PrintCook the Book: 'The Perfect Scoop'
When the weather is unbearably hot and sticky and all you feel capable of doing is melting into a human puddle, the best thing to eat for temporary relief is a member of the frozen dessert family: ice cream, sorbet, or granita. This week we're giving away three copies of dessert master David Lebovitz's latest book, The Perfect Scoop.
The Perfect Scoop starts with the basics of ice cream making followed by over one hundred recipes for ice creams, sorbets, sherbets, granitas, and accompanying sauces, toppings, mix-ins and vessels. Many of the recipes are prefaced by tips or personal anecdotes, such as the one where David reveals that the worst summer of his life was when his neighborhood's Good Humor man left his block forever after getting sprayed by a bully with a hose, thus cutting off David's access to his favorite ice cream bar, Toasted Coconut. Of course, today David (and readers of his book) can make enough toasted coconut ice cream to last a lifetime.
To win a copy of The Perfect Scoop just tell us what your favorite kind of frozen dessert is, whether it's classic vanilla ice cream or a towering sundae of neon rainbow sherbet drowned in chocolate sauce and whipped cream. We'll pick five winners at random. You have until Sunday (June 17th) to answer.
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115 Comments:
Peppermint stick ice cream. Can't get it where I am!
Fiksu at 3:50PM on 06/11/07
I love plain old vanilla, but have been known to add some toppings to it....my favorites are caramel or marshmallow....with lots of real whipped cream to top it off! :-)
mepolo at 3:56PM on 06/11/07
I am still a fanatic for 31 Flavors' chocolate and peanut butter. Big chunks of peanut butter. Yum. Like a frozen Reeses cup. Fortunately there isn't a 31 Flavors near me or I would weigh 50 pounds more.
Jeana at 4:03PM on 06/11/07
Frozen custard. Specifically a chocolate-vanilla swirl cone from Sandy's.
intheyearofthepig at 4:06PM on 06/11/07
I really like vanilla ice cream with caramel and hot fudge on top of a belgian waffle. I like how the cold ice cream makes the caramel kind of stiff too. And whipped cream.
synaesthesia.dc at 4:08PM on 06/11/07
French Vanilla Ice cream. If possible , with hot redfruits coulis.
simona at 4:33PM on 06/11/07
A good coffee-flavored gelato in a waffle cone - with whipped cream.
rockchick at 4:42PM on 06/11/07
I agree with David! You can never have enough toasted coconut!
Good vanilla with hot fudge and toasted coconut. Yummy!
I miss Graeters Coconut Almond Fudge ice cream from when I lived in Lousiville.
Erinay77 at 4:50PM on 06/11/07
THe Espresso Shake at Spiritus Pizza in Provincetown, MA: 2 scoops of Haagen Dazs Coffee Ice Cream, a double shot, and milk for a brain and taste bud blast off. Good thing I live 120 mi away and they charge $6 a pop, or I'd be indulging far too often than one should. But once or twice a year, just what the doctor ordered.
dikaryon at 4:57PM on 06/11/07
Homemade maple walnut ice cream! Yum!
Noodler at 5:07PM on 06/11/07
some hazlenut gelato I had this weekend now puts it above the other flavor favorites (pistachio, mascarpone, rum raisin, and tiramisu)
BC at 5:13PM on 06/11/07
Mine has to be either a good French Vanilla, or one of the better Moose Tracks.
LunaPierCook at 5:14PM on 06/11/07
gelato & canolli
tyronebcookin at 5:18PM on 06/11/07
mint chip.
laura dot at 5:19PM on 06/11/07
Vanilla bean ice cream over a warm brownie or chocolate chip cookie. That's just home comfort in a bowl!
Jennefur at 5:19PM on 06/11/07
Coca-cola Slurpee
stevebillings at 5:23PM on 06/11/07
Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream. Or anything chocolate.
Marilyn at 5:25PM on 06/11/07
Without a doubt, a good old fashion dreamsicle--nothing better than real orange ice cream mixed with a good vanilla. Takes me back to my childhood.
