Ice Cream

The first time my parents came to Rialto, site of my first pastry chef gig, my mom laughed out loud when she saw the dessert menu. Every dessert featured ice cream, and one dessert had two. My dad and I are both complete ice creamaholics, and once I was in a position to make my own ice creams, they showed up everywhere I could put them! I made fruit ice creams, nut ice creams, spiced ice creams. You name the ingredient and I made it into an ice cream. This was one of my favorites. Originally it was a honey-vanilla ice cream, but this variation popped up one day when my vanilla supplier missed a shipment. Needing to make a quick ice cream base for that evening's service and stuck without vanilla beans, I turned to the spice larder, selected a few cinnamon sticks, and a new flavor was born. I like the way the warm cinnamon flavor melds with the natural earthiness and roundness of the honey. An added plus is that honey is a sweetener that lends itself to extra-creamy ice creams, which you'll notice immediately when you taste this one after churning.

Any strong spices or herbs have to be used with caution and a light touch, even with an ingredient as intensely flavored as chocolate, as the aim is to achieve balance, where everything can be tasted and nothing dominates. Richard Bertinet, of the UK's Bertinet Kitchen, has managed this superbly with his chocolate and cardamom ice cream, with a dose of vanilla seeds to add depth, complexity, and richness.

Charlie Trotter, Charlie Trotter's, Chicago, Illinois
Lee Jones, The Chef's Garden, Huron, Ohio (carrots) A semifreddo is basically an ice cream cake, and Chef Trotter uses carrots, chocolate, and spices as unexpected partners in his version. Star anise enhances the sweetness in the carrots and adds a distinctive hint of licorice to the rich chocolate. There are no egg yolks in this recipe—it's the meringue that gives the semifreddo a smooth texture.

Raw sugar adds a caramely note (and a tan color) to this tangy ice cream.

Tangy, tart, and refreshing, with a bit of graham cracker crunch—just like the pie.
One of Ciao Bella's most popular recent flavor creations, this started as a seasonal offering for our chef customers and became wildly successful in our gelaterie. The popularity of Key Lime with Graham Cracker Gelato was a bit of a surprise because its flavor is decidedly tart, while Americans tend to have sweeter palates. There's always a fine line between creating what chefs appreciate and what customers will like, but in this case everyone was happy. This flavor is so popular that in less than a year it became our number-one retail gelato flavor in New York City.

Cajeta is a goat's-milk caramel popular in Mexico where it's made into candies or drizzled over ice cream and other desserts. The word cajeta is Spanish for "small box," named for the containers the caramel was traditionally packed in.
Making your own cajeta is worth the extra bit of work, but you can also buy it or substitute its South American cousin, dulce de leche.

Some of us remember clamoring for a fudge pop as soon as we heard the jingle of the ice cream truck. Others reminisce about walking down to the corner store on a sultry August afternoon, reaching into the frosty ice chest for one of these frozen treats, and then peeling back the thin paper wrapper for that first cool bite. These homemade fudge pops, which call for just five ingredients you may already have on hand, will bring your memories to life: They taste smooth, deeply chocolaty, just right.

This is also known as "poor man's praline ice cream" because it gives a similar texture but uses cheaper ingredients. This is a great way to use up brown soda or whole-wheat bread crumbs that would otherwise be wasted.

Really good cream makes really good ice cream. This recipe is made on an egg-mousse base with softly whipped cream. It produces a deliciously rich ice cream with a smooth texture that does not need further whisking during the freezing period. This ice cream should not be served frozen hard; remove it from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. You can add other flavorings to the basic recipe: liquid ingredients such as melted chocolate or coffee should be folded into the mousse before adding the cream. For chunkier ingredients such as chocolate chips or muscatel raisins soaked in rum, finish the ice cream, semi-freeze it, and then stir them through, otherwise they will sink to the bottom.

The custard needs to be refrigerated overnight before it's processed in the ice cream maker, so plan accordingly.

Wrap the piloncillo, Mexican brown sugar cones, in a kitchen towel and crush with a hammer to fine crumbs. If you can't find piloncillo, feel free to substitute packed dark brown sugar. Because coconut milk is not a dairy product, this delicious dessert is pareve.

Blend and freeze four ingredients and, minutes later, you've got this creamy, frozen confection of plump, purple blueberries and cream. This egg-free version of ice cream demands the sweetest gems of summer for maximum flavor and color. Don't expect this to last too long. You'll be making your next batch before you know it. Rinse the berries just before using, no sooner.