The Ice Cream Book

Book excerpt: A master chef — and one of the founders of Gourmet magazine—introduces the fundamentals of homemade frozen desserts with recipes for hundreds of mouthwatering treats. Louis P. DeGouy presents over 400 tried-and-true recipes for coupes, bombes, frappés, ices, mousses, parfaits, sherbets, and ice creams, including almost 200 ice cream recipes for butterscotch, eggnog, lemon, mocha, peach, peanut, strawberry, vanilla, and other delectable flavors. Most of these recipes can be made with just an ordinary refrigerator-freezer, without the need for special attachments. DeGouy covers the blending of milk and cream, operating a hand freezer or a refrigerator, blanching nuts, preparing fruits, and many other procedures. Each chapter offers several recipes for a different kind of ice cream, accompanied by thorough instructions. And even if you don't care to make your own ice cream, you'll find a wealth of ideas for dressing up frozen desserts, from suggestions for simple sauces to recipes for baked Alaska and ice cream eclairs.