Dessert First

I've had two exceptional ice cream experiences this week. At Outback, I had Blue Bell. Now, I'm originally from Texas, and Blue Bell is "the best ice cream in the country." Except it's not regularly available outside of Texas and surrounding states. But Outback serves Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla with their desserts. I could just go there for the ice cream. Not too sweet, super creamy, good vanilla flavor. It almost makes me want to move back to the Lone Star State.

And then today, at the zoo, I had Dippin' Dots, those little freeze-dried ice cream novelties. I first had these a few months ago at the Bronx Zoo, having never seen them before. It's so bizarre, so fake, so intriguing. Today was banana split--little pellets of chocolate, banana, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream. So strange.

The kids love their Rice Dream "ice cream"--DS won't eat the GF sugar cones but DD will, but only after an ice cream refill. And they love the ice cream in bowls as sundaes with any fresh fruit. DP suggested maple syrup, which we'll try sometime. They also love their own Tropical Slushies, because DD loves mango and DS loves pineapple--two great tastes that taste great together.

We made our own ice cream, before kids, and I include our two favorites here--Chocolate Sorbet has this incredible deep-chocolate flavor and Earl Grey gently flavors vanilla with the taste of my favorite tea.

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Tropical Slushie
1 cup mango nectar
20 oz Canned Pineapple Chunks in Juice

Freeze pineapple chunks overnight. Defrost 10 minutes before blending with mango nectar. Serve.

Parent and Child Magazine


Chocolate Sorbet

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened (or Dutch process) cocoa powder

Combine the water and sugar in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cocoa and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and pour through a fine strainer into a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Stir the cool mixture, then freeze in your ice cream maker. When finished, the sorbet will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer sorbet, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Bruce Weinstein, The Ultimate Ice Cream Book


Earl Grey Ice Cream

1 cup milk
3 heaping tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea or 5-6 Earl Grey tea bags
¾ cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Remove from the heat. Stir in the tea leaves or bags, cover, and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the flour and salt. Set aside.
Strain the milk to remove the tea leaves, or simply remove the tea bags. Add the half-and-half and return to a simmer over low heat. Slowly beat the hot milk and half-and-half into the egg yolks and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot tea custard through a strainer into a larger, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the cream. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.
Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours (it’s better the next day, when frozen solid).

Bruce Weinstein, The Ultimate Ice Cream Book