cooling, incredibly refreshing and comforting at the same time. But if you don’t have an ice cream maker, no problem. I’m including both sets of directions so you can do as you please.

Note, Hay calls for green apple juice. I love the distinct apple taste of green apples, especially Granny Smiths. But I couldn’t find any green apple juice. (Next time, I’ll go to Daily Juice.) The flavor with the regular red apple juice I used was really good, but I think the color would be prettier with green apples.

You can use vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds or vanilla paste, which I used. I didn’t have a vanilla bean, but wanted the telltale vanilla seeds to be visible.

Vanilla Apple Snow

4 cups (32 ounces) fresh apple juice, unsweetened
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
1 cup sugar

Heat the apple juice, lime juice and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves completely.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

To use an ice cream maker:
Pour the cooled liquid into a sealed container and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours until very cold.

Pour into the canister of an ice cream maker and churn according to its instructions until it’s light and fluffy and soft frozen.

Serve immediately, if you like, or place in the freezer to firm up more and serve later. Maintains it’s wonderful texture even straight out of the freezer. Serve by scraping layers off the top with a large spoon.


To freeze without an ice cream maker:
Pour cooled liquid into a metal container and freeze for two hours. Remove from freezer, whisk and fluff it with a fork to break up the ice crystals. Return it to the freezer and do this again every hour until it reaches the light, fluffy, scoopable texture you like.

Makes almost 2 quarts using an ice cream maker, which will increase it’s volume.

Adapted from Donna Hay’s Flavours cookbook.

Watermelon Sorbet & Popsicles

Watermelon is good. Frozen watermelon is even better especially now. This is another favorite from David Lebovitz The Perfect Scoop. I made one batch using regular red watermelons and another using golden watermelons. The flavor is about the same, but the color contrast is unexpected and fun. It's also a lot faster and easier if you go with seedless melons. You'll note this recipe contains vodka. You won't taste it, but it improves the sorbet's texture by lowering the freezing point. You can skip it if you don't want the alcohol.

Note: I tried making popsicles out of the sorbet mixture AFTER it came out of the ice cream machine. I thought the machine might make the texture of the popsicles softer. Wasn't worth the trouble. It made the semi-frozen mixture very difficult to wrangle into the popsicle molds without air bubbles. Next time I'll pour the unprocessed juice mixture directly into the molds.



Watermelon Sorbet & Popsicles

3 pound seedless watermelon to get 3 cups watermelon purée
1/2 cup sugar
generous pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 lime)
2 tablespoons vodka

Trim the watermelon rind away and cut the watermelon into small chunks. Whiz in a blender. Measure out 3 cups of watermelon purée. If you have any left, it's excellent for use in aqua fresca or frozen in shaped ice cube trays.



Heat 1/2 cup of the purée with the sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and combine with the remaining juice. Add the lime juice and vodka. Whisk or stir to combine.

To make popsicles: pour into popsicle molds and place in the freezer.

To make sorbet: chill in fridge several hours or overnight, then process in ice cream machine.

Adapted from David Lebovitz The Perfect Scoop.

Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches

July is national ice cream month. And a week from today, July 20, is ice cream day. (Don't say Ronald Reagan never did anything for you.) So if you haven't already, get those ice cream machine canisters in the freezer and get cranking.

I have loads of ice cream recipe favorites and resources to share, but I'm going to share this recipe with you first. It's from my go to book for ice cream, David Lebovitz The Perfect Scoop. This is the one book every ice cream enthusiast and maker should have. More about the book later. Just know, this is the one.

I like this recipe because the mint flavor comes from real mint leaves. All natural. And one of the few things in our garden that hasn't already baked in this summer's early and overly enthusiastic Texas heat is the mint. I had a mint plant gone wild. This was the perfect remedy. Now, I can't wait for it to grow back. Good thing it grows fast.

The ice cream has a beautiful pale green color and a soft but distinct mint flavor. It's not hit-you-over-the-head, sickly sweet, gooey candy mint. It's the real deal. It's ephemeral at first. The perfect thing for a hot summer day. Interestingly, the flavor seems to get a little stronger day to day. Not that it's been around long. I've been experimenting with ice cream recipes lately and have several flavors in the freezer, but this one was made last and disappeared first.



