Making Ice Cream at Home: A Simple Guide
NEW YORK — If the thought of making ice cream at home seems daunting, consider it just like making a pot of soup. This is the friendly advice from Tyler Malek, co-founder of Salt & Straw, a popular gourmet ice cream brand known for its creative flavors.
"Making ice cream is a lot like making soup. If you start with a solid base, like chicken or vegetable stock, you can add different flavors until it tastes just right," he explains from his kitchen in Portland, Oregon.
With a good base recipe, you can easily create all sorts of flavors, from strawberry to chocolate simply by adding various ingredients.
Understanding the Basics
Malek’s latest cookbook, "America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams," breaks down the essentials of ice cream-making. He emphasizes that mastering different bases, such as gelato and sorbet, opens the door to endless flavor possibilities. For instance, once you know how to make the fundamental base, you can experiment with unique combinations like Strawberry Honey Balsamic or Banana Parsnip Sherbet.
"My hope is that readers dive into this book and let their imaginations run wild," says Malek.
Iconic Flavors to Try
The cookbook introduces ten classic ice cream flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, green tea, pistachio, cookie dough, salted caramel, cereal, and rum raisin. Once you grasp these core principles, Malek encourages getting adventurous with flavors that sound a bit unusual, like Toasted Sourdough or Lemon Earl Grey Shortbread.
New Flavors Each Month
Since starting their journey with a food cart in Portland in 2011, Salt & Straw has expanded to over 40 locations across seven states. They are renowned for their innovative flavors, adding new options each month. Some past flavors have included Malted Potato Chip Cupcake and even Caramelized Turkey & Cranberry Sauce around Thanksgiving.
Malek has penned thousands of recipes, embracing both successes and numerous failures along the way. He relies on ingredients like xanthan gum to maintain the smooth texture of ice cream, combating issues that arise when ice cream melts and refreezes.
Learning and Storytelling Through Ice Cream
Malek sees ice cream not just as a dessert but as a medium for storytelling. "If I weren’t making ice cream, I would want to be a travel writer," he confesses. He has even forged partnerships with other local businesses, such as doughnut makers, to blend creativity into unique flavor offerings.
Interested in making ice cream efficiently? Malek suggests preparing large batches of various bases, freezing them in individual containers. This way, you can whip up a fresh batch of ice cream quickly whenever you find special ingredients at the store.
A Simple Recipe to Start With
Here’s a recipe for Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Dough Ice Cream from Malek’s cookbook:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups ice cream base
- 1½ teaspoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup frozen Malted Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup Malted Fudge
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix the ice cream base with molasses, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until soft-serve texture is achieved.
- Layer the ice cream with dollops of cookie dough and fudge in a freezer-safe container.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours or up to 3 months.
With a bit of practice, anyone can enjoy the delicious rewards of homemade ice cream. So grab some ingredients and start creating your own sweet flavors today!
