Salvation Sisters' Best Desserts 2010—2014 and Why We Blog

The Memory Keepers by Linda
Photos by Michelle and Linda

"Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten." 
                                                ~ from the movie Lilo and Stitch

From left to right and top to bottom—click on the title to link to the recipe: 
Cowtown Chocolate Cake with Ganache Icing, Banana Cream Pie, Steamed Persimmon Pudding, The World's Best Coffee Cake, Maraschino Party Cake, Rose-Scented Raspberry Tea Cake, Ooiest Gooiest Chocolatiest Fudgiest Brownies, Linda's Favorite Cheesecake, Fruit-Filled Italian Rum Cake

      It's hard to believe that we sisters have been blogging for nearly five years now. Originally we had the goal of publishing one post per week, and we have certainly fallen short of that ambition—but that's what goals are for, right? No one's life or livelihood was at stake here, we simply wanted to compile a collection of our best-loved family dishes and tell the story of our lives and family. We felt that others could relate, because let's face it, everyone is slogging through the same sh*t in their own everyday lives. Additionally, our intention was for our blog to be the family resource for the generations to come when they wanted to know about the food and the history of our family, and we hoped that others would relate to our stories and recipes and be inspired to cook and bake.

From left to right and top to bottom—click on the title to link to the recipe:
Chocolate-Prune Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Salted Caramel Sauce, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, Plum Tart, Root Beer Marble Ice Cream, Amaretto Mousse with Raspberry Sauce, Pumpkin-Apple Spice Cake with Dulce de Leche Glaze, Apple Crostata, "The Total Woman" Creamy Rice Pudding, GF Angel Food Cake

   Eating is one of the most fundamental things we do as humans other than breathing. We are compelled to nourish ourselves and others whether we want to or not. One must feed oneself—it is a fact that I often wonder about. Personally, I believe in a supreme power or energy, and I wonder why we are designed physically in such a way that we must feed ourselves or die. It seems so very extreme to me.

   When Michelle suggested creating a blog in early 2010 (I really didn't know much about the blogoshere at that time), I was taken aback. It was just a few months after a devastating family tragedy, and I could not conceive of what would happen in the ensuing years. In fact at that time, I could hardly fathom getting out of bed in the morning and living through the following week, much less imagining myself five years down the road. And yet here we are—about to begin our sixth year of blogging.

Banana Cream Pie, Homemade Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, Linda's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fun making Linda's The Best All American Apple Pie updated with
Michelle's Absolutely Delicious All-Butter Pie Crust which is gluten-free and gum-free.

   This blog started as an experiment at the urging of Michelle—and Juliette and I went along for the ride. I was numb, just trying to figure out one day to the next after the death of my son, Joshua, who died in Afghanistan in January of 2009. A few months later, Michelle and her daughter Maddie came to California to live with me on a mission of mercy. I look back now almost six years later, and know without a doubt that their combined presence pushed me back into the land of the living. Grief is like that—it can take you down for the count. Luckily, the love of my family pulled me through that very dark time with much sacrifice on their part—but that's what true love is all about.

From left to right and top to bottom—click on the title to link to the recipe: 
Homemade Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, Nana's Homemade Fudge, Kahlua Spiked Tofu Chocolate Mousse, Our Family's Sugar Cookies, Triple Chocolate Meringue Cookies, Delectable Lemon Cake, Vanilla and Chocolate Pudding, Pecan Tassies, Chocolate Silk French Pie

   So please enjoy this compendium of our desserts up to now. While I personally am trying my darndest to leave refined sugar behind, I also recognize that desserts are the traditional way we as a culture celebrate special occasions and mark holidays. I had no idea in 2010 that I would choose to go gluten-free and Paleo two years later, but I have discovered that I feel much better following those diets. My journey along the way is recorded for posterity. I also try and recognize that there is room for almost everything in moderation, and I refuse to be the family killjoy. For example, the recipe for our family's Maraschino Party Cake has been baked by our family for at least the past seventy years. In the spirit of these changing times, for our recipes beginning in 2012, there is a gluten-free version for everything. This year I plan to start experimenting with Paleo desserts, so you will be seeing more contributions from me using no refined sugar.
   Whatever your personal dietary choices are, we wish you time spent with your loved ones in the kitchen cooking, and then sharing your creations together to celebrate the mundane as well as special occasions, because we know this for a fact—the memories carry over from one generation to another. Sharing your love with good food lives on.

