NYS Fair 2019: Beer ice cream and other crazy frozen goodies

On a hot summer’s day at the New York State Fair, nothing is better than a cold,
frozen treat. (They are also not bad on a cool day at the Fair!) But to truly
experience the Fair, one has to expand their horizons. A vanilla ice cream cone and
hot fudge sundaes are great, but you can get them anytime. The Fair is about trying
something crazy and unusual. We set to to discover some of the Fair’s wildest,
craziest frozen treats and while he hit all the usual suspects, we found some
surprises as well. Here’s what we found. Milky Bun’s Cotton Candy Burrito Location:
Dairy Products Building Cost: $5 (additional toppings cost $0.50 each) Of all the
things we tried, this was definitely the craziest. A burrito, stuffed with your
choice of candy and ice cream, wrapped inside a “shell” of pink cotton candy. The
sweet cotton candy melts in your mouth and infuses itself into the ice cream for a
one-of-a-kind treat. Milky Bun offers a huge variety of ice cream choices and candy
toppings, so experiment to your heart’s content. And at just $5, this is one of the
better bargains at the Fair. The burrito was huge. AdriAna Yorke Smooth and creamy,
the Hard soft-serve ice cream from Sundaze was a refreshing treat. Location: Just
outside the Dairy Products Building Cost: $6 for a cup Brian Bunting of Connecticut
used to make wine slushies, then he had a brain storm. Was it possible to create a
“hard” soft-serve ice cream? “People like to try something a little different,” he
said. “And when I finally made it, the hairs on my neck stood up straight.” A
smooth and creamy ice cream treat, with just a hint of alcohol, it was just what we
needed on a hot, humid day at the State Fair. We tried the strawberry and vanilla,
but Bunting said that he will rotate different flavors, like mango, pineapple and
chocolate, throughout the run of the Fair. AdriAna Yorke A giant wedge of frozen
cheesecake on a stick from the Sterling Creek General Store inside the Dairy
Products Building at the New York State Fair. Location: Sterling Creek General
Store inside the Dairy Products Building Cost: $7 Is there a more decadent dessert
than cheesecake? Now imagine a giant slice of it, frozen and dipped in chocolate
sauce and eaten on the stick! The Sterling Creek General Store inside the Dairy
Products Building says their frozen cheesecake is the Fair’s original and “the
best.” We are not going to disagree. (The store is run by the friendliest folks we
met at the Fair all day.) Cheesecake comes in four different flavors, original,
chocolate chip, strawberry and raspberry, and a customer can choose from a variety
of free toppings, including chocolate and rainbow sprinkles and nuts. Be prepared
to share because this is a giant wedge of cheesecake. AdriAna Yorke Looking for a
cold pick-me-up while at the State Fair? Try Recess Coffee's Cold Brew Slush
Sundae. Location: Recess Coffee across from the Front Gate Cost: $6 Are you looking
for a little “pick-me-up” before you start your day at the New York State Fair? But
also looking for a frozen treat? Recess Coffee’s Cold Brew Slush Coffee may do the
trick. Located right across from the Front Gate of the Fairgrounds, the coffee
company offers a delicious frozen caffeinated treat. The drink/dessert is ice cream
with chocolate syrup covered in coffee slush and then topped with whipped cream and
chocolate drizzle. AdriAna Yorke A Milky Bun. A warm glazed doughnut with chocolate
ice cream, Oreos and Reese's Pieces inside for a unique ice cream sandwich.
Location: Dairy Products Building Cost: $5 ($0.50 for each additional topping) Are
you looking for the ultimate ice cream sandwich? Milky Bun, inside the Dairy
Products Building, uses warm glazed or unglazed doughnuts to create a one-of-a-kind
ice cream treat. An enormous amount of choices are offered in ice cream flavors and
candy or cookie toppings, so the possibilities are endless. We chose chocolate ice
cream, Oreo cookie crumbles and Reece’s Pieces inside a glazed doughnut. The warm
doughnut melts the ice cream into a gooey, delicious treat. Children will enjoy
getting a chance to come up with their own concoctions. AdriAna Yorke Beak &
Skiff and 1911's visually spectacular "The Dizzy uNYcorn." Location: Beak &
Skiff and 1911 stand between the Eatery and the Horticulture Building Cost: $13
Certainly one of the craziest and visually appealing items we tried was 1911′s
Dizzy uNYcorn. The delightful, colorful adult beverage is made from 1911 Tropical
Vodka blended with frozen lemonade and a splash of blue curaçao. It is then topped
with whipped cream and rainbow rock candy and garnished with gumdrops for the
unicorn ears and a blue frosting-coated waffle cone, for the mystical animals
distinctive horn. We thought that the drink was not as sweet as we thought it would
be (that was what all the candy was for!) but definitely refreshing on a hot day at
the Fair. AdriAna Yorke Ice cream art; the Upside Down Banana Split Sundae from
Barbie'sIce Cream Shoppe. Location: Barbie’s Ice Cream Shoppe outside of the Dairy
Products Building Cost: $10 Barbie’s Ice Cream Shoppe is offering a unique take on
the venerable Banana Split sundae. It’s flipping the concept on its head. The
result is a work of ice cream art that was almost too pretty to eat. We did say
“almost!” A whole fresh sliced banana it on top and is anchored by your choice of
ice cream, strawberry and caramel topping and chocolate syrup. Covered with whipped
cream, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry on top, be sure to take a photo of this one
before you dive in. At over six-inches high, this is one dessert you will have to
share to finish. AdriAna Yorke Gilligan's beer ice cream. Location: Taste of New
York shop inside Horticulture Building Cost: $4 The idea of a beer-flavored ice
cream left us feeling a bit tentative at first. Did these two summer staples belong
together? But after trying Gilligan’s beer ice cream, we were pleasantly surprised
with the result. Beer enthusiasts will love the strong beer flavor in the treat.
