Cookbook Giveaway: 101 Gourmet Ice Cream Creations
What’s summer without homemade ice cream, as in Wendy Paul’s“101 Gourmet Ice Cream Creations.”
If you’re having a party, ice cream-making is one of those novelty cooking activities that draws attention and sparks conversation.
But the real fun comes with all the creative flavor possibilities. “101 Gourmet Ice Cream Creations” features treats such as Maple Bacon, Roasted Strawberry and Cupcake Ice Cream.
I’m giving away a copy of Wendy’s book this week. To be eligible, you just have to leave a comment on this blog post.
Wendy said she came up with the maple-bacon ice cream flavor while eating a maple-bacon doughnut. “The salty and sweet combination is so satisfying.”
Talk about a breakfast of champions.
Her favorite recipe in the book is Roasted Strawberry. She said roasting brings out the berries’ natural sweetness, and also keeps the fruit from developing that unappealing icy texture when frozen.
Paul said her recipes are streamlined to be less time-intensive than most ice cream cookbooks.
“You can enjoy a yummy food with people you love, and make it easy, make it fun, and with great flavor,” she said.
Scientifically, ice cream is a mix of ice crystals and fat globules. Air is incorporated into ice cream during the churning and freezing process. That’s why you should only fill the canister of the ice cream machine no more than 2/3 full before you turn it on, so there’s room for expansion.
Home machines incorporate less air than big-batch commercial machines, so it’s likely to be more dense and creamy than what you’ll find in the store.
Many ice cream recipes use eggs to add more richness. One of Paul’s base recipes calls for uncooked eggs, but there are optional instructions for cooking them into a custard. I advise using the cooked option, as as the American Egg Board recommends always cooking eggs to 160 degrees to destroy any possible salmonella contamination.
Paul offers a recipe for Skinny Vanilla that uses light cream and milk. When I made it, I thought it was as rich and creamy as most grocery-store ice creams. It didn’t have the icy or sponge-y texture of so many low-fat ice creams.
There’s also a dairy-free base made with coconut milk and cream of coconut, which is especially great with tropical flavor mash-ups.
Homemade ice cream doesn’t necessarily save you money, when you’re buying quality ingredients such as cream and vanilla. But you can control the product, and create flavors you don’t normally find in the grocery store.
I’m giving away a copy of Wendy’s cookbook. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post. You’ll need to leave some type of name other than Anonymous so I can identify you. I will draw out one name on Friday, June 27. I will announce the winner on this blog. You’ll have to email your snail mail address to me so I can send you the book.
Here are two sample recipes from Wendy’s cookbook:
Skinny Vanilla
This is a “base” recipe that can be used to make a variety of flavored ice cream; it’s also great just by itself.
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups light cream
1 cup 2 percent milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whisk together all ingredients until combined. Transfer your cream liquid into your ice cream machine and make according to manufacturer’s directions. Makes about 1 quart.
— “101 Gourmet Ice Cream Creations,” by Wendy Paul, Front Table Books
Maple Bacon Ice Cream
Use bacon that has been trimmed of fat. The crunchier the bacon, the better.
1 basic (1-quart) recipe of your choice
2-3 teaspoons maple flavoring
1 pound bacon, trimmed of the fat, cooked, cooled and crumbled
Combine maple flavoring and cooked and cooled bacon. Add mixture in the ice cream machine and follow manufacturer’s directions in freezing. Makes 1 quart.
— “101 Gourmet Ice Cream Creations,” by Wendy Paul, Front Table Books