The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

My kids bought me an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aide mixer for Mother's Day so I decided to buy a variety of recipe books, as I've never made ice cream before. I bought this one, the Ben & Jerry book (also good), the idiots guide to homemade ice cream, and a few others that I picked up used. Perfect scoop is our favorite! Everything we've made has been exceptional. First off was the Chocolate Ice Cream which was my first attempt at a custard ice cream and the best we've ever had. Next we made the Rice Gelato (with Tangerine rind instead of Orange because that was all I had) which was very good also...sort of like a citrus scented frozen rice pudding. Last weekend we made the Mango sorbet which was the best sorbet I've ever had, and it was so easy to make. Next up will the Banana Blueberry sorbet. It's a great book and if you're going to get an ice cream maker - buy this too! :-)

My ice cream has always suffered from a host of typical texture problems, but the custard recipes in here seem to have cured most of them (even though they're not all that different from what I'd been doing for years!). I made the fresh ginger recipe first--though I deviated a bit by using more ginger than it called for, letting it steep longer, and adding a bit of saffron to the mix--and the product was smooth and virtually crystal-less, even after hardening. Pretty tough to get it as airy as the store-bought stuff at home, but otherwise I have little to complain about so far. I was pretty shocked that this was a hardbound edition when I opened the box. That's not something you usually see at this price point, but then there are quite a few typos sprinkled about, so maybe they skipped out on the whole editor thing and passed the savings on to me. Either way, good material and well worth picking up.

The recipes are great, but some need some time to "ripen" before they reach their best taste. If your ice cream tastes good, but not great, let it stand in the freezer for a day, and you'll have an absolutely incredible dessert.

I've been using my icecream maker for several years now, and have had a couple of favourite ice cream books, but none come close to this one. What marks this book out for me isn't just that it is full of marvellous icecream/sorbet/granita recipes which work, or the fact that the different flavour combinations will inspire you to experiment all the more yourself, or the fact that, like everything else David Lebovitz writes, it's eminently readable (witty, chatty yet authoritative on his subject matter - the perfect combination for a food book). These are all excellent reasons to buy this book. No, what really impresses me is the space given over to icecream accoutrements, including incredible detail on types of toffee and caramel sauces, icecream "vessels" such as differently flavoured cones, mix-ins which range from the crisp and crunchy (pralined almonds, buttercrunch toffee, peanut brittle) to the soft and gooey (homemade marshmallows, cookie dough). All meticulously researched and beautifully presented (Lara Hata's photographs are excellent too). Wonderful.

The ultimate ice cream book has finally arrived! And just in time for summer and the onset of the ice cream season (is there ever not a season for ice cream?) David Lebovitz, former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, hilarious and articulate [...], and cookbook author of several highly acclaimed books on desserts has written a gorgeous, informative, delicious book about ice cream, sorbets and granitas. The Perfect Scoop has over 150 recipes and over 50 stunning photographs. Ice cream recipes include the basics such as chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch pecan, and branch out to aztec "hot" chocolate, apricot-pistachio, and lavender-honey. Papaya-lime sorbet and mojito granitas make appearances as well. One of the things I love about David's work is that he takes the time to instruct us on the basics of whatever it is he is cooking. His Room for Dessert book has saved me over and over again with his explanations of the "whys" as well as the "hows" of doing a recipe. In The Perfect Scoop David describes right up front the methods you'll need to employ to make creamy, perfect ice cream. Using a custard base is what is usually called for, but can be a bit tricky for first timers. David's explanation makes it easy. David includes a section on the equipment needed, describing the pros and cons of the different kinds of ice cream makers that you can use. If you love ice cream and want to try your hand at making your own, get yourself an ice cream maker and a copy of The Perfect Scoop.