The Best Ice Cream Parlours in SF

I'm finally back and sorry for the hiatus. Life got very busy after my last post in March. I traveled to Peru (Andes mountains trek, Machu Picchu and Lima), New York, Boston, Calgary, Banff and Vancouver. At work, I clocked in some long hours and launched a couple of brand new products into the market. I'm also searching for a home to buy and training for a half-marathon. Does that help justify my absence from this blog?

Lately it seems all my spare time is devoted to running. I assume I'm burning lots of calories so it's a perfect time to get back into ice cream because I can do it *guilt-free*! I'll try to be super diligent, dust off the ol' machine and start making some more. Until then I'll get my post-run ice cream fix at some of the best parlours (spelled the English and Canadian way) in town. Here's the top eight according to Gourmet magazine.
http://www.gourmet.com/restaurants/2009/08/ice-cream-parlors-in-san-francisco

Ice Cream War

I just learned from another friend who's into ice cream that Haagen-Daz is reducing the size of their pints from 16 ounces to 14 ounces, prompting Ben & Jerry's to strike. No wonder Haagen-Daz is on sale at the supermarket. They're trying to sell off the bigger pints! But in this economic recession, is it better to downsize pints or people?

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=101869

Been Caught Cheating

I know you're supposed to "eat your own dog food" but tonight I'm cheating and enjoying my favourite ice cream of all time - Haagen-Daz Caramel Cone. But let me explain! As I walked down the aisle at Cala Foods today, I saw 3 pints for $10. How could I resist a sale? I guess this means I need to start searching for a caramel cone recipe to make but this Haagen-Daz original is gonna be hard to match.

A Fine Balance

It just keeps getting better and better. Tonight I made double chocolate peanut butter ice cream and took it one step further by tossing in chunks of peanut butter cups. Striking the right balance can lead to perfection and this came pretty darn close.

This is why I love Haagen Daz more than Ben & Jerry's. B&J overdoes the extras, while HD manages a nice balance of ice cream and extras, which leaves me wanting for more. I was concerned this batch of ice cream would get excessive if I added chunks of PB cups since there was already a double dose of chocolate (the remainder of the Scharffen Berger bar and cocoa powder) plus the creaminess and richness of all-natural peanut butter drizzled in. But fortunately it worked!

Next time though, I'll use Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, my favourite mass-produced chocolate bar, instead of Trader Joe's. The practical side of me knew I'd get more bang for my buck if I bought the Trader Joe's branded 16 ounce container from the specialty grocery store chain versus individually packaged Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Now I have lots of leftover PB cups to nibble on when I'm not getting fat on ice cream.

Speaking of...somebody please tell me to put down my spoon *right now* as I'm starting to feel a bit sick from eating too many scoops of this chocolaty-peanuty fineness. All you people on diets out there, you're missing out!

Win, Lose, A Draw

The two chocolate ice creams battled to a draw and were devoured by the Oscar party-goers. (Thanks Annika for hosting!). It was difficult to determine which was the party favourite. My friend Jason, a food connaiseur in his own right, preferred the "Harvey Milk Chocolate" because it was just like biting into a piece of dark chocolate. I, on the other hand, loved "Mud Chocolate Wrestling" since it tasted exactly what chocolate ice cream should be like - creamy, velvety and not too dense or over-powering. Good thing Sean Penn won the Oscar for playing Harvey Milk because I awarded the Oscar for Best Ice Cream to the other one, "Mud Chocolate Wrestling." I wonder if Mickey would agree...

The Surprise Ingredient

The second chocolate recipe I tried tonight had an ingredient that I never thought to use in ice cream - cream cheese (1/4 cup). This was the first time I used half-n-half instead of whole milk/heavy cream and this version doesn't have eggs. I also halved the amount of Scharffen Berger since too much fine artisan chocolate can be overwhelming. This recipe was simple and quick to make and had a syrupy texture after cooking compared to the base of yesterday's ice cream, which turned out so rich and thick, it was like a frozen mousse. It'll be interesting to see how this one comes out after a night of refridgeration and a churn in the machine.

As mentioned in my previous post, the ice cream will be dessert for a small Oscar get-together tomorrow. My friend Kymm is a huge Mickey Rourke fan and she convinced me to see his movie, so I'll dedicate this recipe to her and call it, "Mud Chocolate Wrestling."

And in honour of a great movie and an even greater man, I'll name the batch of ice cream I made yesterday, "Harvey Milk Chocolate."

Next Up, Chocolate

After a busy few weeks and a weekend trip to Vancouver, I'm back to making ice cream and about to complete a Neapolitan trifecta - I attempted vanilla, strawberry and now chocolate!

I'm trying two chocolate recipes (one has an unexpected ingredient) to see if there's a noticeable difference in taste, texture and consistency. I'm bringing both to an Oscar gathering on Sunday for a taste test and curious to know which they'll like better. But I'm 100% sure that choosing quality chocolate is the way to go. I picked Scharffen Berger over Hersheys or Ghirardelli, and yes, I used the entire 9.7 ounces (275 g) of dark chocolate bliss. Organic Clover milk, cream and eggs were also used. Once I heated and cooled the base mixture, it turned out thicker and creamier than any of my previous batches, like a pudding, and the chocolate flavour was super intense and decadent. I can't wait to throw it in the machine tomorrow and try in its frozen form!

But this may be the last time I splurge on such wonderful ingredients after seeing the bill at the Whole Foods check-out counter. I'll either have to start making more economical, recession-friendly ice cream or possibly give up shoe shopping.