be ice cream.

What about "sundae"? Ever wonder how that creation got its name? Actually, it is related to

that day of the week, Sunday. An enterprising individual invented it in the 1890s when he decided

to combine ice cream and sparkling water. They became extremely popular. Midwestern blue laws,

backed by the churches, forbade the serving of such pleasurable items as ice cream sodas on

Sunday. Since they allowed ice cream, another enterprising individual created a jazzed-up version,

by pouring hot chocolate sauce over a dish of ice cream—a creation reserved for Sundays. This was

another instant success.

Home-made ice creams are not common dessert items, though it was a good family tradition

in our great grandparents' time. To make good ice cream in your kitchen, you need time, specialized

equipment and a fair amount of expertise along with a generous scoop of patience. There are now

ice cream making tools and machines to make the job less difficult, but they haven't caught much

attention. The end product is not usually as flavorful and smooth-textured as modern commercial

varieties, and it often costs more to make it at home. Ice cream may be one of those rare exceptions

where the commercial product probably beats homemade. (My apologies to those who disagree.)

How do they make ice cream?

Ice cream is basically a frozen custard. The ingredients of a standard custard are milk,

cream, egg and flavoring. But egg in ice cream is an optional ingredients. Premium ice creams

include it, the more economical garden varieties usually do not because eggs up the cost. The eggs

in ice cream may be whole eggs or egg yolks. If the processor uses heavy cream, the ice cream is

richer, smoother and denser. Milk or light cream make a lighter texture. The processor uses a

combination of different milk products to provide the specified fat content, percent milk solids (U.S.

law specifies a minimum amount for both) and ideal density.

TASTINGS Airy ice cream

The dairy industry calls the amount of air whipped into ice cream the overrun. Some

overrun is desirable by the consumers—they give light airy texture to the ice cream.

If the overrun is high, you are eating air instead of ice cream which is good for

dieters but not for gourmets. In the U.S. the maximum allowable overrun is 100

percent, which means the ice cream maker can double the volume of the original

mixture with air. Inexpensive ice creams have the maximum allowed overrun,

premium ice creams have less. You get what you pay for.

There are several critical elements involved in making good ice cream: the temperature of

the custard when it is ready to freeze, the amount and speed of whipping to incorporate air into the

mix and the rate of cooling, to name a few. The rate of cooling and the amount of stirring determine

how smooth your ice cream will be. High school physics may have taught you that fast cooling

results in many tiny crystals, while slow cooling develops fewer, larger crystals. Rapid stirring also

decreases crystal size. The finer the crystals, the smoother and less crunchy the ice cream is.

Commercial producers with sophisticated cooling equipment can chill the mixture quickly and add

compressed air to keep the crystals small.

Such close control is impossible for the home chef. As a first requirement, start with a good

recipe, then follow your equipment's manual. Practice, change ingredients, proportions, the total

whipping time and speed (if you can) until you get the ice cream you like. Home-made ice cream

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