Brad's Perfect S'mores Ice Cream Recipe

From my Ben & Jerry's cookbook showing me the ropes, back when I first got started making ice cream, to my travels tasting the best ice creams in the country, I am a man indebted to his influences. When I took to the kitchen this time around, I took inspiration from two sources: the toasted marshmallow milkshake from NYC's Stand 4 and the liquid chocolate mix-in from Graeter's in Cincinnati (and beyond). These two components (toasted and melted!) are typically missing from other s'mores ice creams. In mine they work together to create the perfect frozen representation of the quintessential campout fare:

A toasted marshmallow and graham ice cream base, featuring a melted chocolate mix-in that halfway hardens while the ice cream churns. Top it off with more melted chocolate (still warm when mixed in!) and graham cracker dust. Enjoy!

Brad's Perfect S'mores Ice Cream

12 - 16 campfire-sized marshmallow
4 - 6 oz. graham crackers, divided...depending on how much you want to use as topping
½ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup milk
¾ - 1¼ cup dark chocolate chips...depending on how chocolatey you like it
4 half graham crackers, optional

(1) Place marshmallows on foil and toast in a toaster oven* until golden on top and melty. (A lower temperature for longer is better than a high temperature for shorter.)

(2) While still in the packet, crush the graham crackers in packet with a hammer. Not too hard, or you'll burst the packet open.

(3) Put toasted marshmallows and 2 - 4 oz. of graham crackers in a food processor. (Reserve the rest of the crushed graham crackers for topping later.) Blend well. It should resemble a Rice Krispies® treat made out of Golden Grahams™.

(4) Add cream, sugar and milk to the food processor and blend. Between rounds of blending, scrap the sticky marshmallow mixture off of the blades and sides.

(5) Chill mix in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Then...

(6) Start up your ice cream maker. Pour in the mixture. My ice cream maker takes about 15-20 minutes to whip in a good amount of air. (If there isn't enough air, any leftover ice cream will freeze too densely and be rock hard.)

(7) While the mix churns in the ice cream maker, melt the chocolate chips. (They only need to be soft, not fully liquid. Small portions in the microwave works fine.) Add at least half of the melted chocolate chips into the churning ice cream. Reserve the rest for topping.

(8) When the ice cream is done churning, scoop into bowls and top with the reserved melted chocolate chips and graham cracker dust. If you like, put half a graham cracker on the bottom of the bowl, or on top for extra crunch.

* Use a toaster oven because, like a broiler, it will actually toast the marshmallows. A regular oven would just melt them. A microwave will cause them to inflate, which doesn't help with the recipe, but is great fun when you have two marshmallow Peeps® and want to make them joust with toothpicks.

Bobtail Year Bonus: Reinventing Envy

August is month three of my Bobtail Year, two pints of Bobtail Homemade Ice Cream a month for donating to Oracle Theatre. In this entry, I take inspiration from Bobtail to create my own flavor.

My interest already piqued by the first three flavors, I was frustrated by the description for Bobtail's latest addition to their flavor cycle inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins: "Envy is simply an ice cream that wishes that it were more." The teaser was infuriatingly uninformative...yet affective in making me crave it. The tragic irony was that the anthropomorphized ice cream from the teaser (a sweet cream ice cream with no mix-ins) was not the only one wishing it were more. Having left my sampling unfulfilled, I decided to try on a different sin and vainly declared that I could do better!

Re-purposed Bobtail pint container.

Brad's Green Envy is a subtle avocado ice cream with a burning rivalry between cinnamon and Tabasco. Taking inspiration from three different scoop shops, it is a mash-up of:

• Envy. Like Bobtail's plain sweet cream ice cream, avocado ice cream, while flavorful, leaves sweet toothéd people wanting more.
• Avocado Cinnamon. While I wouldn't change a thing about this fantastic flavor from my Chicago favorite Black Dog Gelato, for my purposes, I needed my sin-inspired flavor to have more of a burn.
• Disco Inferno. This sweet cream and Tabasco ice cream from Boston's J.P. Licks tasted totally plain Jane...until the after burn. An armchair hot sauce aficionado, I knew Tabasco was the perfect hot sauce for my ice cream because it would add heat without altering the flavor.

