The Ultimate Ice Cream Book : Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More

Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Addictive Ice Cream Book

I don't usually share my thoughts about cookbooks that I buy, but I have to say that this book is truly addictive. When I first started making the ice creams in the book I stuck to the recipes that didn't require eggs. The author calls them Philadelphia style, but my family calls them delicious. All the ingredients called for are fresh. Fresh berries, fresh peaches, fresh cream. I like it that the strawberry ice cream requires so few ingredients. But my husband grew up eating frozen custard so I decided to try a few of the recipes that required a little more cooking. Beat the eggs, add the sugar, beat in some flour or cornstarch to help thicken the custard, heat the milk - it scared me at first, I'm not a great cook. But I did it. The custard was rich and smooth. Then came the fresh fruit. We're totally addicted. And it's nice knowing that there's nothing artificial going into our ice cream and frozen custards. I also like the fact that all the eggs we eat are being cooked first. After reading a few of the reviews here, I decided to try an experiment. So many people said they were staying away from the odd flavors, so I made some - sweet potato and green tea. We're hooked. They're so good. Someone else said you shouldn't add flour to ice. I made the mint ice cream recipe from this book without adding the cornstarch as the recipe called for. The ice cream was icy, grainy is what my husband called it. So I made it again just as the recipe required and it was perfect and has become an instant staple in our freezer.

Everything You Need To Make Great Ice Cream In One Book

Let's just start by saying that the ice cream recipes in this book are fantastic. The basic flavors all there and the variations that follow each one range from the simple (dried cranberries in the vanilla) to the sublime (dates and crumbled biscotti added to fig ice cream). Then there are the sorbets - fantastic and varied. Some of these recipes are clearly sherbets as the author has added egg whites (meringues) to some of the recipes (try the lemon for instance) and milk to others (go for the banana). But he calls them all sorbets. Who cares when they all taste so great. And the toppings are wonderful, I make the marshmallow topping all the time. If you want to make every kind of ice cream and sorbet (and sherbet) you can imagine, I highly suggest you buy this book.

Icy delight

Very few commercial ice creams can stand up to homemade. Oh, I know. I have my commercial favorites too. When you make your own, however, you're in control of everything. Too sweet? Cut down the sugar a little. Too rich? Substitute half and half or milk for some of the cream. You want a flavor that doesn't come in the stores? Then it's time to bite the bullet and make your own.

You'll find details on ice cream machines in this book, as well as the differences between (and pros and cons of) ice cream made with and without eggs, details on flavoring ice creams, and tips for making "mix-ins" (cookies, crackers, etc.) that'll stay crunchy longer. You'll even find three recipes for ice cream cones in here!

This cookbook packs a lot of punch into a surprisingly small amount of space. Let's use Pumpkin Ice Cream as an example. Below it you have four variations listed: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, Pumpkin Raisin Ice Cream, Pumpkin Rum Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Seed Ice Cream. Mr. Weinstein could have done this a number of ways. He could have printed up a new recipe for each variation. He could have left them out entirely. Or he could have put the traditional paragraph of "oh, and you could try adding this, and this, or this." In the first case you pay more for a cookbook that could have been smaller. In the middle case, we would have been bereft of many extra fantastic recipes. In the last case, when we sat down to pick a recipe and make out our grocery list, we would have failed to read the last paragraph, and we'd eternally find ourselves saying "Oh, next time," without ever making the variations. So this is PERFECT. I wish more cookbooks did this. The variations are 1-3 sentence quick directions, but easy to pick out and implement. They're also listed as individual recipes in the index, so you won't have trouble finding them if you lose them.

You'll find a fantastic array of flavors. Apple Butter Ice Cream, for instance. Avocado Ice Cream, with a Gazpacho recipe to accompany it--I guess you can eat ice cream for dinner! The Banana Ice Cream and the Banana Ice Cream Philadelphia Style (no eggs) come with a stunning array of variations. When Mr. Weinstein suggests Bubble Gum Ice Cream, he even provides the toll-free number of a company that sells bubble gum flavoring! Now that's service for you. The book also includes sorbets, granitas, toppings, and ice cream drinks.

In all, this is the best ice cream book I've ever laid my hands on, and we have at least four such cookbooks. Mr. Weinstein has created a true treasure of ice cream creation, and deserves no less than a full five stars for his glorious work.