From the Stacks
By Carol Ann Robb, PPL Reference Librarian
You scream, I scream, We all scream for ice cream!
Does any other food scream summer more than homemade ice cream? Well, maybe a BLT made with fresh from the garden tomatoes but for the 4th of July weekend, it has to be homemade ice cream. I suppose store-bought would work in a pinch but not for me this weekend.
If you don’t have your grandmother’s recipe tucked away or making your own ice cream sounds a bit daunting, never fear. Once again the library can come to your rescue. “The Complete Book of Homemade Ice Cream, Milk Sherbet, & Sherbet” by Carolyn Anderson is a bit dated but includes some interesting tidbits about the history of ice cream and is recent enough that the recipes call for cooking the mixture—that’s a rather important step. Some of them, though, deserve a pass (gooseberry ice cream? I think not).
“The Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Cookbook,” by Mable & Gar Hoffman is a bit more up-to-date and in addition to recipes for making ice cream there are suggestions for other frozen desserts and toppings. For something even newer, Ree Drummond’s second cookbook, “Food From My Frontier,” includes some homemade ice cream recipes alongside other yummy-sounding dishes (I’d skip the pan-fried kale though).
If you’re more into reading fiction than making ice cream (you can do both, you know, especially if you have an electric freezer) then take a look at “The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street” by Susan Jane Gilman. There’s also an Ice Cream Parlor mystery series by Abby Collette, the first title being “Deadly Inside Scoop,” followed by “Game of Cones,” and “Killer Sundae.” But don’t come in looking for the first title—I have it checked out for my 4th of July read but you can call and we’ll get it on hold for you.
A 4th of July menu conjures up visions of grilled hamburgers, fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and yes, homemade ice cream. That’s almost more important than the fireworks. So celebrate our country’s freedom with a new, quieter, and tasty way. After all, doesn’t it look like the Statue of Liberty is holding up an ice cream cone?