Teri at 6:14PM on 06/11/07
Strawberry shortcake ice cream bars. Preferably sold to me from the back of an ice cream truck playing that totally obnoxious melody.
Erin at 6:15PM on 06/11/07
Lemon custard
JEP at 6:25PM on 06/11/07
My favorite is French style vanilla ice cream, with lots of eggs and a real vanilla bean. I make my own using the recipe in Chez Panisse Fruit. Heaven.
urse at 6:41PM on 06/11/07
Spaghetti eis--Italian vanilla ice cream pressed through a potato ricer to look like spaghetti, topped with strawberry sauce to look like marinara, garnished with slivered almonds for parmesan.
And really good lemon gelato that I just can't get in Texas.
JoAnn at 7:06PM on 06/11/07
Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream. Its so so good.
Koren at 7:06PM on 06/11/07
There are so many desserts that I absolutely love, but the best I've ever had? Probably the Salted Butter Caramel ice cream from Lebovitz's book. It was the first time I had ever made homemade ice cream, and it just made me think, "Ohhh... So that's what ice cream is!"
I got the recipe online, and am itching to own the book!
Tally at 7:13PM on 06/11/07
Though I haven't had one in years, nothing will ever beat the old style TCBY Parfaits.
Phil W. at 7:21PM on 06/11/07
Once I was eating my favorite Thai restaurant and the matriarch of the family brought out two kinds of homemade ice cream for us to try: avocado and ginger. It was the best frozen treat - a little rustic, but lots of love.
Littlebluesiren at 7:27PM on 06/11/07
Once I was eating at my favorite Thai restaurant and the matriarch of the family brought out two kinds of homemade ice cream for us to try: avocado and ginger. It was the best frozen treat - a little rustic, but lots of love.
Littlebluesiren at 7:28PM on 06/11/07
Coffee Oreo from the local ice cream shop in my square.
iheartveggies at 7:33PM on 06/11/07
Vanilla ice cream over a warm brownie or waffle with hot fudge and some fresh fruit.
josh! at 8:02PM on 06/11/07
Pistachio ice cream is my all time favorite. In a sugar cone!
Kerri at 8:14PM on 06/11/07
chocolate ice cream, in a bowl (or a carton) - straight up deliciousness...
aburke at 8:23PM on 06/11/07
Burnt Sugar Ice cream from Fran Bigelow, Seattle Chocolatier. $6.00 per pint and worth flying to Seattle to buy.
jtrules at 8:35PM on 06/11/07
I loved shaved ice with condensed milk and little jellies all around. Also love black sesame ice cream - sort of rare to find, which makes it all the more delicious!
stuffedofu at 8:43PM on 06/11/07
Favorite easily accessible frozen treats: Rum Raisin by Haagen Dazs and Bananas on the Rum by Ben and Jerry's (it's new; I've only seen it at the Scoop Shops and it's freakin' awesome).
raspberryberet at 9:03PM on 06/11/07
Malted chocolate milkshake! Yum!
Josh Baugher at 9:29PM on 06/11/07
Banana split with blueberry sauce instead of pineapple.
bobcatsteph3 at 9:33PM on 06/11/07
Homemade Banana -Chocolate chip from Baumgart's in Englewood, NJ or gelato from Cones in NYC
izzy's mama at 9:41PM on 06/11/07
lemon italian ice from the nearest pizza place! or, as a close second, anything from 'ici' in oakland, ca.
skim at 10:09PM on 06/11/07
The elusive Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream
pezbabypez at 10:23PM on 06/11/07
The olive oil gelato at Otto is pretty amazing!