From left to right and top to bottom—click on the title to link to the recipe:
Fresh Peach Ice Cream with Amaretto Affogato, Wilkins Family Lemon Ice Cream and
Really Excellent Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Really Excellent Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams

My Traveling Tales by Michelle

 

    If you are not familiar with The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, I suspect that to an outsider such a destination might sound like a rather drab way to pass a day. You might feel differently if the name for the "number one tourist destination" in Tucson included the words zoo and botanical garden. Over the twelve years that I have lived in Tucson, I have visited the Museum approximately twice a year and it is safe to say, that on every visit I have encountered something new. In addition to the 230 animal and bird species that live on the grounds, the Museum continues to add new exhibits, including the recently opened Warden Aquarium.

A Harris Hawk is easy to identify by the white on their tails.

All the raptors fly free and are not tethered in any way.

The "Raptor Free Flight Show" is scheduled twice daily from late October through mid April.

   Before you embark upon visiting the Museum, it is worth spending some time in front of your computer reviewing the museum's website to discover what is on the upcoming schedule, including "behind the scenes" opportunities, such as: zookeeper for a day, a private tour of the Warden Aquarium as well as the hummingbird habitat. For the more adventurous, like my sister, Juliette there is a private tour related to reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates (also known as snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, spiders and insects) that live in southwest. These tours are offered by appointment only and require an additional fee.   
   If you happen to be visiting in the summer where the temperature is often in the triple digits, consider visiting the museum on a Saturday, the only day of the week when the museum is open at night. The Cool Summer Nights events run from June through August. In the heat of the day, many of the animals are not visible, choosing dark secluded places to take a siesta during the hottest part of the day. In addition to the animals being more active after dark, the museum features special events each Saturday night. The themes vary from learning how to capture lightening storms in photography to music programs to astronomy. Check the website for the current schedule. Plan to arrive in time to see the sun sink into the mountains as it sets. I have witnessed the most incredible, intensely colored sunsets while visiting the museum.
   If you happen to be going at night, or even in the day for that matter, and you have children with you, be sure to discuss a plan on what to do if someone gets lost or left behind. This happened to us one night. Our friends' daughter lingered at the Life On The Rocks exhibit and everyone else moved on. Thankfully, the little girl stayed put and didn't leave. It took about 15 very long minutes to find her. When she saw her dad she began sobbing uncontrollably and could not be consoled with hugs and kisses and kind words. The only fix was ice cream. It's true, ice cream makes everything better.
  

Life On The Rocks exhibit.

Much to the girls' chagrin, I insisted that they wear substantial hats (borrowed from me) on
such a sunny day. This is my Wes Anderson inspired shot. The film director 
always seems to feature quirky characters and binoculars.

The elusive coati finally needs to quench its thirst.

   To make the most out of your visit, pay particular attention to your clothing and sun protection. The Museum, on average, has 87 days a year at a temperature of 100°F or higher. I prefer to wear lighter colors, with shirts that cover my shoulders and all items that I choose are made of cotton. Closed toe walking shoes are highly recommended, especially if you are participating in a summer nights program. Be cognizant that not everything that slides and crawls in the night is in a cage. Open toed shoes are fine for Las Vegas but you'll be on a walking path in the desert.
   Sun screen should be liberally applied to face, body, hands and feet, especially if those feet are wearing flip flops (I know that there will be people that ignore well intended shoe advice). In fact, sunscreen is so important that it is offered for free in most restrooms at the museum. I'm one of those gals that is particular about brands. Also, it is better to get everyone lubed up before you go, if nothing else for convenience, and to make sure that all the bits are covered. Slather it on. Oh, and I almost forgot to recommend that you wear a hat. You can probably tell that I'm not a sun worshiper.