I had done it. Knowing that my flavor, Brad's Green Envy, was more creative than and far superior to Bobtail's Envy, I laughed pridefully, each mwahaha a cherry bomb on my jealousy sundae. While I strapped on my running shoes for a much-deserved victory lap, my roommate Jamie chimed in, "Your flavor would definitely make Bobtail's more full of envy, so I think they still won." Deflated, I then knew I was nothing but a foolish, hubris-filled amateur in Bobtail's devilish game.

How to Celebrate a Half-birthday

Who invited the birthday cake to the half-birthday party?
Oh! What a delightfully whimsical foible of human logic!

When celebrating a half-birthday, one should bake a half-birthday cake to really make the day special! But don't fall into a pit of anxiety and self-flagellation, dear reader. It's simple! To make a half-birthday cake, one may use the same recipe that one uses to make a regular birthday cake. True fact: though the celebrations they commemorate are distinctly different, half-birthday cakes and birthday cakes are actually the same thing! ("They don't look the same," you may quip. Your eyes don't fool you, my dearly steadfast fan, but I assure you that the size is the only variable!)

To properly prepare the half-birthday cake, simply follow a birthday cake recipe as you would normally. It may feel like you're making a regular birthday cake for the first few steps, but remember the only difference in the preparation is that you will make less cake, half! For example, if your annual birthday tradition is making a two layer chocolate cake, mix the chocolate cake batter, but only pour enough to bake one layer. (Here's a fun tip for those among my attractive and smart admirers who rely on boxed cake mixes: add an extra egg and then trade out the oil for butter and the water for milk. It works like a pagan luck-enhancing device!) When your single-layer cake is done baking, frost the cake--having made your secret family recipe while the cake was baking!--and then cut it in half. Stack the frosted halves and your half-birthday cake is complete!

If you did things correctly,
your half-birthday cake should
look like this from above!

As I'm sure you know, my comely and brilliant follower, it is improper half-birthday etiquette to make a whole two layer cake and simply cut it in half. (Cheaters will be stoned to death. Repeat offenders will be excommunicated.) So what to do with that extra cake mix? One could save it for the half-birthday celebration of a friend or colleague, but I prefer using the remaining batter to make cupcakes! Then, when the cupcakes are done, take four of them, break them up and baptize the crumbs in a vanilla ice cream mix to sit overnight. The next day, pour in the vanilla and chocolate cupcake ice cream mix into an electric ice cream mixer. When the ice cream is nearly done churning, pour in some refrigerated, crushed raspberries for a treat even a mannerless philistine could enjoy!

Speaking of mannerless philistines, it is an unfortunate truth that, much like writing a dessert blog, being the perfect host is often a thankless job. (You may wonder, "Who let these swines into my house?" But you must never say this aloud, my sexy and genius devotee. Those swines are your guests!) Still, this lamentable fact mustn't keep you from sharing the half-birthday cake and ice cream with the miserable friends who are privileged enough to celebrate your milestone event with you, jealous of your cause for joy! It is both customary and proper to greet all compliments with mock humility, all while pestering/subtly fishing for compliments from quiet guests until they acquiesce. (A tip for my nympho, philomathic disciples: When sending your invitations remind the recipients that half-birthdays only come once a year and social obligations are but a light yolk to bear compared to martyrdom! It isn't rude to say this in an invitation! It's your party! You can ridicule swines if you want to!)

Follow these steps, my leather-and-latex-bound, PhD-holding cult member, and you will be the perfect host for your next half-birthday celebration!

Graham Cracker Ice Cream

The indentation in the center was from eating it nose first.

