Lee Ratliff

Here's my recipe for dulce de leche ice cream: 400 grams heavy cream 150 grams milk (I use 2%, but it doesn't matter) 1 egg yolk 2 cans sweetened condensed milk Using a crock pot on high, I simmer the cans of condensed milk for about 4 hours. Remove carefully and let cool completely to room temp. I do this step days or weeks ahead of time. Note that the can label warns you not to do this, so perform at your own risk. I make a custard with the cream, milk, yolk, and one of the cans. After cooking and then cooling/aging the custard for at least 6 hours, I put this in the ice cream maker and make the ice cream. While this is freezing, I scoop out the other (chilled) can and put the contents in a quart ziplock bag. This goes back in the fridge 'til the ice cream is done. When the ice cream is done, I cut the corner off the quart bag and squeeze the caramel out as I spoon the soft ice cream into a container for hardening. You basically want layers of ice cream with layers of caramel. It will look great when you scoop the hardened product. I only use about 2/3 of the 2nd can since the whole can seems like it would be too much. This makes about a quart and a half in my machine.

I think sorbet is a good idea, though I think a gelato could work too if it's not rich. Evaporated milk always has a little cooked caramel flavor from the canning process. I stay away from canned milk unless I'm making dulce de leche. Milk powder works better if you're looking for more solids. If it's freezing too soft, I bet it's because you have too much invert sugar. I'd replace a 1/8 cup of corn syrup with the same amount of sugar. I have some recipes for rose sorbet and gelato. I can fax them if you'll PM your fax number. I haven't tried them, so I don't know if they work.

You might also try infusing the milk with fresh, fragrant rose petals instead of using rose water. Also, candied rose petals added in the last few seconds of freezing might add interesting visual and textural appeal. Or candied petals as garnish. I have a recipe for homemade candied petals if you're interested. Personally, I'd delete the egg yolks or at least reduce to a single yolk. One yolk per quart of mix (or even less) is sufficient to get the benefit of creamy texture without a noticeable taste. The rich taste of multiple egg yolks works with some flavors, but might clash with rose? I've never used Xanthan gum, but one of my ice cream books says it gives ice cream a 'slimy texture'. I've had good luck with old fashioned arrow root, but I'm still experimenting with stabilizers. Their benefit is not always obvious to me and sometimes they have an adverse effect on texture and melting characteristics. Let us know how it turns out!

Ideally, ice cream needs about 40% dissolved solids for good texture. This is normally achieved with milk protein, milk sugar, and fat from liquid milk and cream; and added sugar. If the % fat is high enough (about 18%), you'll get enough solids from the milk, cream, and sugar. At lower % of fat, the ice cream texture starts to lose body and get icy due to lack of dissolved solids. Milk powder and evaporated milk are concentrated with milk solids, so they are great at improving the texture in ice creams. The Turkish ice cream is dondurma. Wikipedia says: "It is much tougher and chewier than that of sundae-like or other commercially produced ice cream; the unusual texture is produced by the use of salep and mastic resin as thickening agents, together with other flavorings." Stabilizers are necessary for ice creams that will be stored for months or are expected to survive distribution channels in which they will suffer 'heat shock' - numerous cycles of sub-freezing temperature change. Stabilizers help prevent ice crystals from getting larger and larger with each temp cycle. Some people also put stabilizers in ice creams that are eaten fresh and not distributed. This is often done to improve the melting characteristics, i.e. the stabilizer binds the melting ice crystals and results in a thick liquid as the products melts. Because most people are only familiar with commercial ice cream (which almost always uses stabilizers), they expect all ice cream to have the same gooey melting characteristic. Without stabilizer, ice cream often melts into a more watery state (well, like a milk/cream mixture) which turns off some people. Sorbets need stabilizers for the same reasons, but it is more important because sorbets sometimes suffer from 'bleeding' - puddling of sugar water separated from the sorbet - after even very short storage periods. Stabilizers also prevent the crumbly texture common in many sorbets.

