GOURMET ICE CREAM
Review by Barb & Ron Kroll
The Perfect Scoop - Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas and Sweet Accompaniments
(Ten Speed Press) ISBN 978-1580082198 158008219X
A perfect ice cream gift for anyone who wants to make homemade ice cream, The Perfect Scoop contains more than 150 recipes for frozen treats.
David Lebovitz shows you how to make gourmet ice cream, frozen sorbets, gelato ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and granita. He describes ice cream making equipment, as well as ice cream ingredients, and includes recipes for ice cream toppings, mix-ins and sauces—everything you need for a frozen dessert or an ice cream party.
How to make soft ice cream
The 246-page ice cream cookbook is very comprehensive, with clear instructions. David Lebovitz begins with the basics, including ice cream supplies and how to make ice cream custard. Yellow sidebars highlight tips, such as how to make soft ice cream by adding liquors, like rum, to the ice cream mix.
Organized by types of frozen treats, each chapter begins with an introduction. In the Vessels chapter, David Lebovitz explains how easy it is to make homemade ice cream cones with an ice cream cone maker.
Comparison of sorbets and sherbets
In the Sorbets chapter, he explains the differences between sorbets and sherbets. (Sorbets, generally, do not contain milk or cream, while sherbets often contain milk or buttermilk.)
Most of the recipes make one quart or one liter of frozen treats. The Perfect Scoop specifies imperial and metric measurements for the ice cream ingredients.
David Lebovitz also introduces each ice cream recipe. He explains, for example, that his sweet potato ice cream with maple glazed pecans is based on the popular ube sweet potato ice cream sold by Mitchell's Ice Cream in the Mission District of San Francisco.
French and American-style ice creams
Many ice cream recipes also have yellow highlighted sidebars. One explains the differences between French-style ice cream and American, or Philadelphia-style ice cream. (French-style ice cream, made from a cooked custard with egg yolks, is smoother. Philadelphia-style ice cream contains no egg yolks, freezes harder and is easier to make.)
The ice cream book includes a Perfect Pairing suggestion at the end of each recipe, e.g., bourbon ice cream with spiced pecans and mango sorbet with toasted coconut ice cream.
More than 50 color photos by Lara Hata depict ice cream making techniques and delicious ice creams, like toasted almond and candied cherry ice cream.
Gourmet ice cream flavors
David Lebovitz explains the pros and cons of ice cream making equipment, including hand crank ice cream makers, electric ice cream makers and Donvier ice cream makers.
The ice cream book includes recipes for unusual flavors of gourmet ice cream, including parsley ice cream, basil ice cream, olive oil ice cream, Guinness milk chocolate ice cream, avocado ice cream and goat cheese ice cream.
Ice cream toppings
The Perfect Scoop ice cream toppings, like honeyed cashews and honey crunch granola, are good enough to eat on their own as snacks.
A Resources chapter provides websites where you can buy, online, ice cream makers, ice cream cone making machines and ice cream supplies.
Sample ice cream, sorbet and granita recipes
Chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Anise ice cream. Cinnamon ice cream. Fresh ginger ice cream. Date, rum and pecan ice cream. Orange popsicle ice cream. Malted milk ice cream. Cheesecake ice cream. Sour cherry frozen yogurt. Strawberry sour cream ice cream. Apple ginger sorbet. Pink grapefruit champagne sorbet. Espresso granita. White chocolate sauce. Pralined almonds. Honey sesame brittle. Chocolate chip ice cream sandwich cookies. Almond butterscotch cookie cups.
Contents
- Introduction
- Basics
- Ice Creams
- Sorbets and Sherbets
- Granitas
- Sauces and Toppings
- Mix-Ins
- Vessels
Resources
Index
Author
David Lebovitz gives cooking lessons and culinary tours of Paris, where he lives.