This flavor idea has been on my list for close to a decade, following my introduction to the graham cracker-themed Crumbs Along the Mohawk during my first summer internship in Williamstown, MA. The next year, the first thing I did upon arriving in the Berkshires was buy that flavor and two other half gallons from Stewart's Shops. For that flavor and others, they remain a favorite among regional ice cream manufacturers.

Graham Cracker ice cream

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

12-14 graham crackers (or half a box), slap chopped

dash of cinnamon

dash of cinnamon sugar

(opt.) additional graham crackers, for topping

(opt.) dark chocolate covered graham crackers, for garnish and pregame eating

Instructions:
1.) Mix ingredients together. The challenge is balance: make sure the cinnamon doesn't completely overpower the smell of the graham in the mixture. Adjust graham crackers accordingly, but don't put too many in or it will soak up all the liquid.
2.) Chill overnight. Both you and the mixture.
3.) Put in ice cream maker. The mixture, not you.
4.) Eat and share.
5.) Receive accolades.

Chicago Blackhawks Ice Cream: Phase 4

What is Chicago Blackhawks ice cream? As far as I know, no such flavor exists outside my kitchen. Together, gentle reader, we will explore this question to create the definitive Chicago Blackhawks ice cream…even though hockey current events mean we will be enjoying our treat from a dish instead of a cup.

After exploring strictly the visceral elements of hockey in Phase 3, I decided to retreat back into the team color approach taken in Phase 2…or so I thought.

Pictured is black cherry ice cream with brownies, which is not the deep red color I expected. Truth be told, the whole thing was a disaster. (Let’s be honest, though: Bad ice cream is better than “good” almost anything else.) My ice cream maker wasn’t producing anything thicker than a milkshake, I overcooked my brownies and I forgot to put in the white chocolate chunks, an addition my brother suggested to keep the visceral “shattered teeth” motif. But I am not ungrateful; I ate the messy liquid and stuck the leftovers in the freezer, hoping its frozen consistency would be somewhere between soup and a rock. The leftovers, though ice cream, lacked the punch I’ve had in other fruit ice creams I’ve made. The brownies were a fantastic touch, but again the cherry ice cream was yellowish brown, not red. This was easily the low point on the journey to hockey/ice cream marriage.

Chicago Blackhawks Ice Cream: Phase 3

What is Chicago Blackhawks ice cream? As far as I know, no such flavor exists outside my kitchen. Together, gentle reader, we will explore this question to create the definitive Chicago Blackhawks ice cream…even though hockey current events mean we will be enjoying our treat from a dish instead of a cup.

In Phase 1 and 2, I explored color and texture to create an ice cream that featured the Blackhawks team colors (predominantly red, black and white) and the visceral elements of hockey (blood and teeth). Thanks to suggestions from my very creative friends, Phase 3 journeys even further outside the box.

Pictured is Phase 3, a blackberry ice cream with macadamia nuts and both dark and white chocolate chunks. How this flavor relates to Blackhawks hockey may not be intuitive because what appealed to my friends were the visceral elements of the sport. Blackberry, the color of a bruise (though you can't tell in this photo). Macadamia nuts, crunchy and far better at representing knocked-out teeth than marshmallows. Dark and white chocolate chunks, ice and pucks in motion. (Eat your heart out, Umberto Boccioni .)

Suggestions for Phase 4? Leave a comment.

Chicago Blackhawks Ice Cream: Phase 2

What is Chicago Blackhawks ice cream? As far as I know, no such flavor exists outside my kitchen. Pictured is Phase 2: a sour cream strawberry ice cream with mini-Oreos, marshmallows and craisins. Each of these ingredients have a symbolic purpose to them. Allow me to explain.

As there is no right or wrong to what makes Chicago Blackhawks ice cream, I have been polling my friends for suggestions. Most have immediately jumped to thoughts of the team colors, most prominently red, black and white with accents of yellow and green. But, as some of my friends have also realized, hockey is more than team colors. Hockey is ice and pucks, hence the mini-Oreos. Hockey is blood and teeth, hence the marshmallows and craisins.

