"The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz on ice cream

[Darienne]

I finally got this book.  I haven't made ice cream in months, and now that's all I want to do . I do have some family birthdays coming up, and should probably have ice cream for the birthday cake.  That should give me a reason now.

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Hi Robyn,

Do try the Fleur de Lait. It is quite amazing. And also the Orange-Szechwan Pepper, my personal favorite. ...maybe not for the kids...

And if you make sandwiches, heed the advice of Tri2Cook (male ). I think I will remake the sandwiches today. They cannot be properly rescued from their current state. Down the road they go to the young family.

[RWood]

I finally got this book.  I haven't made ice cream in months, and now that's all I want to do . I do have some family birthdays coming up, and should probably have ice cream for the birthday cake.  That should give me a reason now.

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Hi Robyn,

Do try the Fleur de Lait. It is quite amazing. And also the Orange-Szechwan Pepper, my personal favorite. ...maybe not for the kids...

And if you make sandwiches, heed the advice of Tri2Cook (male ). I think I will remake the sandwiches today. They cannot be properly rescued from their current state. Down the road they go to the young family.

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I will definitely try those. I just got in a new tube of szechuan peppercorns. I have tried that combination in a molded chocolate, using milk chocolate, and it's pretty tasty. I think ice cream will be awesome. I'll have a bunch of yolks leftover from the wedding cake I have this week, so no excuses

[Jean Blanchard]

Fresh peaches from the farmers market prompted me to make granita. So easy. So refreshing and almost guilt free.

[Lapin d'Argent]

Fresh peaches from the farmers market prompted me to make granita.  So easy.  So refreshing and almost guilt free.

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My copy of this book just arrived last week, and there are lovely local nectarines in the fridge from the farmer's market (hiding from the heat). Thank you for the prompt...maybe I can stand to turn them into granita!

[Tri2Cook]

   Now she tells me!!!    Never assume I know anything.

I shall make them again and this time, they will be a snap!  Thanks. 

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You're welcome... but I'm not a she.

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Ooops. Sorry.

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No problem at all, just thought I'd mention it.

[Darienne]

(The ice cream sandwiches went to the kids down the road this morning)

This morning I finished the Orange-Szechwan Pepper ice cream. Third time I have made it. Love it when I get to redo something and get it right. Except this one has been right from the start. The joys of discovering cooking late in life...

While packing it into the container for storage until the weekend, I, of course, took a little taste.

Hmmm... where was the pepper? First taste. Orange but no pepper. Lasts about 2 split seconds. Wham! The pepper hits. Love it. I can hardly wait to see the looks on the faces of my guests when they try it and wonder...for about two split seconds...where the Szechwan part is.

Next. Redo the vanilla and then some raspberry gelato.

[stuartlikesstrudel]

(The ice cream sandwiches went to the kids down the road this morning)

This morning I finished the Orange-Szechwan Pepper ice cream.  Third time I have made it.  Love it when I get to redo something and get it right.  Except this one has been right from the start.  The joys of discovering cooking late in life...

While packing it into the container for storage until the weekend, I, of course, took a little taste. 

Hmmm... where was the pepper?  First taste.  Orange but no pepper.  Lasts about 2 split seconds.  Wham!  The pepper hits.  Love it.    I can hardly wait to see the looks on the faces of my guests when they try it and wonder...for about two split seconds...where the Szechwan part is. 

Next.  Redo the vanilla and then some raspberry gelato.

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Sounds really nice, Darienne. I am keen to try that orange/pepper ice cream, the flavor sounds complex and interesting to me and your description of it is very appealing

[Darienne]

Sounds really nice, Darienne. I am keen to try that orange/pepper ice cream, the flavor sounds complex and interesting to me and your description of it is very appealing

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Hi stuartlikesstrudel,

The whole field of 'cooking' is quite new to me after a lifetime of avoiding as much of it as possible and so the descriptive part is new too. I like that word 'complex' and I think it does apply to this ice cream. First it tastes like 'this' and then it finishes up like 'that' after passing through another phase of the 'other'. I've wondered just what others have meant when they spoke of say, chocolate, having a complex taste. Thank you.

This ice cream is probably one of the most amazing food items I have ever made. But then both the DH and I love Szechwan and eat it constantly...part of my new cooking life. He helps with the mises and I do the cooking.

I am intending to try this flavor combination in a ganache soon.

[RWood]

Sounds really nice, Darienne. I am keen to try that orange/pepper ice cream, the flavor sounds complex and interesting to me and your description of it is very appealing

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Hi stuartlikesstrudel,

The whole field of 'cooking' is quite new to me after a lifetime of avoiding as much of it as possible and so the descriptive part is new too. I like that word 'complex' and I think it does apply to this ice cream. First it tastes like 'this' and then it finishes up like 'that' after passing through another phase of the 'other'. I've wondered just what others have meant when they spoke of say, chocolate, having a complex taste. Thank you.

This ice cream is probably one of the most amazing food items I have ever made. But then both the DH and I love Szechwan and eat it constantly...part of my new cooking life. He helps with the mises and I do the cooking.

I am intending to try this flavor combination in a ganache soon.

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I made ganache with milk chocolate, and it came out very nice.

I did just make the Gianduja Gelato and I did the Stracciatella and it's very good, nice texture. My only thought is that it's a little sweet for me, could be because of the milk chocolate. I did use El Rey's 41%, but maybe cut back on the sugar next time.

I am still going to try the orange szechuan one soon. I have too many yolks left over from all these white cakes and buttercream I'm doing.

[Darienne]

I made ganache with milk chocolate, and it came out very nice.

