The Big Freeze

Among the rediscovered joys of the past, the coolest at the table these days is freshly frozen ice cream--your own thing, churned in the tradition-honored freezer bucket. This is not to say that store-bought ice cream isn't enjoying a renaissance of its own. Gourmet brands are flourishing and ice-cream parlors are proliferating. But freshly made do-it-yourself ice cream is to most of the packaged stuff as fresh Beluga caviar is to baby food. Even an ice cream as simple as French vanilla--when unencumbered with gelatins, starches, stabilizers and all the other additives--will send taste buds soaring anew. Vary the basic vanilla theme with imported chestnuts in syrup or diced guava shells and you'll introduce your crowd to some of the world's most fabulous desserts.

The ice-cream freezer is particularly suited for outdoor summer fun. If you're providing the food for a picnic, you can comfortably mix the ice cream before leaving home, keep it ice-clad in the same portable freezer in which it was churned and then take it to that pool-side party, brookside picnic or outing on the dunes. At an all-day affair, ice cream can be made outdoors several hours before the barbecue fire is lit, giving the ice cream time to ripen while you enjoy fun and games. The job of cranking the freezer won't take more than 20 or 25 minutes, and you can always count on eager volunteers to take turns. Incidentally, it's no more difficult than walking, except for the last five minutes, when some muscle power is needed. Electrically driven freezers are even easier, of course, but you'll miss the special fun of finger-spooning ice cream out of a bucket.

All sorts of recipes have been written for making ice cream in ice-cube trays. Forget it; results are always frosty disappointments. Ice creams and ices, unless continuously mixed while they're being frozen, inevitably reveal a telltale flock of sharp ice crystals. The only dessert that can be still-frozen and turn out velvety smooth is the classic French frozen mousse; the large amount of rich solids in the mousse discourages crystallization. The traditional ice-cream-freezing process is simple: Sweetened, flavored cream, or cream and milk, is poured into a can surrounded by ice and rock salt. As the can is rotated, a dasher inside churns the contents, while the salt outside causes the ice to melt; when ice changes from a solid to a liquid, it absorbs heat from the icebound cream mixture and the cream eventually turns to ice cream. You'll need finely cracked ice (not snow ice) rather than cubes. Chipped ice can be made either in ice-chip trays or by placing cubes in a canvas or burlap bag and whacking them with a wooden mallet or some other suitable weapon. It's always a good idea to have at least twice as much ice as is needed for the first filling of the bucket; melting ice must be replaced during the mixing; when the mixing is completed, the can may have to be repacked with ice unless the ice cream is stashed in a home freezer.

Even if you don't make your own ice cream, you can still offer spectacular ice-cream desserts, since not all commercial products are frozen globs of whipped air and additives. When you buy ice cream, the first thing to look for is its weight. Be it pint, quart or gallon, it should be heavy for its size. You want flavors that are vivid but natural. Good ice cream should be rich without being buttery. When it melts, it should have the consistency of heavy cream rather than of watery milk. It should not be sticky, coarse, grainy nor gummy in the mouth.

Note: Your frozen assets shouldn't be too frozen. When ice cream is as hard as marble, taste buds are numbed rather than titillated. To achieve the ideal state, transfer hard-frozen ice cream from the freezer to the refrigerator about a half hour to an hour before serving.

[recipe_title]Vanilla Ice Cream (About 2 3/4 quarts)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 quart light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 cups milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 cups sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons vanilla extract[/recipe]

Combine light cream, heavy cream and milk in saucepan. Over moderate heat, bring it up to the boiling point, but do not boil. Add sugar and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in vanilla. Chill to refrigerator temperature. Freeze, following directions with freezer. In place of vanilla extract, 6 ins. vanilla pod may be used. Scrape seeds, after splitting pod, and scald pod and seeds with cream-and-milk mixture. Strain before freezing.