You may notice many similarities to the ingredients that were in Phase 1, but I dropped the red and green sugar crystals in Phase 2. While they played up the team colors, on this sour cream strawberry ice cream they look both childish and nauseating which is not my goal when making ice cream. I mean, I’m not running a Cold Stone here. (Zing!) On a different note, I enjoyed the rough, gritty texture of Phase 1’s chocolate cookies and cream, but team colors are still important. The red of strawberries mixed with Oreos and marshmallows is a combination I will revisit even if this flavor does not become the definitive Blackhawk ice cream.

Suggestions for Phase 3? Leave a comment.

Reasons to stay indoors

Some locals called it Snowmageddon. Others called it Snowpocalypse. I called the waist-high tunnels of frozen precipitation a reason to make hot chocolate.

Lucky for me, I had recently discovered some Perugina hot chocolate mix from my Italy trip in the back of my cupboard. For a boxed mix, this was thick, rich and fantastico. But for those of you that haven't been to Italy recently can stock up on grocery items to make your own hot chocolate. This recipe I got from a friend is exactly how I prefer it: like a thin fondue.

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 oz chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan over medium heat with a whisk until everything is melted together and hot. It's that simple.

Pumpkin-swirl brownies with pumpkin chocolate chip ice cream

Chicago Blackhawks Ice Cream: Phase 1

Last April, my brother spent four nights in Chicago with an elaborate sporting event itinerary for us both. We spent a cold evening in the bleachers at Wrigley, watching the first night game of the Cubs season. We watched the Bulls play the Cavs in the first round of the NBA playoffs; anti-LeBron chants were in the air, while everyone prayed under their breaths that Mr. James would sign with the Bulls for 2010-2011. But by far the most memorable event was Round 1, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Having been raised in Virginia, I hadn't seen much hockey growing up. My only memories were of a friend who went to see the Hampton Roads Admirals play at Scope because she liked watching the fights. As a lanky and timid kid who was frequently (a) scared and embarrassed in gym class, (b) confused by everyone's obsession with football and (c) told by coaches that I needed to be more aggressive, her summation of the sport didn't exactly prompt me to ask if I could tag along with her. (She later went on to become an NRA enthusiast, I believe.) So when my brother inquired before his trip how interested I would be in going to a Blackhawks game, I answered I would happily go because he wanted to, hoping that both his enthusiasm and explanation of the sport would make it interesting for me. What I got was the most incredible sporting event I have ever personally attended.

Round 1, Game 5 against the Nashville Predators was an important home game. The best-of-7 series was split 2-2, meaning if the Blackhawks lost Game 5, the Predators would be playing Game 6 to win the series at their home rink. And it looked like that less-than-desirous outcome might just be in the Blackhawks future...until just under 14 seconds before the end of the final period.

In other sports, when the game is near its end and one team is losing, the only option is to "play harder." While teams have many times persevered with this hollow strategy, it's nothing compared to the competitive edge that is offered in hockey. In the final minute or two of hockey, when a team is behind they will often pull their goalie in order to put another offensive player on the ice. While this can backfire, it certainly did not when Patrick Kane scored the game-tying goal with 13.6 seconds left. The crowd "Da da-da-da da-da-da"ed loud enough that I believe more than one honky-tonk in Nashville erupted into flames. The game went into overtime and the Blackhawks scored again, effectively winning Game 5.

I instantly became a Blackhawks fan. I watched as many of the remaining playoff games as possible for a guy who doesn't get any channels on his TV and loiters in sports bars without buying anything . And while I have never had the privilege of eating ice cream from the Stanley Cup, I decided to create a Chicago Blackhawks ice cream. Pictured is Phase 1: chocolate cookies and cream with marshmallows, craisins, and red and green sugar crystals. While tasty, this flavor did not accomplish what I hoped it would. I'll explain more when I write about Phase 2...

