Last week, I spent five days in New York. Since I was traveling with my gelatoholic husband, five days of travel means I was expected to sample a minimum of five ice cream places–one for each day, sometimes two. I’m not usually a big ice cream eater, but somehow, I managed to put quite a few cones and cups away. Here is a rundown of seven ice cream experiences to try in New York!

We unanimously agreed (in this case, unanimous only required two votes, but whatever) that the best ice cream in New York right now is a Salty Pimp from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. No one was as surprised as the gelatoholic, since he usually eschews soft serve. But this was no ordinary soft serve! It was special soft serve, injected with liquid dulce de leche, sprinkled with freshly cracked salt, and chocolate-dipped. Five bucks might sound steep for a soft serve, but after one bite I knew I would have paid like $500 for this thing. The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck roams around, so you can check their website or their Twitter feed to see where they are on any given day.

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This recipe is an old one from my brother-in-law’s wonderful mother Nancy. In her youth she had been a model, and even as a grandmother she was effortlessly regal, elegant, stylish, and graceful–in contrast to the mostly short, curvy klutzes in our family. But most of all she was warm and generous. She was also an accomplished and creative cook.

My own mom and I were sifting through some recipes last weekend and serendipitously found a printout of an ancient email from Nancy, with a friendly note and one of her beloved cobbler recipes. Just like Nancy, the cobbler was pretty much perfect. We miss you, Nancy!

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My last couple posts have been kind of weird and gross! As individual posts, they are OK, as a gestalt, notsomuch. I’m pleased to say that things are looking up for everyone, as I have something that is decidedly NOT gross and in fact  SUPER delicious- a recipe for Pancake Ice Cream with Bacon Candy.

I put this beloved recipe up as a guest post on Thursday Night Smackdown, which is known for its witty proprietress Michelle, who swears like a stevedore. Ergo, don’t be surprised if I seem a little grittier over there. Or funnier. I think I tried harder to be funny because she’s really funny and I wanted to impress her, and you. Hopefully it worked. If not, just think about the bacon candy some more. Bacon. Plus candy. Bacon candy!

I’m not talking about dates like going out to the movies here, I’m talking about DATES! Like, the fruit.

This is a really simple way to make a tasty treat. It’s not really ice cream (ergo the quotes), it just sort of tastes like ice cream with almost no work. I like to use Barhi (sometimes spelled Barhee) dates because they are oh-so-creamy and lend themselves perfectly to this technique.

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I was hanging out with my aunt and cousin the other day, and I asked them for an easy and tasty dessert recipe. They both immediately recommended this Bon Appetit recipe on Epicurious for individual toffee, pecan, and peach crisps.

The secret is a little bit of Heath Bars in the crumb topping. I was a little skeptical about the peach/chocolate combo, but in the end the chocolate isn’t really discernible and the whole thing works out beautifully. It’s extremely easy to make, got rave reviews, took no time at all, and should definitely be served warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You can find the recipe here!

Every summer I want to make ice cream sandwiches, and since that time is just about here… here they are! These are a great thing to make for a group. They are not that hard to make- in fact, I find that the trickiest part is generally making enough space in the freezer to store them.

I made the cookies from scratch but used store-bought ice cream. A tip: if you buy the type of ice cream that comes in a rectangular cube, the process of making these is a lot easier and less messy. Of course, if you’re a perfectionist you could make your own ice cream then freeze it in a layer in a 9×13 pan that’s been prepped with plastic wrap. And if you’re the more on the quick fix side, then you could use store-bought cookies. I’d recommend a soft and chewy type of cookie.

I’m a purist so I went with chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream, but obviously the sky’s the limit! For 1 batch of cookies I used one block container of ice cream.

If all of this sounds exhausting… I hear you can order It’s Its online now! It’s Its are a fabulous San Francisco tradition, and have been making yummy ice cream sandwiches since 1928 right here in the Bay Area.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• cookies
• ice cream

Method:

• If you make cookies from scratch, use a scoop to make sure they are all roughly the same size. A flatter cookie works better than a puffier cookie.
• Find a circular cookie cutter or glass that’s the same size as the cookies.
• Peel the cardboard off of the ice cream. Cut the ice cream into 3 or 4 equally thick slices (depending on how thick you want the slices to be.)
• Dip the the cookie cutter in hot water and cut circles. Place circles on cookies and top with another cookie. Put sandwiches on tray.
• When you’re done, put the tray in the freezer until serving time.

today in Haiku Reviews:

ICE CREAMS OF THE WORLD

Haiku Reviews: They’re baaaa-aaaaaaack! I had a fierce urge to put some haikus together today, and I have to tell you, the haiku muse has been conspicuously absent for the better part of 6 months now, so I thought I should go with it. The timing is unfortunate, since I just posted a recipe earlier today after not posting for like a week, but what can I say? I can be an undisciplined blogger. (I’m working on it, though, in therapy. Or I would if I went to therapy.) At any rate, I’ve decided to strike while the muse-iron is hot and wax poetic on some ice creams of the world!

I could have gone on all day, but then it would be one in the afternoon and I’d still be in my pajamas. Oh wait! That happened already. Add your suggestions/disagreements in the commments and tell me what creamy delights I’m missing out on!

this ice cream in Dubrovnik, Croatia looked pretty, but sadly it did not taste that good.

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BASKIN-ROBBINS (Everywhere)
Ah, the old standby.
gold medal ribbon kicks a**.
thirty one-derful

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MITCHELL’S (San Francisco)
San Francisco treat!
I admit, I never try
the purple yam though.

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BEN & JERRY’S (Everywhere)
it’s a hearty scoop
it reminds me of college
cookie dough is king

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GELATO (Anywhere in Italy)
there’s nothing better.
throw down as much as you can
before you die. word.

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MASHTI MALONE’S (Los Angeles)
ice cream from Iran?
well, it is really hot there.
this place is AWESOME.

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MR. SOFTEE (Northeast U.S./China/HK)
summer in New York
hearing the tune, I’m consumed:
plain dip with jimmies

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HUMPHRY SLOCOMBE (San Francisco)
you’re a bit much, dude.
salt, pepper, chili, and such?
get “secret breakfast”

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FENTON’S CREAMERY (Oakland, CA)
love the old-time biz.
fun for the whole family!
sundaes are required.

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CHRISTINA’S (Cambridge, MA)
so many flavors!
(folks will say “Toscanini’s!”
C-Money’s better.)

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BI-RITE CREAMERY (San Francisco)
can be uneven,
but salted caramel IS
as good as they say

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LOARD’S ICE CREAM (Oakland, CA)
a cool, old skool joint
big creamy cones to drool for
they have candies too!

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BERTHILLON (Paris, France)
the best in Paris
it’s famous for a reason.
oui, c’est bon bon bon!

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COLDSTONE CREAMERY (Everywhere)
it’s too much pressure.
I always feel sick after.
mix-ins overwhelm

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CARVEL (Northeast U.S.)
hi, fudgy the whale!
now you taste artificial.
better as a kid.

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Here’s why I do them in haikus.

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