We all scream for...

ICE CREAM!

I'm totally obsessed with ice cream this past couple weeks. But not just any-ol-ice-cream; ice cream from Portland's newest ice cream boutique Salt & Straw.

I found this place by mistake when walking down NW 23 with one of my favorite buddies, Lauren, and haven't turned back. This place is amazing--and totally worth the half hour line that wraps around the shop at all hours.

They specialize in specialty NW flavors like fresh pear and Rogue River bleu cheese, candied peppers and honey ale, STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC AND BLACK PEPPER. This place is amulzing. seriously.

I thought to myself, why not me? Why can't I make super awesome ice cream?

Well, I'm pretty sure I can. But I need some literature to help me out. I've made a lot of 'kick the can' ice cream, and that stuff was soupy and terrible.

I want to make some bomb-gourmet-can't-stop-thinking-about-it ice cream. All summer. You can come over and we can make ice cream and sit on my back porch. [This is obviously ice cream that induces run-on sentences and bad grammar, too.]

So here's what I found after a quick literature search [read: google 'ice cream cookbooks']

Here on Amazon. 

This book gets great reviews on Amazon. Here's the facts on the book:

"With an emphasis on intense and sophisticated flavors and a bountiful helping of the author’s expert techniques, this collection of frozen treats ranges from classic (Chocolate Sorbet) to comforting (Tin Roof Ice Cream), contemporary (Mojito Granita) to cutting edge (Pear-Pecorino Ice Cream), and features an arsenal of sauces, toppings, mix-ins, and accompaniments (such as Lemon Caramel Sauce, Peanut Brittle, and Profiteroles) capable of turning simple ice cream into perfect scoops of pure delight."

Well that sounds like a bunch of pure delight. But it also seems a little...vanilla... 

Then I found the cookbook from the Bill Gates of ice cream--Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry themselves:

Here on Amazon. 

I love Phish Food, Half-Baked, and Chunky Monkey--but this is still a little too...mint chocolate chip...

Then, I think I found my perfect match:

Here on Amazon. 

Jeni Britton Bauer started making ice cream with a $50 machine [awesome] and perfected her recipes. She now is the head of Jeni's Splended Ice Creams. Her 'scoop shops' are mainly in Ohio, but you can buy her ice cream at the expensive grocery stores (in PDX they sell it at Zupans...) or you can get it delivered to your house. They hand-sharpie every single pint they ship. Now that's awesome. 

Found the picture here. 

What I love about this cookbook is that the recipes are meant for those cheap little ice cream makers. No fancy equipment necessary. 

Look:

My two favorite flavors right next to each other: goat cheese + cherries and grapefruit?
Yes! Thanks, Jeni!

The book includes recipes for things like Oakvale Young Gouda with Vodka Plumped Cranberries. What? Or you can try this, Celery Ice Cream with Ginger and Rum-Plumped Golden Raisins. [Ok, the fact that both of these have hard liquor plumped dried fruit was a coincidence. ] There's also one for Goat Cheese ice cream with Cognac Figs. [darnet, seriously didn't do that on purpose.]

Jeni also blogs here at Salty Carmel. She seems to be posting a lot of recipes for ice cream, special sundae recipes, and just a lot of awesome. Since I've been an ice cream fanatic for about six hours now, I'm immediately following her blog. 

This sounds like perfect inspiration for my summer ice cream obsession. Who wants to help me eat all this junk? Book is on order and should be in my pocket by Saturday. 

So maybe Tutorial Tuesday this week will make some expert-foodie-awesome ice cream? Or maybe it will be a tutorial on how to pack the perfect suitcase for Vegas? Or maybe, you'll just have to check back on Tuesday....