International Brad Day

For the past few birthdays, I've referred to the event as International Brad Day. To me this seems like a fun way to diffuse the awkwardness that sometimes comes with (a) what does a person bring to a birthday party for someone who doesn't drink and (b) it removes birthday from the equation so there are none of those unwanted jokes-about-aging cards that I have no need for in my life. It also creates a curiosity amongst people that don't realize it's my birthday as to what this day is I've devised to throw a party in my own honor. Oh, and it's fun.

In past years, I have celebrated my birthday with all-out dessert bashes. And since I've been in Chicago, I've started throwing pot luck dinners at my house, which have all the appeal of a normal party but the downhome-ness of a family gathering. They have been huge successes. I decided that this year, I wanted to do something adult: throw a legitimate dinner party.

What is legitimate? Well, I wore a button-up shirt, which is a rarity in this unemployed phase. But, more importantly, I invited 6 guests to join me and my epicurean girlfriend for a multi-course home-cooked meal served on non-disposable dishes with real silverware and enough seating to accommodate all the guests. This was our menu:

• pumpkin hummus (with fresh pita from my local Mediterranean market)
• curried pumpkin soup (with veggies from my local Mexican market)
• date honey chicken and cous cous (the date honey was from my main squeeze's recent trip to Israel)
• date honey ice cream with pumpkin spice granola on top (the granola made by Chicago company, Milk & Honey)
• pumpkin bread pudding

As you see, dessert was quite the production. Boren's special lady friend--who so adores me referring to her like this--said it was easily the dessert that excited her the most in recent memory. She then asked me to make this autumnal treat for her birthday in February. Knowing that she is a more well-rounded foodie, I was quite flattered. Everyone else concurred that while the entire meal was outstanding, the dessert was the best.

The evening was superb. And the work that went into putting together a meal with so many different parts gave me new appreciation for my mom and all the dinners she planned for our family growing up or for dinner parties I had been to where everything had to come together at the correct time. And while two of us had to sit on the couch for lack of chairs, and I had to borrow some of plates and spoons, and I had to wash everyone's soup bowls before they could have dessert, I sort of felt like a real adult.

Cornbread Ice Cream

The idea of cornbread ice cream first crossed my brain at the Chicago Ice Cream Festival. Great idea, but I'll admit the product was rock hard and chalky. It tasted more like a vanilla ice cream with stones of cornbread in it. I knew the solution and how to improve the recipe.

Usually when I make a new ice cream recipe, I research online, find the common denominator among the recipes I find and build my recipe accordingly. This time I looked at the recipes online for sweet corn ice cream--reportedly a favorite in Mexico--and I disagreed with them opting to create my own. There is a turning point when the student becomes the master. I have arrived.

The sour cream base cut through the cinnamon, creating a balance that was kissed with honey. Each bite had bits of puréed corn and cornbread crumbs. I served it atop a piece of cornbread. The perfect ending to my homemade Southern meal of hot wings, mashed potatoes and lima beans.

I have made many flavors this year--fresh blueberry, Mexican chocolate, strawberry, garlic, some others I'm forgetting--but this one sticks out. It is the first recipe since doughnut ice cream that has gone become an instant favorite guaranteed to be repeated.

Garlic Ice Cream (*contains no Twilight jokes*)

Ever since I heard it existed, I’ve wanted to try making it. And then I heard it is actually a gourmet thing to serve, not just a weird fascination for those who’ve had one Chipwich too many. So I went online and printed at least 10 recipes. And recently I made the obsession a reality.

Garlic ice cream would be, thus far, my only experience with a savory ice cream (unless you count the Asian classic Red Bean), so I wanted to get it right. Most of the recipes were identical but used ice cube trays instead of an ice cream maker, which made them inferior. One featured five heads—Heads! Not cloves!—of roasted garlic. But I settled on a recipe that called for five cloves and no sugar.