You're on the right track. I don't know anything about Creme Brulee, but ice cream is definitely improved by aging. It's partly due to cold mix freezing faster and making smaller ice crystals and a creamier texture. The other reason is related to the fat globules as you suspected. When your mix is initially heated, the tiny gobules of butterfat are melted and are essentially tiny droplets of melted butter. You need the fat globules to partially solidify (crystalize) so that they will stick together and form the correct structure with incorporated air bubbles. Cooling to refrigerator temperature does not immediately solidify the fat globules. It takes hours at low temperature for the fat to partially solidify. Also, if you're using an emulsifier such as egg yolks, it takes a long time for the lecithin in the yolk to displace casein and whey proteins on the fat globules and help them to stick to each other. Anyway, this is the long way of saying that the texture if ice cream will be greatly impoved by sitting in the fridge overnight.

I personally think so, yes. I've developed a few recipes using orange and I find anything more than that amount with those proportions of ingredients does seems to dominate. But it's all a matter of personal taste of course. ← How about using orange oil instead of extract? Just a few drops. Not sure how this would compare with extract, but I think of it as a higher quality product.

As others have said, make sure the mix is cold. Warm mix is a common cause of iciness. Make sure the strawberries are also cold before you add them. Since you did cool your mix, the problem could be a lack of dissolved solids. Adding a half cup of dry milk per quart will improve the texture. Or replace some of the milk with evaporated milk. Pureed fruit will dilute the mix, so compensate by using more cream and less milk. Or just slice the fruit instead of liquifying it. The fruit chunks can get icy, so prevent this by adding 1 part sugar to 4 parts sliced strawberries and marinate for 6-8 hours. Drain the liquid and add the pieces about one minute before the ice cream is done. The sugar will penetrate and prevent the fruit from icing up.

I'd recommend getting the Ball Blue Book. You should be able to pick it up for US$5 or so. It is generally recognized as the bible of canning and freezing. Some of the methods discussed in this forum are no longer recommended by preserving experts.

To me, tipping has lost all meaning. Tipping used to be an appreciation of good service - something extra. Now it's mandatory since restaurants pay servers so little. 15% has long been considered standard, so anything less makes the patron a jerk (regardless of the level of service). And many people tip more since that's the only way to indicate that service was actually good. I've traveled quite a bit in Asia where tipping is unknown, yet the service is the best in the world. In fact, during my first trip to Japan I tried to tip, but was vehemently refused each time. (Once, the server chased me down the street to return the tip I'd left on the table. He wouldn't take it even after I explained that it was a tip.) Of course, a living wage is built into the meal price, so prices are higher - by about 15-20%. I'd love to see restaurants in the US switch to this system, but that's a pipe dream. Wouldn't that make the group tipping situation so much easier? Funny story: I once heard this from a waitress. An elderly couple were regulars at the restaurant where she worked. They dined there several times a week and always sat at one of her tables. Every time, the man chatted with the waitress and left a big tip. Every time, his wife hung back as they left and retrieved the tip - the ENTIRE tip. The man never knew and the waitress never said anything. Apparently, this went on for years.

Some stabilizers also include dextrose to lower the freezing point. That would account for the higher than normal usage rate. Also, there is an Italian company called Fabbri that makes ingredients for gelati and sorbetti. You might contact them about both ingredients. Their US distributor is Belizio Fine Foods, 718-764-8311.

Well, I sprayed with oil before each use. And I performed the initial seasoning per Weber's directions. The grates remained seasoned and corrosion-free around the edges, but corroded in the middle portion. I assumed that high heat was the problem. Maybe I should have oiled the grates after grilling instead of before. At any rate, I'm very happy with the porcelain coated cast iron grates I'm using now. Practically no maintenance required other than brushing.

My Weber came with cast iron grates and I had the same problem. I couldn't keep them seasoned due to the high heat and they corroded away within 2-3 yrs. But I loved the heat retention of the cast iron, so I replaced them with porcelain coated cast iron grates (only available at Home Depot, to my knowledge). Problem solved. Works like cast iron, but zero corrosion. My typical steak is 1.5" thick rib-eye or NY Strip, olive oiled and seasoned with S&P. Thrown on gas grill set on high, flipped after 2 min, immediately reduce heat to medium, flip again after 7 min, remove after cumulative 13-14 minutes, and rest. Perfect med-rare every time - I don't bother checking anymore. I don't worry about cross-hatched grill marks if it's just my wife and me. Truth be told, I rarely do it for company either. I don't like to open the lid or flip the steak unnecessarily. These days, my only variations are seasonings or marinade. Usually I do my own, but my favorite steak is a fatty rib-eye marinated in Allegro Hot & Spicy Creole marinade. Mmmmm.....

