Ingredient of the Week: Ice Cream

Summer is perfect for cold, refreshing foods and beverages. Chef Tom Douglas talks with his co-author, Shelley Lance, about his favorite summer treat: ice cream.

If you’re going to make an ice cream bar this summer, you can copy Tom’s method that he made last weekend: “I bought a half-gallon of strawberry, chocolate, vanilla and coffee,” he says. He prefers Haagen Dazs, even though it might seem too rich with toppings. “It seemed so rich to then add toppings to – I had made shaved chocolate, toffee peanuts, toasted almonds, dolce de leche, chocolate sauce, brandied Bing cherries, whipped cream, and I even sliced up those spiced cookies that you get on Delta airlines – but it’s just good ice cream.”

Shelley agrees with Tom’s choice. “It’s going to sound so boring to say, but I buy Haagen Daz mostly,” she says. “It’s just so reliable, I like that texture which isn’t full of air. And if you look at the ingredients, it’s small.”

Katie O adds that Snoqualmie Ice Cream is quite popular, as their base is used in most local ice creams, like Molly Moon’s.

If you’re looking for a non-dairy alternative to traditional ice cream, Tom suggests using coconut milk.

“[Use] four egg yolks, a half a cup of sugar, a 13.5 ounce can of light coconut milk, a 13.5 ounce can of regular coconut milk, and two teaspoons of vanilla,” says Tom.

Finish by churning in your standard ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker (and have a budget like Tom), Shelly suggests getting an enclosed-freezer ice cream maker – but those run around $600.

If your budget is smaller, she says you might look at Cuisinart’s ice cream and sorbet maker, which is a cheaper $60.

Whole Foods Markets are a proud sponsor of Seattle Kitchen’s Ingredient of the Week.