Bighorn Sheep as viewed from the upper deck.

This sweet doe wandered over to me to say hello.

The mountain lion is the iconic symbol of the Museum. As a family, it is
the 4th largest cat predator. Fun fact: mountain lions do not roar as
they are more closely related to house cats than to lions.

   In the hotter months, the unpaved Desert Loop Trail that leads to the Javelina exhibit and the Coyote Ramada, can feel like a hiking trip gone awry. In 2009, a Dutch visitor encountered a wild Javelina on a walkway near the Javelina exhibit, of all things. Whoever thought up the saying, "ain't nothing nice about nature", might have been thinking of Javelinas. The Dutch man put himself between the frightened Javelina and his two even more frightened daughters. Dad protected his girls but the family finished their day at the hospital. The javelina disappeared in the wilds beyond the museum and was not found.
   It is not unusual for odiferous Javelina families - ranging in packs from 10 to 50 members - to appear at night in suburban neighborhoods searching for food. What is one person's trash is a Javelina's comeuppance. Last summer there was a Javelina family romping in my neighborhood park, just steps from my house. We hopped in the car and drove to see them, staying safely inside while we got a better look.
   I always carry a water bottle with me even though there are several drinking fountains and refreshment stands scattered throughout the park. If you have small children that are walking on their own without aid of a stroller to rest tired legs, you might want to all together avoid the Desert Loop Trail. There's plenty of exciting things to do without wandering down that long and meandering dirt trail that offers little relief from the sun, at least in the hotter months.   

The playful otters can be viewed below ground and above.

A beaver prepares for an afternoon nap in a cool cavern visible through glass.
Now if folks would just stop poking the light.

   One of the frequently asked questions at the museum relates to whether any of the animals have tried to escape. This following quote extracted from the museum's website speaks volumes about beavers: "There have been a few escapes over the years. Probably the most famous was a "beaver breakout" which took place a number of years ago. One night, the beavers left their pond, waddled through the bighorn enclosure and escaped into the desert. The next morning Museum people followed their tracks, which headed west and before long stopped near a set of coyote tracks. Swirling beavertail prints in the sand showed how the beavers had made an about-face and headed back to the safety of their pond. They never attempted another escape." 
   I wonder how the coyote(s) fared. I read in the paper not too long ago that a beaver killed an eastern European man in Belarus. Insert your own inappropriate angry beaver joke here. The moral to the story is don't mess with beavers. They can be incited to violence and deadly when provoked. Other than that, they are really cute, especially for being a rodent.

King of the hill for a mere few minutes until the matriarch shows herself.
The Prairie dogs are overflowing with personality and are entertaining to watch.



Two miles of walking paths meander through the park leading visitors to each exhibit.




This thistle reminds me of Horton Hears A Who.

   I am decidedly a fan of Desert Museum, but in general I must admit that I'm not particularly fond of zoos. In the late '90s when my daughter was a toddler and we lived in the Bay Area, I decided it would be a fun outing to visit the San Francisco Zoo. The memory that I cannot shake was visiting the polar bear exhibit. I felt overwhelming grief for the polar bear who appeared downtrodden and utterly miserable. To this day, I would swear under oath that he was shedding tears. I don't feel overly connected to animals like my sister Juliette who is the Doctor Doolittle of our family. And yet, that day, I connected with the polar bear in a way that I have not experienced before or after. I am not prone to crying, but my reaction was so intense and so vivid that I was flooded with emotion and I began weeping. When I managed to pull my watery gaze away from the bear I saw that our au pair from Germany was also weeping as was my daughter. We were all transfixed by the bear. As I have written before in the blog, I don't have a great capacity for remembering, but I do clearly recall that sad interaction with a despondent bear who was far, far away from home.
    If you have a difficult time with zoos, I suspect you will like the Desert Museum, just like I do. In fact, the Desert Museum, founded in 1952, set precedence for housing animals in enclosures that resemble nature. My hope is that for animals that cannot return to the wild, that they can live in a zoo like the Desert Museum and that visitors can learn from the scientific and educational programs so people can better understand and appreciate the Sonoran Desert and its inhabitants. And, commune with nature where humans can cohabitate with predators. A favorite novel that explores the subject of predators is Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, a former resident of Tucson.




