Ice Cream

I’m quite sure it’s in the genes. I know I got the ice cream-loving gene from my dad who got the gene from his mom. It’s that gene that forces me to direct my husband miles out of our way just to visit an ice cream store that makes their own ice cream. That same gene has been known to cause cravings that send me to bed with a spoon and a pint of my favorite frozen cream. I can eat ice cream morning, noon and night and never get enough. I can’t help it – it’s in my genes.

Fortunately for me, my sons each have the gene. Those with this specific ice cream gene like to hang out with others who have the gene. Both sons chose ice cream-loving wives. So far, it seems each grandchild has been gifted with the gene. Oh, I am lucky to have so many who are always ready to share a cold dreamy treat. Did I say share? I didn’t mean it. My friends and family all know that I’ll share just about anything – except ice cream.

"We all scream for Ice Cream..." but what flavor and from what shop and why? National Ice Cream Month begs the eternal question, "What's YOUR favorite kind?" One for the Table asked some of our favorite scoop fans to reveal their guilty pleasures....

Andy Warhol Ice Cream Cones w/ Tray

Mine is the caramel gelato at the Piazza Del Popolo -  when in Rome there is NOTHING better - Or was it the gorgeous young purveyors seductive,"Bella, Signorina!!!"

I always order toasted coconut almond.  Not because I like toasted coconut almond. In fact, I hate toasted coconut almond.  I just order it because I feel sorry for it because everyone hates toasted coconut almond.  So I order toasted coconut  almond, dump it in a trash can when no one's looking, then go back to the store and order cherry vanilla which I really like. – Alan Zweibel, writer

"You haven't had ice cream till you've had Graeter's. The butter pecan is Stedman's favorite, and mine, too." — Oprah Winfrey from her O list

A Tin Roof Sundae ! ! French Vanilla Ice Cream is topped with warm heavy chocolate syrup mixed with some finely ground black pepper and the roof, of course, are salted peanuts. Go way! Get your own! – Marilyn Lewis, owner of Kate Mantillini.

Sadly, not available to the public. My husband's freakish devotion to our Masso Gelato maker helped him churn out "Earl Grey Tea with Honey" gelato. The best thing I've ever eaten! – Eva Ein, co-owner of Stella Mare restaurant in Montecito

Stephen Colbert believes the Ben & Jerry's flavor made in his honor, AmeriCone Dream, can make a difference. “I’m not afraid to say it. Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda. What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case.”

My favorite flavor is, and has been for forty years, 31 Flavors Jamoca Almond Fudge. I get it on Cerrillos road, in Santa Fe. – Brooke Palance Wilding, artist

There is absolutely no question that the best ice cream is made on Nana's terrace in the back garden in Waco, Texas. We still use the old fashioned rock salt and real cream but have finally acquiesed to an electric turning handle. When the fresh peaches reach their ripest that is the time for an ice cream party. Everyone gathers. The mint julieps flow and ice cream becomes the flavour of the evening. – Alice Faye Cleese, Radio Host

My husband Leo loves ice cream.  I like it, but he loves it. For a wedding present, we received a wooden ice cream maker that like the old fashioned ones, needed to be filled with ice and rock salt, but unlike the old fashioned ones, could be plugged in and churned the ice cream without the 'elbow grease.'  Once every few years, we'd pull it out and impress ourselves by making a batch of lovely vanilla ice cream, but it was always a big production for the results.  About 6 or 7 years ago, as a birthday gift for my ice cream loving husband who almost always has a quart of vanilla in the freezer, I bought a double Cuisinart automatic ice cream machine.  It consists of a motorized bottom, plastic churners and plastic covers with two metal containers which I keep in the freezer at all times.  

Summer brings long days, hot weather, and a symphony of seasonal sound. Crickets. Baseball ball games.  Steaks sizzling on the grill.  Children playing.  And the unmistakable music of ice cream trucks.  With tinkling melodies pouring forth these motorized Pied Pipers roll through the streets, and children come running from all directions. Clutching fistfuls of coins, they surround the truck like honeybees around a flower, then straggle away blissfully licking their favorite ice cream treats.

Frozen confections come in many forms. Cones piled high with teetering scoops. Soft slurpy swirls.  Popsicles.  Cookie sandwiches.  Sodas and shakes.  Fruit juice bars. Gelatos and granitas.  Sherbets and sorbets.  Luscious sundaes swimming in sweet sauces, dusted with toppings and crowned in whipped cream. We can thank modern refrigeration techniques for the myriad of choices available, but the desire to cool off with a refreshing cold treat on a hot sweltering day has been around since antiquity.