Ice Cream

The “cream” in this popular dish is actually a simple stovetop custard that is firm enough, when chilled, to cut into small blocks, coat with bread crumbs, and fry. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, it is served in many regions of Italy. In some places, crema fritta is considered a savory, as in Emilia, where it is part of the fritto misto. But in Naples, I had crema fritta as a dolce, and I hope you enjoy this wonderful sweet.

The city of Oaxaca has some of the best frozen treats in Mexico, despite the fact it isn’t located right near the coast. This particular recipe is adapted from one given to me by Dinorah Allende, a beautiful woman who owns Chagüita, a delicious nevería that has been around for five generations. Be sure to buy culinary-grade rose petals from a trusted source that doesn’t use any pesticides or chemicals (the smaller petals have the most intense flavor), and get the highest-quality milk possible.

The light granular texture of this tasty ice cream is what makes me love it so much. Swirl in some cajeta toward the end of the churning or top it with some berries if you want to add a complementary flavor, though I think it is perfect just as it is.

I did a lot of experimenting when I worked at Rosa Mexicano as the pastry chef, and trying out new ice cream flavors was one of my favorite things during my time there. I have always loved rum-raisin ice cream and thought raisins and tequila might also go well together. The reposado and añejo styles of tequila have been aged and come through very nicely, but I felt the ice cream needed another layer of flavor, so I added canela, which turned out to be just what was missing.

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like this ice cream. How could you not? This soft, creamy ice cream is so rich it makes you feel like royalty. I love the acidity of the goat’s milk, but feel free to substitute cow’s milk if you prefer.

Avocado is one of the many ingredients indigenous to the Americas, and luckily it is available in supermarkets all over the world. The Hass avocado is the creamiest and sweetest variety, but when it comes to sweet preparations, many may wonder—avocado ice cream? Most people have had avocado in a salty and/or spicy format, or at least as an accompaniment to something that is not primarily sweet. If you like avocado, however, you will really enjoy this ice cream. Its natural oil gives the ice cream a very smooth and silky mouthfeel, and the lime juice heightens its flavor. Although it may taste too sweet before freezing in the ice cream maker, it will be just right when it’s done.

The culinary diversity of corn is manifested in its incredible array of preparations. It’s most often associated with and used in savory dishes, but it has snuck into various sweet ones, and corn ice cream is absolutely one of the best. Be sure to take advantage of the height of corn season, because fresh corn’s sweetness will seep into the flavor of the ice cream. Traditionally, this ice cream is not made with a custard base, but I believe that it enhances the creaminess of the corn.

Mamey is one of those fruits that is a dessert in itself. Its oval-shaped, light brown sandy shell hides the seductive, velvety, sweet orange flesh. It is hard to get outside of Mexico, but if you are lucky enough to find some ripe ones, make this quick and deliciously creamy dessert.

PAT I guess you could say I developed a love of ice cream because of my grandmother. For her, only homemade would do, and her homemade was some of the very best. Her fresh strawberry ice cream was one of my favorites. It so happens that Father’s Day falls smack in the middle of strawberry season—and don’t you know it, Grandma, I’m taking a page from your playbook. There’s something about fresh strawberries and cream, and when you spoon out a mouthful of this ice cream, you’ll see what I mean. The best thing about this recipe is that you can make more and have some for the day after Father’s Day. The sweetened condensed milk makes this a creamy, very soft, and scoopable ice cream.

I can’t decide whether I love the color—a pale celadon—or the exotic flavor of this ice cream more. The pear causes the base to have a thinner consistency than some other ice creams have before freezing, but the final texture is lovely. It’s hard to peg the flavor as star anise in the ice cream, because the spice mellows with the cold and the cream, but it’s addictive. This isn’t a scoop-in-a-cone kind of dessert, but an elegant cookie on the side would be nice.

Rich and earthy, with a haunting flavor that comes from steeping toasted walnuts in cream before making your custard, this makes a very elegant finish to a meal (and it’s good straight from the freezer at midnight, too).

This is not the chocolate ice cream you used to eat as a kid, though no kid would say no to a big, fat dish of it. This has more depth thanks to brown sugar, and the tang of crème fraîche takes the edge off the sweetness. For an elegant richness, use the very best semisweet chocolate you can find. Please, no chocolate chips. Not only would the flavor suffer, but the emulsifiers added to chocolate chips would ruin the texture of the dessert.

Throughout the South, but especially along rural strips of highway, you’ll find a plethora of roadside farm stands advertising their homegrown wares with colorful, hand-painted wooden signs. I love these quirky little catchall stands, where you’re almost as likely to encounter folk art or a mini petting zoo as you are watermelons and eggs. If you’re lucky, you can also find some of the best peach ice cream you’ll ever eat—creamy, cold, and ultrafresh. I like to think my version, which makes the most of sweet, sun-ripened fruit, is just as tasty.

My rule of thumb is “If something tastes good, it will taste even better if you turn it into ice cream.” Hence my passion for coffee ice cream—and this divine take on everyone’s favorite Kentucky Derby Day libation. The better the bourbon, the better the ice cream. We serve this with shortbread, but it’s good with any type of cookies. Shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate would be a delicious addition.

Here’s a clever idea for serving store-bought ice cream. The snowballs are especially fun for children. You will need 1 1/2 cups of topping total. Use toffee chips straight from the bag, or crush up your own favorite candies.

Made with milk, rather than cream and eggs, this ice cream is thickened with cornstarch, which Vietnamese cooks use to yield a smooth texture. The result is a lighter-than-usual ice cream that allows the lemongrass to shine. When preparing the lemongrass, you need to remove only the dry outer leaves and trim any dry edges at the very top. You can then use as much of the stalk as you like, as it is discarded after the milk is infused. In fact, sometimes when I trim lemongrass for other recipes, I freeze the tough top sections for making this ice cream.

Dairy and smoked salt go together like rainbows and lollipops. Only better. The rainbow’s beauty is nice, but one can only speculate at its flavor, and you outgrow lollipops. Homemade ice cream is another matter. Swapping the bright intensity of sugar for the dewy softness of honey lends gusto to the meteorological event happening in your mouth. The interplay of pungent salt amid the cream’s frozen opulence of sweet smoke and vanilla bolsters the soul with prismatic beauty all its own.