Ice Cream!

“Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” We’ve all heard this nostalgic jingle whenever the ice cream truck would roll around the corner in the neighborhood when we were kids. Oh the pure excitement! What better way to cool off from a hot day in the sun than to enjoy a scoop or two of cool, creamy ice cream? Whether your favorite is French vanilla, chocolate chip cookie dough, or butter pecan, and whether you prefer soft or hard, ice cream truly hits a soft spot in everyone’s heart….. and stomach.

I, like many people, am lactose intolerant; but, that has never stopped me from enjoying ice cream. Thanks to modern-day medicine, lactase enzyme pills can be taken to help ease the digestion of dairy products, making life much more pleasurable. There are even non-dairy alternatives to ice cream, made with coconut milk, soy milk, or rice milk, which are just as, if not even more, delicious.

Most of us are intimidated to make ice cream at home and resort to buying our favorite brands at the grocery store. While there is nothing wrong with purchasing brand-made ice cream, you should become familiar with some standard ice cream jargon.

According to FDA regulations, regular ice cream must contain at least a 10% butterfat (excluding diet ice creams, like “reduced fat,” “low fat,” “light,” and “non-fat”). Beyond the label of simply “ice cream,” there exist the subcategories of “premium” and “super premium.” Super premium ice cream, which has a higher butterfat content of about 16%, has very little air whipped into it, and is therefore extremely dense. Super premium ice creams are usually made with high-quality ingredients as well. Some examples of super premium ice cream are Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen Daz brands.

Premium ice cream has more air incorporated into in during the churning process and has a lower butterfat content than super premium ice cream, about 14%. Baskin Robins is a popular brand of premium ice cream.

Premium and super premium are both varieties of hard ice cream with similar qualities. Soft serve, is also similar to hard ice cream, but, as indicative of its name, is soft and fluffy because of its unique churning process. Much air is whipped into the ice cream while it churns and it also contains a much lower butterfat content than hard ice cream, generally about 6%. 

There is no doubt I enjoy brand-name ice creams and homemade varieties from family-owned specialty shops, but I also love making ice cream at home. I can control the integrity of the ingredients that I put into my ice cream, and I can get really creative and make any flavor I want!

Several years ago I received an ice cream machine for my birthday. All year long, I experimented making dozens of ice cream flavors, from pistachio, to peppermint, to coffee, and vanilla. During the summer, I even made black raspberry and sour cherry ice creams with fresh fruit I picked from a local farm. You don’t necessarily need an ice cream machine to make ice cream at home, but it gives the ice cream an unparalleled consistency that is far superior to any homemade ice cream made sans ice cream machine.

Here is a recipe for peach ice cream from my favorite collection of ice cream recipes, the Ultimate Ice Cream Book, by Bruce Weinstein:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

3 large sweet peaches, peeled and pitted

1/4 cup peach nectar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat the cream in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edge. Do not let the cream boil. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Cool to room temperature. Cut two of the peaches into eighths and place in a blender with the peach nectar. Blend until the peaches are pureed. Stir the peach puree and vanilla into the cooled cream. Refrigerate until cold or overnight. Freeze in one or two batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning, dice the remaining peach. When the ice cream is finished churning, gently fold the fresh peaches into the ice cream using a spatula. The ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least two hours.