Sally Sampson’s newest cookbook, Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream, is going to get me into a lot of trouble.  Specifically, trouble with buttons not closing, pants not fitting, and no-doubt many a ruined appetite for dinner.  Ice cream is my Achilles heel.  I walk by the neatly frozen pints in the freezer case with a hangdog expression of thinly concealed lust.  I know I shouldn’t have it, but everyone has to break the rules sometime and that’s where SaIly comes in.

I admire the simplicity of this book on so many levels.  Sampson finds no need to wax poetic on the merits of ice cream — we, as her consumers, know that ice cream is phenomenal on an inherently addictive level so on with the show.  And oh what a show it is!  All of the frozen treat bases are covered from custard based ice creams to gellatos, sorbets, and granitas.  If that isn’t enough to peak your interest, how about the thought of one of these tempting flavors waiting for you in a big cold bowl: Graham Cracker Malted Vanilla Ice Cream, Triple Coconut, Molasses Ginger Snap Gelato - do I even need to continue?  Sampson also has a number of unusual flavors to peak your curiosity.  Have you ever wondered what Balsamic and Black Pepper Gelato might taste like?  How about Avocado Gelato?

My first foray into ice cream making was a given. I’m a cookie dough kind of girl.  I was also doubly excited to test out my new KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment and also to have “permission” to make an entire bowl of cookie dough just to snack on.  After whipping up my favorite Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie batter I followed Sally’s straightforward instructions and watched with excitement as ice cream started to take shape on my counter.  To make us all feel slightly better about our new dependency I should point out that the recipes in this book are lower in sugar and fat than most commercially prepared ice creams.

To celebrate the release of Sally’s Sampson’s supremely summer appropriate cookbook, local ice cream legend Gus Rancatore (who also gave Sally ice cream making lessons and advice during the preparation of this collection) will be hosting a book party.

Monday June 16, 2008
6:00PM - 7:30PM
at Toscaninis in Central Square
899 Main Street
Cambridge, MA

So please stop by to meet Sally, get your book signed, and also enjoy a free scoop of ice cream!

Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Available in Sally Sampson’s cookbook Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream published by Wiley Press

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 sugar syrup (Note: Per Sally - Place 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and cook, over medium high heat, until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.  Set aside to cool, cover and refrigerate up to 1 month).
1 teaspoon vanilla (Note: I recommend using a really good quality, expensive vanilla. I rather lazily used the McCormicks in my cupboard and I really wish that I had picked up a bottle of Nielsen-Massey.  Next time I definitely will).
1 1/2 cups of your favorite raw cookie dough, such as chocolate chip or oatmeal

Place the milk, cream, sugar syrup, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk well.  Transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  When the ice cream is just beginning to come together but has not hardened completely, add spoonfuls of the cookie dough and process for about 5 more minutes.

Coconut made quite a few guest appearances in my childhood. In 2nd grade, my teacher brought in a coconut, a hammer, and a nail and proceeded to mercilessly beat on the poor things shell until it cracked open. Let me tell you, that was quite a lesson. By the time it was finally opened we were all slightly traumatized and quietly ate our samples of fresh coconut in silence. Then we proceeded to behave like perfect angels for the rest of the day. No one dared to break rank in case the new punishment for getting your name on the board involved carpentry tools.

We rarely baked with coconut when I was growing up, with the exception of using bags of it to cover our annual Easter Bunny Cake. I’m sure I promptly and very indiscreetly scraped the coconut off my slice of bunny, because coconut was”weird” and “gross” and looked pretty but it couldn’t compare to purple sprinkles or jelly beans so “get it away from me!”

I did eventually learn to like coconut thanks to a samples person at Shaw’s Supermarket who gave me a Dixie Cup full of Bacardi Mixers Pina Colada mix (obviously without the rum). Now that was tasty! I bugged my mother all through the frozen foods aisle until she agreed to buy some. I suppose that was my first “cocktail.” I definitely thought I was totally posh drinking what was essentilly a Pina Colada flavored sugar filled milkshake. Ahh…to be 11 again. I would have been much better off had someone just made me some of these addictive mini coconut laden treats.

Coconut Sandwich Cookies (Originally published in the December 2007 issue of Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine)

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (7 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut (about 2 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Creamy Vanilla Filling (see below)

Preheat oven to 350, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Place 1/2 cup coconut into a small bowl; set aside. Place remaining coconut in a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and ground coconut; mix just until combined.

Drop dough by level tablespoons onto two baking sheets, 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dividing evenly, spread filling on flat side of half the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies. Roll edges in reserved coconut, and chill until ready to serve.

Creamy Vanilla Filling

Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) room-temperature unsalted butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on medium, beat in 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Note: I also added 1 tablespoon milk); increase speed to high, and beat until filling is light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Makes about 1 cup.