The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More (Paperback)

by Bruce Weinstein (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Weinstein is a man who takes his treats seriously. Although his instructions are sometimes too sober for the subject matter and require some commitment, the ice creams, sorbets, sweet and savory granitas, toppings and drinks are served up with flair. There are roughly 70 recipes for ice cream, each with a number of variations, and several dozen more for sorbets. On the conservative end are four recipes for plain old vanilla and three for chocolate. For the sophisticate, there are ice creams flavored with thyme, lavender and Earl Grey tea, as well as tempting varieties using less common fruits such as fig, passion fruit, mango and rhubarb. Mix-in ideas abound with such concoctions as Ginger Ice Cream with bits of candied chestnuts, Classic Mint Chip with mini chocolate chips or Cashew Ice Cream topped with Trail Mix made by adding coconut, sunflower seeds and raisins. Weinstein even offers main course ideas: How about floating a scoop of avocado in a gazpacho soup or freeing borscht into a granita? To top things off, he provides recipes for hot fudge and other toppings, as well as for black cows and sodas that will turn any kitchen into a soda fountain. July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Here are recipes for just about every ice cream imaginable, from four different versions of plain old vanilla to Avocado Ice Cream (it's really more of a chilled guacamole served as a garnish for gazpacho). Weinstein includes dozens of basic recipes for ice creams, sorbets, and granitas, with innumerable variations, along with sodas and shakes, hot fudge and other toppings, and even homemade ice cream cones. Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1st edition (May 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688161499
• ISBN-13: 978-0688161491
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,463 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Ultimate Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

226 of 242 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tons of Recipes, But a Poor Cookbook, June 14, 2001

By	Dan (West Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a recipe book that reads like your mother's recipe cards: lists of ingredients and how to combine them, but nothing about the technique or the science of what you're trying to make. You couldn't find a better book of recipies for ice cream. But if you want to know the whys and hows of ice cream making, this is a poor excuse for a cookbook.

Recipies, recipies, recipies!--not only for chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, but for corn, avocado, and oatmeal--this is certainly the right book for those looking for variety. Weinstein has done a fabulous job in assembling old-fashioned favorites as well as nouvelle experiments. His inventiveness of new flavors is as delightful as the astonishing accuracy with which he recreates ice cream parlour favorites.

The problem I have with the book is that it's extremely lacking in every other aspect you expect from a good cookbook. Weinstein never discusses the cooking and prep technique he presents. You'd think ice cream was impossible without a food processor, which he calls for in almost every recipe (but you can easily make these recipies without it). He never mentions why I must boil the milk and later strain the mixture (You don't really, unless you're using unpasturized milk). And why must I refrigerate the ice cream before putting it in the ice cream maker? (Okay, maybe that's not so mysterious.) I also became suspicious when I found a recipe for choloclate ice cream (there are many) that calls for cocoa but never for salt. (Salt almost always improves the taste of cocoa and would have the added benefit of lowering the freezing point of your confection, helping it not to freeze solid if you cure it in the freezer.)

Finally, dispite the impressive quantity of recipes, you won't find a single one for gelato. In fact, Weinstein implies in his introduction that ice cream and gelato are basically the same. While it's true they are both custards, gelato never contains cream, so the taste and texture is entirely different. But perhaps that's a fair omission in a book on ice cream.

The book seems to be written for people who want to make a fine frozen custard, but who would never make such a thing if they knew it was called that. Just do what the book says and no one will get hurt. You won't really learn anything about what you're cooking, but you won't embarrass yourself either.

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ice Cream at its simplest - and best!, January 24, 2000

By A Customer

Although this book has off-the-wall ice creams (like Red Bean, Pine Nut & Prune), Granitas (Beet! ), Sorbet (Kumquat? makes me pucker just thinking about it!), it also has traditional flavors in an easy to follow format with lots of variations for each recipe. There're also sauces and toppings, shakes & sodas. There are even 3 recipes for cones. I love this book - we borrowed it from the library, then had to get our own copy.

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Icy delight, May 3, 2004

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Very few commercial ice creams can stand up to homemade. Oh, I know. I have my commercial favorites too. When you make your own, however, you're in control of everything. Too sweet? Cut down the sugar a little. Too rich? Substitute half and half or milk for some of the cream. You want a flavor that doesn't come in the stores? Then it's time to bite the bullet and make your own.

You'll find details on ice cream machines in this book, as well as the differences between (and pros and cons of) ice cream made with and without eggs, details on flavoring ice creams, and tips for making "mix-ins" (cookies, crackers, etc.) that'll stay crunchy longer. You'll even find three recipes for ice cream cones in here!

This cookbook packs a lot of punch into a surprisingly small amount of space. Let's use Pumpkin Ice Cream as an example. Below it you have four variations listed: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, Pumpkin Raisin Ice Cream, Pumpkin Rum Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Seed Ice Cream. Mr. Weinstein could have done this a number of ways. He could have printed up a new recipe for each variation. He could have left them out entirely. Or he could have put the traditional paragraph of "oh, and you could try adding this, and this, or this." In the first case you pay more for a cookbook that could have been smaller. In the middle case, we would have been bereft of many extra fantastic recipes. In the last case, when we sat down to pick a recipe and make out our grocery list, we would have failed to read the last paragraph, and we'd eternally find ourselves saying "Oh, next time," without ever making the variations. So this is PERFECT. I wish more cookbooks did this. The variations are 1-3 sentence quick directions, but easy to pick out and implement. They're also listed as individual recipes in the index, so you won't have trouble finding them if you lose them.

You'll find a fantastic array of flavors. Apple Butter Ice Cream, for instance. Avocado Ice Cream, with a Gazpacho recipe to accompany it--I guess you can eat ice cream for dinner! The Banana Ice Cream and the Banana Ice Cream Philadelphia Style (no eggs) come with a stunning array of variations. When Mr. Weinstein suggests Bubble Gum Ice Cream, he even provides the toll-free number of a company that sells bubble gum flavoring! Now that's service for you. The book also includes sorbets, granitas, toppings, and ice cream drinks.

In all, this is the best ice cream book I've ever laid my hands on, and we have at least four such cookbooks. Mr. Weinstein has created a true treasure of ice cream creation, and deserves no less than a full five stars for his glorious work.