Lantana lends beautiful color to the desert. Not just purple, but yellow, and red, too.



This is the gorgeous bloom of a spindly ocotillo cactus. Its hidden green
leaves appear with the onset of rain.

   I learned from the museum's website that on average most of the nearly half a million visitors per year only stay between 2 to 3 hours. Huh? There is so much to see and do that it is easy to spend an entire day. What we typically do is arrive midmorning and proceed directly to the Hummingbird Exhibit. After we say goodbye to the hummers, we head to lunch at the self-serve grill. I usually order the Tostados Grande (I make this version at home) and the kids vacillate between choosing a freshly grilled cheeseburger made to order or a giant slice of hand tossed pizza. The food is actually good and there is nice variety between specialty sandwiches and wraps, Sonoran Cuisine and salads. If the weather is pleasant, you can sit on one of the open or covered patios. There is also a large air conditioned indoor dining room with floor to ceiling windows that capture the beautiful landscaping or the expansive view of the desert and mountains. After lunch you have the rest of the day to leisurely enjoy all the attractions without hearing someone in your crew whine, "I'm hungry."
   During the summer months, the Ocotillo Café is open for dinner on Saturday nights and reservations are recommended. By the way, Ocotillo is pronounced Ock-oh-tea-oh, not Ock-oh-till-oh. It never fails to amuse me when I overhear a tourist "slaying" the word. That's okay. When I was in France butchering the French language, the locals were openly bemused by my failed attempts. What goes around comes around. Back to the fine dining restaurant. The menu is regionally focused. Try the Prickly Pear Margarita or the Prickly Pear flavored iced tea.

The shrubby Cholla cactus can be quite mean, littering the ground with 
barbed nodules. Watch where you step.

I'm drawn to the whimsical nature of the mallow flower.



Tall saguaro cacti flank blooming prickly pear, a traditional food of the
 Tohono O'odham.The prickly pear has three edible components:
the paddles, flower petals and fruit, referred to as a pear.

     Prickly pear cactus are abundant in the Tucson area and many people get into the spirit of living in the Sonoran Desert by harvesting the fruit in August and preparing jam or syrup or other sweet treats. The juice is used by many restaurants in town to make a specialty margarita. I've always been a little leery to work with the prickly pear fruit due to the protruding needles, but perhaps this year I'll take one of the classes offered at the museum that provides instruction on how to prepare the fruit.

   I remember when my daughter was small, she and her best friend Maggie decided during a dinner party that they would take it upon themselves, unbeknownst to me or Maggie's mother, to harvest prickly pear fruit to make jam. Yes, this does fall under the category of "What were they thinking?" Maggie's mom and I were busy putting the finishing touches on dinner when the girls made a dramatic, teary-eyed entrance into the kitchen. Little hands were full of tiny stickers. That night I learned the Elmer's glue trick thanks to Maggie's mom. We flooded the girls' hands with Elmer's glue and waited for it to dry. Once the mass was solid, the girls could peel off the glue thereby removing the stickers. The famished girls were not first to the table that night but they did eventually eat dinner with tender, red, aching hands holding heavy utensils. Maddie sums up the tragic experience in three words: "It was horrible!"