Sold in two flavors, Ice Cream Ale, made with a dark malty ale, and Double Buzz,
made with coffee and dark ale, the frozen treat has less than five percent alcohol
by volume. Sold at the Taste of New York store inside the Horticulture Building, be
sure to ask the cashier for spoons so you can dive right in. AdriAna Yorke Join the
"Brain Freeze Club" at Moose Joose! Location: Moose Joose Slush is just behind the
Dairy Products Building Cost: Prices range from $3 to $12, depending on cup size Do
you want to join the “Brain Freeze Club?” If yes, and you are looking for frozen
sluhies non-alcoholic treat while walking around the State Fair than the Moose
Joose Slush stand is for you. After choosing what size cup you want (we choose the
$12 light up plastic mug, because why not!?!), you can create your own personal
slush drink filling up your cup from a dozen different flavors of slush. Cherry,
lemonade, strawberry kiwi, orange creamsicle, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper are just
some of the choices. Kids will love to go crazy and sample as many of the flavors
as they can. Customers are given a card to join the “Brain Freeze Club” and
encouraged to come back for refills. After three, the next one is free. AdriAna
Yorke A modern take on a summer staple, Rolled Ice Cream at the New York State
Fair. Location: In front of the Exposition Center Cost: $7 Ice cream is summer’s
number one treat and has been for some time. Whether served in a bowl or in a cone,
it is always good. But if you are looking for a modern spin on the treat, try the
Rolled Ice Cream stand near the Exposition Center, where the best part may be
watching the performance of the treat being made. After choosing your flavor from a
large assortment, including Oreo, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup, S’mores, Strawberry
Shortcake and others, you watch as your treat is chopped up, flattened and rolled
up in front of your eyes on an ice-cold pan. The result is a roll-up of extremely
cold ice cream. AdriAna Yorke A frozen banana dipped in blue raspberry coating from
Polar Bear Ice Cream. Location: Polar Bear Ice Cream, outside of the Dairy Products
Building Cost: $6 On our quest to find a crazy frozen treat, we thought we could
find a healthy option. How about a frozen banana? That has got to be healthy right?
Well, probably not after dipping into a thick coating a blue raspberry flavoring
and covered in rainbow sprinkles. Neither of us were big banana fans, but we found
this frozen treat to be pretty good, and refreshing. Other flavors include cherry,
chocolate and peanut butter. AdriAna Yorke The one-of-a-kind Caramel-coated Cheese
Ball Sundae. Location: Outside of Exposition Center Cost: $8 OK, so maybe we are
cheating a little on this one... It is technically not frozen, although there is
whipped cream and it is a billed as a “sundae.” But it is certainly crazy. Take
cheese balls, those fried corn balls covered in cheese dust from your youth, cover
them in caramel, toss in butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, top with whipped
cream, then drizzle the whole thing with whipped cream and sprinkles. The unusual
combination creates a salty, sweet treat that is a State Fair original. Once we
started eating it, we could not stop. Read more 2019 NYS Fair Foods: Best sugary
treats for your sweet tooth Yum alert: NYS Fair cookies and other baked treats to
die for See all our coverage of the NYS Fair
The secrets to making perfect ice cream

Sign Up for Our free email newsletters Ice cream is one of the best parts of
summer, if not the best part of summer. But as fun as it is to chase the Good Humor
truck down the street (oh c'mon, as if you've never?), it's even more fun to churn
up a batch at home and eat it straight from the container, barefoot and curled up
by the AC. Here, we'll cover everything you need to know about making homemade ice
cream. Pick your ice cream base Vanilla ice cream is often seen as the ultimate
plain-Jane flavor, but it's not. It's vanilla. If you remove the extract or bean,
you're left with sweet cream, the purest ice cream possible. In Italy, the
equivalent gelato is known as fior di latte, or "flower of milk" (so pretty). You
can — and should! — eat sweet cream as is. But it also happens to be the foundation
for all other ice creams. Here are six ways to make it: 1. Philadelphia-style
(Bobbi Lin/Courtesy Food52) Named for the many dairy farms that used to surround
Philadelphia, this eggless ice cream base is as simple as it gets. Because there is
no cooking involved, preparing the base is as easy as whisking together cream,
milk, sugar, and salt, then chilling and churning. Pros: Cooking a custard —
without curdling the egg yolks — takes skill. Stirring ingredients doesn't! You
can't mess this up. The brighter, lighter flavor of Philadelphia-style also lends
itself particularly well to fresh fruit, vegetable, or herb ice creams. Cons:
Because there are no fatty egg yolks to emulsify the ice cream base, Philadelphia-
style ice creams freeze harder and icier than their custardy counterparts. To
sidestep this, make sure to let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for 10-
ish minutes before serving, or supplement the granulated sugar with a liquid
sweetener, such as corn syrup or honey (more on why below, "How to Avoid Icy Ice
Cream"). Basic ratio: 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, ¾ cup granulated sugar
(or ½ cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup liquid sweetener), ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. 2.