I did just make the Gianduja Gelato and I did the Stracciatella and it's very good, nice texture. My only thought is that it's a little sweet for me, could be because of the milk chocolate.  I did use El Rey's 41%, but maybe cut back on the sugar next time.

I am still going to try the orange szechuan one soon.  I have too many yolks left over from all these white cakes and buttercream I'm doing.

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As for the sweetness, I regularly cut back on the sugar amount suggested. And truthfully, I don't enjoy milk chocolate at all.

Let me know how the Orange Szechwan turns out.

[cmflick]

I just got this book last week. The first ice cream that I made was the fresh fig ice cream (p.80), since figs are in season. It's good, but I'd never had fresh figs before (only in fig bars) and decided that I'm not really wowed by them. The mix was really thick before churning, i.e., you could turn the bowl upside down and nothing would fall out!

[Darienne]

The dog people and their dogs are gone.

Report on ice creams: favorite: DL's Orange Szechwan Ice Cream...gone, gone, gone

2nd: tie between the chocolate (cornstarch base) and the vanilla (Philadelphia type).

Last was the raspberry made with coconut cream. Was too much like a sherbet.

Best sauce: DL's 'The Best Chocolate Sauce Recipe' from 2005. Also made DL's butterscotch sauce and my own raspberry sauce which is heavily Chambord (what's not to like?)

[cmflick]

I made the dried apricot/pistachio (p. 75) ice cream yesterday. Excellent.

[Tri2Cook]

Last was the raspberry made with coconut cream.  Was too much like a sherbet.

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That was a minus? I like sherbet! Sounds like it was a big success all-around. Where are the pics?

[I_call_the_duck]

After finishing the peach ice cream, I churned a batch of chocolate raspberry this morning. If the preliminary taste was any indication, I'm in for a nice treat tonight.

Coming in late to the mint conversation. I haven't made it in a long time, but I used black mint for my ice cream. I'd just throw it in the cream mixture and let it steep overnight. It added a much better flavor than regular mint.

[Darienne]

Last was the raspberry made with coconut cream.  Was too much like a sherbet.

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That was a minus? I like sherbet! Sounds like it was a big success all-around. Where are the pics?

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The DH does not like sherbet. And I always forget to take photos until the stuff is half-eaten.

[cmflick]

The latest was the date, rum and pecan ice cream. Another excellent one. It was hard though to get the dates to evenly disperse through the ice cream, though. They were really sticky.

[Darienne]

My weekend ice cream was not DL's, however the mix-in was: stracciatella. Very easy, very nice...except that I managed to drip it on my fingers and hence the rest of my person.

It made a wonderful addition to my mint ice cream...which was not all that great...and now I must figure out why...but on a different thread.

[cmflick]

Today was toasted coconut with stracciatella mixed in. The chocolate is the perfect complement to the coconut. Only problem was that my 1 1/2 quart Cuisinart ice cream processor was not happy about the stracciatella. The chocolate became one giant lump and nearly stopped the machine. Luckily when I pulled the dasher out, it was easy to break up the chocolate by just stirring for a moment with a spatula. Now there are flecks of chocolate throughtout as it should be.

Edited September 12, 2009 by cmflick (log)

[Darienne]

Only problem was that my 1 1/2 quart Cuisinart ice cream processor was not happy about the stracciatella. The chocolate became one giant lump and nearly stopped the machine.

Mine is also a 1 1/2 quart Cuisinart ice cream processor and it was not at all put out by the chocolate. We should both try it again. Maybe I was just lucky ...and maybe you were not.

I have to learn to stop getting covered in chocolate when I work with it.

[cmflick]

Mine is also a 1 1/2 quart Cuisinart ice cream processor and it was not at all put out by the chocolate. We should both try it again. Maybe I was just lucky ...and maybe you were not.

I think that the chocolate got quickly sucked down in as it was churning and piled up on the dasher, thus forming a clump. The ice cream machine was still turning, but it had really slowed down and I was afraid that if I left it going I may damage the motor. I think that it all depends on exactly where on the surface that you pour the melted chocolate. I poured where the ice cream was being pulled down thinking that it would mix faster, but that may have been a mistake as it seems to have led right to the dasher! I'll try again with an alternate technique. It's a learning experience.

[Marmish]

I had to use up some cream and decided to make ice cream. DH picked Tin Roof. I think it's one of the best ice creams I've ever made. The texture is great, even a couple of days later right out of the freezer. If anything, the fudge ripple is a little too thin. Could be sloppy measuring or that it needs more cooking time.

[Darienne]

I had to use up some cream and decided to make ice cream. DH picked Tin Roof. I think it's one of the best ice creams I've ever made. The texture is great, even a couple of days later right out of the freezer. If anything, the fudge ripple is a little too thin. Could be sloppy measuring or that it needs more cooking time.

Did not remember this ice cream and just looked it up. Did you include the chocolate covered peanuts too?

I think we need permanently installed cameras in our kitchens to take those photos which everyone else wants to see.

[Marmish]

I had to use up some cream and decided to make ice cream. DH picked Tin Roof. I think it's one of the best ice creams I've ever made. The texture is great, even a couple of days later right out of the freezer. If anything, the fudge ripple is a little too thin. Could be sloppy measuring or that it needs more cooking time.

Did not remember this ice cream and just looked it up. Did you include the chocolate covered peanuts too?

I think we need permanently installed cameras in our kitchens to take those photos which everyone else wants to see.

I bought chocolate covered peanuts and used those.

[Marmish]

I also made the Vietnamese coffee ice cream. Same thing as the tin roof, really scoop-able after freezing. The Other Half, who doesn't like coffee flavored things, but does like coffee, liked it well enough. I think I'll end up eating it all by myself though.