The Scoop on Frozen Desserts
Perfect for Summertime or Anytime
By Michele St. Martin
is the Italian word for ice cream. Gelato contains less air than ice cream, resulting in a stronger flavor and thicker texture.
and
ices often contain very similar ingredients (both are made with fruits or fruit juices, sugar and water), but the texture is quite different. "Ices have a somewhat granular, chunky texture, and sorbets a finer, smooth texture," says Howard. "Adding beaten egg white increases smoothness."
Sherbet is a kind of cross between ice cream and sorbet, usually fruit-based and made with milk instead of cream. The amount of sugar used in preparation of sherbet is key. "Sherbets will not set if less than the given amount of sugar is used," says Howard.
is a low-fat alternative to egg and cream-based ice creams; it offers an additional advantage of being easily made at home. "However, it's best served fresh, because storing changes the texture," says Howard.
With so many choices, it's easy to find a frozen dessert you like that will fit into your food plan. On the other hand, it's only sensible to try some of each this summer. Why get into a rut? Remember that variety is the spice of life!
- Super premium and premium ice cream represent about 53.8 percent of the total dollar sales of ice cream.
- The top five states that produce the most ice cream are California, Indiana, Ohio, Texas and New York.
- The top five cities in supermarket sales of ice cream are Portland, Baltimore, Omaha, Buffalo/Rochester and Seattle.
| Slowly begin hand cranking as you fill the bucket one-third full of ice. Then, sprinkle rock salt over the ice. Add rock salt and ice in alternating layers surrounding the canister until the mixture is level with the top of the canister. The salt keeps the ice cold, lowering the temperature of the ice as it is melting. Hand cranking can take an hour or more, but when the handle is too difficult to turn, the ice cream is ready. Usually the ice cream is slightly soft, because hands just can't crank as long or as fast as a motor. Remove the dasher from the canister and pack the frozen dessert down with layers of foil, newspaper or waxed paper. Repack the bucket with ice and rock salt and allow the ice cream to ripen 45 to 60 minutes. Although an electric freezer is also filled with ice and rock salt, the motorized churning reduces freezing time -- still the amount of time depends on the size of the freezer and canister -- and the ice cream should be a bit more hardened. Ripen as above. Freezing in a self-contained ice cream machine produces excellent ice cream with little effort and no need for ice or rock salt. The machine timer automatically cuts off the churning, and the ice cream will ripen in the machine's container. These machines are portable, but they must be kept upright. The freezing element in the coils will be affected if the machine is tilted over. |
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| Courtesy of Diane Howard 3 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and diced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup whipping cream Place peaches in a nonmetal bowl. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle 1/2 a cup sugar over peaches, stirring well. Cover and set aside for two hours at room temperature to draw out juices. Combine remaining sugar and evaporated milk in a small saucepan and heat to dissolve the sugar. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Cool. Add whipping cream. Stir in peaches and juice. Pour mixture into ice cream canister. Freeze according to manufacturers directions. Makes about 1 quart. |
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