Curlz at 10:24PM on 06/11/07
Peach Ice cream from Snowflake in Riverhead.
choconut at 10:30PM on 06/11/07
Hagaan Daaz mango sorbet topped with fresh strawberries, mangos and raspberries
contazia at 10:37PM on 06/11/07
green tea ice cream
hedgehog at 11:02PM on 06/11/07
Mm, a praline souffle;honey-sweetened beaten egg whites, folded with whipped cream, and massive chunks of soft almond and marzipan praline throughout. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and toasted walnuts.
michichan at 11:30PM on 06/11/07
Cherries Jubilee with homemade vanilla ice cream.
ikkinlala at 11:59PM on 06/11/07
I abolutely adore blueberry sorbet, topped with a mountain of raspberries.
Ash at 1:19AM on 06/12/07
Irish Bliss ice cream Private Selection brand from Krogers. A year ago it was March flavor of the month, then it was gone. They didn't have it this year. IT was like Irish cream liqueur turned into ice cream heaven. I also like Black Walnut ice cream. Also a homade brownie just out of the oven with French Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce,wet walnuts,real whipped cream,and several maraschino cherries...I also enjoy fruit sorbet. Godiva's Dark Chocolate is very good. My childhood favorite was a light Chocolate with Marshmallow cream through it. I always got it for my birthday.
peticook at 4:59AM on 06/12/07
Homemade vanilla ice cream, with chocolate sauce and peanuts on top.
srudman at 5:02AM on 06/12/07
Chocolate ice cream with bergamot - out of this world.
doomalyas at 8:01AM on 06/12/07
Ghirardelli's in Orlando makes some mighty awesome sundaes. I think there's one called the Gold Rush (or something like that). Toasted almonds, butterscotch, and fudge over vanilla ice cream... aaaahhhhh. Get me a plane ticket!! Of course, for a closer to home treat, there's always Graeter's. And honestly, I wouldn't refuse a peanut butter cup Blizzard from DQ either... well heck, if it's ice cream, it's all good!
sparkythewonderdog at 9:05AM on 06/12/07
Call me old school, but a Mister Softee vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles still makes me openly weep. Oh and if they change that jingle I'm going on a hunger strike....or maybe just a protest.
Bocce at 9:17AM on 06/12/07
Bananas Foster...something about the contrasting temperatures and the way parts of the sauce harden when it hits the cold ice cream. Plus, it's a cool dessert to make when you have company, because who isn't impressed by flames leaping from a pan?
segalbraith at 9:47AM on 06/12/07
Oh boy...so hard to pick...vanilla bean ice cream over a warm brownie with walnuts and caramel but NO whip cream is up there...but I think two of my absolute summer favorite's are Ralph's Ices in Snickers Fudge and Mint Chip. The Snickers Fudge for the days when I need that peanut butter/fudge kick...Mint Chip for the days when it's 95, 100% humidity and I need something that's cold, refreshing, but won't leave me thirsty like a lot of ice cream does.
tkln at 9:53AM on 06/12/07
I love me some mochi!
jenl at 10:21AM on 06/12/07
A cup of half chocolate, half strawberry gelato from Giolitti in Rome.
caroly02 at 10:53AM on 06/12/07
vaniila with chocolate covered almonds
anniebelle at 10:54AM on 06/12/07
I worked at a Ben and Jerry's for a year and spent that year perfecting my ice cream combo of choice: one scoop of mint chocolate chunk and on top of that, one scoop of coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz (coffee ice cream with espresso fudge chunks). yum. just yum.
monicabg at 11:16AM on 06/12/07
President's Choice Candy Cane Crackle Ice Cream. You can only get it at Christmas time. at certain Canadian grocery chains. It is a premium vanilla ice cream with chocolate crackle in it (the stuff they sell all year round) with yummy swirls of candy cane through it. I love this stuff more than words can say-try it if you can get your hands on it!
Also, I just tried the new President's Choice Pecan Butter Tart Ice Cream-for those not in Canada, butter tarts are a classic Canadian pastry, and this ice cream captures the flavour amazingly well. Yummmmmm!!
psychsarah at 11:26AM on 06/12/07
My favorite is an ice cream pie my mother makes. It's a Rice Krispie and peanut butter crust with the ice cream layered with chocolate and caramel ice cream topping. It was always the dessert choice for my birthday over plain old cake.