I wanted to get it right, so I followed the recipe closely. But what the heck does it mean when it says “Let it thicken into a pudding-like consistency until it coats the back of a spoon” but “Don’t let it thicken so much it curdles”? Thinner lines have not been walked by man. On top of that, I wasn’t entirely sure what coating the back of the spoon meant since any liquid seems to do that on first contact with a spoon. Also, I admit wasn’t entirely sure what curdling was, both physically and chemically. Based on the scrambled egg texture when it was actually getting thick, I’m pretty sure I learned what curdling was.

I then strained the mixture, which at this point had one of the foulest odors I’ve ever encountered (short of the shrimp paste I smelled when I took a Thai cooking class or the time I witnessed a lutefisk eating contest). After straining, there remained almost two cups worth of the liquid mixture to chill overnight. The scrambled egg stuff was promptly trashed and soon after taken to the dumpster to distance myself from the stench, which still floated around the apartment for at least one sickening hour before I left for the evening. The smell made me less than sure of this culinary fascination.

Boren and his special lady friend Jamie came over to my stench-free apartment the next day with mango chili and roasted asparagus al parmigiano, nice compliments to my mashed potatoes, store-bought unsweetened apple sauce and—the centerpiece of the evening—garlic ice cream. My guests dolloped small spoonfuls of the g.i.c. onto their mashed potatoes, and, unlike their host, they did so without hesitation. Ponderous chewing nods were quick to follow and the decree that it was like chilled garlic butter without the salt.

And then we tried it on the asparagus. My goodness was that brilliant. It unlocked secret flavors most people don’t realize are contained within those tiny green stalks.

Jamie elaborates: “The garlic ice cream was much milder than I expected, more like a frozen crème fraîche infused with garlic. The garlic was so faint that it didn't hit my palate until after the cream started melting, which was actually wonderful. Even though it had no sugar, the sweetness of the cream really came through and it was best when combined with salty and pungent dishes; I enjoyed it more on the roasted asparagus than I did on the mashed potatoes. I'd love to try it again with the flavor being stronger (and maybe supplemented by another flavor - smoked paprika? Black pepper?), so I could see how it would taste with a milder base (like the mashed potatoes). But it was one of the best asparagus toppings I've ever tried.”

I was the last at the table to try the ice cream solo, with nothing to dull the horror I expected after the cooking stench. But it really wasn’t strong. Nothing I’ll be cooking at my next pot luck, but not a bad experiment.

1st Annual Pi Day Party

Last Sunday was Pi Day, which occurs every year at 3.14. It offers a universal celebration of math and science...but mostly eat pie. Though I have done no actual research on the matter, the origins of the holiday are mysterious. Some believe it was handed own by the Greek gods themselves, who also gave birth to the Greek alphabet. Others believe the holiday was founded by a scientist who was turned into a pie whilst performing experiments involving centrifugal force. Some believe it was a culinary genius trying to reach a new market of desperate high school geometry teachers. Regardless of the day's beginnings, the day is a gift we must share.

I invited the whole internet to my new apartment (Population: two couches, two chairs and whole lot of empty space) telling people to bring a pie, savory (chicken pot pie, pizza pie, shepherd's pie, quiche) or sweet (pecan, apple, ice cream). Sadly, my 1st Annual Pi Day Party had more stories than pies, the subject of those stories being how there was a pie, but it got eaten beforehand. Luckily, I had made my favorite chicken pot pie (a recipe handed down by Boren's mom) and my staple fudge pecan pie. Other contributions were Manno's homemade apple pie, a store-bought apple pie, a frozen pizza, a $40 fully loaded Uno's pizza and a store-bought pecan pie. For those who didn't mind filling up on more dessert than dinner--we call them rational--it was a splendid day.

