When I first started making ice cream at home, I relied solely on recipes that did not call for making an egg custard. It seemed a little advanced at the time, and making ice cream at home was a quick and simple pleasure. Now the tables have turned. I'm a French fanatic through and through.
In their August 2012 issue, Food and Wine wrote about the difference between American and French style ice creams, complete with recipes and lush photos.
French ice cream is made with eggs so it's thick and custardy whereas American ice cream (also called Philadelphia-style) is made with sugar, milk and cream. I find French ice cream to be silkier and it doesn't develop nearly as many ice crystals as its little-bit-lighter cousin. And once you get the hang of making the simple custard, it's easy to duplicate over and over again to create wonderful, seasonal ice creams using fresh fruits, herbs, nuts, and spices.
Read more: French-Style Ice Cream Recipe and American-Style Ice Cream Recipe at Food & Wine
Which style do you lean towards?
4 Starter Recipes:
• Philadelphia Style Strawberry Ice Cream - Freeing My Martha
• American-Style Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - Real Simple
• French-Style Chocolate Ice Cream - Project Domestication
•Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Two Ways - Annie's Eats
Related: Try This! Philadelphia Style Ice Cream
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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This poll is flawed - it needs a "gelato" option. ;-)
French! I much prefer custard-style ice cream to the stuff that gets all icy in the freezer. Another pet peeve: ice cream that has had a lot of air whipped into it to provide the illusion of greater volume. Sometimes companies even label this "slow churned"... it is so not the same as real, creamy custard.
I think it depends on the flavor. Custard style is good for chocolate, but I like flavors like strawberry without eggs.
I like Jeni's - tapioca syrup is the secret to preventing the icy drawbacks of American style.
Homemade French almost always wins with the exception of fresh fruit like peaches. Philadelphia-style + peaches is lovely.
I think part of it depends on where you are. When I lived in NYC I made French style ice cream, all rich and custardy. Down here, particularly in the summer, we've found that it's too rich, except during the winter. During the summer I make Philadelphia style ice creams, and often will replace heavy cream with half and half. And when it's REALLY brutally hot there's nothing quite like a lime sorbet... (Lemon and orange are good too, but there's something about lime that just works for us in the middle of the hideous heat. Of course, YMMV.)
My vote goes to French ice cream. It takes a bit of a learning curve and at first... go slow! I once scrambled my eggs, but since then have been patient and get perfect ice cream every time (which I share on my blog).
Kimberly
www.turningithome.com