French style (Bobbi Lin/Courtesy Food52) Also known as custard ice cream, this
super silky base is distinguished by its egg yolks. Unlike Philadelphia-style, you
have to cook the ingredients first, then chill, then churn. Here's the cheat sheet:
Combine the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Warm up the cream and milk.
Slowly add the warm dairy to the yolk-sugar mixture (to temper the yolks), then
return the whole mixture to the stovetop and cook until thick enough to coat a
spoon, like gravy. Pros: The egg yolks not only add rich flavor and a buttery
color, but they act as an emulsifier, creating a smoother, creamier ice cream
that's less prone to crystallization (the enemy of ice cream everywhere!). Cons:
Egg-tempering and custard-making can be tricky. If you temper the eggs or cook the
mixture too quickly, you'll end up with scrambled eggs (and eggy-tasting ice cream,
ick). To avoid this, temper the yolks as slowly as possible (adding a couple
tablespoons of warm liquid at a time), then cook over medium-low heat, whisking
slowly but constantly. Basic ratio: 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, ¾ cup
granulated sugar, 6 egg yolks, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. 3. Neither here
(Philadelphia) nor there (France) (Rocky Luten/Courtesy Food52) If you look hard
enough, you'll find a couple rebellious ice cream recipes that call for egg yolks,
but don't cook them. This style is so uncommon, there's not even a name for it, but
it's the sort of ice cream my mom made every summer when I was growing up, inspired
by the now 32-year-old Ben & Jerry's cookbook. Turns out, Superiority Burger
owner and ice cream extraordinaire does the same thing. As Dana Cree writes in
Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream, Headley "likes how the egg yolk adds richness but no
cooked flavor." Pros: With this method, you can get the best of both worlds. Simply
whisk the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and very thick, then add the cream and
milk. It's the ease of the Philadelphia method, with some bonus richness. Cons: Raw
egg yolks are questionable from a food-safety perspective (since germs, like
salmonella, can only be killed by cooking to a certain temperature). Proceed at
your own risk. Basic ratio: 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, ¾ cup granulated
sugar (or ½ cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup liquid sweetener), 2 large egg yolks, ¼
teaspoon kosher salt. 4. Sicilian-style (Bobbi Lin/Courtesy Food52) A cooked-until-
thick ice cream base, just like custardy French, but in this case, egg yolks aren't
doing the thickening. Cornstarch is. (Yes, the same cornstarch you have in your
pantry to make gravy!) As David Lebovitz notes in The Perfect Scoop, "thickening
gelato with a starch is a Sicilian trait, and it is done because egg yolks are less
digestible than starch, important during their hot summers." If you ask me, the
chewy, silky result is something to get behind anytime, anywhere. To make a
Sicilian-style ice cream: Heat up the cream and milk. Separately stir together the
sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly add the warm liquids to the dry ingredients,
return to the saucepan, and continue to cook until thick. Chill completely, then
churn. Pros: Cornstarch inhibits ice crystallization, which means you're in for a
supremely creamy ice cream. It's the sort of texture egg yolks would accomplish,
but without the added heaviness. Cons: Cornstarch breaks down in the freezer over
time, which means you won't want to keep this ice cream around forever. Get on
those sundaes sooner than later. Basic ratio: 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups
whole milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon kosher
salt. 5. No churn You don't need an ice cream maker to make ice cream. But you do
need to know how to mimic one. An ice cream maker accomplishes two things at once:
freezing and aerating the ice cream base. Freezing makes the mixture scoopable
(instead of pourable), while aerating makes the mixture fluffy (instead of rock-
hard). The most common no-churn method uses sweetened condensed milk and whipped
cream. The former acts as a custard-like base, while the latter adds air. But there
are other ways to get creative: In this Genius lemon ice cream, you freeze a lemon-
thickened ice cream base until slushy (two to three hours), stir it up, then
continue freezing. You can also freeze an ice cream base completely, break it up
into chunks, then whip these until fluffy in a food processor like in this no-churn
