by Diane Sagers
CORRESPONDENT
Ice cream and summer holidays go hand in hand, and it has been around for a good long time. In American history, records show that Martha Washington, a creative cook and excellent hostess, served ice cream to her guests at a time when it was otherwise unknown.
The first lady could make ice cream in the 1790s before refrigeration by using ice saved from winter and salt to chill it down. But she wasn't the first in the colonies to serve it. History records that the governor of Maryland in the 1760s served ice cream at his parties.
Just who thought up this frozen concoction, anyway? It is hard to say just how long people have known how to freeze it since the first written record dates back 4,000 years to China. They mixed together milk, fruit and water and froze it to some degree of hardness.
Marco Polo was introduced to ice cream, picked up on the idea and brought it home to Italy. From there, the idea caught on throughout Europe and came to the Americas with the colonists.
Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson developed a taste for ice cream. Washington once ran up a $200 bill for ice cream entertaining guests in New York City while he was president. In colonial dollars, $200 is a whopping sum. I wonder if he thought that it was an extravagance.
Ice cream was an excellent way to use extra cream that was skimmed off the milk and by the 1850s ice cream was a popular -- if uncommon -- treat.
When refrigeration was introduced in the 20th century, the whole process became much more commonplace.
The price of ice cream typically climbs during the summer months. Dairy cows tend to produce less milk in the heat, but the demand for ice cream increases.
A hot holiday is an excellent time to go back to the old-fashioned methods of making homemade ice cream. Despite the delicious flavors of commercial ice cream, most of us relish the taste of a homemade version in whatever rich creamy flavors and varieties as the maker's mind can dream up. Somehow, it just tastes better if it's homemade.
Making homemade ice cream the old-fashioned way requires ice and salt. For reasons that chemists and physics students fully understand, putting salt on ice lowers the temperature making it cold enough to freeze sugar mixtures. Putting the ice cream mixture into a container and sinking it into a salt, ice, brine mixture will freeze it. Keep it moving and mixing while it freezes and the ice crystals that form are much tinier, giving it a smooth, creamy texture.
There are lots of ice cream recipes out there. All begin with a base of ingredients that may be stirred together and frozen, or pre-cooked (such as custard) then chilled before freezing it.
Churning with a crank ice cream maker has traditionally been a family affair. Everyone took a turn at the crank as the salt and ice or salt and snow mixture provided the cold temperatures needed to freeze the mixture in the can. The older, stronger family members took the last turns as the mixture thickened and became harder to mix.
The advent of the electric motor made the process much less strenuous. Now it is even possible to use a "mini" machine that works in the freezer.
The most important helpful hint on using an ice cream freezer is to read the owner's manual for your machine. Most follow instructions similar to these.
Cool the ice cream mixture before pouring into freezer can. Fill the can no more than two-thirds full to allow for expansion. Adjust the dasher and cover the can. Place the can of mixture inside outer container.
Salt is the magic ingredient that lowers the ice temperature enough to freeze the ice cream mixture. The right proportions of salt to ice are essential. Pack crushed ice and rock salt around the can using six parts ice to one part salt. Turn the dasher slowly until the ice partially melts and forms the brine. Add more ice and salt to maintain the ice level. Turn the handle constantly until the crank turns hard. Remove the ice to below the lid of the can and then remove the lid and dasher.
For impatient types this is the time to dig in and enjoy, but more patient folks like to "ripen" the ice cream before they eat it. Cover the can with several thickness' of waxed paper or foil for a tight fitting cover and replace the lid. Re-pack the container with more ice and salt at a ratio of four parts ice to one part salt. Cover the freezer with heavy cloth or newspapers, and let the ice cream ripen for two to four hours.
For longer storage, store homemade ice cream in the freezer in a tightly covered container, leaving as little air space as possible. Eat within one or two weeks for optimum flavor and texture.
Ice cream made with eggs should always begin with a cooked base for sanitary reasons. If you have a favorite recipe that calls for uncooked eggs, adapt by cooking the mixture as follows: After combining milk, beaten eggs and sugar in a saucepan, stir while heating to 160 degrees.
For best results in making ice cream with a stirred custard base, do the following:
* Cook milk, sugar and eggs over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and reaches 160 degrees F.
* A thermometer is the most accurate measure, but you can use the "spoon test" to indicate the right temperatures. At 160 degrees the mixture will lightly coat a metal spoon.
* Remove the custard from the heat before adding other ingredients.
* Chill the custard base before freezing in your ice cream maker.
* Vanilla is still the all-time favorite -- in part because you can add toppings or flavorings to please yourself.
Country style vanilla ice cream
4 eggs
5 cups milk
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Beat eggs until foamy. Slowly add sugar, beating until thick. Add cream. Place in sauce pan and heat to 160 degrees. Chill. Add vanilla and salt. Place in freezing container and add enough milk to bring the ice cream level up to the fill line.
Place canister in ice cream freezer bucket. Put crushed ice around the can and add one part salt to six parts crushed ice.
Turn the crank or run the motor to keep the ice cream blend mixing while it freezes. As the ice melts down below the level of the freezer canister, add more ice and salt.
When the crank becomes very hard to turn, or the motor stalls, stop mixing. Remove the lid and the dasher.
Cover the can with several thickness' of waxed paper or foil for a tight fitting cover and replace the lid. Re-pack the container with more ice and salt at a ratio of four parts ice to one part salt. Cover the freezer with heavy cloth or newspapers, and let the ice cream ripen for two to four hours.
Chocolate ice cream variation
Make ice cream as above adding 3 ounces of semisweet chocolate, melted for a rich chocolate flavored ice cream.
Root beer ice cream
Using vanilla ice cream recipe above, add 2 tablespoons root beer extract for flavoring. The vanilla gives it a smooth flavor.
Lick the dasher peach ice cream
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
4 cups fresh peaches (6 medium fruits). Peaches can be pureed in food processor or blender before adding to cream mixture if desired.
Beat together milk, eggs, and sugar in a 1-quart glass measuring cup until blended. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken slightly, stirring once. Cool completely.
Blend in almond extract, vanilla, whipping cream and peaches. Pour into ice cream freezer. Freeze following manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 1/2 gallon.
Homemade cookie ice cream (No ice cream freezer needed)
3 egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed sandwich cookies
2 cups whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and water. Heat to 160 degrees and chill completely. Fold in cookies and whipped cream
Pour into a foil-lined, 9x5-inch, metal loaf pan or other two-quart container. Cover. Freeze until firm (about six hours). Scoop ice cream from pan or peel off foil from surface. Return leftovers to the freezer.