The Boozy Ice Cream Season

For many of us this time of year is when we have to wrap up warm and keep out the cold. Hence why so many people like a little 'tipple' of alcohol to warm them up. It's a well known fact that alcohol raises the body temperature, as evidenced in the amazing story of Titanic survivor Charles Joughin which you can read here.

Returning to the present day and the inclination of many to enjoy an alcoholic beverage, have you ever tried boozy ice cream? I'm not talking about an ice cream that gets you drunk, no .... I'm referring to the many delicious recipes out there for making ice cream with an alcoholic content.

Take for example rum. I have a fabulous recipe for coffee rum and walnut ice cream. It only requires 4 tablespoons of rum which, when diluted into a mix of 1/2 pint cream and 1/2 pint milk really isn't enough to get you tipsy! However, it's the taste .... oh and what a taste! It's a perfect ice cream for after dinner on a winter's evening. And if your guests want a little more rum, just serve a tot alongside their after dinner coffee. Now there's an idea :)

Tip: Getting the measure of how much alcohol to put into an ice cream mix can be tricky. Too much alcoholic content will stop the mixture from freezing sufficiently and so risk spoiling the texture. Too little of course and you don't get enough of the flavor coming through. So it's great to have tried and tested recipes to follow - like mine! Good luck and I hope you enjoy your boozy ice cream.

Extra Tip: This recipe makes for a great homemade ice cream to serve over the Thanksgiving holiday. You can read more about ideas for Thanksgiving ice cream on my main site. Enjoy!

Christmas Ice Cream

Make ice cream part of your Christmas food celebrations. I have no less than 8 recipes ideally suited to being Christmas ice cream. Some are rich and creamy, some are sorbets and one or two have alcoholic content so there's something for everyone.

Most of these 8 recipes take a little time to make. Some require a custard base to be made first such as the rich white chocolate ice cream recipe. Others have steps that require cooling times of up to an hour such as the white wine sorbet - but it's all well worth the time and effort.

Happy Christmas to ice cream lovers everywhere .... I think that's everyone anyway!

Winter Ice Cream

Winter is as good a time as any for homemade ice cream - it's surprising but many people eat just as much ice cream in cold weather as they do in summer!

I was recently walking by a lake, all wrapped up in warm coat with hat, gloves and a pair of warm stout walking boots. I stopped at the lakeside cafe and found they were not only selling hot take-away drinks but ice cream as well! In fact, they had a special counter and display just for ice cream. I knew it was a popular place for ice cream in the summer months but had never seen a queue for it in winter - and there it was, a queue of adults and children all waiting patiently to buy their ice cream cone.

The most popular flavour they bought? Vanilla ice cream - of course :)

New Year Sorbet Recipe

Looking back over the last year and looking ahead to the next is something that we all do and on/around 31 December is usually when we do so. It can be at a New Year's Party or indeed just at home quietly enjoying some time alone or with family/friends.

Whatever you do over New Year someone in your family will doubtless be doing a little cooking or baking - if that person is you and you think an alcohol-based homemade ice cream is appropriate, then here's a recipe that's truly in the spirit of a New Year's celebration - white wine sorbet.

It's really easy to make too, especially if you have an electric ice cream maker. The sweetness of the wine plus the orange and lemon juice make for a really refreshing sorbet.

Then there's another option if you want to make an ice cream that's a little more challenging but nevertheless alcoholic in flavor - you could try this coffee, rum and walnut ice cream recipe. Rich but oh so creamy!

My thanks to all the regular readers of ice-cream-recipes.com for visiting the website in 2007. I hope you will all return in 2008 and continue to enjoy the new recipes and information that I so much enjoy offering. I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

National Ice Cream Month (USA)

This year sees the 24th anniversary of "National Ice Cream Month" in the United States. Instigated by the President Reagan in 1984, this great month of celebration is always July with the 3rd Sunday in July being "National Ice Cream Day".

The International Dairy Foods Association in Washington DC, which represents the US Dairy Industry as a whole ( dairy farmers, manufacturers, marketing and supply companies), is at the forefront of promoting "National Ice Cream Month" - here is their page.

Whether you're a dairy farmer, an ice cream manufacturer or just someone who loves ice cream, if you live in the US then next month is a great time for you! To celebrate in style why not:

Make Your Own Homemade Ice Cream
Choose whatever flavor seems right for the occasion. You might like to try a recipe for Nougat ice cream or a celebratory white wine sorbet. The choices are endless. Follow these links for more on popular ice cream recipes and unusual ice cream recipes for more great ideas.

Make Your Own Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Here's Oliver's White Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe to make some delicious cookies and then you can sandwich between them a batch of homemade chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream. Whatever you do, enjoy it!