2008 Ice Cream Olympiade

This summer Beijing hosted the 2008 summer Olympics while our house hosted the 2008 ice cream Olympics. Thousand of athletes competed in Beijing and here it was only me, but the competition was stiff. I spent weeks in rigorous training and the hard work paid off. I finally mastered the art of custard based ice cream, you know, the smooth, creamy, delicious, full-bodied kind of ice cream, not grainy or bland. Four of my Sundae creations competed against each other for the gold medal. It was a very close race, especially between the gold and silver medals. Here are the results from the very discriminating judges (me, Mike, and the kids).

The gold medal and highest honor goes to.....

Almond Joy Sundae: (this creation was inspired by one of my favorite candy bars) Sweet and creamy coconut custard ice cream topped with rich homemade fudge sauce, flaky toasted coconut and crunchy almonds. Taste of the tropics in a chilled cup.

At a very close second with the silver......

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Parfait: This one was inspired by my sister in law Kim who found a recipe on her favorite blog and made it for us. I just took it up a notch from the original recipe. This concoction is strawberry cheesecake swirl custard, layered with sugary butter pretzel crunch and fresh sliced strawberries. Very berry. We loved the creaminess of the custard against the sweet and salty crunch of the pretzels.

And the bronze goes to........

Pistachio Ice Cream with Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti: This one was very mellow, creamy, and nutty. The biscotti was the perfect accompaniment. The sprinkling of toasted pistachios on the top was the just the right finish.

And honorable mention goes to.....



Pumpkin Ice Cream Sundae: This was rich and spicy pumpkin ice cream a-top homemade molasses gingerbread, drizzled with thick caramel sauce and sprinkled with chopped candied ginger. This one tasted like fall and had intense flavor, but the texture of the custard wasn't our favorite so this one didn't make the medal stand. It's not like we had to force it down though, so it deserves a mention.

I had a great time creating these Sundaes and we, of course, enjoyed consuming them. It was a perfect project for summer. The only thing bad about it is the contribution to our waistlines! I'm not going to offer any recipes on this blog because they're long and involved and would take forever to type up. Plus, there are a few techniques to be mastered in the process. If anyone is interested in perfecting homemade ice cream, here is the book and ice cream freezer I would recommend. You still have a few more weeks of summer, so start churning!