Katiegirl98 at 12:05PM on 06/12/07
My most favorite frozen fruit dessert concoctionis the good ol' frozen dipped banana. Dark chocolate is the best banana delivery system, and the addition of nuts, white chocolate chips, or whatever else it is that blows up your skirt (metaphorically dessert-speaking) can't be beaten. As for other non-fruit desserts, real Hawaiian shave ice is WAY up on the list. The thing that I'm craving this very moment is some french vanilla ice cream sandwiched between 2 chewy oatmeal cookies. Oh, the yum
Stufsocker at 12:17PM on 06/12/07
Sort of silly, but you can't beat a Friendly's Conehead sundae to make you feel like a kid again. The proper conehead is made with Reese's, and they should be placed at the bottom of the dish so that you "discover" them as you eat the sundae.
dmorriso at 12:21PM on 06/12/07
Chocolate Malts all the way.
chasgoose at 12:29PM on 06/12/07
I love vanilla ice cream with raspberries whipped with orange liquore.....Definitely not a Sweet and "Low" ........
margot at 1:31PM on 06/12/07
Ahh, Friendly's (or Fiendly's, as my husband's family calls it). We don't have them anymore in my neck of the woods, and I really, really miss their ginormous Reese's Pieces sundaes (with fudge, marshmallow AND peanut butter toppings, plus Reese's Pieces and whipped cream). Sigh. A serious pig-out, but oh so good.
msmla at 1:54PM on 06/12/07
Sylvan Beach here in Baltimore makes honey graham ice cream that is incredible! Honey sweet with salty, buttery pieces of graham cracker…mmmmmmmm
cmyk_girl at 2:16PM on 06/12/07
I LOVE ice cream. I'm addicted to it. I have a problem and i know....i'm working on a recovery plan
BUT I NEED HIS BOOK!!!!
Steamy Kitchen at 2:31PM on 06/12/07
oops, i forgot to add: Coconut Frozen Yogurt is my latest obsession
Steamy Kitchen at 2:33PM on 06/12/07
I love my chocolate-mint chocolate ganache gelato the best.
…and Friendly's Butter Crunch still gets me. I made that once too (including the little candy pieces from scratch)
Looking forward to running through some of dave's recipes.
superdlux at 2:35PM on 06/12/07
I love mint chocolate chip ice cream. Also, nothing feels as much like summer to me as eating m&m ice cream (for some reason I have only found it at rural American ice cream shops, and it always seems to be seasonal) or just buying an ice cream from a van (cornetto or magnum preferably).
caley at 2:42PM on 06/12/07
Mint carob chip or strawberry. If I'm making my own frozen yumminess, definitely something with loads of berries and vanilla.
hereandthe at 2:47PM on 06/12/07
A scoop of sweet cream flavor from the original Herrell's in Northampton, MA.
michellelikestoeat at 3:32PM on 06/12/07
Tastykake® Peanut Butter Kandy Kake® from Turkey Hill. It is peanut butter ice cream with kake pieces, peanut butter, and choco chips. The stuff is like heaven in a container. To die for!
apgood at 3:49PM on 06/12/07
White Chocolate Lemon from the Chocolate Bar in Houston, TX. Yeehaw!
cyntastic at 3:57PM on 06/12/07
vanilla softserve with multicolored sprinkles in a cup.
ceforrester at 4:15PM on 06/12/07
Coconut sorbet from Ciao Bella, coconut ice cream from Seduttos, Sticky Toffee pudding from Haagen Dazs, and chocoalte from Haagen Dazs. These are a few of my favorite things(to quote a song)!
Mich23 at 5:07PM on 06/12/07
Lemon ices--especially if they're fairly tart.
nita at 5:20PM on 06/12/07
Cookies and cream milkshake.
Rebecca F. at 5:22PM on 06/12/07
Starbuck's Java Chip Ice Cream. Almost as good - Ben and Jerry's Vanilla Chocolate Chunk.