   When I reminisced with my husband about our daughter's experience, Jay reminded me of a similar story involving his mom and brothers. The family moved from Wisconsin to Arizona in the mid 1960s. Joan was an amazing cook and could be quite adventurous in the kitchen in her younger years. Upon moving to the desert she was inspired to make prickly pear jam, so she loaded up her mischievous sons and boldly drove into the desert on a hot August day to harvest pears. The carefully collected fruit was placed in the back of the station wagon. The car didn't have air conditioning, so the windows were rolled down all the way for the drive home. The wind caught the fine needles on the fruit, and like down on a thistle spread throughout the car and got caught in skin and upholstery. Jay said the needles nearly ruined the interior of the car. The family members felt poking needles for months afterwards which were angrily plucked from skin and fabric and then discarded.

 

A Great Horned Owl meets an adoring public. This bird is a silent flyer,
the better to catch its prey.



I captured this photo with a 50mm lens, which means I was so very close to the hummingbird that
I could have reached out and touched him. He gallantly cooperated for the close-up portrait.

The hummingbird exhibit is always the first stop for me and I spend a good
deal of time watching the birds.

    In addition to the Hummingbird exhibit, I like to take my time slowly wandering through the walk-in aviary. There are benches to take the load off and I enjoy sitting a spell watching the birds go about their daily business. The birds are fairly tame because they encounter nearly 2,000 visitors a day. On the afternoon that I took the photos of the parrot, it got to the point where I felt like a stalker. Poor bird. He'd fly away and then I'd follow him. He seemed to enjoy the attention some of the time, but that's probably just me projecting my feelings upon him.
   Once upon a time there was a flock of parrots housed in a metal aviary in the Mountain Woodland's area of the museum. I questioned why the cage was empty and was told that the parrots had to be removed because wildlife neophytes (also known as idiots) were poking fingers through the bars of the cage. This situation falls under the category of things that make me say, "Hmmmmm." Sounds like a bad idea to me, but apparently some of those carefree, unsuspecting folks discovered the hard way that a parrot's beak can easily separate a finger from a hand. Repeat after me: for every action there is a reaction. That must have been a gruesome scene. Which leads me to share with you a fun fact that a flock of parrots is also known as a pandemonium. That's what ensued after the finger got bit off. Some people can only learn through experience, whereas smarter folks can heed warnings. Keep your fingers to yourself, especially around animals and birds. Whether wild or domesticated it matters not, unless directed otherwise by an expert.

Walk through the aviary to see a variety of birds in a natural habitat featuring
 mature trees and a man-made stream.



Mrs. Roadrunner fusses over building a nest and uses her beak as a tool to transport the feather.



   One of the more difficult exhibits for me to adjust to is the reptiles house where visitors can see eye-to-eye with a variety of rattlesnakes, Gila monsters and other vemenous things that go bump in the night. All the reptiles and critters are displayed behind glass but depending upon your comfort level, the tour can still be disconcerting but nonetheless very interesting and educational. The exhibits are done in such a way where the viewer can see just how well the snakes and insects blend into their environments, often rendering them almost invisible. There are exhibits outdoors where lizards live in walled areas and are easy to spot such as the following beautiful - yes beautiful to me - lizard in the photo below.

I pursued this lizard for awhile waiting patiently for him to cooperate
with his portrait. He finally gave in.



Yes, you can touch the gopher snake, if you wish. I opted for the side of no.



I won't be planting this tree in my yard. The red insects swarmed
the tree and made a loud humming noise.

   Without fail every trip to the Desert Museum ends happily with a soft serve ice cream cone procured from Phoebe's coffee bar located next to the Mountain House gift store. When we are all hot and tired at the end of the day, soft-serve ice cream is the perfect pick-me-up. It's a tradition and it will stay a tradition. For good reason. Forever and ever. Amen.
 

Our favorite thing: chocolate and vanilla swirl soft serve ice cream
cones enjoyed while sitting under the covered patio.

