Currently cooking out of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer

Don’t tell David Lebovitz, but I’m cheating on him. With Jeni Bauer.

I’ve been hearing about this woman’s ice creams and her ice cream book for a month or two. It seemed like every one was smitten with her. Fabulous! Incredible! Swoon worthy! That’s what people far and wide seemed to be saying about her ice creams. Curmudgeon that I am, I was determined not to lose focus from The Perfect Scoop. Then I saw one of Bauer’s ice cream recipes. There were no eggs! It had cream cheese in it! And cornstarch! Bleah, I thought to myself, no way is that ice cream any good. And so I marched on with Lebovitz. But I kept thinking about that cream cheese and the lack of eggs. You see, as much as I’ve liked the ice creams out of The Perfect Scoop, I find their flavor to be a little dull, and the ice cream a bit heavy on the fat.

Then I found a copy of Bauer’s book at my local bookstore. Thumbing through the pages, I didn’t see many recipes that interested me. Chamomile Chardonnay Ice Cream? Beet Ice Cream? Riesling-Poached Pear Sorbet? There were a few recipes that sounded good, but I already have three or four ice cream books, and this one just didn’t have enough to interest me. So I passed on it and soldered on with The Perfect Scoop.

Still . . . No eggs? Cream cheese?

(By the way, has Borders’ going-out-of-business sale wrecked havoc on anybody else’s budget? I won’t divulge how many cookbooks I’ve picked up, but it is more than one.)

Last Friday, I finally gave in, all because one of the blogs I was reading posted this recipe from Bauer’s book. I love love love salty caramel; I had some extra time on my hands and everything I needed to make this ice cream. I was skeptical right up until I tasted a spoonful as the ice cream was churning.

Forgive my suspicious nature, Jeni Britton Bauer. I will forever more worship you at the altar of ice cream.

This is the best ice cream I have ever made and probably tasted. You can’t really taste the cream cheese, but it’s there in the slight tang and the creaminess of the ice cream. With no eggs to muddy the flavor, the sweet but salty caramel flavor comes through loud and clear. It is smooth and rich and just about the best thing I’ve ever eaten.

I am now the owner of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home.

Damn you Borders!

The ice cream starts out by making a salty caramel sauce with sugar, cream and corn syrup. Then you add milk and a cornstarch slurry (a little milk mixed with cornstarch) and boil the liquid until it thickens slightly. That hot liquid is whisked into a bit of cream cheese and salt. Finally you cool the ice cream until cold and then churn it.

No joke – Bryan and I ate this ice cream so fast, I didn’t get any pictures.

I’m still not sold on some of the ice cream flavors in this book (Gorgonzola Dolce Ice Cream? I hate blue cheese. Hate. It.), but there are enough interesting recipes that I should get a fairly good number of them made. The best part about this book? Bauer includes her bases for both her ice creams and her frozen yogurts. With that information, I can come up with my own flavors. Chocolate Blasted Chocolate Ice Cream anybody?

I might need another ice cream maker . . .