Angie at 5:28PM on 06/12/07
vanilla soft serve from McDonalds...classic
samkim at 5:58PM on 06/12/07
Pistachio Banana Semi-Fredo From my own kitchen.
Yeah baby.
Overworked Barista at 6:00PM on 06/12/07
Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, ideally with a side of warm cherry pie. Apple works, too.
ren at 7:34PM on 06/12/07
Ube flavor from Foselman's!
mingm at 7:44PM on 06/12/07
Oh man, how do I choose? I recently tried the Breyer's Reeses Peanut Butter Cup ice cream which was delicious. Then again, it's hard to go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate. Otherwise, it's between mint chocolate chip, mango sorbet, or rocky road.
redismal at 7:51PM on 06/12/07
Pistachio gelato from La Gelateria. Laloo fig goat cheese ice cream. Palapa Azul chocolate. East Coast Custard's chocolate. fire's creme fraiche. Coconut ice cream at Siam Cafe.
stu_spivac at 10:56PM on 06/12/07
i'd have to say either chocolate ice cream with cookie dough or a blizzard/flurry (whatever you want to call it) with chocolate ice cream, bananas, caramel, and oreos.
zekks at 11:44PM on 06/12/07
Hmm. I love cinnamon ice cream, of all kinds. But I have to say that the best ice creams that I have ever tasted -- including American-style, French-pot, gelato, whatever -- are at Jeni's Ice Creams in Columbus, OH. Hands down. You have to try their Pear Reisling Sorbet, for example: it's a revelation.
Yrmencyn at 12:01AM on 06/13/07
My favourite flavour of gelato is for sure Nutellone: simple cream variagated with Nutella! Just heaven!
In the overall frozen compartment, my favourite is granita, made in the Sicilian way, very creamy...
Sara - Piperita at 9:52AM on 06/13/07
My favourite flavour of gelato is for sure Nutellone: simple cream variagated with Nutella! Just heaven!
In the overall frozen compartment, my favourite is granita (grated ice with flavours, preferably natural flavours), made in the Sicilian way, very creamy...
Sara - Piperita at 9:53AM on 06/13/07
A good sweet cream ice cream. Plain, or with anything in it--fruit, nuts, whatever.
Enmalkm at 11:42AM on 06/13/07
vanilla with the darkest, richest, thickest hot fudge sauce possible. and some caramel doesn't hurt either.
monkeygirl at 12:16PM on 06/13/07
I love ice cream - it is by far my dessert of choice. I love Haagen-Dazs Rocky Road. Even when I go to those places that let you create your own ice cream masterpiece, I always end up making a rocky road variation. I also love green tea mochi ice cream and Double Rainbow Coffee ice cream and Double Rainbow Mango and Vanilla Soy Cream.
meechiko at 3:30PM on 06/13/07
Coffee and cookies ice cream, homemade at my neighborhood joint, with huge chunks of oreos in it. Though, possibly tied for favorite is the ice cream sundaes of my childhood, with soft vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream.
fornaio at 3:36PM on 06/13/07
Most absolute favorite? Probably my memories of eating gelato in the shade of a summer in Florence, Italy, while I was a student. Absolutely everything I tried was amazing, though I'm sure half that was due to the experience itself.
Locally, my very favorite is real, homemade strawberry ice cream with big chunks of strawberries and a touch of vanilla, topped with fresh, cut up strawberries (and blueberries, if I can get 'em). Yum!
myzkyti at 4:09PM on 06/13/07
As long as I can remember I have loved Ube ice cream. Ube is the Filipino name for a type of purple yam that grows all over Asia and the Pacific region.
Frances Magbual at 5:03PM on 06/13/07
I became lactose intolerant a few years ago and had to give all that up, I thought. But since I discovered quality fruity gelato, it's like a whole new world opened up. Lemon is my favourite, though the watermelon recipe that the Amateur Gourmet posted is good enough to fill the entire freezer with. Who needs real food?
Peasantwench at 6:53PM on 06/13/07
I can't decide between root beer floats or root beer slurpees.