They've taken a page from Taco Bell's marketing manual: Take 4 or 5 ingredients that you already use in your standard menu, combine them in a new permutation, shoot a new commercial. Total cost - practically nothing. But you've got something new and a reason for people to stop by. Besides, "bowls" seem to be trendy in fast food recently.

On a related note, here's a blurb from the May'06 issue of Dairy Foods magazine: Haagen Dazs has introduced a new black sesame-flavored ice cream in Japan. This seasonal item is made with black sesame paste. This introduction follows the "black foods" trend found strictly in Asia Pacific. Black foods consist of anything from black sesame to black vinegar to black soybean. The health benefits of black foods include blood thinning, lowered blood pressure, improved blood circulation, lowered cholesterol and improved energy levels.

Here's what the food looks like: Their trademark swedish meatballs with new potatoes. That's a Princess Torte in the background - sponge cake layered with raspberry preserves and topped with whipped cream and marzipan. Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. The dessert is a Daim Torte - thin layers of almond cake topped with the Swedish toffee candy, Daim, and milk chocolate. A close-up of their Apple Cake with vanilla sauce. You can barely see the Lingonberry Mousse in the background.

After hearing an NPR segment on Ikea cafeterias a couple of months ago, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try the food at my nearby location. So far, my wife and I have eaten there twice for lunch. We've been pleasantly surprised by the food, especially the desserts. We've tried the baked salmon, chicken marsala, swedish meatballs, and chicken fried steak (an Ikean nod to the local cuisine). The food was mostly good, though nearly everything was devoid of any kind of spice/seasoning and the steamed veggies were sometimes mushy. The desserts were consistently good - the Apple Cake and Daim Torte were memorable. Prices were inexpensive, though not as cheap as I'd been led to expect - the checks averaged $8.25/person with drink and dessert, before tax. Breakfasts and kid's meals are $0.99, so I guess this skewed my expectations. Food is served cafeteria-style and you're expected to bus your own tables. The breakfast sounds like a great deal - scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes for $0.99. For a buck more, you get pancakes with lingonberry compote and a bottomless cup of coffee. Unfortunately, they don't start serving breakfast until 9:30am at our location. Most of the dishes are Swedish or at least Scandinavian in origin: gravlax, swedish meatballs, rosti, Princess torte, etc. And they put lingonberries in everything. They also have a "bistro" at the exit (a la Costco) where they sell dirt cheap hot dogs, soft serve, and soft drinks. Does anybody else have Ikea food experiences to relate? I've heard rumors that you can eat for free if you show a receipt proving you've just spent at least $100. Any truth to that?

Joe T Garcia's is a tex-mex restaurant in Fort Worth that has grown to fill a city block. In terms of seating capacity, it is the largest in Texas. I seem to recall that the capacity is 1,600 people.

In Plano, you can try Hirsch's Meats on Parker near Alma. They're in a new location since being booted to make way for a Home Depot.

Snowangel and subsequent posters are correct. Most people overcook pork thinking it needs to be well-done (or ultra-done). Slightly pink is OK. Once you start cooking pork correctly, you'll find that you don't even need to brine in most cases. Overcooking pork is a legacy of trichinosis, a nasty parasitic disease that you don't want to get. However, trichinosis has practically been eliminated from the commercial pork supply in developed countries. According to Wikipedia, only about 12 cases per yr have been reported in the US in recent years and most of those are from undercooked game, not pork. Also, freezing kills the parasite that causes trichinosis and most pork has been frozen.

Agreed. We've been shopping at the Plano location for months. We buy 95% of our produce at Sprouts now. Not only do they beat CM pricing, they beat any grocery store. Their bulk section is good too.