[recipe_title]French Vanilla Ice Cream (About 3 quarts)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 quart light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 cups milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 cups sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]12 egg yolks, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons vanilla extract[/recipe]

Combine light cream, heavy cream and milk in saucepan or top section of double boiler. Over direct moderate heat, bring it up to the boiling point, but do not boil. Add sugar and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place mixture over simmering water in bottom part of double boiler. Top section of double boiler should not touch the water. Stir a little of the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Slowly stir the yolks into the remaining cream mixture in pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken slightly. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Chill to refrigerator temperature. Freeze, following directions with freezer.

Chestnut Ice Cream Drain two 10-oz. jars chestnut pieces in vanilla syrup. Add syrup to scalded mixture in the recipe for French vanilla ice cream. Just after ice cream is frozen and before it is hardened, stir in chestnut pieces.

Guava Ice Cream Drain 18-oz. can guava shells in syrup. Add syrup to scalded mixture in the recipe for French vanilla ice cream. Cut guava shells into 1/4-in. dice. Just after ice cream is frozen and before it is hardened, stir in guava pieces.

Frozen Pudding Drain 2 10-oz. jars Nesselrode fruits in syrup. Add syrup to scalded mixture in the recipe for French vanilla ice cream. Just after ice cream is frozen and before it is hardened, stir in Nesselrode fruits.

Coffee Ice Cream Use 3 cups double-strength freshly brewed coffee instead of the milk in the recipe for French vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Ice Cream Add 4 OZS. melted unsweetened chocolate to the scalded milk and cream in the recipe for French vanilla ice cream.

[recipe_title]Banana Ice Cream (About 2 quarts)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 pint light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 pint milk[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]6 egg yolks, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon vanilla extract[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup banana purée[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon lemon juice[/recipe]

Combine light cream, heavy cream and milk in saucepan and bring to the boiling point, but do not boil. Add sugar and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place mixture in top of double boiler over simmering water. Top section of double boiler should not touch the water. Stir a little of the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Slowly stir the yolks into the remaining cream mixture in pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken slightly. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. About 4 ripe medium-size bananas will be needed to make 1 cup banana purée. Mash bananas or purée in blender and put through wire sieve. Mix bananas and lemon juice. Combine cream mixture and banana purée. Cool to refrigerator temperature. Freeze, following directions with freezer.

[recipe_title]Coconut Ice Cream (About 2 quarts)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 pint light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 cups milk[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]4 egg yolks, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]16-oz. can coconut-milk cream (crema de coco)[/recipe]

Combine light cream, heavy cream and milk in saucepan and bring up to the boiling point, but do not boil. Add sugar and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place mixture over simmering water in bottom part of double boiler. Top section of double boiler should not touch the water. Stir a little of the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Slowly stir the yolks into the remaining cream mixture in pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken slightly. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and stir in coconut-milk cream, blending well. Cool to refrigerator temperature. Freeze, following directions with freezer.

Coconut Macadamia Ice Cream Add 4 1/2 ozs. coarsely chopped Macadamia nuts to ice cream just after it is frozen and before it is hardened.

[recipe_title]Frozen Chocolate Mousse (About 1 quart)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 ozs. sweet chocolate (baking type)[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup water[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup granulated sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons instant-dissolving flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon butter[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sifted confectioners' sugar[/recipe]

(concluded on page 205)The Big Freeze(continued from page 152)

Put chocolate and 1/4 cup water in top section of double boiler over simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted chocolate and water are well blended; make sure there are no pieces of unblended chocolate. Set aside. Pour milk into saucepan. Stir in sugar, flour and salt until flour dissolves. Add butter. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Simmer 2 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of the sauce to the beaten egg yolks. Stir yolks into saucepan and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla. Combine melted chocolate and sauce, blending well. Chill in refrigerator about a half hour or until cool. Whip cream until stiff and fold in confectioners' sugar. Fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream. Turn into 1-quart soufflé dish or other serving dish and freeze without further stirring. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or whipped cream flavored with white crème de menthe or white crème de cacao.