peach ice cream. Pros: No special equipment needed. No-churn ice cream recipes are
great if you're in a small kitchen with limited appliances — or, ahem, if you
forgot to freeze the bowl for your ice cream maker (me, all the time). Cons:
Because these ice creams are creatively — not technically — "churned," they get
harder and icier quicker. If you make a batch, try to eat it as soon as possible
(maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all). Basic ratio: 2 cups heavy cream, 1
(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. 6. Non-dairy
(Julia Gartland/Courtesy Food52) Not to be confused with sorbet, which is non-
dairy, yes, but is made up of fruit puree or juice, sugar, and water. Non-dairy ice
creams are all about creamy ingredients — they just happen to come from plants, not
cows. Coconut milk is the most common, though you'll also see cashew milk, soy
milk, almond milk, and even oat milk. Combining different milks allows you to
customize the flavor and fat content. Because many recipes are both non-dairy and
vegan (no animal products at all), egg yolks are an uncommon emulsifier. In their
place, you'll find everything from coconut or olive oil to cornstarch or arrowroot
starch. Pros: For people who don't eat dairy by choice or can't because of an
allergy, non-dairy ice cream is a dream doppelgänger. When made properly, it's as
scoopable and creamy as the real deal. Cons: While dairy milks are mild in flavor
and rich in fat content, non-dairy milks are more complicated. If you pick a leaner
variety, like soy or oat, you should supplement it with a fattier milk and/or oil.
And if you go for all coconut milk (the richest of the bunch), be prepared for a
coconutty flavor. Basic ratio: 2 (13.5-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk, ½ cup
granulated sugar (or ¼ cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup liquid sweetener), 2
tablespoons melted coconut oil (refined for less coconutty flavor), ¼ teaspoon
kosher salt. How to flavor any ice cream base (Bobbi Lin/Courtesy Food52) Now that
you know how to make a sweet cream base, let's learn how to flavor it. You can
customize your ice cream in countless ways, from grinding up black sesame seeds to
opening a bottle of beer, but here we're going to focus on the basics. Extracts The
easiest way to flavor a sweet cream base is by adding an extract. Vanilla, almond,
and mint are most common. Like salt, the best way to determine the quantity here is
to taste, starting with small amounts (say, ¼ teaspoon per 1-quart batch) and
increasingly incrementally. While it's difficult to overdo something like vanilla
(some recipes use several teaspoons), it's easy with more potent extracts like
almond or mint. Incorporate by stirring into the ice cream base, either right after
cooking for cooked bases or with the rest of the ingredients for uncooked ones.
Powders Like extracts, powders are an easy-as-heck way to go from plain to name-
your-dream-flavor. Try instant espresso powder (estimate 2 to 3 tablespoons per 1-
quart batch) or matcha powder (estimate 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons per 1-quart batch). To
incorporate, add a small amount of the cream or milk to the powder to smoothly
dissolve, then mix that into the rest of the liquid base (can be done either before
or after cooking, or in no-cook ice creams). Infusion You can infuse with heat or
without it — and the ingredient possibilities are endless. To do a stovetop
infusion, combine the liquids
with your chosen ingredient, bring to a simmer, let steep for 30 or so minutes
(tasting every so often to check progress), then strain. To do a cold infusion,
combine the liquids with your chosen ingredient and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours
(again, tasting every so often to check progress), then strain. Here are a few
VIPs: Fresh herbs (estimate 1 cup mint or basil, or a few sprigs of rosemary,
thyme, or lavender per 1-quart batch). Ginger (estimate a 5-inch piece, chopped,
per 1-quart batch). Spices (estimate 1 to 2 tablespoons of something like fennel
seeds or black peppercorns per 1-quart batch). Tea (estimate 5 tea bags, like Earl
Gray, per 1-quart batch). To learn more about infusions, right this way. Purees
This is easy to remember. To make a fruit ice cream, add a fruit puree. You can do
this a couple ways: 1) Add some sugar to chopped- up fruit (subtract that amount
from the overall recipe), let it macerate in the fridge (a fancy way of saying
become syrupy and delicious), then blend (and strain if seedy). 2) Cook the fruit
on the stovetop or in the oven until soft and jammy, then blend and strain.
