Who’s in the kitchen: Ice cream....the inside scoop

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I can still remember exactly the way “the ice cream man” looked on the beach in Brighton. I loved those beach days way back when. Of course most of you under 35 probably don’t have the same memories of going to the beach as I do.

Going to the beach, for me, meant walking 4 blocks to the B train, taking it to Coney Island (Karen Green, had I known you lived there I would have visited you), getting off, walking down the stairs, then across the platform, then back up the stairs and taking the D train to Brighton Beach. Once there we walked 2 blocks to the beach. Oh, and did I mention that we had to carry our beach chairs, drinks and lunch with us. Once there, we dragged our chairs and bags down toward the water and tried to claim a spot for ourselves. If that thought isn’t enough to evoke horror in you young folks, imagine, no bathrooms, lockers, showers, concession stands with kosher frozen yogurt, pizza, salads and perish the thought….no flavored iced coffee!. We did have fun though. I made some unbelievable “sand cakes”. Most memorable, for me, was the ice cream man. He looked impeccable, not sure how though, as it was always sunny and hot. He wore a white button down shirt, white pants and white shoes. He carried this huge suitcase looking cooler over his shoulder. When called over he would put it down, open it up and that mysterious cloud of smoke would billow out. To this day I associate dry ice and smoke machines on dance floors at bar and bat mitzvahs with the ice cream man. There weren’t many kosher choices in those days. There was the orange creamsicle, the chocolate covered ice cream pop and the ice cream sundae, which in reality was a large vanilla dixie cup with chocolate syrup. Come on, how many of you remember licking the chocolate syrup off the back of the lid?

I just took you back tot he 1960’s, but we’d have to go back thousands of years to trace the early days of ice cream.

Although this would not be the sort of ice cream we’d recognize today, the Chinese people were reported to have made some kind of iced products, possibly similar to what we know as sorbet, thousands of years before refrigeration was even dreamed of.

While there is little evidence to back up this theory, it is thought that the method of making these original iced desserts was based on a syrup substance, brought to freezing point with the help of a salt compound. Saltpetre – or potassium nitrate – reduces the temperature of water (or snow in this case), by drawing heat as the salt dissolves.

Moving on a few centuries Alexander The Great, the King of Macedonia, features in the origins of ice cream. He was apparently known to have a passion for honey-flavored iced drinks, using snow to make the icy texture. Emperor Nero of Rome liked his desserts iced as well.

In 1851, the first factory produced ice cream appeared, when Jacob Fussell began producing ice cream on a commercial basis in Maryland. During the 1904 World’s Fair, The Banner Creamery’s owner George Bang was selling ice cream. Allegedly, he ran out of bowls and was given rolled-up waffles to serve it in instead.

Among other interesting facts;

One of the major ingredients in ice cream is air. In fact, 10 to 25 percent air is desirable. The ice cream mix must be beaten as it freezes to incorporate air . Without it, ice cream would be rock solid and un -scoopable!

The “Popsicle” was originally the “Epsicle,” named after its originator, Frank Epperson. He accidentally left a glass of lemonade with a spoon in it on a windowsill one very cold night.

In World War II, it was reported that US airmen put cans of ice cream mix in the rear gunner’s compartments of B-29s. The airmen claimed that the freezing temperatures of high-altitude flight, and the plane’s vibrations, made great ice cream!

We all have our favorite ice creams and methods of eating them. My husband will open the freezer, scoop out 4 ounces of ice cream and put the container back in the freezer. He will repeat that process about 6 times in a 30 minute time span while watching his Yankees,

I, on the other hand will take the half gallon when it’s half empty, sit down in front of the T.V. and finish every last drop while watching my beloved Atlanta Braves.

Whatever your method, I’m sure you’ll all enjoy the recipe below. It looks much more difficult to prepare than it actually is...but I won’t tell.

TRIPLE LAYER ICE CREAM BOMBE

Ingredients;

2 pints strawberry ice cream, softened

2 pints chocolate ice cream, softened

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

1 Toblerone chocolate bar 3.52 ounces, chopped

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

Ingredients for the Ganache

10 ounces heavy cream

10 ounces semi sweet chocolate pieces or chocolate chips

GARNISH

Berries of your choice to circle the bottom of the bombe.

Directions

Line a 4-qt. bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Quickly spread strawberry ice cream over the bottom and up the sides to within 1/2 in. of the top of bowl. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Repeat with chocolate ice cream. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup whipping cream, sugar and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture can coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until chilled.

Fold in the hazelnuts and chopped Toblerone chocolate bar. Beat remaining whipping cream until stiff peaks form; fold into custard. Spoon into ice cream shell, spreading to completely cover the top. Cover and freeze overnight.

In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and heavy cream, stir until smooth. Cool. Remove bombe from the freezer and invert onto a serving plate. Remove bowl and plastic wrap. Working quickly, spread chocolate, a little at a time, over entire bombe. Freeze until chocolate is firm.

Right before serving, add berries of your choice around the bottom of the cake.

You can use my husband’s method for eating it or mine. He claims his burns off far more calories than my method, but mine is far more energy efficient on your freezer. I’ll leave it up to you.

She can be contacted at Judy.soiree@gmail.com.