[recipe_title]Fresh Strawberry Ice (About 1 1/2 quarts)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 pints fresh strawberries[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 cups sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup water[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon lemon juice[/recipe]

The quality of strawberry ice depends largely on the quality of the fresh strawberries used. The berries should be thoroughly ripened, sweet and unblemished.

Stir sugar, water and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Chill to refrigerator temperature. Wash and remove stems from strawberries. Put them in small batches at a time into well of blender and blend until puréed. Force strawberry purée through wire strainer. Add lemon juice. Combine syrup and strawberry purée. Freeze, following directions with freezer.

[recipe_title]Ice Cream with Strawberries Cardinal (Serves six)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 quart French vanilla ice cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 quart fresh ripe strawberries, hulled and cleaned[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup granulated sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 1/2 ozs. cherry liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons prepared Sauce Melba[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sifted confectioners' sugar[/recipe]

Cut strawberries into 1/4-in. slices and mix with granulated sugar, cherry liqueur and Sauce Melba. Chill several hours in refrigerator. Whip cream until stiff and stir in confectioners' sugar. Fold cream into sweetened sliced strawberries. Scoop ice cream into serving dishes. Spoon strawberries over ice cream.

[recipe_title]Brandied-Peach Baked-Alaska Pie (Serves six)[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 1/2 pints French vanilla ice cream[/recipe]

[recipe]8-in. graham-cracker piecrust[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup prepared brandied-peach sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]3 whole brandied peaches, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg whites[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon vanilla extract[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup granulated sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]Sifted confectioners' sugar[/recipe]

Spread brandied-peach sauce on bottom and sides of piecrust. Spoon ice cream into crust and spread evenly. Place in freezer to harden completely. About 15 minutes before serving, cut brandied peaches into 1/2-in. slices and arrange slices on top of ice cream. Return pie to freezer until needed. Preheat broiler. Put egg whites and salt in electric mixer. Beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Add vanilla. Slowly add granulated sugar and continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy. Cover pie with meringue, forming swirls with a spoon, or decorate pie with meringue, using pastry bag and tube. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar. Place in broiler, at least 8 ins. from source of heat. Watch constantly. As soon as meringue turns light brown, remove from broiler. Serve at once.

[recipe_title]Deep-Fried Ice-Cream Crepes (Eight crepes[/recipe_title]

[recipe]6 phyllo or strudel leaves[/recipe]

[recipe]About 3/4 pint ice cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 egg, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/4 cups instant-dissolving flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon granulated sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 egg[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons Cointreau[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Deep fat for frying[/recipe]

[recipe]Sifted confectioners' sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]Bottled rum or brandy sauce[/recipe]

Phyllo or strudel leaves are available at Greek grocery stores or gourmet shops. If the leaves are frozen, they should be thawed to refrigerator temper ature before using. Manipulating the paper-thin leaves requires a deft hand; the recipe should be rehearsed for private consumption at least once before offering the crepes as party fare.

Place 3 phyllo leaves one on top of another on cutting board. Using the tip of a very sharp knife, cut the leaves into 4 piles of 3 leaves each. Repeat the process for 4 more piles. Brush the edges of each of the top leaves with beaten egg. Shape about 3 tablespoons ice cream into a roll about 3 ins. long. Place it at one of the short ends of the phyllo leaves. Roll once, fold in sides of leaves and continue rolling until ice cream is completely enfolded. Repeat in this manner, making crepe ice-cream rolls with remaining phyllo leaves. Place crepes in a single layer in a shallow pan. Cover with clear-plastic wrap. Place in freezer until ice cream is frozen very hard. In mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, salt, second egg, milk, Cointreau and salad oil. Beat until smooth. Heat deep fat to 390°. Be sure fat attains this temperature before frying--use a deep-fat thermometer to test the temperature or use an electrically controlled deep-fat fryer. Dip frozen crepes into batter, coating thoroughly. Fry a few at a time until light brown. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve at once. Pass rum or brandy sauce at table.

There is almost no end to what you can create by an imaginative combination of ice creams and toppings, so make "Cool it!" your summer rallying cry.