Estimate ¾ to 1 ½ cups puree per 1-quart batch, depending on the flavor, starting
with smaller amounts and adding to taste. Some favorites of mine: strawberry,
raspberry, blackberry, peach, apricot, plum, and cherry. How to avoid icy ice cream
(Mark Weinberg/Courtesy Food52) Even though it's called ice cream, no one wants icy
ice cream. No matter the flavor, our goal is always: creamy as can be.
Unfortunately, thanks to your freezer's temperature fluctuations (which encourage
crystallization) and most homemade ice cream's lack of stabilizers (which hinder
crystallization), creamy ice cream can be tough to achieve. But worry not! Here are
a few tricks to keep up your sleeve: Liquid sweeteners Light corn syrup (different
than high-fructose!) is one of the most efficient ways to achieve creamy,
scoopable, dang-good ice cream. It's neutral in flavor, available at most
supermarkets, and can be swapped into any recipe. Not only does corn syrup disrupt
crystallization, but it's less sweet than granulated sugar, yielding a more
balanced, less cloying ice cream. Honey also achieves a creamier result, but it's
intensely sweet and flavorful (sometimes this is a good thing — think herbal
lavender or tangy blackberry — sometimes it's not). As a general rule, you can
replace ¼ to ⅓ of the granulated sugar with a liquid sweetener. Cornstarch
Cornstarch is probably already in your pantry, for everything from gravy to extra-
crispy fried chicken. It also happens to be a great stabilizer for ice cream. And
by stabilizer, I mean an ingredient that stabilizes the water content and thwarts
crystallization. Estimate 1 to 3 tablespoons per 1-quart batch of ice cream. To
incorporate, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl, slowly add warmed cream
and milk, transfer back to the saucepan, and bring to a boil for 1 minute to
activate the starch's thickening powers. Cream cheese Also a household staple,
cream cheese is as happy in ice cream as it is on a bagel (and that's pretty
happy). Its stable structure comes from various ingredients, like whey proteins or
carob bean gum, depending on the brand. These encourage a creamier ice cream that
will hold up better in the freezer. Estimate 2 ounces cream cheese per 1-quart
batch of ice cream. To incorporate: For a cooked ice cream base, slowly whisk the
just-cooked base into softened cream cheese. For an uncooked base, blend the base
with softened cream cheese until completely smooth. Booze Put water in the freezer
and it turns into ice. Put vodka in the freezer and it turns into, well, really
cold vodka. Why? Alcohol has a lower freezing point, a scientific nugget we can use
to make creamier, more scoopable ice cream. Estimate 1 to 3 tablespoons booze per
1-quart batch of ice cream. Vodka will go unnoticed, while Scotch, bourbon, or rum
add bonus flavor. To incorporate, stir into your ice cream base right before
churning. Tempering The oldest trick in the book. Don't forget to take ice cream
out of the freezer in advance. Figure five to 15 minutes, depending on the
container size. And if you do forget (that's okay), microwave the container in 10-
second bursts until scoopable. Just be careful not to turn it into soup — though,
if you do, Ina Garten knows just the way to use it. How to incorporate mix-ins
(Rocky Luten/Courtesy Food52) What would cookies and cream ice cream be without the
Oreos? (Vanilla.) Or rocky road without the marshmallows and nuts? (Chocolate.) Or
Chunky Monkey without the fudge pieces and nuts? (Um. Monkey?) You catch my drift.
In so many cases, the mix-ins make the ice cream, whether that's a classic flavor
or your own creation. Go crazy. The golden ratio Estimate 1 to 2 cups mix-ins per
1-quart batch. Start with a smaller amount, then increase to sight, depending on
how chunky you want your ice cream. Think ahead Freeze the mix-ins before you
incorporate them into the ice cream. If you stir room-temperature mix-ins into
just-churned ice cream, you'll significantly raise its temperature (not what we
want). I like to spread them out on a plate so they don't freeze into one big blob
(also not what we want). When to incorporate Add mix-ins to ice cream either at the
very end of churning, letting the machine do the stirring for you, or sprinkle them
into the ice cream as you transfer it from the machine to the container. Try these
Candied or chocolate-covered nuts Crumbled toffee or nut brittle Chopped-up candy
(especially Reese's) Smashed cookies (chocolate chip, Oreo, peanut butter) Itty-
bitty cookie dough balls Mini marshmallows Cubed brownies Stracciatella Think of
stracciatella as literal chocolate chips. When the ice cream is in its last seconds
of churning, pour in melted chocolate, in the thinnest possible stream. The cold
ice cream will harden it instantly and the machine's churner will break it into
bits and shards. Estimate 4 ounces chocolate (dark, semisweet, or milk) per 1-quart
batch. Swirls and ripples Whether it's fudge sauce, caramel sauce, jam, or lemon
curd, the method is the same: After churning, add some sauce to the base of your
container, then ice cream, then sauce, and so on. When you scoop the ice cream,
