Scooper Bowl 2013

The all-u-can-eat ice cream event raised almost $300,000...wow!

We did it again. We fought crowds a couple weeks ago in order to test flavors at the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl this year. And that we did. Between the two of us we had 32 scoops...ouch. Almost a little embarrassing but hey its our duty and it was worth every bite!

Each brand has four flavors to choose from and its all you can eat!

First of all, I have to get on my ice cream soap box about Scooper Bowl etiquette  Common sense? When you grab your ice cream or ice creams turn around and keep walking. I don't say this to be rude, but the place is so crowded that it just makes sense to clear out so more people can get in. People seem to linger by the tents, which just makes a crowded area even more crowded. Oh and the poor Moms with strollers...we empathize....it is barely impossible to get a stroller. But enough about that...

Bethany & Tina live at Scooperbowl. 

I think we both agreed that the flavors really weren't that exciting this year. Lots of the expected...Mint Chocolate Chip, Oreo, and Chocolate. The past years seemed to bring on new and a few more interesting flavors. But really this is a fundraiser and for an awesome cause so at the end of the day who cares! It's all good. But here are some thoughts: 

Bethany: 

Whenever I think Edy's, I think of one of my mom's favorite commercials: the dog high-fiving his owner over the promise of Edy's. (I could only find the Dreyer's version of it, but as I understand it, Dreyer's is the West Coast brand, and Edy's is the East Coast brand.) Anyway, Edy's Tropical Rainbow Sherbet was worth the Edy's high-five.) It was light, refreshing, and super creamy.

I liked Friendly's Celebration as well. It was a party in a cup!

While I have already given a rave review to Ben and Jerry's Liz Lemon that was another favorite, as well as Hood's Raspberry Granola Greek Frozen Yogurt (stay tuned for this review as I got some more flavors mailed to me from Hood and I was pretty impressed!).

Tina: 

Ok so I have to admit now that I am writing this a couple weeks later not much stands out but their were a couple I know I would go back for. I really liked Hood's Double Chocolate Chip Greek Frozen Yogurt. It was very creamy and I loved the chocolate chips in it. I also have to agree with Bethany on Friendly's Celebration. I am all about Cake Batter these days and I loved how this actually had cake pieces in it. And lastly Byrne Dairy's Green Monstah made a lasting impression. Interestingly they don't list Green Monstah on their site. I think they might have made that name up for the Boston occasion (they are NY based) so I think it really is their Grasshopper Pie. I love anything mint so that was a keeper as well.

All in all it's a can't miss event that we look forward to every year!

Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!

Wow...its been a long time since we last posted especially as we head into the most important season for ice cream :). We've been finding quick info on Facebook has been a fun (and manageable honestly) way to share what's going on in the ice cream world and have been pinning like crazy to our Pinterest page. Check us out there and you'll find some great recipes to use for your next summer party.

So today is National Ice Cream Day and after still having an ice cream coma from Boston's Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, the all-you-can-eat ice cream festival for an awesome cause, it's hard to even think about ice cream (8 brands @ 2 flavors each=32 cups....hard to even admit!) but there is some great chocolate ice cream out there that we'd be remiss not to talk about on National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. One flavor that caught me by surprise because it was frozen yogurt was Hood's Double Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt. So creamy and the chocolate was super smooth. I myself loved it. And then there was Friendly's Forbidden Fudge which was rich and creamy. Loved that one too.

I don't have my own recipe to share but I do love this one from Food Network's Alton Brown, and so does everyone else as you can see by the 5 star rating. Enjoy and Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!



Chocolate Ice Cream
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Serves: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Which Flavor Melts Faster?

3 Days of 3 Yummy Deals at Baskin Robbins

Baskin Robbins is offering their customers three days of a few great deals. 

For $1, $2, or $3 you can get a sweet treat from today through Thursday, April 25th. 

$1 Soft Serve Cones

$2 Double Scoop Cones and Small 31 Below

$3 Small Cappuccino Blasts, Small Milkshakes, and 2-scoop sundaes\

Find a shop near you.

Enjoy!

Product Review: NewAir AIC-210S Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

Image courtesy of NewAir

About a month ago we got an email from NewAir asking if we wanted to try out a compressor ice cream maker -- the NewAir AIC-210S Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. Um, ok! I have never used a compressor ice cream maker so I was excited for the experience. Tina and I decided we would share the ice cream maker, but I would try my turn at it first.