But let's not get lost in the deliciousness of Pi Day. Let us also remember (and honor!) the number, the letter, the legend that is Pi. To do that, I present to you a quote by a great man. Actually, it is Boren's favorite quote of mine: "There are too many songs about love. There should be more songs about...math!"

Sandwich Ice Cream

In addition to doing the roasting over at Blanchard's Coffee, Tom Thorogood also makes their ice cream. The coffee ice cream they previously sold was purchased from someone outside, but Tom suggested that he start making the ice cream using the very same coffee he roasts! Talk about ingenuity! Then, when everyone loved the ice cream he made, Tom was propositioned by one of his fans. The fan wondered, could he pay Tom to make ice cream for him once a week? As a result, Tom now makes ice cream 3 or 4 times a week, experimenting with new flavor ideas and fine tuning his methods. So when I heard that he had a blog where he would sometimes post his ice cream recipes, I knew I was in for a treat.

The flavor that most sparked my interest on Tom's blog was Fluffernutter, since Fluffernutters--peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches--were first introduced to me by our mutual friend Meggin. I had only eaten Fluffernutter ice cream once at Rita Marie's after swimming in Lake Pontoosuc in Pittsfield, MA.

I made it Thursday for a dinner party I hosted, delighted by little notes in the recipe. (Keep mixing; "your arm should be tired." After mixing the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, "Eat some, because why the hell WOULDN'T you?") While at Rita Marie's the peanut buitter and marshmallow were blended into the mixture, Tom chose to instead have balled up peanut butter/marshmallow balls sprinkled throughout. The resulting chewiness created in Tom's version reminded me of a Butterfinger candy bar. Since I will be saving this recipe, I'll be sure to try with chocolate ice cream at a future date.

Strike 2 tastes much better than Strike 1.

Hopefully everyone celebrated Cheesecake Day yesterday.
It has been a busy month! Ice Cream Day was a mere week and a half ago. I celebrated with my second attempt at making Chocolate Cheesecake ice cream. The first time, the churner of my electric ice cream maker couldn’t handle the density of the mixture; it failed to churn the mixture a mere minute after the liquid mixture was poured in. A good 10 to 20 minutes of churning are needed to get enough air in any mixture for it to be classified as ice cream (and more than the less recognizable food product known as “goop”).

I had to apologize to my guests, informing them that there would be no homemade ice cream that evening, but that they were welcome to any or all of the six to eight varieties readily available in my freezer. And then I had an idea, a delicious idea...

While the recipe I invented did not yield ice cream, it did yield what we dubbed chocolate cheesecake mousse. We decided it could also make a pretty good non-bake cheesecake.

Note from 2012: Chocolate Cheesecake ice cream was something I'd eaten as an incredible Limited Edition Häagen-Dazs flavor.

...With a little help from my friends.

I have been making ice cream for over five years. It all started when I graduated high school. My friends James and Lauren surprised me with a graduation present they both chipped in to buy: an ice cream maker, my Deni Scoop Factory Compact with an electric mixer. It is a wonderful machine. It makes 1.5 quarts with no salt or ice! Just put it in the freezer for two days (or, depending on who you are, keep in there habitually) and take it out when you’re ready to use.

In my short culinary career dedicated to the fruits of the bovine, I have made many flavors, ranging from chocolate-covered pretzel to raspberry to gingerbread cookie dough. Usually, after extensive internet research into the trials and errors of others, I create my own mishmash recipe. (For example, when I made jalapeño popper, I pulled several recipes for cream cheese ice cream to compare and contrast. I also looked up jalapeño ice cream recipes, though no results that looked reliable. Then with these reference tools and my existing knowledge of ice cream, I created my jalapeño popper ice cream.) But my number one reference tool is a very special cookbook: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. This book taught me how to make ice cream. ‘Twas a gift from my college friend Becca during our Freshman year. It is still my primary reference tool to this day; my pumpkin ice cream is taken directly from this book. 

Do you make ice cream? If so, what type of machine do you use? Where do you get your recipes?