It's really lovely on it's own, but I liked it even better sandwiched between two chocolate wafer cookies to make an ice cream sandwich. That really rocked. The contrast of the deep, dark, grainy chocolate wafer cookies with the cold, creamy, mint ice cream elevated it to a new level. You somehow taste the mint more with the contrast of the chocolate cookie. I used these chocolate wafer cookies, which can be found in the cookie aisle in the supermarket. They were snappy and crisp when first assembled, but become slightly more fudgy when stored in the freezer after assembly. I really liked them that way.

So get ready for ice cream month. I'll be posting more recipes soon and lots more info on ice cream making. But this one will get you started.


Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups cream
pinch of salt
2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
5 egg yolks
one 9-oz package chocolate wafer cookies

Heat (over low flame) the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream and salt until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil.

Remove from heat. Stir in the mint leaves until completely immersed. Cover and let steep for one hour.

Strain the mint out of the milk, pressing on the mint leaves to extract as much liquid as possible.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a bowl. Discard the mint leaves and set your strainer on top of the bowl of cream.

In a separate bowl, whish together egg yolks. Rewarm the minty milk and then whisk into the egg yolks. Pour the milk and egg mixture back into your saucepan.

Whisk constantly over medium heat until thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will happen quickly. Stir constantly and do not walk away from it.

Strain the custard mixture into the cream and stir to combine.

At this point, you can cool the ice cream base in an ice bath (a large bowl of ice and water) or place in the fridge for several hours or overnight. The longer it chills, the better. The colder it is when it goes in the ice cream machine, the faster it will set up.

Freeze in your ice cream machine according to its instructions. It should resemble soft serve ice cream when it comes out of the machine. Mine usually takes about 20-25 minutes.

Place in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up. Then you can scoop it on to a chocolate wafer cookie, top with another and give them a little squeeze to sandwich them together. You can eat them right away or store them assembled in the freezer to serve later. They'll keep for several days, but good luck making them last that long.

Adapted from David Lebovitz The Perfect Scoop.


P.S. Want more? Try these ice cream sandwiches made with brownies and banana ice cream on Fanny's site.

Peach Ice Cream

Afternoon temps hit 102 degrees on my way home from work yesterday. You know what that means? It's time to make the ice cream. It's time to only eat the cold foods. Anything frozen is better. And the peaches are coming now too. I picked some up at the farmers' market last weekend.

This is my favorite peach ice cream recipe, not only because of it's velvety rich flavor, but also because it is so very easy to make. No standing over the stove making custard. Just a little peach peeling and stirring. Big return on investment.

The recipe comes from a book I received as a gift from my friends Joan, Dave and Jack. (Thanks, guys!) I always think of it as their ice cream since I made it the first time for them. The combination of peaches with sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream sounded intriguing. And it really paid off. This is the peach ice cream by which all others will be compared. The book is Ice Cream: The Perfect Weekend Treat, by Susanna Tee. There's a lime and mascarpone ice cream recipe in there I'm looking forward to trying next.

I got a little carried away and brought home a lot of peaches, so I put more than the 4 that the recipe calls for. Also, I used part whole milk and part cream instead of just straight cream, because it's a really rich mixture. Would probably be fine with all milk, but then you'd lose the airy texture of the whipped cream.

Peach Ice Cream

1 pound ripe, peeled and pitted peaches
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup cream

Purée the peeled peaches, condensed milk, whole milk, and lemon juice. Strain through a sieve to remove the pulp. Refrigerate for several hours until very cold.

When the peach mixture is very cold, whip the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the peach mixture and then pour into ice cream maker. Churn in ice cream maker according to its directions. (Mine took about 25 minutes.)

Pour into freezer safe container and place in the freezer for at least an hour to continue freezing. This ice cream is scoopable straight from the freezer, so you don't need to let it soften much.

Makes almost a quart and a half.

Adapted from Ice Cream: the Perfect Weekend Treat by Susanna Tee.

Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

I've been listening to KCRW's Good Food program podcast ever since my friend Kelley turned me on to it. (You can download the podcast from iTunes.) KCRW is a Southern California radio station. The show opens every week with a market report from the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Despite the torture of listening to all the exciting and unusual produce they have available at the market, I love this part of the show. I found this recipe online over a year ago, but was delighted to discover the Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman last summer. It's full of so many fresh, seasonal produce-based recipes. Amelia has her own show, Fresh From the Farmers' Market, on L.A. cable. Wish we could get that on iTunes too.