you'll end up with beautiful layers. Don't pour into the machine or try stirring in
by hand; you'll end up with a homogenous mixture. Rules of storing 1. Stick the
storage container in the freezer at least 1 hour before churning. 2. If you're
using an open-faced container, like a loaf pan, immediately cover with plastic wrap
to prevent the ice cream from absorbing odors and acquiring that freezer-y taste
(you know the one). Otherwise, opt for something with an airtight lid. 3. Ice cream
keeps forever, right? Not quite. The older it gets, the more its flavor and texture
go downhill. Non-dairy and no-churn ice creams will become icier quickest; try to
eat within a few days to a week. Other varieties are best within a month. Which ice
cream maker is right for you? While an ice cream maker isn't necessary to make ice
cream (see "No-Churn" above), it is ideal. These days, ice cream makers are
relatively inexpensive, with many models under $50, and easy to find in stores or
order online. Here are the three most common styles: If you plan to make ice cream
once a month or so, get a frozen-bowl machine. These countertop machines include a
liquid coolant–filled bowl, which has to be frozen in advance. (If you have the
space, you can store the bowl in the freezer by default.) These machines are low in
cost and easy to get the hang of. If you plan to make ice cream every week
(hopefully more! who knows!), get a self-refrigerating machine. While these models
are the most expensive of the group, their built-in compressor means you don't have
to remember to freeze a bowl and you can make multiple batches of ice cream in a
row. If you want to make the ice cream with your bare hands and elbow grease and
rugged determination, get an ice and rock salt machine. They come in automatic
styles as well, but the signature here is the old-school hand-crank, which you wind
yourself while the ice cream spins in a rock-salted ice bath. Besides requiring
more effort, these models are messier than the other two. (And be careful not to
get salt water in your ice cream!) Pre-churn checklist Odds are, a frozen-bowl ice
cream machine is what's right for you. While the nitty-gritty instructions (like
how to assemble and clean) depend on the manufacturer, here are the big dos and
don'ts: Don't forget to stick the ice cream maker's bowl in the freezer. At least
24 hours in advance, ideally more. If the liquid coolant isn't fully frozen, the
ice cream won't properly churn. Go ahead and stick the storage container in the
freezer, too. At least one hour in advance. To keep your just-churned ice cream as
cold as possible, it makes a huge difference to transfer it into a pre-frozen
container, then put that in the freezer. Help the ice cream base help you. If
you're making a no-cook ice cream, start with cold-as-possible liquids, straight
from the fridge. If you're cooking a custard, strain it from the saucepan into a
bowl set over another, larger bowl of ice (this is called an ice bath). Stir the
custard until cold, then refrigerate. Don't rush the chilling. Refrigerate the base
until it's chilly as can be. Depending on whether you're using a no-cook or cooked
base, this can take anywhere from a couple hours to a full day. Don't try to churn
a lukewarm or even room-temperature base. Taste the ice cream base before churning.
Go on, try a spoonful. Ice cream should be seasoned to taste, just like tomato
sauce or chicken soup. I often add another pinch of salt or even a teaspoon or two
of cider vinegar, right before churning, until it's delicious enough to drink. 10
of our best ice cream
recipes 1. Labneh ice cream with pistachio-sesame brittle (Ty Mecham/Courtesy
Food52) From ice cream mastermind David Lebovitz, this recipe is halfway between
frozen yogurt and ice cream, with a tangy-tart flavor as refreshing as jumping in
the ocean. 2. Preserved lemon ice cream (Yossy Arefi/Courtesy Food52) Salty, sour
preserved lemons take a break from helping out with dinner and work on dessert
instead. To serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. 3. Black sesame
seed ice cream (Mark Weinberg/Courtesy Food52) Black sesame's ultra-nutty flavor is
reminiscent of peanut butter, though no one would mistake the two thanks to its
moody gray color. Try this with a dollop of jam on top. 4. Milk chocolate ice cream
with salted cashew brittle (Julia Gartland/Courtesy Food52) A good chocolate ice
cream is hard to find — but you found one. Try to use a milk chocolate that's at
least 38% cacao for the best flavor. 5. Black raspberry ice cream (James
Ransom/Courtesy Food52) "If I had to choose one ice cream flavor for the rest of my
life," writes our co-founder Merrill Stubbs, "it would be black raspberry." Enough
said. 6. Fresh mint chip ice cream (James Ransom/Courtesy Food52) Instead of the
more common mint extract, this ice cream turns to fresh peppermint instead. All you
have to do is combine the leaves and cream, and let steep. 7. Malted vanilla ice
cream with chocolate-covered pretzels (James Ransom/Courtesy Food52) Malted milk
powder is an ice cream VIP. Its toasty, caramely flavor evokes an old-school
milkshake. I keep a 40-ounce container in my pantry at all times. 8. Carrot ice