Alice at 9:27PM on 06/13/07
I really like Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide, but for something a little richer I love Ciao Bella's Pistachio or Dulce de Leche gelato .
BAM73182 at 12:19AM on 06/14/07
my favorite frozen dessert has to be the banana ice cream at holotta ice cream in honolulu. it has the perfect texture and flavor, and no other ice cream has come close to it.
wing at 5:08AM on 06/14/07
It's gotta be crema gelato. Just pure cream flavor, no vanilla no nothing else. So rich, and milky.
jasonmolinari at 8:54AM on 06/14/07
Any really good caramel ice cream with a salted caramel ribbon running through it.. *happy sigh*
lisalc67 at 10:58AM on 06/14/07
This is a really really tough question, and Ben and Jerry's Dublin Mudslide is amazing, but I would have to say that the ice cream to end all ice cream is a flavor entitled KGB from Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium in Oak Bluffs, MA on the island of Martha's Vineyard. It's a mix of Kahlua, Grand Marnier and Baily's Irish Cream. It's so rich and creamy, the alcohol is still just a tad present and the mix of flavors is just perfect. It's incredibly decadent and with a few sprinkles/jimmies/whatever you call them, the contrast of textures makes for a truly transcendent ice cream experience.
jwiener at 11:13AM on 06/14/07
1 scoop of cinnamon mixed with 1 scoop of pumpkin, topped with wipped cream. it tastes like pumpkin pie :) (specifically from Beth Marie's Ice Cream Shop in Denton, TX)
anado at 11:41AM on 06/14/07
Pink peppermint stick ice cream. Or a really good hot fudge sundae with whipping cream, pecans, and a side of salty french fries.
aharste at 1:06PM on 06/14/07
Blue Bell's rocky road is my all time favorite.
Kiana at 6:28PM on 06/14/07
A frozen brownie! If it must be ice cream/sorbet, red bean (Azuki) ice cream is one of my favorites.
VirtualFrolic at 9:37PM on 06/14/07
Chocolate-vanilla swirl frozen custard in a regular cake cone dipped into that weird chocolate coating that hardens. I think half my appreciation for it is that they dip the ice cream in UPSIDE DOWN! How does it not fall off?
bookgirl234 at 11:22PM on 06/14/07
Pumpkin ice cream, sold in the fall by Oberweiss, a Chicagoland area dairy. Or coriander with a raspberry ribbon from Jeni's, a Columbus, OH, awesome ice cream maker.
Charise at 3:03PM on 06/15/07
i'm a mint chip girl! though i am also a big fan of the Wattamelon roll -- does anyone remember that from the good ol' days at friendly's? raspberry and lime (?) sherberts, chocolate chips. I wonder if I'd still like it, or if I'd find it too sweet?
jess in boston at 4:29PM on 06/15/07
Concretes from Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stand in St Louis are completely irresistible! Ditto profiteroles made with the richest homemade ice cream and hot fudge.
elysek at 4:54PM on 06/15/07
Concretes from Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stand in St Louis are completely irresistible! Ditto profiteroles made with the richest homemade ice cream and hot fudge.
elysek at 4:54PM on 06/15/07
Coconut ice cream from the old Gifford's in Washington, DC. Shreddd fresh coconut held together with just a bit of sweet cream vanilla. None better and now a just a sweet nostalgic dream. A close second - chocolate frozen custard from the Polar Bear stands, also in Washington, DC, also long gone.
cookbookchick at 11:58PM on 06/15/07
White chocolate gelato makes my stomach rumble with happiness. It's even better with a few bits of hazelnut or bittersweet.
beano at 7:37AM on 06/16/07
Cinnamon gelato with bits of dark chocolate!
rideon at 11:52AM on 06/17/07
Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream over a warm brownie or nice warm chocolate chip cookie. Mmmmmmmmmmmm...
JimB at 7:42AM on 06/18/07
Snickers ice cream
justboycrazy at 1:30AM on 08/21/07