Turns out, Amelia Saltsman has family in Austin and she came for a visit last summer to our downtown farmers' market. I got a chance to see her cooking demo, meet her and ask her some questions. She was a total delight. If you like to shop at the farmers' market and would like some fresh ideas about what to do with all that produce, check out her cookbook.

So far, I've tried winter squash purée with Parmesan and pumpkin seed oil and braised winter greens with chipotles and bacon and loved them both. The book also includes lovely portraits of the market vendors and their products and tells some of their stories. Reading these recipes and listening to the market report each week is developing my craving for a weekend in Santa Monica just for shopping at the market and sitting on the beach. Sounds like a great escape from Austin's summer heat.

As I said, I originally found this recipe online, but the one in the book is the same, with the added bonus of how to turn it into a sundae with oranges, tangelos, raspberries, shortbread cookies and dessert wine. Whether you fancy it up that way, or just eat it as is, the flavor will blow you away.

The original recipe calls for cream, but I've been making it with whole milk to lighten the load a bit. Try it however you like. I also added a shot of (evil) corn syrup to make it a bit smoother.


1/3 cup Meyer lemon zest (6 lemons for me)
2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice (5 lemons)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2/3 cup whole milk (or half&half or cream), COLD

Note: I used a fine Microplane to get the zest.

Combine zest, juice, water, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for a couple of minutes to melt the sugar. Strain. Add back in two tablespoons of the zest you just strained out. (If you've used the Microplane, you won't need to chop it. If you didn't, chop it up finely first.)

Chill the syrup completely. (Fastest method: ice bath. Fill a bowl with ice cubes and water; pour the syrup into a tall container with a sealable top; place the container in the ice bath until thoroughly chilled.)

Remove syrup from the ice bath and stir in the milk (or cream). Freeze in an ice cream maker.

Note: If it's too cold now for you to get fired up about making ice cream, then grab half a dozen Meyer Lemons from the store. Zest and juice them into freezable containers and keep them handy til you're ready.

Yield: almost a quart or about 6 servings.

Reciped adapted from The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman.

Pickled Ginger Sorbet

This is a cure for what ails you. Sore throat? Tummyache? This will make you feel better.

I learned this recipe from Terry Conlan, the chef at Lake Austin Spa in an Asian grilling class at Central Market, our local gourmet market. Every recipe he presented was so full of flavor and so satisfying that it hardly seemed like airy spa food. His food would be reason enough to visit the spa.

This sorbet has bold ginger flavor boosted by lemon juice and rounded out with honey. The recipe only makes a little over a pint, but this is not something you'll pig out on like your favorite ice cream. A small scoop with a cookie would make a refreshing, light dessert after an Asian meal. Or you could serve it as Terry did, alongside some spicy tuna. Perfect summer food. Very refreshing. But I'm providing it here, in the dead of winter, because it's the perfect thing to soothe my sore throat. Ahhh...

Terry recommended a pink-colored pickled ginger for this recipe because of it's sweetness. But the one at my market contained some additives that didn't look too friendly. So I've adapted it using a natural, faintly yellow-colored pickled ginger. But I loved the soft, fluffy pale pink color of his so I added one drop of red food coloring to give it that pink glow. No matter what color it is, you'll be refreshed.


1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup pickled ginger with syrup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 drop red food coloring

Heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Stir in the honey.

In a blender or food processor (I used an immersion blender), pureé the ginger, a bit of the ginger syrup and the lemon juice. Add the drop (just one!) of red food coloring, if you like. Whiz again to completely distribute. Stir into the sugar syrup.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature. You can speed this along by putting it in a container, put the container in an ice bath in a large bowl, or even in the pan you just melted the sugar in. Let sit in the ice bath until it gets cool.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pop it in the freezer until frozen. Take it out to stir it and fluff it up occasionally while it's freezing. When you're ready to serve, let it thaw slightly and then pulse in a food processor.

To use an ice cream maker, put the cooled mixture in the freezer for an hour to chill it. Then process in an ice cream maker according to its instructions. Mine took about 20-25 minutes to get it to a soft serve consistency. Then store it in the freezer until ready to serve.

Adapted from a recipe by Terry Conlan of Lake Austin Spa.