Very interesting thread. I'm sure some creative types will come up with some very innovative applications for this technique. Not sure if this is true, but I've been told that Burger King uses this technique to make onion rings. They make a paste of shredded onions and sodium alginate, extrude it through a ring shaped die, cut it off, and the "onion ring" drops into a calcium chloride bath where it firms up. Then bread, freeze, ship, deep fry, and serve. They reduce labor costs, can use the entire onion, can use damaged onions, and achieve the uniformity that franchises love. Can anybody confirm this? Lee

Just for fun, I've copied the ingredient list for Blue Bunny's no-fat, no-sugar-added, vanilla ice cream from their website. What could be more healthy than fat-free and sugar-free? INGREDIENTS: Contains:Fat Free Milk, Polydextrose, Maltodextrin, Sorbitol, Whey Protein Concentrate, Glycerine, Grade A Whey, Carob Bean Gum, Mono & Diglycerides*, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Corn Starch, Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan, Vanilla Extract, Vanillin, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Vitamin A Palmitate, Annatto (for color). Attention Diabetics: Contains Carbohydrates Naturally Occurring In Milk. * Adds a Dietarily Insignificant Amount of Fat NOTE: Excessive Consumption May Have a Laxative Effect in Sensitive Persons. You should see the stuff they market to kids! The tobacco industry ain't got nothing on them! Sorry, I'm in a cantankerous mood today.

I certainly didn't mean to offend any polydextrose fans out there. My sentence probably should have read "...polydextrose and byproducts of the petroleum and wood-pulp industries." My original post unintentionally and unfairly lumped polydextrose with wood and petroleum by-products. Still, I can't help but be suspicious of ingredients designed by chemists to pass through the GI tract undigested.

Ahh... The French Pastry Shop! One of my earliest memories is about this place. My family was staying at La Fonda and my sister and I were exploring the hotel. I was about four, she was eight. When we found the pastry display, we must have stood there - jaws dropped, I'm sure - for at least ten minutes ogling the treats. We'd never seen anything like that before. Rows and rows of beautiful pastry! Finally, the person behind the counter took pity on us and gave us each a cream puff. The memory of it has been stuck in my head ever since. I still make a pilgrimage there every time I visit Santa Fe. It hasn't changed much in thirty years. Over the years I've eaten at dozens of Santa Fe restaurants and I honestly don't recall a bad meal. Right now I'm recalling some chile rellenos I had at some place on Canyon Road. Roasted green chiles stuffed with Montrachet and walnuts. Sublime. Can't get good chile rellenos in Texas. They insist on using poblanos here. Don't get me started on Tex-Mex. If I were to move back to NM, it would be for the food. And the mountains. Also family, of course. The weather is nice too. (101 degrees in Dallas yesterday - yes, really) And the people are great. Hmmm... where's my luggage?

Sweeteners play the primary role in determining the "scoopability" in any frozen dessert. In ice cream, the fat and air are also important. The rule of thumb is to use 15% sugar (sucrose) by weight, which provides the sweetness most people like as well as depressing the freezing point to make the ice cream softer. Sucrose is a small molecule that interferes with ice crystal formation, thus preventing the ice cream from fully freezing, even at temps of 0F. Dextrose (aka glucose) has similar sweetness but twice the freezing point depression, so you can substitute dextrose for maybe 25% of the sucrose to get softer ice cream. Fructose is almost twice as sweet as sugar with twice the freezing point depression, so you can use very little and get similar results. Honey is mostly dextrose and fructose, so it is good at making ice cream softer. However the flavor is strong, so you can't use very much without the flavor overpowering. Still, the sweeteners I've mentioned are all nutritive sweeteners, i.e. full of calories. It's very difficult to make no-sugar-added ice cream with non-nutritive sweeteners and maintain scoopability. Industrial ice cream companies do it by adding "bulking agents" like polydextrose and other byproducts of the petroleum and wood-pulp industries that might make you reconsider your objections to sugar. If you want to make better Splenda ice cream, you can try adding about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of non-fat powdered milk per quart of mix. This will replace some of the dissolved solids that are missing because of the lack of sugar. It won't depress the freezing point much, but it will help prevent some iciness and improve scoopability a little. (This will actually improve any ice cream, not just the NSA kind.) Go ahead and add a couple of tablespoons of honey or corn syrup too. The benefit to the texture will be worth the few calories. Better yet, just use sugar instead of Splenda and eat half as much.