Well, if you’re on a sugar rush, or it’s REALLY hot outside, anyway…
Ahh, the ooey gooey deductibility of sweet sweet ICE CREAM. Yummy, yummy, yummy in my tummy, tummy, tummy. Cold cream, vanilla seeds, sugar dumped in a bag surrounded by ice and smooshing it together til you get a cold creamy treat that tastes so fresh.
In my ‘olden days’, that is my memory of making ice cream at home. These days, I make Baileys ice cream for christmas, vanilla pod induced ice cream for every day and I once tried making Fireball Whiskey, not a complete success but I sure had fun making it all though.
They all bring me back to enjoyable times and the sweet simple delights in my world. Dairy based frozen desserts and cold treats is a joy in life.
It fixes a bruised knee, bruised heart, and bruised egos. Come join me as I divulge myself in the world of ICE CREAM…
Bring a spoon!
A Quick Ice-Sweet Journey Throughout History
Frozen milk-based treats have been cherished across many cultures for centuries now. In fact, historians believe that early forms of ice cream date back to ancient China and Persia, where snow was mixed with honey and fruit for a special royal treat.
A bit of science: it’s the process of emulsification – where fat globules in milk get evenly dispersed throughout the mixture, preventing fat from separating – that ensures the smooth consistency and creamy texture of ice cream.
Modern ice cream production relies on precise freezing and churning techniques (pretty much regardless of the type of ice cream). This way you get to control the size of ice crystals. Them and emulsification are what gives that rich, smooth texture we all love and enjoy.
I can imagine how incredible it was when someone thought of this idea and it turned into something even you and I can enjoy today. The craftsmanship it can take to produce lip smacking goodies can be amazing.
It’s incredible to think that even before freezers were a thing, people enjoyed a version of what we call ice cream today.
The Ancient Origins of Frozen Desserts
You probably already know these facts: in China (Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD), there’s documented cases of milk and rice being turned into frozen desert. In persia, a mixture of rosewater and sweeteners was frozen and turned into an early form of ice cream.
Chinese and Persia made inroads to sorbet and snow cones but the real change came when it was discovered that salt had the ability to lower ice’s melting point which allowed for a creamy texture to form.
Batta boom, batta bing, along came the italians and french who developed the modern ice cream more like we know it today.
Special Types of Ice Cream
And thanks to all these ideas, advancements, technology, and priceless creativity that today we get to enjoy all kinds of special ice cream.
Not those you’d buy at a kiosk or a store, nor those that you’d get as a scoop in a cafe. Oh no.
We’re talking about delicious ice cream that you might not get anywhere else in the world. Ice cream that has a rich origin, history, and needs to be made per standard to be authentic.
Häagen-Dazs’ Swiss Ice Cream made of Swiss Chocolate. It has such a creamy unforgettable texture and you’ll taste it in your brain as soon as it comes in contact with your taste buds.
The one you can only buy in a Lancaster County ice cream shop, which is made not industrially, but with proper farm-fresh ingredients and has flavors that are uniquely-tied to the region (e.g., teaberry, wintergreen). There you’re even encouraged to follow the ‘Ice Cream Trail’ where you get to explore numerous ice cream shops in a fun and interactive way.
In the Texas heat you get to find the Texas-Style Praline Pecan ice cream which has a very distinctive rich and nutty taste thanks to the roasted pecans and caramelized sugar. Heaven.
There are too many such places to count here. But each is unique. If you’d take a world tour to taste all these special region-specific ice creams, you wouldn’t regret it.
Traditional Ice Cream Recipes From All Over The World
1. Italian Gelato (Rich & Dense)
Italy’s beloved (especially by me) contribution to the ice cream world, contains less butterfat than American ice cream but is churned slower for a silkier texture. Mmmmm, so smooth and gorgeous.
According to the traditional recipe, it was flavored with pistachio, hazelnut, or stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate shards), but you can find all sorts of flavours in gelatos nowadays. Pistachios is still the best though.
Gelato Recipe:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Heat milk and cream until steaming. Whisk egg yolks with sugar, then temper with the hot milk.
- Cook on low heat until thickened (do not boil). Strain, cool, then churn in an ice cream maker.
2. Indian Kulfi (Creamy & Cardamom-Spiced)
Unlike Western ice creams which are whipped, kulfi isn’t. This results in a dense, almost chewy texture. And once it’s flavored with saffron, cardamom, and pistachios, it’s traditionally set in conical molds.
Kulfi Recipe:
- 2 cups evaporated milk
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp crushed pistachios
Mix all the ingredients, pour into molds, and freeze for 6+ hours. That’s it!
3. Japanese Mochi Ice Cream (Chewy & Sweet)
If you’d make a fusion between traditional Japanese mochi (sticky rice cake) and ice cream, you’d end up with… well, it’s obvious now, isn’t it? These bite-sized treats feature a very soft doughy outer layer which hugs an ice-cold melting center.
Mochi Ice Cream:
- 1 cup sweet rice flour (mochiko)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- Cornstarch (for dusting)
- Small scoops of your favorite ice cream
- Microwave rice flour, sugar, and water until elastic. Roll out, dust with cornstarch, and cut circles.
- Wrap each around a small ice cream ball, then freeze.
4. Mexican Paletas (Vibrant & Fruity)
These popsicles are either creamy (with milk) or water-based (pure fruit). Popular flavors include mango-chile and coconut.
Coconut Paletas:
- 1 can coconut milk
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 3 tbsp honey
- Pinch of salt
Blend, pour into molds, insert sticks, and freeze.
5. Middle Eastern Booza (Stretchy & Elastic)
Booza, a Levantine ice cream, includes salep (orchid root flour) and mastic gum for a uniquely stretchy texture.
Booza-Inspired Ice Cream:
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp rosewater
- 1 tsp gum arabic (optional, for elasticity)
Heat ingredients until sugar dissolves, chill, then churn.
Conclusion
Ice cream, ice cream cookie sandwiches, vegan cashew ‘nice cream’, banana cream, liquid nitrogen frozen rose petals crushed over rose water flavored ice cream rolls, today’s innovations go beyond my imagination.
I see boundaries pushed on cooking shows all the time and it makes me want to try these things at home for a special finish to a special meal or an extra special treat for a friend’s birthday. Imagine a mixture of every kind of ice cream on a plate. Booza, paletas, mochi, kulfi, gelato, hand crafted homemade ice cream in different flavors and colours.
Now, place a frozen cream swan with sparkles decorating the top of this wonderful delight. Ohhh sigh… if you make this, post it on facebook so I can see and share in the joy!
Happy smooshing, licking and travelling to glorious places on the tip of your spoon.
