I.E. Ice Cream

Cupid’s Chocolate

ieicecream — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:37:48 +0000

I don’t like chocolate. I’m human I swear. There are a handful of food items that my taste buds missed the boat on and chocolate is one of them. I don’t get it. People would sell their right big toe for decadent chocolate but my sweet tooth snoozes over the sight of it. I’m providing context because I never make chocolate ice cream. I made it twice, once in the form of Mexican Chocolate which had some kick, and then a Nutella/Chocolate “fusion” (I think that descriptor is funny because isn’t everything a fusion?) I digress…

the chocolate trio

So if I was going to make chocolate, I figured do it for the “holiday” that seems to interest me as much as chocolate. Valentine’s Day. When your holiday staple candy is “Conversation Hearts” you know the holiday lacks depth. No this won’t be a single girl’s rant about my feelings about Valentine’s day, I just think cupid has other intentions than delivering them on chalk flavored edible love fragments. [queue Tori Amos]

represent.

I ended up with a blend of chocolate: melted down some Ghiradelli 60% chocolate chips, Hersey’s chocolate powder and some Nutella. Let those guys speed date together and then introduced them to their blind dates: cream, sugar, and milk. Everyone seemed to hit it off and there was some chemistry going on.

melty

I was a little selfish. I wanted to somewhat like this ice cream so I made Rice Krispie treats and threw them in the love boat. I always feel chocolate needs some crunch so Rice Krispies filled in the blank I was missing.

rice krispie treat

Overall I’m satisfied with how it turned out, but then again I’m not the best Judge Judy on this one. I’ll let the people’s court decide for me…

Cupid's "Beer Gut" = Chocolate Gut?

We all have guts of something (beer, cheese, pizza, fries) and I guess chocolate is Cupid’s…

psst.hey.

Cupid's Chocolate

Drunken Girl Scout

ieicecream — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:37:19 +0000

Let’s start off 2012 with this: Drunken Girl Scout is to me as the the Big Mac is to McDonald’s. While sadly I don’t have a jingle to coincide, Drunken Girl Scout is my go-to flavor. I’ve been making this flavor for about two years which in my book means I have earned my booze badge. I wish I still had my Girl Scout sash because I’m curious what I accomplished back in ’91. I know for a fact it wasn’t starting a fire or braiding hair (is that even an option?). I digress. Here’s how I accomplished “booze badge”:

thin mint cookie mugshot

thin mint badge

I wanted to start the year off with a flavor that warms the tummy and Baileys Irish Cream does just that. Something about its thick consistency blankets your innards and sets up a nice winter picnic in the belly. It’s a heavier libation so it’s great for ice cream because it naturally thickens the base and let’s not forget that booze doesn’t freeze so it keeps the consistency creamy.

baileys irish cream

I never really noticed the pristine landscape on the label until I took this picture. Kind of reminds of a mashup of an Irish Spring graphic and Duck Hunt. (mmm the smell of Irish Spring…yes please!)

baileys irish cream label

Let’s digress from the irish lake/Duck Hunt imagery for a sec and let’s dive into the badge at hand: ice cream.

Drunken Girl Scout Troop: 0214

I’m not saying this troop is the one you want to be stranded with in the woods with, but I know they would be fun to play Catch Phrase and Jenga with.

drunken girl scout

Drunken Girl Scout Leader

Drunken Girl Scout Postcard

Here’s to more badges, cones and ice cream in 2012!

Ice Cream Cake

ieicecream — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:45:29 +0000

You betcha! I needed a swell reason to make an ice cream cake and there was no better setting than my dear friend’s surprise birthday party. Oh and this surprise party didn’t have just humans attending…there were 20 bunnies in her living room. YEAH WE DID! The bunnies didn’t eat the ice cream cake but everyone else did. I opted for a fan favorite, “Drunken Girl Scout” which is Bailey’s Irish Cream and thin mints. Here’s how it went down…

I am a huge fan of Carvel ice cream cakes and did some sleuthing and discovered that the iconic “cookie crumbles” are oreo cookie/chocolate wafers with Magic Shell coating to bring the group together. I ended up going old school and striped out each cookie individually, it was like separating the two characters from The Notebook, these two did not want to be split from their love from one another.

The Notebook of Edible Lovers: Oreos & Cream

Next I threw in the plain Oreos into the food processor to get a chocolate dust storm which then needed some precipitation and bonding. The Magic Shell. This is like syrup but acts kind of like a glue, hardens very quickly which made for a terrific base. No ice cream was going to leak out of this edible vault foundation.

Magic Shell/Oreo Bottom

Next came the layers of Bailey’s Ice cream and thin mints…

Cake Layers

The MVP of this team by far was the springform pan which provided the flexibility to remove the bottom from the sides. I added some wax paper to ensure independence and it worked like a dream.

Look Ma! No Sides!

Drunken Girl Scout Cake

I ended up putting an additional layer of ice cream but didn’t get a shot of it until the party…

BAM! (thanks Mia for the photo)

I am looking forward to making more cakes and variations on crust and layers so quick someone have a birthday or let’s just make one up to eat it.