It arrived only a few days before I got an new ice cream book as a gift. I hadn't made ice cream in a while, what with a new baby and all, and I thought a new book and a new ice cream maker were the perfect combo to get me in the mood.

So I cracked open the new book, whipped up a few recipes from it, and tested the out in this new machine.

I then got an email from a friend who had also gotten a sample of the machine and he asked how I liked the machine. I wrote and told him

Tina graciously let the machine be sent to my house, so I am the only one who has tried it and I will be the only one who is trying it since we were going to share it but I really like it so she may never see it! Just kidding!!!! Of course Tina will get her turn! I can't wait for her to use it too!

I have only used it once so far, but it has gotten me back on an ice cream making kick again (and I want to try your recipe for cake batter ice cream!)

In my opinion (and I might just turn this into a post!) it has it's pros and cons.

One thing I love about the NewAir is that it is so quiet! The Cuisinart I have is SO loud. I also think the NewAir is easier to clean (I hate cleaning the paddle on the Cuisinart ICE-20 I have -- but the newer version ICE-21 paddle looks easier to clean!!!), easier to make ice cream on a whim (I usually leave my canisters in my chest freezer, but sometimes I forget to replace them, or in the summer for the ice cream party, I have four or so in my chest freezer waiting to be used -- the compressor eliminates all that)...

The volume is smaller in the NewAir (1 qt) as opposed to 1.5 qt. I am not sure this matters. It IS bulkier (and certainly heavier to take out and put away and I don't think my husband wants it living on our counter) -- at the same time, it's more contained. With the Cuisinart, I have to store the motor, etc in one place together and the freezer bowls elsewhere.

He then replied that he had found the ice cream much icier and airier in the new machine than in the machine he usually uses, and I realized I had told him everything about the process but nothing about the product! Truth be told, I hadn't focused on the texture of the ice cream I had made because the first batch was that super sour kiwi ice cream and the second batch I had only tasted right out of the machine and I really like my ice cream to ripen. So I tested the texture of the second batch.

I wasn't impressed. My ice cream seemed icy and not too smooth. Wait! Keep reading!

I began to wonder if the problem was the recipe. I had made a new vanilla ice cream recipe, and deviating from the recipe, I had used Ground Madagascar Vanilla Beans. Maybe the texture that was bothering me was the ground beans (they do work out lovely in cupcakes, but maybe they aren't meant for ice cream).

In his email, the friend had also mentioned that he was going to try a side by side comparison with his new machine and his old machine. Oh, wait! Great idea, I thought. I hadn't thought to do that. AND I was testing recipes I had never tried before. And I had even altered one of them. Maybe my review wasn't all that fair.

So I went to my favorite recipe, my standby, go-to vanilla. I love the flavor and the texture, and I also love how it makes up a big batch of base...and I also love how you can make the base and put different flavors and additions and make tons of different flavors from the same basic recipe.

So then I churned it, in both my Cuisinart and the new NewAir. Right out of the machine, I have to say, I was really impressed. The ice cream wasn't icy, it was incredibly smooth, and just dense enough. Side-by-side, the NewAir ice cream seemed to be a little lighter and a little airier than the Cuisinart, but the difference was incredibly minor and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference had I not been acutely aware of whether the machine made “airier” ice cream. I had a friend over who enjoyed the ice cream from both machines (I put a scoop of each in her bowl) and even after I told her each scoop was different, she couldn’t distinguish a difference and only reported back that she thought it was very good vanilla ice cream.

In the end, this product was a success. I’d be interested to see Tina’s review when she has a chance to play with the machine.

As for our ice cream making friend who had bad luck, our emails uncovered a few thoughts as to why he felt differently. He’s a self proclaimed ice cream geek with good reason. While Tina and my ice cream making background is purely self taught, this friend has a scientific background in ice cream making. Maybe his palette is a bit more discriminating. He also uses a fancier machine than we do. Tina uses a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment, I use a Cuisinart, and he uses a Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker, so maybe the $200 NewAir is a big step down from his machine.

If I were to buy a compressor machine, would this be the one I’d choose? I can’t say. I haven’t been given any other ice cream makers to try, so I have nothing to compare it to. But as for my first experience with a compressor machine, I had a lot of fun and saw a lot of postives in it, and the price is pretty reasonable for a compressor machine, so I’d certainly consider it.

Stay tuned for Tina’s review as well as additonal tests from me!