July is National Ice Cream Month - and I seriously doubt if it's alignment with the 4th of July is an accident. After all, ice cream is as much a tradition on the 4th as grilling is. It was certainly a tradition when I was growing up. Back then you only made ice cream if you had kids (or were crazy). Ice cream makers were large buckets to which you added ice and salt and embedded a canister that contained the ice cream mixture.
Ice Cream Personnel
One kid would sit on top of the ice cream maker (to hold it still) while the other kid cranked it. Every five minutes the kids would squabble and then swap places - this cranking/squabbling process usually took about an hour at the end of which time the kids squabbled over licking the beater. A miserable time was had by all.
These days only the crazy people still use a hand-cranked machine. The rest of us have had sense enough to buy electric machines. I have a Cuisinart maker that makes about 1 1/2 quarts. This wouldn't have been nearly enough ice cream for my parents and three siblings when I was growing up, but it's just perfect for two people.
Blueberry Ice Cream
Copyright Kevin D Weeks
I'm not a huge ice cream fan, but sometimes I have clients ask for it so when I got a chance to buy a factory-rebuilt Cuisinart ice cream maker for $20 I jumped at the chance. I'm still learning the ins and outs of ice cream making, but I was pleased with this recipe. Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits (along with being, supposedly, a particularly healthy fruit) and this simple preparation is rich and luscious. Coriander has a particular affinity to blueberries, so I highly recommend including it.
Rhubarb Ice Cream: Chilling in the Spring
Copyright 2009 Kevin D Weeks
The idea of making Rhubarb Ice Cream occurred to me last summer - just after rhubarb season. And so I've had to wait an entire year to try it out. One word - Yum! Rhubarb and cream go together well and rhubarb has a lovely tartness. The ice cream was actually an extremely pale yellowish pink, so I added some red food coloring to make it darker.
Lavender Ice Cream: Edible Flowers
Copyright 2009 Kevin D Weeks
This recipe proved to be quite a challenge. I found a recipe (from a usually dependable source) that used honey as the sweetener, but two separate attempts failed - the ice cream simply wouldn't set so I ended up with two batches of lavender and honey flavored soup. Upon subsequent investigation I discovered that honey is only suitable as an addition, not as the primary source of sugar. So I reworked the recipe to use sugar and added a bit of honey for flavor. It worked and is really quite good - and try adding a dollop of Nutella to it when you serve.
Blackberry Ice Cream: Beautifully Luscious
Copyright 2009 Kevin D Weeks
The rich color of this blackberry ice cream recipe is matched by its rich, creamy and slightly tart flavor. Here in Tennessee we won't see fresh local blackberries until at least the middle of July, but there are a couple of local supermarkets that carry blackberries "imported" from elsewhere, and even frozen blackberries will work. If you wished, you could substitute raspberries for the blackberries - although I don't like them as well.
Buttermilk/Pineapple Sorbet: The Perfect Summer Dessert
Kevin D Weeks
When I was a kid during the summer, my father often made this Buttermilk/Pineapple Sorbet. It's wonderfully fresh and a perfect end to meals consisting of grilled steak, smoked ribs, or fried chicken. Unfortunately, Dad would simply make it and stick it in the freezer until it was a single block of ice so we'd have to let it thaw in our bowls and then drink it more than eat it. In this recipe I avoid that problem by treating it as a sorbet - more work, but worth it.
Coffee Ice Cream: Rich and Creamy
Copyright 2009 Kevin D Weeks
When I was a kid my favorite ice cream was coffee (aside from orange or lime sherbet) and I'm still fond of it. So one of the first things I made after buying an ice cream maker was coffee. Then I discovered Nutella. I'd thought it was just a chocolate sauce (and I can take chocolate or leave it), but Nutella is actually hazelnut butter with chocolate so I bought a jar to try and the first thing that occurred to me on tasting it was it would be perfect with coffee ice cream. I was right.