   Inspired by our visits to the Desert Museum, my goal for this post is to make homemade ice cream that is similar to soft serve ice cream. There is a particular mouthfeel to soft serve ice cream that I find appealing. I know I am not alone. Soft serve ice cream also achieves its particular texture because it has a considerable amount of air whipped into it, which is a natural byproduct of making ice cream at home with inexpensive equipment.

   The key here, which was a revelation to me, is adding nonfat milk powder to the vanilla ice cream. It acts in the same manner as adding cocoa powder to the chocolate ice cream. The consistency changes, but in a good way. Both flavors turned out thick and creamy without compromising the homemade consistency. Because the powder helps to reduce iciness in the ice cream, as does the addition of a small amount of alcohol, the prepared ice cream will easily keep in the freezer for two weeks making it an excellent dessert to make ahead for a dinner party.
   I had an unsuccessful experience using cornstarch in the past. The cornstarch was supposed to give more of a premium quality to homemade ice cream, but for lack of a better description, the final outcome just seemed gummy. For any recipe that calls for cornstarch, I would swap the same amount with the nonfat milk powder.
   According to my research powdered espresso will act the same way as cocoa and milk powder. I'm intrigued with trying my hand at making a cappuccino flavored ice cream as it is one of my favorite gelato flavors, but for today we'll stay focused on making really excellent chocolate and vanilla ice creams, which taste great served side by side in a frosty glass. You can make your own swirl.

Really Excellent Chocolate Ice Cream

Root Beer Marble Ice Cream

by Michelle

   I am not blessed with a great memory like my sister, Linda. She can memorize volumes of text and can recite long passages of poetry. In high school, she took Spanish, German and French in the same semester and earned an A in each class. She can reel off the medicinal properties of plants and the impact on a human body. So in-depth is Linda's knowledge that she sounds as if she is a medical doctor. In fact, we often refer to her as Dr. Townsend when seeking her advice on how to cure whatever might be ailing us.
   My husband is similar in the way that he can remember conversations with great accuracy. Especially the conversations he has with me, much to my chagrin. His keen memory doesn't seem to work in my favor in personal disagreements. As a couple, we are a prime example that opposites attract.
   My best friend from high school, Dan is also known as Dan-The-Man. He also answers to his current rank of Lieutenant. That's right... Lieutenant Dan. Upon his promotion, I immediately trotted down the well-worn path of Forrest Gump jokes that littered the gutters of his reality. Dan told me straight-up, with only the slightest hint of his trademark humor, that my jokes were not in any way original. The news did not come as a surprise to me or lessen my enthusiasm for the obviously stupid. I digress.

   My original point for bringing Dan into the conversation is that Dan remembers things from high school that I do not. He has been downright incredulous with me at times with things I fail to remember. I do remember that he taught me how to drive. And, for that, I will always be grateful.
   I think my lack of a strong memory is why I take so many photographs. I seem to be obsessively documenting my life. Similar to the movie Momento, I take photos to remember. (I am happy to confirm that there are no additional similarities between my life and the aforementioned movie.)
   This is why, when I do have a random memory, something that should have been in one memory bank and out the other, but has nevertheless stuck with me through the years, I take note. This particular memory has to do with, yep, you guessed it—Root Beer Marble Ice Cream.

Dan took this photo of "young happy me" on the beach in Santa Barbara.

 In my formative years, I lived in the small California Central Coast town of Solvang. An acquaintance once asked where I grew up, when I responded Solvang, she threw her head back and laughed. When I inquired what was so humorous, she said, "Oh, I thought only elves lived there." I grimace-smiled like my friend Dan does when hearing, yet again, a lame Forrest Gump joke.
   The small village of Solvang is a mix of paved roads and cobblestone walkways, half-timbered buildings with thatched roofs and picture perfect windmills. Solvang Park resides between downtown Solvang's two traffic lights on Mission Drive. Across the street from the park lived a small, narrow ice cream shop on 1st Street. As I recall all the flavors were made by Dreyers. When I shared with Linda, she seemed to recall that the little shop served up Burnardo'z ice cream, a small company that was based in Los Alamos, California, just up a short stretch  from Solvang on Highway 101. Linda's favorite was Burnardo'z Rocky Road. If we are to trust a source, we'll go with Linda's recollection based upon my glowing assessment of her mental prowess.

