Guest Post: Wai Wai, Chinatown, Boston

Bethany's husband takes us to Chinatown in Boston for his favorite ice cream...

I was in Boston's Chinatown last night and realized that one of my all time favorite ice cream places EVER was one block over. The sign had changed since I last visited about a decade ago, but it's still there. Wai Wai on Oxford St:


It's below street level and the first thing you see is roasted duck, but don't let that fool you. To the left of the duck is a small ice cream case and the only flavor I've ever tried is Coconut. I never want to risk any other flavor just because the Coconut is so singularly awesome.

Bethany would use fancier words to describe this, but it super soft, very coconutty, and I noticed a few small ice chunks in it. Whatever is in this ice cream, they should keep doing it, and I'll keep stepping in whenever I can.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Happy National Ice Cream Month!

Today marks the first day of National Ice Cream Month (as designate by Ronald Reagan in 1984 -- never followed his politics much since he was in office when I was just five through nine years old -- but this is one of his ideas I can get behind!)

Check back with us daily for news, recipes, interviews during the month of July.

Today is also Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. This one is not as "official" as National Ice Cream Month or National Ice Cream Day (also designated by Reagan -- it falls on the third Sunday in July) but it still gives you an excuse to eat ice cream (as if you need one!).

One of the most creative flavors I have ever made and actually enjoyed in all it's creativity (because both garlic and durian fruit, while creative, just aren't that good) was David Lebovitz's Candied Bacon Ice Cream.

What about you? Do you have a creative flavor you have either made or bought that is worth a mention?

Ice cream image by ctechs at stockxchng.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

I came across this photo the other day...From left to right: Sarah's friend Jenny, my sisters Arianna (2) and Sarah (6), and me, Bethany (4)!

I love the way we are in awe of Jenny. "Look at the way she eats her ice cream!"

SpiceDish Saturday {June}: Plain But Perfect Vanilla Gelato

It's actually Thursday as I write this. I am in New York with my best friend. The rain is coming down and there is no chance of going to the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck (though no review, interview to follow next week and bonus points for any New Yorker who wants to try it for us!) My only comfort is hanging out with my oldest and dearest friend and doing what we do best -- watching silly sitcoms and eating junk. She's on the phone right now, and while my mind is craving sweets, I figure the best way to maybe calm this craving to to post one of SpiceDish's famous, delicious recipes. This one seems perfect for me to write about today -- while some people find vanilla boring, I find it to be the comforting best friend that brightens up a rainy day.

Thanks, EB!

Plain But Perfect Vanilla Gelato

2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole vanilla beans

In a thick bottomed saucepan, mix the milk and cream. Split your vanilla beans and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture. Drop the beans in. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Let steep for 1 hour. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until whipped. Remove bean pods from milk mixture. Gradually pour the mixture into the egg yolks, and whisk constantly. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Pour the mixture through a strainer and back into a large bowl. Cover, and chill completely in the fridge. Once chilled through, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. You may need to put the gelato in a container, and ‘ripen’ it in the freezer until it is firm.

It's all about the Scoop

As Mitch Cohen, holder of the Guiness World Record for scooping the most ice cream in one minute, says..."The most difficult part about eating ice cream is getting it out of the container." He's got that right!

Most tips you'll read says to let your ice cream sit for 5-10 minutes before serving for ease of scoop and best flavor but seriously who can wait that long. So it really does come down to what tools you use to get the ice cream out of the tub. Mitch swears by The Original Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop. that's made of aluminum alloy and has a heat-conductive liquid inside that warms up from your hand and just glides through the hardest ice cream ever. What is really neat about this scoop, besides the liquid inside, is that it also comes in a variety of sizes, from 1-4 oz portions and the end cap is color coded according to its size. So you can have a kiddy cone version for your little ones and one for the adults. It'll drop you about $15-$20 and from the sounds of it is made like a tank so it'll last. One reader on Amazon says, "This ice cream scoop is really amazing. You'll feel like you're at an ice cream parlor, scooping your own nice, perfect scoop from that vat of ice cream." Now what's better than that!

Interesting thing is before I even read about what the Zeroll scoop was all about I was going to say my top pick for an ice cream scooper is Pampered Chef's Ice Cream Dipper, which come to find out is essentially the same thing. Has the same heat-conductive liquid in the middle and it seriously is a godsend. I swear by this scoop. It does have one major downfall, as does the Zeroll scoop...you CANNOT PUT IN THE DISHWASHER. I think I need to put a sign up in my kitchen for this because my husband has ruined two scoops in the past 6 months on me and I have a new one on order. Let's see how this one lasts...any bets?!