National Ice Cream Day

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month or that this Sunday is actually National Ice Cream Day? It never fails to amaze me how many completely crazy yet awesome holidays we have in the US. Like national donut day that recently passed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining by any means! In fact I've been looking forward to celebrating National Ice Cream Day all month long. This year I will be celebrating the creamiest of all holidays in San Francisco, which means a giant waffle cone at Bi-Rite Creamery. But if you can't make it out to one of your favorite ice cream shops, here is a round up of some of my very favorite ice cream recipes to make this month...with extra cherries on top! What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Illustration by Ann Shen

1. Bi-Rite Vanilla- recipe via Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups heavy cream
¾ cups 2% milk
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 vanilla Bean
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Infuse the milk/cream: stir the cream, milk, half of the sugar (¼ cup) and salt in a heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and use your knife to scrape the seeds from the inside. Add the seeds and bean to the pan, heat over medium-high heat. When the cream mixture begins to bubble around the edge, remove it from the heat and cover. Let it steep for 30 minutes.

2. Make the base: whisk the yolks, just to break them up in a medium (heat-proof) bowl. Add in the remaining sugar and whisk until smooth, set aside.

3. Uncover the pan, heat over medium-high heat. Reduce it to medium heat once the mixture hits a slight simmer. To temper the eggs, slowly ladle about ½ cup of the hot mixture into the yolk mixture, while whisking. Add one more ladle of the hot mixture to the yolks, making sure to whisk quickly. With a heat-proof spatula, stir the cream mixture as you slowly add in the egg-cream mixture to the saucepan.

4. Cook the ice cream base over medium heat, stirring constantly until it has thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a wooden spoon, holding a clear path when you run your finger down the spoon. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container, over an ice-water bath. Using a clean spatula, stir the base frequently until its has cooled and remove it from the ice-water bath. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Freeze the ice cream: Add the vanilla extract to the base, stirring until combined. Freeze the base in your ice cream machine following your manufacturer’s directions. While the ice cream churns, put the container that you’ll keep your ice cream in the freezer. The ice cream is ready once it reaches the consistency of soft-serve, or the paddle creates a distinctive path as it churns. Freeze in prepared container overnight.

2. Homemade Whipped Cream

Directions:

Whip all ingredients together until you have soft peaks. *Make sure not too over beat your whipped cream…as I did in when making this jello! It only takes a minute to take fluffy whipped cream to butter.

3. Homemade Hot Fudge- via Two Chums
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Melt butter and add sugar and cocoa.  Cook until bubbling.  Add cream and continue cooking until bubbles form on the side of the pan.  Stir in chocolate chips and cook until whole mixture bubbles.
2. Keep cooking for 1 minute.  Turn off heat and stir in vanilla.  Hot fudge sauce is ready to use.  If you are making this to use at a later time, reheat sauce just until it begins to bubble.  Cooking too long will cause the sauce to harden instantly when it is poured over ice cream.

4. Ice Cream Sodas- Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
Raspberry Syrup
Chocolate Syrup
Heavy cream
Club soda
A variety of your favorite ice cream flavors

Directions
1. Chose your flavor of syrup and flavor of ice cream.
2. Pour 3 tablespoons of syrup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream in a tall ice cream soda glass.
3. Stir with a long spoon, and then slowly, while still whisking, add the club soda until the glass is three-quarters full.
4. Add 2 scoops of ice cream, add soda to the top of the glass, and serve with a spoon and a long straw.

Chocolate Syrup:

¾ cup cocoa powder
Pinch of kosher salt
1 ½ cups sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup brewed coffee

1. Combine the cocoa, salt, sugar and coffee in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer for cook 5 minutes.
3. Pour the syrup into a bowl and add the vanilla.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Raspberry  Syrup:
1 pint fresh raspberries chopped or 2 cups strawberries chopped
½ cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Combine the berries, sugar, and lemon in a container.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Strain the syrup into a pitcher through a fine mesh sieve, pushing down on the berries to extract all the liquid.