Thai Iced Tea ice cream

Thai iced tea is one of my ice cream flavors that I find myself craving during the day when I'm far from my freezer.  Brewed from strong ceylon tea, the bright orange drink is made creamy with condensed or evaporated milk.  It has a sweet, smoky flavor that is surprisingly subtle, when compared to its bright orange hue.  

 

When I visited Thailand several years ago, I was excited anticipating the pad thai and thai iced tea sold by street vendors.  Immediately, I learned that this one dish and drink popular in the United States is just one of many things to try.  All juices from street vendors are served in plastic bags, which can be held like groceries or hung from the handlebars of a tuk-tuk or bicycle.  It reminded me of a giant capri sun made better by the fact that I didn't have to negotiate a tiny little straw.

Tapioca pearls, orange blossom water, star anise, and crushed tamarind seed can be added to the tea to enhance the flavor.  I'm looking forward to making ice cream of all the different tastes of my travels.  Maybe it's time to take another trip to Southeast Asia...

Historic! Ice Cream Jubilee for sale!

Now you can buy Ice Cream Jubilee at a neighborhood store! The Silver Spork, 303 7th Street SE, in Eastern Market now carries several flavors of Ice Cream Jubilee flavors in take-home and eat-now sizes.  Visit www.icecreamjubilee.com.

The Friday ice cream delivery looks beautiful!  I'm so proud!  

By Saturday afternoon, more than half had been sold.

Eastern Market is so happy to have Ice Cream Jubilee!

And I'm so happy to have taken this big step.  Thank you, Silver Spork!

Mango Habanero ice cream

The hottest, happiest days summer days are beach days.  The ocean gusts let teenagers forget the sun’s sizzle on their skin, so they can continue laughing in their swim trunks and flirting in their halter tops.  Fresh yellow mango wedges perched on skewers are dusted with chili pepper powder, which quickly dusts the daring young foodie with red dust as soon as a surprise breeze sweeps the crowd.

This flavor was inspired by these boardwalk memories.  The candied habanero pieces lend a flowery lilt to the sweet mango cream, but transitions in seconds into fiery excitement on your tastebuds. 

Thanks to my friend April for the backdrop of beautiful Cuban butterflies.  The color is emblematic of the variety of flavors you’ll experience tasting this Mango Habenero flavor.

Brandied Cherries ice cream

I love flowers, I love pink, and I love cocktails.  

Brandied cherries make me very happy; they make any cocktail taste better.  As I suspected, they also makes a fabulous ice cream, too!  With fresh cherries, brandy, and some love and magic, this Brandied Cherries ice cream could be my new favorite.  With every bite, I am reassured that spring is around the corner and this summer is going to be fantastic!

After a seemingly endless winter, spring has arrived in Washington, DC.  The sunshine has lifted Washingtonians' spirits, and the District's famed cherry trees have begun to bloom.  The Cherry Blossom Festival is a Washington, DC tradition. In 1912, the people of Japan sent over 3,000 cherry trees to the United States as a gift of friendship.  

For over 100 years, a frosting of pink and white petals have covered the treetops and sidewalks in the spring.  To me, the petals on the ground can be as enchanting as the flowers in the trees.  With any gust of wind, the sidewalk can become a spontaneous confetti party with pink explosion of petals filling the air with perfume.   

Sichuan Peppercorn ice cream

When a friend returned from a trip to China with Sichuan peppercorn, I accepted his challenge to make an ice cream flavor with this unique spice.  Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black, white or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth.  In fact, it is more closely related to citrus than black pepper or chilli peppers.

Using orange and lemon zest, I created a citrus ice cream base and added ground Sichuan pepper after the churning was nearly completed.  The bright citrus notes are the first flavors you'll taste, followed by the flavor of the sweet cream.  The Sichuan tingle grows on your tongue until you realize that the sensation is not from the cold and the lemony flavor is not from the citrus zest.  Even after tasting this flavor several times, the uniqueness of this combination keeps me scooping for another taste to re-experience the many layers of flavor.

Sichuan peppercorn is called "hua jiao" in Mandarin, literally flower pepper.  I had never seen the bright fuchsia buds before, and indeed, they looked like little flowers, or perhaps miniature versions of ornate, decorative hats.  (Don't they look like the hats or shoes of the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz?)  It's likely, however, that they are called "flower pepper" because the tingling sensation opens your mind and tastebuds to the other flavors of the dish it accompanies.  

My friend Emily, the founder and chief pie baker at Nothing in the House was so kind to give me a freshly baked marmalade tart when I dropped off ice cream as part of her monthly subscription.  It paired well with the citrus notes of the Sichuan Peppercorn ice cream.

Hazelnut Cream

When I first tasted nocciola, I didn't know anyone who would use such a fancy word to describe ice cream.  I will always remember the fancy gelato place in Houston where I could splurge for flavors in languages I had never heard spoken.  My parents would bring me there after my theatre performances to let me know that I did a great job, and junior prom boys would bring their dates here to let them know that they were sophisticated ninth graders.  

If I were to drive through the Italian countryside in a convertible wearing a glamorous sunglasses under the silk scarf over my hair and red, red lipstick, I would be dreaming of hazelnut ice cream.  My hazelnut ice cream has a slight almond base with the texture of finely ground roasted nuts.

Dark Chocolate Lime Sorbet

Making ice cream and writing this blog is a great excuse to see my world and experiences as new potential flavors.  When my friend April recently invited me to catch up, have dinner, and share some chocolates for dessert, one taste became inspiration!

Upon special request, I set out to recreate the flavor in a non-dairy creation.  High quality chocolates will melt and refreeze easily into a smooth sorbet.  As I tasted this new flavor, I wondered how I could have overlooked making this flavor earlier!  The tangy lime and chocolate reminded me of a vacation to Key West where I first tasted Frozen Key Lime Pie on a Stick.  Years later, I was thrilled to discover Steve's authentic Key Lime Pie on a Stick while biking around Redhook, Brooklyn.  Both frozen pies on sticks are fantastic (how could they not be?).

Do any of these chocolate flavors inspire ice cream ideas for you?