Ice Cream

Ice cream and celebrity hair magazines are my two biggest weaknesses. (Hair magazines are too stupid to write about, so that?s all you?ll hear from me on that subject. For now.) Though I eat ice cream year round, summer is when it seems to follow me down the street, harass me for spare change and persist until I cough up some quarters.

My dad is genetically responsible for my profound love for ice cream. My sister has inherited this trait as well. When I was little and we were living in Westchester, in the summer my dad and I would walk a few blocks to the Carvel that was in our hood on Sunday night after dinner. My mother wasn?t really interested in ice cream, my sister hadn?t been born yet, and my brother was too little to make the trek. So it was just my dad and me.

My favorite Carvel treat was a fresh banana milkshake. I loved watching the Carvel guy peel the bananas and throw them, whole, into the blender. Then he?d take the top off the blender and pour the smooth, creamy contents into a tall plastic cup. We?d sit on a wooden bench outside, and I?d slurp up my shake with a straw, while my dad went to work on a massive vanilla cone. By the time we got home, the air would be a bit drier and cooler, my little brother would be asleep, and I?d be thinking ahead to next Sunday.

When we moved to the Hudson Valley the summer I turned 11, my dad introduced me to Friendly?s. My parents had separated early that spring, had gotten back together by early summer, and by late summer the marriage was circling the drain. It was a rough time for all of us, and Friendly?s was a refuge. Nothing bad ever happened there. Even if we were all screaming at each other in the car on the way there, the minute the car door opened and we touched down on the Friendly?s parking lot asphalt, the prior 10 minutes melted into oblivion.

One humid evening in late August my dad and I hit Friendly?s after dinner. As we walked along Main Street in Fishkill, I worked hard to save every drop of Peppermint Stick ice cream before it ran down my hand, landed on the sidewalk and was lost forever. My dad was making his way through on a double scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip as he broke the news that he was leaving in the morning and would not be returning. When he asked me to go for ice cream with him after dinner that night, I knew what was coming. I have a sixth sense for bad news. But his news didn?t sully my love for ice cream.

Though I?ve always wanted to make my own ice cream, I?ve never had the courage to buy an ice cream maker. If I did my nickname would be Chubbsyubbsy, and I?d have a closet full of muumuus. My bf Mark Bittman created a good sorbet recipe that doesn?t require an ice cream maker. I know, sorbet isn?t ice cream, but this is creamy, sweet and fruity and really hits the spot. My dad is coming to visit in a few weeks, and I?m going to make it for him. Mum?s the word on Bittman, though. I don?t think he?d be as understanding as you guys.

Peach-Mango Sorbet
Vegan
Makes 4 servings

This is adapted from Mark Bittman?s Super-Simple Sorbet, which appeared in the New York Times on December 10, 2008. Feel free to use any kind of fruit and adjust the agave to whatever sweetness you like. Frozen bananas would be good, I bet. The coconut milk adds richness and texture, but it doesn?t turn the sorbet all coconut-y and whatnot. I think this would be delicious topped with some fresh blueberries or maybe coupled with a slab of vanilla pound cake.

1 cup frozen sliced peaches
1 cup frozen chopped mango
½ cup coconut milk (I used Trader Joe?s light)
3 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons water

1. Put everything into the food processor. Process until pureed and creamy, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. If you need to add more water, do so a tablespoon at a time, through the processor feed tube. Keep an eye on the consistency. If you like it chunky, don?t process very long. I like it really smooth and creamy, so I probably process it too long. If you let it go too long, don?t worry. You can put the sorbet into a container and stick it in the freezer for a bit.

2. Serve immediately or freeze. If you freeze this, allow it to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes before digging in.