My Newest Project

Those that know me well know that I love to tackle big projects. For instance, I'm currently watching all the Oscar nominated films. It's going to take me years to get through them all, but it's all about the journey and less about the finish line. I'm also going to all of Time Out New York's 100 Best Things to Eat and Drink. So I like going through lists and finding new things (whether it be an interesting dish or a great old movie).

So my newest project has to involve ice cream, of course. I discovered this pretty popular book called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. And I decided to follow all of his recipes and make all the different ice creams, sorbets, toppings, etc. that are listed. For the last year or two, I have been creating my own recipes. And I think going through a professional's recipes will be a huge learning experience for me. There's different ways of making all sorts of flavors and I'll take what I like and what I don't like from his ideas and then eventually make them my own.

I also realize there's this movie coming out called Julie and Julia which is based on the true story of this woman who decided to cook all of Julia Childs' recipes in her New York apartment. And then of course she wrote a book and then it became a huge hit and now a movie starring Meryl Streep. Well, my idea is completely unrelated (just a coincidence) and I certainly don't expect Meryl Streep to play me in a movie one day. She's a really good actress, but not quite that good.

Blue Marble

I finally made it out to Brooklyn to one of the most popular new ice cream shops - Blue Marble. Blue Marble is co-owned by Jennifer Dundas, a well-respected theater actress in New York. They've had much success in the last year or two and have opened a second location in Prospect Heights.  This sounded like the kind of ice cream shop I wanted to open.  They are very concerned with the neighborhood and the environment and all their ingredients are fresh from the farm.

I was in the neighborhood so finally stopped by the newest location in Prospect Heights.  It was almost dusk on a Saturday evening and the families were out for their ice cream.  This shop is pretty tiny with not a whole lot of room to sit.  But I did notice a back room for private parties for kids.  

The flavors consisted of maybe 10 and weren't terribly exotic.  There were a few interesting choices, but I decided to try the usual suspects.  I tasted the mint chip, hoping it would taste of actual fresh mint.  I was disappointed when it tasted more like a peppermint patty with some artificial mint flavors.  Alright, that's a crowd pleaser anyway.  Next I tried the rum raisin, again hoping for some strong real flavors.  I got some sad raisins and a very strong rum extract taste. It didn't feel like there was actual alcohol in it at all.

I finally ordered and chose a cup of cafe au lait.  I love coffee ice cream and think it's pretty much the perfect flavor.  Coffee, sugar, and cream.  What could be better?  

The flavor was decent, but not as strong as I had hoped.  But the weirdest thing was the texture. It reminded me of silly putty or taffy.  I could pull it up with my spoon and it stretched.  And I could literally chew the ice cream.  I guess some people like this style of ice cream, but it was a turn-off for me.  

I'm guessing that the problem is that the ice cream is over-churned.  It's overworked and so much air is added that it eventually becomes flat.  Companies add different amounts of what's called overrun to their ice cream.  Overrun is the amount of air added to the cream mixture so that it whips up into what we recognize as ice cream.  Breyer's, for instance, has 100% overrun which means that their ice cream is about half air.  

The strange thing is that Blue Marble advertises low overrun.  I don't know what to believe but the day I went, the ice cream wasn't pleasing to the mouth.  And I really thought the flavors were inauthentic.  But clearly I'm in the minority since this place has gotten so many accolades and high marks.  Maybe somebody goofed that day and left the ice cream maker on a little too long.  I'll have to give it a second try sometime this summer.