Nothing says summer time like a scoop of homemade ice cream. There’s something about the enjoying a bowl of fresh homemade ice cream on a hot summer day. There are many wonderful gluten-free ice creams readily available at the grocery stores but homemade ice cream can be very fun and easy to make. Involve your kids and be creative. There are many delicious varieties — some well-known and yet there is still plenty of room to invent a new flavor of your own.

Brief History:

The first ice creams date back a long time….perhaps even as early as 200BC. It is said that the Roman Emperor Nero had snow brought down from the mountains to freeze his favorite drinks. Marco Polo returned from the Far East with an ice cream sorbet recipe and King Charles I of England’s cook developed a frozen cream recipe. It wasn’t until 1846 that Nancy Johnson (USA) invented the hand crank freezer that ice cream, as we know it today, came into existence. In the 1920’s Clarence Vogt developed the first continuous process freezer that made commercially produced ice cream a reality.

Fun Facts:

• The most popular flavor of ice cream is vanilla.
• The most popular topping — chocolate.
• The United States is the largest consumer of commercially produced ice cream.
• The U.S. produces more than 800 million gallons of ice cream every year.
• The global market for ice cream is around 11 billion dollars.
• The best temperature to serve ice cream is 8°F.
• About 13% of men and 8% of women admit to licking their bowl clean after eating their ice cream.
• The biggest ice cream sundae was 12 feet tall — made in California.
• Around 5% of people will admit to sharing their ice cream with their cat or dog.
• Adults consume nearly one-half of all ice cream novelties.
• July is national ice cream month!

Answers to Common Ice Cream Questions:

What makes a premium ice cream?

Premium ice creams are made with fresh cream, real eggs and natural flavorings. Lesser ice creams may not contain as high of quality ingredients and they have more air whipped into them. In some cases, nearly half of the container of lesser quality ice creams is "air". Having more air means that the ice cream scoops more easily and melts more quickly.

What is gelato?

Gelato is an Italian ice cream that is denser, more icy, and often more flavorful, than American ice cream. Gelato recipes usually include more egg yolks, more milk and less cream. It actually has less fat than regular ice cream, but gelato's low overrun makes for an extremely dense, rich and creamy treat.

What about sorbets?

Sorbets are all about fruit. There is no milk, eggs, or cream in sorbets….simply fruit, sugar, usually lemon juice and water. Originally sorbets were used as a palate cleanser, but today are enjoyed just as much as ice creams. The key to a good sorbet is fresh fruit. Using cooked fruit will result in a sorbet that tastes like jam and ice.

What are some great ice cream makers?

We use the Cuisinart ICE-20 1-1/2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, and Sorbet Maker. The great thing about this ice cream maker is that you don’t have to add salt or ice. Just add your ice cream batter and turn the machine on…within about 20-30 minutes your ready to enjoy your ice cream!

There are a whole bunch of different ice cream makers ranging from $29 to about $250. For a variety of different ice cream makers check out www.amazon.com.

What commercial brands of ice cream are gluten-free?

Always check the ingredients and of course avoid those with brownie flavors or cookie dough and other additives containing wheat and malt. With that said the following brands have ice cream flavors that are gluten-free:

Breyer’s, Häagen-Dazs, Carvel, Turkey Hill, Ben & Jerry’s*, Edy’s, Baskin-Robbins*, Rice Dream, Soy Dream, Tasti D-Lite. *See next question/answer.

How about buying ice cream in an ice cream shop?

We tend to avoid buying ice cream "scoops" from an ice cream shop — only because they often just casually rinse off the scoop between different flavors. This is an obvious opportunity for cross contamination.

Homemade Ice Cream, Sorbet & Gelato Recipes:

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1-3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In a stand mixer (or a hand mixer will also work) beat the eggs and sugar until thick. Add the milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until well-blended. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker. Freeze according to instructions for your ice cream maker.

Note: If you are concerned about salmonella you will want to cook the eggs before proceeding with making your ice cream. Although the risk of contracting salmonella from raw eggs, the illness can be life-threatening to infants, pregnant women, the elderly and ill or immuno-compromised people.

Melon Gelato

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large cantaloupe
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 5 ounces light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 4 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice

Directions:

Scoop out the seeds of the cantaloupe and peel off the rind. Cut the flesh into small pieces. Place the cantaloupe in a food processor and puree.

Beat together the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until thick. Warm the corn syrup over low heat. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk mixture into the corn syrup and cook over low heat, whisking just until warmed through. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. In separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold it into the yolk mixture.

Beat the egg whites with 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form. Fold into yolk mixture. Stir in melon puree, lime zest and lemon juice. Freeze according to instructions for your ice cream maker.

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 12 ounces frozen blackberries
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Add blackberries and 1/4 cup water to a food processor and puree. Transfer to a strainer and strain and discard seeds.

Add sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Add blackberry puree and lemon juice to sugar water, stirring to blend. Pour into a freezer bowl of an ice cream maker and let the mixture thicken for about 30 minutes. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze until desired firmness.

Check out these other great ice cream recipes on Glutenfreeda.com:

Raspberry Ice Cream

Low-fat Frozen Peach & Cherry Yogurt

Berry Berry Ice Cream

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Peach Ice Cream

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Chocolate Ice Cream

Lime Yogurt Sherbet

Mango Sherbet

Chocolate Chip Gelato

Mocha Chip Gelato

Enjoy!

-Glutenfreeda