cream (Bobbi Lin/Courtesy Food52) Naturally sweet carrots are old friends with
cake. Turns out, they love ice cream, too. For more vegetable ice cream recipes,
head here. 9. Browned butter pecan ice cream (James Ransom/Courtesy Food52) Why
make butter pecan ice cream when you could make browned butter pecan ice cream? The
toasty milk solids underscore the ice cream's nutty flavor. 10. Avocado ice cream
(Julia Gartland/Courtesy Food52) Avocados are so rich and buttery, they act as the
"cream" in this Mexican recipe. The rest of the ingredient list is just milk,
sugar, and lime juice. 5 of our favorite toppings 1. Hot fudge (Rocky
Luten/Courtesy Food52) All you need are two ingredients: sweetened condensed milk
and unsweetened chocolate. A splash of water helps things along and a big pinch of
salt dials up the flavor. 2. Espresso caramel sauce (Rocky Luten/Courtesy Food52)
Like salt, instant espresso powder adds depth and complexity to caramel sauce,
keeping it from being overly sweet. (Plus, caffeine!) 3. Yogurt whipped cream
(James Ransom/Courtesy Food52) Tart yogurt (or crème fraîche) balances the richness
of plain whipped cream. This is great on extra-sweet ice cream flavors, like
caramel or strawberry. 4. Slow-roasted strawberries (James Ransom/Courtesy Food52)
If you like strawberry sauce on ice cream, you'll love this. All you need are
strawberries, sugar, and a free afternoon. I love this on herbal ice creams, like
mint or basil. 5. Magic shell (Bobbi Lin/Courtesy Food52) Chocolate, strawberry,
and matcha, oh my! Spoiler alert: It's not magic, it's coconut oil. Use refined
coconut oil if you don't want a coconutty flavor. Hungry for more? Now that you're
an ice cream–making fiend, you probably want to learn even more. Here are four
cookbooks to check out: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert
Book.This delightfully illustrated book not only covers ice cream basics, but also
includes a slew of freezer aisle–favorite flavors, from New York Super Fudge Chunk
to Cherry Garcia. The Perfect Scoop.This is the book that taught me to make ice
cream. It was recently revised (read our interview with author David Lebovitz here)
and includes ice cream 101, plus obsessed-over recipes (from classics like rum
raisin to new favorites like avocado), as well as homemade sauces (hi, salted
butter caramel) and mix-ins (hello, wet walnuts). Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream.If
you're interested in the scientific hows and whys of ice cream–making, this is the
book for you. Dana Cree gets into a molecular level of detail on everything from
crystallization (and how to combat it with stabilizers) to ingredient ratios. The
resulting flavors, like cold-press coffee and cheesecake, are pretty fun, too. Ice
Cream and Friends.We'd be remiss not to mention our own ice cream book. Just like
it sounds, this is a user-friendly guide, here to lead you toward your next
favorite ice cream flavor. Maybe it's naked chocolate. Or cinnamon roll. You tell
me. This story was originally published on Food52.com: How to make ice cream

Review: Strong pastas and perfect ice cream at Antico — who could ask for more?

There’s no point burying the lede: Antico makes probably the best ice cream I’ve
had anywhere in Los Angeles and possibly west of the Rockies. While this is no
small feat, is a restaurant worth going to based on that and that alone? Again, I’m
going to say probably yes. Antico’s ice cream is impossibly smooth, with a texture
somewhere between Häagen-Dazs and a McDonald’s soft serve cone. A strawberry
version made with Harry’s Berries is light and bright like a gelato but with a
long, fruity hangtime you would associate with higher fat content. The chocolate
ice cream is somehow even more ethereal; it’s practically a sorbet, made with just
milk solids and no cream whatsoever, but with a deep, dense chocolatey-ness that
growls and purrs like a Ferrari F8. It doesn’t hurt, of course, to have a
Carpigiani, the Ferrari of ice cream machines, sitting in the back. But what’s the
point in having a Ferrari if you can’t open ’er up? Driven by pastry chef-cum-chef
de cuisine Brad Ray under the supervision of chef-owner Chad Colby, the Carpigiani
is allowed to show what it can do on the dining autobahn — not just sit in traffic
on the 405. Is a machine that retails for tens of thousands of dollars worth the
price? I defy you to try the honeycomb ice cream, perfectly finished with a little
sea salt and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, and tell me it’s not. The honeycomb
ice cream at Antico is finished with sea salt and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Antico is Colby’s first big solo project since
he left meaty Chi Spacca in 2015. I don’t love slapping labels onto places but if I
had to, the one I’d affix here would say “pastoral Italian.” Technically in
Larchmont, the restaurant is in a little bit of a no-man’s land between K-town and
Hancock Park, around the corner from the giant KFC on Western Avenue, in a blink-
and-you’ll-miss-it strip mall between a Korean beef soup place and the 1929 Dover
Apartments. With it, Colby is opening the restaurant he’s always wanted — Italian-