Celebrating Danish Days 1977 in Solvang Park posing in front of Danish author 
Hans Christian Andersen's statue. I'm wearing apparel befitting for 
my elementary school's participation in the annual parade.

  The ice cream shop was owned by a sweet, elderly couple who always seemed to manage to remember my favorite flavor. They would send me on my way with a smile and two huge scoops in a waffle cone. More often than not, I would sit at the park under the shade of the trees and happily slurp the ice cream and eat the cone until every last tasty bit was consumed.
   In an attempt to reconstruct this happy experience from my youth, I have searched extensively for a Root Beer Marble Ice Cream recipe without success. No recipes on the internet or in my cookbooks... at least not that I could find.
   The field has been narrowed to the capable team of me, myself and I to create Root Beer Marble Ice Cream. I will rise to the challenge. I should perhaps put my skills to something worthy that could really change the world, but hey, Root Beer Marble Ice Cream to celebrate the 4th of July sounds like a good use of time to me. Lofty goal? I think not. It's all about making a  syrup, which thanks to Cooks Illustrated, might be as easy as boiling a liter of root beer to a cup of syrup*. Next, make a really great vanilla ice cream (easy-peasy). Finally, swirl the syrup into the soft homemade ice cream and then harden in the freezer.
   Instant time machine? I think not, but this time around I get to share a memory in the making with my daughter and husband. At least I hope so. I'll take a picture, just in case I get a little fuzzy on the details.

*It's not. I wish it was easy as reducing soda pop to a syrup. My life would have been considerably easier this past month. I started my experiment with Virgil's Root Beer - a tasty brew. By the time I reduced the excellent root beer to one cup, it tasted like carmelized vanilla with perhaps a faint undertone of root beer. The flavor was considerably better when I added a tablespoon of Blackmaker™ Root Beer Liqueur to the reduced soda pop. Not completely satisfied, I considered my options. A quick Google search uncovered a Root Beer Syrup made by Sonoma Trading Company and stocked at my local Williams-Sonoma store.

   I think I might have visibly winced when I shelled out $16 dollars for the syrup. Similar to when, just a few weeks ago when I purchased the Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard. A small price to pay, I assured myself, in the name of research. The purchased syrup was better than the reduced root beer concoction. To reduce icyness once frozen, I added one tablespoon of the Blackmaker Root Beer Liqueur to one cup of the purchased Root Beer syrup. The next step was to make the vanilla ice cream.

   My first attempt to add the syrup to the frozen custard would aptly be named Root Beer Float Ice Cream. Not what I was striving for, but delicious all the same. In the final analysis, the "float" occured when the room temperature syrup diffused into the unripened ice cream (see note below). Not content to stop short of my mission of a true marbled ice cream, I resolved to try again.
   For round two, I decided to make my own syrup based upon reading a terrific Sassafras and Homemade Root Beer blog post by Hank Shaw of Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. There are no Sassafras trees in my neck of the woods, err... barren desert that is, but I can purchase just about anything I desire at Amazon.com. A quick search yielded Sassafras Root Bark, Cut and Sifted Burdock Root, and Wintergreen extract. The rest of the ingredients were lounging in my spice cabinet or readily available at my local grocery store. I decided that I would follow Hank's recipe and add-in one crushed whole nutmeg to the "tea" ingredients and then a touch of vanilla paste to make the syrup my own.

