Forever Young Magazine

August 2005
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Section: Feature

Ice Cream, You Scream!
By Annemarie Jason

Photo by Indexopen.com.

Yes, we ALL scream for ice cream, that icy partner in the great American love affair. By the turn of the 19th century, Americans were eating 3 quarts of ice cream per person, per year; today we eat more than 23 quarts! Could it be that benefits from the calcium, folic acid and vitamin A in ice cream have allowed us to overlook its high fat content? Maybe its production of all of those happy brain chemicals, like serotonin, hook us on the good mood it creates. Or perhaps we just love ice cream’s marvelous variety of form and flavor.

It’s part of our history! Without the fortification of ice cream, would the “Founding Fathers” have been as brilliant? After tasting ice cream at the home of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington stocked up on it, spending $200 on ice cream for his own household in the summer of 1790. Thomas Jefferson’s records include a recipe for vanilla ice cream written in his own hand.

Once ice cream was enjoyed only by the wealthy, but after 1800, insulated ice houses began to be used by common folk. Then Nancy Johnson invented the cranked tin freezer in 1846, and making ice cream became a beloved family activity. Soda fountains and ice cream parlors later appeared. The Stoddard Brothers were the first in Buffalo to install a soda fountain in their drugstore, where ice cream sodas cost a nickel! Parkside Candy Company served up parfaits and during the Depression, many a soul was soothed by a sundae at Woolworth’s lunch counter. Soldiers were even provided with dehydrated ice cream mix during World War II. The Navy’s refrigerated barges became floating ice cream parlors while at home, ice cream enthusiasts had to temper their passions as sugar and dairy products were rationed. But we’ve made up for it since then, as mass-produced ice cream has become a common household item and ice cream vendors abound, peddling their wares in stores, creameries, emporiums and from the humble ice cream truck.

You can always get your own ice cream maker and make your own frozen treats, or you could try some of the wonderful homemade ice cream available in our area. Three delicious sources for homemade ice cream are Jenny’s Ice Cream in Williamsville, Nick Charlap’s Ice Cream in Hamburg and Snowflake Creamery in Orchard Park. Other ice cream “parlors” include Alethea’s in Clarence, Antoinette’s in West Seneca, Condrell’s in Kenmore and Sweet Memories in East Aurora. For “gelato,” an Italian ice cream that has only a third of the fat of other ice creams, Buffalo has Fowler’s on Elmwood and La Dolce Vita on Hertel Avenue. Too hot to venture far from your fan? Here’s two recipes you can make without an ice cream machine.

LEMON ICE CREAM:
Soften a pint of vanilla ice cream. Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from one lemon).
Spread in a shallow baking pan and freeze.
Serve with fresh blueberries or raspberries.

PEACH ICE CREAM: Soften a pint of vanilla ice cream. Add 1 cup
sliced peaches. (Fresh are best, but if canned, drain before adding.)
Place in blender and process until smooth. Put in container and
freeze until scoopable.