inspired, with more pastas and a focus on seasonal produce. Colby’s education in
Italian food began in earnest at Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel’s Campanile in the
early aughts, where he cooked in a back of house that resembled the ’97 Chicago
Bulls: Brooks Headley (Superiority Burger), Matt Molina (Hippo), Bryant Ng (Cassia)
and others. Colby eventually went to Mozza, then Chi Spacca, then had a false
start, almost opening a restaurant with Curtis Stone, before Antico came to be. He
remembers vividly one particularly sagacious bit of advice he got from Silverton:
Never open a restaurant that’s worse than the one you’re already at. That trap has
been successfully avoided, although the restaurants are quite different. While I
love the clubby feel of Chi Spacca (it was never supposed to actually be a
restaurant, rather a wine store), I don’t need a 42-ounce dry-aged steak on the
regular menu . Antico has less going on in the ambience department but makes up for
it with a more well-rounded menu of Italian fare that is often creative and
occasionally inspires. Particularly the pastas. A pasta-obsessed Colby wasn’t
allowed to serve it at Chi Spacca, lest it undercut Mozza next door. Now he can let
his carb freak flag fly. The spaghettoni al limone is especially strong, a twist on
the Southern Italian dish with a redolent fruitiness that seems to infuse every
pasta strand. The addition of some very good anchovies rockets this dish to a
higher gear, adding a belt of umami that acts like good fish sauce in a bowl of
Vietnamese bún thịt nướng. Spaghettoni al limone with Cetara anchovy at Antico, a
rustic Italian restaurant from chef Chad Colby. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
When I was a kid, I’d frequently boil whatever pasta was in the cupboard after
school, melt a few pats of butter into it, drown it in Kraft Parmesan cheese, and
then go watch a “Perfect Strangers” marathon or something. The maccheroni with
butter and Vacche Rosse Parmesan at Antico takes me back to that time as well as
any dish I’ve had: a rich, comforting, creamy mess of sense memory. A ziti with
tripe ragu doesn’t turn trippa alla romana on its head but pairs excellent air-
dried Gragnano pasta with perfectly textured strips of chewy tripe and slightly
more of Colby’s bright, balanced tomato sauce than you need (but not more than you
want). Use the excellent, airy focaccia — essentially an olive oil funnel cake — to
scarpetta to your heart’s desire. Fresh parmesan cheese is grated over Antico's
ziti with tripe ragu. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) The first thing you’ll
notice upon entering Antico’s dining room is the large open kitchen on the far
wall, with a welcoming almond wood-fired hearth. It’s the centerpiece of the
restaurant and touches nearly everything that comes over the pass, particularly the
proteins. A couple of big, communal tables anchor the floor, and strings of chiles
and garlic hang from the ceiling. A piece of outside skirt steak, cut appealingly
on a strong bias, is nicely kissed by wood smoke and cooked as well as you would
expect from someone with a Ph.D. in meat like Colby. Unimpeachable lamb chops,
Frenched and with the rib meat stuffed into an accompanying small coil of lightly
garlicky sausage, sit in a pool of good olive oil, which seems to be Colby’s go-to
condiment. Are there a few things here and there I might change? Sure, but they’re
picky. Taut-skinned roasted chicken is served with a big piece of focaccia in the
center of the plate to soak up jus like a super crouton — great in theory, but it
leaves the rest of the chicken fairly sauceless. A green salad with a few Sungold
tomatoes and pickled onions doesn’t seem to fully take advantage of the bounty that
our farmers markets have to offer. Lamb with pistachio and mint at Antico. (Myung
J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Kitchen notwithstanding, the buildout looks done with
an eye toward haste (despite the fact that the restaurant’s opening was
significantly delayed). The dining room could use some soundproofing — it’s loud in
there. Service is careful and attentive, if not entirely in line with the idea of a
casual, communal restaurant. I never particularly care about fine-dining touches
like having my silverware and plates cleared after every course, but they seem
slightly more out of place here. But most of that is moot once that dessert
arrives, enjoyed perhaps with a little glass of chinato made with herbs from
Colby’s own garden. The eminently drinkable digestif tastes pleasantly bitter,
verdant and like cloves and vanilla; it’s a bit of a fortified Coca-Cola, and it’s
wonderful. Nearly as wonderful as the ice cream — and that’s a pretty high bar.
Antico Location: 4653 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 510-3093, antico-la.com
Prices: Antipasti and smaller dishes $9-$16, pastas $18-$24, entrees $22-$48;
desserts $9-$12. Details: Credit cards accepted. Wine and beer. Valet parking.
Wheelchair accessible. Recommended dishes: Spaghettoni al limone, ziti with tripe
ragu, any grilled meat, all the ice creams.