The Best Way to Stay Cool: Ice Cream!

There’s no doubt about it – this summer’s been a hot one! As you hunker down in the basement and try to keep cool without running your air conditioning bill sky high, you might be interested in taking advantage of a fun way to cool off: eating ice cream! But don’t settle for boring vanilla, strawberry or chocolate – get adventurous with unusual flavors from around the country or try making your own ice cream at home. The icy goodness is sure to help with staying cool in the summer.

Interesting Ice Cream Flavors

You might have to plan a family road trip to get your hands on some of these ice cream flavors. Regardless of which ones you choose, they’re sure to make an impression.

Horseradish

It’s hard to picture this flavor combined with the creamy coolness of ice cream, but Horseradish is a flavor you can choose at Max & Mina’s in Queens, New York. Since the restaurant opened in 1998, more than 5,000 unique, hand-crafted ice cream flavors have come and gone. In addition to Horseradish, some of the other more bizarre ones include Garlic, Pizza and Jalapeño.

Bacon

If you love breakfast food, you’ll love what they have to offer at The Ice Cream Store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Not only can you choose vanilla ice cream with real bacon bits, but you can also choose Chocolate Covered Bacon, Bacon & Maple with Jack Daniels, and Breakfast in Bed featuring, egg yolks, maple syrup and of course, bacon.

Lobster

Seafood fans with a sweet tooth – this is the treat for you. Get your fill of butter ice cream laced with lobster in every bite at Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Pear with Blue Cheese

Gear up your taste buds for something surprising from Salt & Straw in Portland, Oregon. Not only can you order Pear with Blue Cheese off the menu – complete with sweet Oregon Trail Bartlett pears and crumbles of Crater Lake blue cheese – but you can also try the richly flavored Honey Balsamic Strawberry with Cracked Pepper Ice Cream.

Avocado with Mint & Sour Cream

Creole Creamery in New Orleans, Louisiana offers dozens of rotating icy treats so you can try something new every time you stop in. Only the most daring visitors try Avocado with Mint & Sour Cream Ice Cream, an adventurous flavor that sounds more like a salad than a dessert.

Homemade Peach Ice Cream Recipe

If you’re looking for a way to entertain and occupy the kids as summer drags on without leaving home, make a batch of homemade ice cream together. Here’s a great recipe sure to tickle your taste buds.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches (peeled, pitted and chopped)
• 1/2 to 1 cup white sugar
• 1 pint half-and-half cream
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole milk (approx.)

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor, puree the peaches, sugar and half-and-half in batches.
2. In a gallon ice cream maker, combine the peach mixture with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line.
3. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice cream. Expect a delicious gallon of peach ice cream to be ready in about one hour.

Whether you opt for adventurous store bought flavors or you whip up your own batch, hopefully snacking on ice cream will help keep you cool! To learn more tips for staying cool in the summer, please contact Aire Serv®.