Cool Kid Peppermint

ieicecream — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:31:19 +0000

There’s cool, and then there’s Fonzie. This is the Fonzie of ice cream. Slick flavor and works a room like a 50′s stud. That’s this guy.

candy cane mugshot

‘Tis the season to wear questionable, yet entertaining holiday sweaters, indulge in the fact that you are drinking eggs (eggnog) and justify it with “oh only this time of year!” and last but certainly not last…POPCORN TINS. I love these sectional snack tins and would love to know how this tradition got started but I didn’t make popcorn tin ice cream so I’m going to digress.

I used these guys, Trader Joe’s seasonal “Candy Cane Joe Joe’s”, the December cousin to the Oreo Cookie.

Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's

In lieu of the traditional vanilla cream filling, these little edible ornaments are filled with a candy cane cream that’s just a dream to taste.

Candy Cane Cookie

What’s the holidays without some booze?! Sure I did! Threw in some Peppermint Shnapps for an extra splash of satisfaction and to also ensure this guy was smooth and creamy just like the man Fonzie himself.

Cool Kid Peppermint

Cool Kid Peppermint Postcard

This is the last flavor I’m doing to do for 2011 and I’m comfortable letting Fonzie lead the way into 2012. Happy Holidays!

Pumpkin Patch

ieicecream — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:57:23 +0000

This month brings us November’s poster child…the pumpkin. The orange bundle of strings and seeds that so many look forward to every fall. In October we participate in the manslaughter of pumpkins, however this month we ditch the creativity and have our eyes on the prize…PUMPKIN FACE.

FACT: When you eat pumpkin flavored goods, you are actually eating the outside…not the stringy guts that make your sink drain look like a walk in the park.

I can’t really speak to this flavor as my taste buds missed the memo to like pumpkin flavored things so I’m a mere backseat driver on this one. What I can say from the backseat is that this flavor is slightly spiced and cradles that fall urge to feel comforted. There’s a crew of cloves, cinnamon, ginger and a sweet high five from vanilla bean all telling jokes by the fireplace. Ginger snaps crashed the party and brought their sturdy and effective sassy self so all together you get a snippet of what fall tastes like.

Pumpkin Patch

October Flavor: Candy Corn Costume

ieicecream — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:47:57 +0000

Trick or ice cream! I wish more homes gave out ice cream in lieu of candy but the whole razor thing…I digress. This month’s flavor is about the multi-colored sugary fangs we all love this time of year…CANDY CORN!

candy corn mugshot

I tried a new method for this batch, the rock and salt process. This is the traditional way of making ice cream where you layer ice and rock salt to produce a below than freezing brine that ends up making the base turn to creamy and blankety ice cream! It’s a bit more time consuming but I am very pleased with the texture and creaminess so I tip my hat to you again science. K, back to the visuals…

Candy Corn Costume Ice Cream

I found edible googly eyes that I’m throwing in for club members so they can dress up their ice cream too.

Candy Corn Costume Ice Cream

September Flavor: Sweet Cookie Monster

ieicecream — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:30:53 +0000

September brings the sound of school buses, bathing suit sales, ridiculously appealing school supply displays, and in most parts of the country the beginning of fall. Here in SF, not much changes other than the weather being absolutely perfect. It’s our “summer” which means the nights remain somewhat warm…..er.

SF prides itself on not being like any other city so while I was originally going to do something involving apples because it’s hip and in season, I opted out. Not going to lie…not the biggest apple fan either. (Don’t get me started on “sour apple” flavored things. YAK.) Instead I opted for a transitional flavor that could really appeal to any time of the year but felt this time was a good one since I have the rest of the months on lock down.

Sweet Cookie Monster. My my my what a toupee of sugar you have on your head.

Sweet Cookie Monster

The caramel is what really makes this cookie. I prepared it the same way I make the base for salted caramel ice cream so it’s up there on “to-do” list of making your brain happy. I’m excited for the ice cream of the month members to try as it’s their first non-fruit flavor so far.

the sweet cookie monster

Ice Cream Advice…

ieicecream — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:31:14 +0000

“The key is to eat your ice cream at a lusciously slow pace. This gives your palate a chance to warm back up before more of the frozen yumminess can cool things off again. Because this can be difficult in our rapidly moving lives, science demands that we treat this like any skill: practice, practice, practice..”

– Advise for how to avoid brain freeze, from

Health Magazine, July/August 2004

August Flavor: Peach Tree

ieicecream — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:32:13 +0000

After a three striped celebration of ice cream in July…I’m going to continue the fruit train with August’s flavor of Peach!

August is about nature’s fuzzy friend, the peach. Under the soft bristles of fruit whiskers lies summer’s candy bowl. Peaches are in bloom and ready to shed their fuzzy coat for a dip in a vanilla and honey base with a hint of lemon to finish off the summer breeze. (This isn’t meant to sound like a candle description but it’s getting close.) Georgia is a bit of a hike, but I’m actually going peach picking specifically for this months’ flavor so they will be as fresh as can be…hopefully a video will follow. Look for this month’s flavor Peach Tree flavor to be delivered to your mouth the week of Aug. 15^th!

Peach Tree

Happy 4th of July!

ieicecream — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:01:29 +0000

Nothing says America like eagles and ice cream! Above is strawberry, vanilla bean and blueberry…red, white and blue(ish)!