Wilkins Family Lemon Ice Cream

by Michelle

   Our mother fondly recalls her grandparents making lemon ice cream on hot summer days with the young and old taking turns cranking the dasher by hand - easily in the beginning and then increasingly more difficult -as the cream gradually thickened under the influence of the constant churning and as the rock salt lowered the temperature of the melting ice cubes. The setting was the mountains, where our great-grandparents built a general store and cabins in California's Mill Creek Canyon located east of Redlands. In the summers, mother spent days exploring the area and looking forward to the ice cream flavor of the afternoon.
   In the evenings, the folks would play cards, or the rugs would be rolled up to expose the hardwood floors. Great-grandad would play the mandolin and great-grandmother, the piano. Our mother, but a young girl at the time, would fall asleep in the rocking chair watching the adults dance the night away to a particular style of ragtime music called "cornball".

   The frozen dessert tradition continued with our mom and dad making lemon ice cream for special occasions ranging from birthday celebrations to the 4th of July. Our generation has continued on as well, pairing the divine concoction with Old Fashioned Berry Crisp, pies, cakes and sandwiched between cookies.
   We have topped the ice cream with fresh fruit and sauces such as yummy Brandied Cherries, but in the end, we all agree that our favorite preparation is simply two scoops in a bowl eaten slowly with a spoon. The silky texture of the ice cream is heaven.
   The original ingredients include raw eggs. As we mentioned in our Caesar Salad post, the risk of getting salmonella from an egg is very low. For those with greater risk factors or concerns over using raw eggs, we have also included a "cooked custard" version that takes longer to prepare but is equally delicious.
    One last note, you can make your own fruit extracts. We made this happy discovery while preparing a Trio of Fruit Liqueurs. Simply remove a portion of the "extracted" liquid - after you discard the spent peels or fruit and before adding the simple syrup - and store in a bottle (with a tightly fitting lid) in a dark place, such as a kitchen cabinet. The extract will last indefinitely and the flavor, like the liqueur, will continue to improve with age.

    This is easily our most requested recipe. Without further ado, here are two versions of our family's much loved and sought after recipe.

Wilkins Family Lemon Ice Cream

   We learned many years ago that adding alcohol to the "bases" of homemade ice creams and sorbets lowers the freezing point of the mixture. In other words, by adding alcohol, frozen desserts keep well in the freezer without becoming too icey or difficult to scoop. With alcohol in a recipe, be warned, more is not better. If you add too much the end result will likely taste boozy and in the case with frozen desserts, will not harden properly, so please be careful with your measurments.
   Finally, beware of using store-bought Limoncello in this recipe. All of the brands we have tried are either downright awful or have a slightly metalic taste. If you are not inspired to make Limoncello, then use unflavored vodka.

Ingredients:
4 extra-large eggs, of the highest quality
1 egg yolk
6 cups half-and-half
2 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsps plus 1 tsp lemon extract, or homemade
1/3 cup vodka 80% proof, or homemade Limoncello

Procedure:
1. Whisk the eggs and yolk in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the half-in-half, lemon extract, vanilla extract and Limoncello or vodka.
2. Place a sieve over the mouth of the ice cream canister. Transfer the mixture, pouring through the sieve, into the canister. Freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. Yield: 2 quarts

Wilkins Family Lemon Ice Cream (Custard Base)

2 cups whipping cream
1 pint half-and-half
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 extra-large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsps plus 1 tsp lemon extract, or homemade
1/2 cup vodka 80% proof or homemade Limoncello

Procedure:
1. In a stainless steel saucepan, heat whipping cream until almost scalded. Meanwhile, whip eggs until blended and frothy. Add sugar to whipping cream and stir until dissolved and the mixture is thicker, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
2. Add about a cup of the sugar-cream mixture to the eggs while whisking quickly to incorporate. Then add the egg mixture to the saucepan. Whisking constantly, heat again for another 1-2 minutes until hot.
3. Through a sieve, pour mixture into a gallon container. Add milk, vanilla extract, lemon extract and vodka or Limoncello. Stir well. Refrigerate until very cold, or overnight.
4. Freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. Yield: 2 quarts