Ice Cream Cone For Jefferson & 4th July

Yes one of the biggest ice cream days of the year has finally arrived - 4th July.

It seems more people make ice cream for 4th July celebrations than for any other time of year. Don't believe me? Check it out on this  culinary blog post entitled 'Ice Cream For Jefferson & 4th July'. If you follow the link it will also provide you with a FABULOUS Rocky Road ice cream recipe - I know it's good because it's one of my own!

If you don't feel like making ice cream today, that's OK .... just don't deny yourself of the pleasure of eating some though! Just go out, find a great ice cream parlor and grab a delicious ice cream cone like the one pictured here (chocolate and mint choc chip ice cream). Delicious!.

Happy 4th July! 

4th July Ice Cream

4th July .... everyone seems busy finalising their plans for the holiday. Some will be at the beach, others at home or visiting friends and family. I was just reading about 4th July celebrations in New York - from fireworks with music to hot dog eating contests, it's amazing!

So how will you celebrate this special day? Whatever your plans, food will play a part - and that usually involves just a little bit of indulgence ... a sumptuous bbq perhaps or a formal meal featuring a special recipe or it could even be something much simpler like a bowl of fresh homemade ice cream. After all, food doesn't have to be complex to be special!

If you look in your favorite magazine or daily newspaper this week you'll no doubt come across lots of food ideas for 4th July. The same applies to the Internet ... there seem to be 4th July recipes everywhere and ice cream is no exception. The attempts to conjur up something red, white and blue with ice cream are mind boggling!

Here are a couple of 'patriotic' recipes I found on the Internet earlier that use a combination of ice cream, strawberries and blueberries ....

Recipe for red white and blue ice cream sandwiches
Recipe for 'Ice Cream Tunnel Cake'

I haven't tried either of these (yet) but if you want a red white and blue dessert theme, they may provide you with some inspiration.

For my part, I prefer to stick with the theme of 'Independence' when it comes to food this holiday. How? By serving something quite 'independent' of all other influences and trends - real vanilla ice cream. Definitive independent thinking is after all one of the joys of living in a democracy and if that's not worth celebrating on 4th July, nothing is!

Another reason for celebrating this 4th July of course is if it happens to be your birthday ... as is the case with ex-tennis pros Pam Shriver (USA) and Henri Leconte (France). Sharing their good company is my cousin Barbara who lives in the beautiful English county of Devon where they produce some of the world's best dairy cream. "Happy Birthday Bar!".

Happy 4th July everyone :)

Celebrate 4 July With Vanilla Ice Cream

Last year I was amazed at the number of visitors to http://www.ice-cream-recipes.com/ around 4 July. I have always known that holidays of any kind are great occasions for making homemade ice cream and sharing it with friends and family but a summer holiday is especially so. For some reason, it turns out that 4 July is THE day when Americans want to make their own ice cream more than any other day in the year.

So what was the ice cream flavor my visitors were most interested in on 4 July? Yep, you guessed it .... vanilla ice cream. The perennial of all ice creams! Out of 85,000 page views that day, my main vanilla ice cream recipe had almost 20% of that in its own right! I have to admit that vanilla is my favorite ice cream, especially when it's made with a fresh custard (cream) base and using a real vanilla pod. A couple of scoops topped with delicious chocolate sauce and a dollop of fresh whipped cream - what bliss! Here's my custard base vanilla ice cream recipe.

It may seem like hard work on a special holiday to take time out and make some homemade ice cream but it's not that difficult, nor is it too time consuming and the end result is well worth it. You not only get to enjoy the ice cream yourself but you get the pleasure of see all those smiling faces when you hand it out to other people.

Whatever you're planning to do this 4 July, have a great time - and if you fancy a bit of homemade ice cream don't hold back. Get to it and enjoy it!