Experimental Frozen Treats

I'm really happy to share with you that through the generosity of some Christmas gifts, I am now fully equipped to experiment with ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and sherbert at home. My Aunt and Uncle purchased for me "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz who is one of my favorite pastry chefs - he has a variety of books and he's an avid blogger which I follow on a weekly basis:



Through some monetary gifts, I purchased an Italian Gelato Machine (which was engineered in Italy but sadly manufactured in China). It came with a book full of recipes as well. What's great about this machine, and why I chose this model, is because it has a self-refrigerating compressor; therefore, I do not have to pre-freeze bowls like many machines requires. It also means I can make batches of frozen goodness back to back. These qualities, and the quality of the brand, made spending extra dollars well worth it.

Over the weekend, I made a batch of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, with the recipe from The Perfect Scoop. What I like about David's cookbook is that he gives recipes that are French style (custard-based, from egg yolks which results in a richer, creamier product) as well as Philadelphia style (no eggs so a bit firmer). For this, I made the French style because I wanted to practice making custard. It was worth it. The recipe results in an extremely delicious product. I am so excited for my new at-home abilities to experiment with frozen delights!