With ThanksgivingKah (aka the convergence of Hanukkah and Christmas) is almost upon us. What better way to celebrate than with an ice cream cake? I don’t know if Carvel still makes these—there’s one for Christmas, too—but I love this 1982 ad from the company.
Yes, ice cream has its scary side. Like poison ice cream cones. Like contaminated street cart ice cream.
I talked on Halloween to gluten-free guru Jean Layton about ice cream’s underbelly, plus some ice cream history I unearthed in my book, Ice Cream: A Global History.
Photo: Muy Yum via Flickr.
By Laura B. Weiss
Of all the ice cream treats out there, ice cream sandwiches are my favorite. I only touched on them in my book, Ice Cream: A Global History, but Jennie Schacht the Bay Area cookbook author, gives the iconic treat its due in her new book, I Scream Sandwich!.
Lavishly (and deliciously) illustrated with color photos, Ice Cream Sandwich! is chock full of recipes I can’t wait to try. Two that top my list are the Better-Than-It, patterned after the San Francisco-based It’s-It company’s classic ice cream sandwich. In Schacht’s rendition, that means two oatmeal cookies dipped in chocolate, sandwiching vanilla bean frozen custard. The other is Good ‘n Nutty, toasted almond ice cream on Almond wafers. It just so happens that the Good Humor toasted almond bar was one of my childhood favorites.
For those with fear of ice-cream making, Schacht suggests that in many recipes you can substitute store-bought brands for making your own. Plus, her reassuring tone (you can’t mess these up!) and copious step-by-step instructions mean even the baking-averse can try these recipes.
By gregor_y Flickr.
It’s way too cold to eat ice cream, at least it’s too frigid for me! So why not buy yourself—or an ice cream loving friend—some ice cream kitsch? It comes in many forms–ceramics, bath towels, even Elvis ice cream cone Christmas tree ornaments! Read about it here:
It’s winter and few people are thinking about that delicious, but frosty dessert, ice cream. So I was shocked to learn that ice cream-themed kitsch seems to be everywhere. For much of its history, ice cream was a dessert only rich folks could afford. There were even elaborate ice cream dishes and utensils for serving and eating the treat. But ice cream sandwich costumes and ice cream Christmas tree ornaments? That’s definitely a recent trend. There are also ice cream towels, ice cream bowls, ice cream costumes and ice cream items that look like Elvis. It may be cold outside, but ice cream novelties are definitely hot! So you don’t need to wait until summer to make a gift of ice cream. Here are some items—some wacky, some useful— that will be sure to please every ice cream lover:
Indian Pudding may be the ugliest dessert every created. But it’s also one of the most delicious–especially if you top it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Concocted from corn meal, molasses, eggs and spices, Indian Pudding has long been a Thanksgiving staple. Read my story on Saveur.com about how this baked pudding came to be and click her for a recipe by Ed Brown, chef-owner of Ed’s Chowder House in Manhattan.
Photo: Saveur.com.
