I've been plagued all summer by our publisher, Steve May, to write an ice cream story.
I won't get into all the reasons I haven't made it round the ice cream rounds (BP oil spill coverage, lactose intolerance, and the fact that I just like cocktails better for dessert). So thanks to my colleague Judy Walker at the Times-Picayune, who clearly does love ice cream (she loves cocktails too, believe me), for exploring the world of easy homemade ice cream with Louisiana flavors.
Judy started with a recipe that is composed of sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream, flavoured and frozen. That's it. No finicky egg custard, no rumbling canister of rotating rock salt and ice. She went for the iconic flavors of New Orleans: chicory coffee, sweet potato pie, Bananas Foster. These recipes look fantastically simple and of course anything smoothed with condensed milk is up there in the sweetness and coolness pantheon (think the iconic Hot Rod from Hansen's Sno-Bliz in New Orleans. Nectar snoball, scoop of ice cream, more nectar snoball on top, marshmallow cream, a pour of condensed milk and a maraschino cherry. An overload of summer bliss.)
Ok, ok, I've got sugar on the brain. Here's the link. Spoon away, Mr. May.