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It's not really necessary (unless you're the impatient type ). I cool it down in a big bowl of cold water (from the tap) until its cool, then refrigerate. I also find the texture is better if you let the mix sit for several hours in the fridge. Ron

I've started experimenting with Tapioca and Guar gum instead of the usual corn starch. I'm using Jeni Bauer's basic recipe as a starting point. the first batch, with 1 T of tapioca and a 1/8t of guar is a little too thick. Guar is pretty potent. Also hard to disperse evenly.

I just ordered tapioca starch and guar gum. I expect to do a lot of experimenting. Oh darn, that means there will be a lot of ice cream to eat.

I haven't read the Perfect Scoop, but I have The Ultimate Ice Cream Book and Frozen Desserts . Jeni's is a must-have in my opinion. Her recipes are designed for home machines and she has a good explanation on how she formulates her ice creams so that you can develop your own flavors. But most of all, she has some really inventive flavor combinations. She seems to have a knack for knowing what goes together, what looks good together. Sweet corn with blackberry and goat cheese with roasted cherries are now on my permanent list of flavors. In my machine and freezer the texture is good -- scoopable but not too soft.

I'm surprised not to see a thread about Bauer's new ice cream book. So I thought I'd start one. Speaking as an ice cream novice, it's a revelation. Not just because the recipes are easy to make and taste good, but because Bauer has an artist's eye (or palate?) for flavor combinations. I've made 10 or so flavors and they're all great.

I too have been working (eating) my way through Jeni's book. She is my new hero. Definitely make the caramel (I increase the sugar in that recipe to 3/4 cup.) The sweet corn and blackberry is mind blowing. I've made 10 or so different flavors from the book. All winners. Almost makes me want to switch careers

I had the same problem -- The dough would expand and come apart. But, as you say, they were very flaky, tasty cookies. So I went back to a basic sugar cookie dough (Joy of Cooking). They hold their shape a little better, but they get soft and collapse. I like the rugelach dough much better, if I can just figure out how to hold them together. Back to the dough!

As an aside, the "conventional" view that the prohibition on eating pork is due to hygiene/health reasons just doesn't hold water. Consider: 1. The symptoms of trichinellosis (at least in the early stages) are the same for lots of other common diseases (colds, flu, etc). I find it hard to believe that ancient jews could easily distinguish one from the other. 2. There are a gazillion food-borne parasites that they would have had to deal with. Beef, chicken, goat, and even fruits and vegetables carry 'em. I doubt that pork would be singled out as a carrier of disease. 3. One has to explain what the health reasons for all the other prohibitions are. Why can one eat a duck but not a swan? Why only fish with scales? Why a goat but not a camel? 4. Like most parasites, they are easily killed by cooking meat thoroughly. All God would have needed to say is "Thou shalt cook thy meat until it is well done." 5. To me the most compelling argument is that while some may like to think that the ancient jews were particularly clever (or had divine assistance), so were the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, etc. Don't you think they would notice some relationship with eating pork and getting sick? I think the laws of Kashrut are matters of ritual or ethnic purity, and have nothing to do with health. It is just an attempt by modern folks to find a rational or scientific explanation for something that is ultimately a spiritual matter.

A lot of folks swear by this trick, and it does seem to make sense. I did not personally find that it makes a substantial difference when added as a step to my recipe, but I've only tried it once. ← OK, after eight nights of frying, I've got it down. 4 or 5 potatoes (russets) 1 onion, 1 shallot. Ditch the egg and flour -- they actually get in the way. I've tried grating by hand and with a food processor, and I fine that a mixture of both works best. The hand grating gives a fine shred while the processed shreds add more texture. I grate the whole thing, then put it all into a dish towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. I don't bother with draining off the starch -- I have found potato starch in the market (in the Kosher section), and it works much easier. I add about 3 tablespoons. That seems to give enough body to hold things together. Add salt, maybe a little pepper and fry them up. I like them on the small side, but I think the trick is to keep them pretty flat so they can cook through quickly. The last night of Hanukkah was so much better because of the latke refinements The whole family enjoyed them. I might just have to make them again before next Hanukkah.