It's All David Lebovitz's Fault

Pear-Caramel Ice Cream



Yonks and yonks ago, my friend David Lebovitz asked me for my mailing address - because he wanted to send me a copy of his book. I had forgotten all about that conversation when several months later a copy of The Perfect Scoop arrived from 10-Speed Press.

So I wrote to him and said "Just got a copy of your book! Sneaky 10 speed - they know I don't even accept freebies. So I am just going to pretend it is a present from you which is why I am writing to say thank you."

"Silly girl, you're drunk on too much HP sauce!" is how he responded. Apparently I had already agreed to accept the book as a gift from him as a friend. There you have it. Or there I have it - One copy of an Ice cream book in a household that doesn't eat ice cream.

For several more months the icy cool cover of The Perfect Scoop would flutter its eyelashes cover flaps at me from its position on the overcrowded cook-book shelf. Several times I took it down from it's perch to look at the delightful pictures or marvel at the sound of the flavour combinations. But what could I do? I had no way to make ice cream. When I was a teenager I used to make an abomination of ice cream sometimes, by removing the chilling dairy mixture (Cadbury's flake, rum and evaporated milk) out of the freezer ever 20 minutes as it hardened and beating it furiously by hand. I am pretty certain that the results of that method which may have marvelled me as a child, wouldn't cut it with my more sophisticated adult standards.

So eventually I caved in and agreed to accept an ice cream maker as a belated birthday gift from my mUm. (I was belated in telling her what I wanted, so please don't accuse her of any tardiness.) It arrived last week. What should I make first?

It was a no-brainer. My fridge is full of pears, gift of a certain person in Marin whose tree was rather generous. So I used David's recipe for Pear and Caramel Ice Cream to christen my shiny new ice cream making device. It was easy to make and I loved the result of my first grown-up ice cream making experience. I loved the itsy bitsy pear texture contrasting against the smooth creaminess of the dairy. I loved the salty caramel taste too - although next time I might try and cook the caramel a little bit longer for more of a burnt caramel experience. This time I think I was a little bit of a wimp. For the record, Fred thought it was disgusting. What do the French know anyway?

This September marks yet another Eat Local challenge. Ever since I joined in the first Eat Local Challenge back in 2005, inspired largely by Jen Maiser of Life Begins at 30, eating fresh, local produce has become a way of life for me. So what more can I do? I have found my Eating Local level of comfort and that is where I am sticking with it. I am not going to ever be 100% hardcore - from now on - I just push myself in small ways, here and there.

Because the September 2007 Eat Local Challenge emphasis is on canning and preserving the bounty of September for the winter months, this is the perfect opportunity to try some new things out. What better way to preserve some delicious fruits a while beyond their prime moment than in an ice cream? For those of you who might be put off by boiling jars of tomatoes in large vats of water as a way of preserving but who want to have a go at making the tastes of late summer last a little while longer, then chilling out in the kitchen with an ice cream maker could be your answer. Just don't blame me if the results of your labour are so delicious that they don't last much longer than a couple of months, weeks, days hours...



PS - I am grateful to David's The Perfect Scoop for guiding me in the way of ice cream making principles. I find his book very easy to follow. I am going to try a few more of his tested combinations and look forward to experimenting more in the future once I have grasped the techniques. I have already made a second recipe from his book - can anyone guess which flavour I chose to make next? Answer soon.

Local Resources
Cream from Straus
Lemon from Will's Avocados/Brokaw
Pears from Cookiecrumb

Eat Local Month September 2007

Archives
2006 | The opening of local favourite, organic Petit Patisserie
2004 | David Coffaro

© 2007 Sam Breach

It's All David Lebovitz's Fault