The Best Vanilla Ice Cream

Like many people, I love vanilla ice cream. I have done ever since I was a child. So it's no surprise that it's the one ice cream recipe that I enjoy making above all others. The interesting thing is that even with the same recipe, the results are never 100% identical. Most people probably wouldn't notice the difference but when you've made and tasted as much vanilla ice cream as I have, even a tiny difference can stand out.

My most recent batch of homemade vanilla ice cream was one of the best I've ever made. No, I'm not being conceited ... ask my family, they all said it before I did :)

Here are 2 pictures of it.

The first (above) was taken after serving a couple of scoops into my favorite penny lick glass and the second (outside in the garden, hence the light) after I put a scoop into an ice cream cone and sprinkled some hundreds and thousands on top. Delicious!

I've tried to work out why it was so good and the only thing I can come up with is that perhaps the quality of the vanilla pod I used was a little bit special in some way. The taste of the vanilla in the ice cream that day just seemed to be stronger and more aromatic.

Well, whatever it was, I hope I can get it to repeat next time!

Go Celebrate - It's National Ice Cream Day!

No excuses today .... you MUST celebrate National Ice Cream Day!

Go to one of the many, great ice cream parlors around or buy the family an ice cream cone to enjoy in the park; you could always go to the cinema and enjoy a tub of ice cream whilst watching a great movie like Iron Man 2 or you could stay home and make your own homemade ice cream.

Ice cream is fun. Go get some .... and I dare you not to smile whilst you're eating it!

Don't Forget The Ice Cream Glasses & Spoons!

When making ice cream, it's not just about choosing the right recipe but - and this you have to work out BEFORE you make the ice cream - also about HOW YOU ARE GOING TO SERVE IT.

Fresh, homemade ice cream is always best eaten immediately as I find it can lose quality of texture and taste after being stored in the freezer. Therefore, whenever I make a new batch of ice cream I get all the accessories I'm going to need ready first. That way, the moment the ice cream maker beeps to say the ice cream is ready, I'm all set.

Q: So what are these 'ice cream accessories'?

A: Here's what you need ready to hand to serve your homemade ice cream well ....

• Ice cream scoop - I have used many over the years and nothing beats a quality, stainless steel ice cream scoop. Smooth in its action and easy to handle with consistency of scoop every time.
  


• Ice cream dishes or ice cream glasses - if you are serving ice cream as a dessert at the dinner table or offering party guests a special ice cream sundae, then you will need to have your dishes or glasses washed, dried and ready. Sometimes I opt to chill them for 15 minutes or so in the fridge before serving the ice cream as it stops it melting too fast.
  


• Ice cream spoons - these long-handled spoons are both practical and fun. My late father always enjoyed being handed a 'proper' ice cream spoon to eat his ice cream sundae with. I have plastic ice cream spoons with novelty decorations on the top of the handle which children love to use and also stainless steel ones. Click on the link to see a picture of them.
  


• Ice cream cones - if your homemade ice cream is not going to be a formal dessert but just a quick scoop or two for everyone on a sunny afternoon, then an ice cream cone treat is ideal. So you need to have the cones out of the box and ready to use.
  


• Paper napkins - a MUST to have ready to hand both for dinner guests and for if it's an ice cream cone occasion.

Here is my Special Ice Cream Spoons post for anyone who hasn't read it

An Ice Cream Flavor In Clothing

Summer is a time when many of us like to buy a new item or two of clothing, especially casual clothing when we want to be out in the sunshine and feel comfortable yet look good. Shopping online for clothes has never been easier but there is so much choice. When I shop online I must admit to being overwhelmed by the choices that come up and sometimes end up buying nothing and just closing my browser through sheer exhaustion of indecision!

When I was selecting items for the Ice-Cream-Recipes.com Online Store I knew I needed to put something in there for pretty much everyone and, particularly, for this time of year - summer. There are ice cream tee shirts for men, women, girls and youths and even 'onesies' for babies including a diaper cover with an ice cream cone pattern!

There's even a ladies' tank top with an ice cream cone logo - but it's not just any ice cream cone picture. It's of the famous "$1 million dollar ice cream cone" made by Lazare Kaplan for the Bruster ice cream company. Sadly the tank top is not diamond encrusted but for less than $21 I suppose you can't expect that.

There are hats and caps with ice cream cones and ice cream trucks as well as headbands and ties all with an ice cream theme.

Whatever you decide to wear this summer, get out there and enjoy every minute and if it's ice cream themed then good for you - spread the word about the fun of ice cream!

Big Ice Cream Cones!

Anyone who loves ice cream will enjoy an ice cream cone. It might be a straight strawberry ice cream cone or a vanilla ice cream cone with strawberry sauce swirled on top; it might even be a multiple scoop cone with lots of different flavors! The funny thing is that all of these ice cream cone variations can be seen in a larger than life way - as giant ice cream cones used for displays.

Whenever I'm out and about I keep my eyes open for these; you can usually find them outside ice cream kiosks and ice cream parlors.

On a recent trip to Zandvoort in the Netherlands I couldn't believe my eyes - within the space of a few hundred yards I counted 6 (six) beautiful giant ice cream cones and every one of them different! 4 were outside fast food kiosks that also served ice cream and the remaining 2 were outside Zandvoort's beloved ice cream parlors. Out came the camera of course. Of all the photos we took, my favorite is the polar bear with the 2 scoop ice cream cone who sits happily outside the San Remo Gelataria in Zandvoort (photo). He's holding a giant cone of chocolate ice cream, pistachio ice cream and whipped cream on top! Click here to see a other photos of ice cream in Zandvoort.

And you can't visit the San Remo and not eat an ice cream! We enjoyed some truly wonderful ice cream there - all homemade from what I'm told too. Some great photos and an inside scoop of a story (forgive the pun) to follow soon including a picture of one of the best ice cream spoons I've ever seen!

In fact there should be 2 or 3 more articles to follow shortly about ice cream in Zandvoort. I've just seen the photos we took and can't believe just how many ice cream associations there were on that trip. Maybe that's why I love the place so much!