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Mexican Ice Cream

Beloved Recipes and Stories [A Cookbook]

Author Fany Gerson

$22.00 US

Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Press

22 per carton

On sale Jun 13, 2017 | 978-1-60774-777-2

Sales rights: World

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Nonfiction > Cookbooks > Baking & Desserts
Nonfiction > Cookbooks > International Cuisine

A collection of 60+ flavor-packed recipes for ice creams and frozen treats rooted in Mexico's rich and revered ice cream traditions.

This new offering from the incredibly popular baker and sweets maker Fany Gerson, the powerhouse behind Brooklyn's La Newyorkina and Dough, showcases the incredibly diverse flavors of Mexican ice cream while exploring the cultural aspects of preparing and consuming ice cream in Mexico. Gerson uses unique ingredients to create exciting and fresh flavors like Red Prickly Pear Ice Cream,
Oaxacan-style Lime Sorbet, Avocado-Chocolate Ice Cream, and Rice-Almond Ice Cream with Cinnamon. All recipes are created with the home cook in mind, and written in Fany's knowledgeable but accessible voice. Mexican Ice Cream features vibrant location photography and captures the authentic Mexican heladerias that Gerson has been visiting for decades. For anyone looking to up their summer ice cream game, this is the book.

CONTENTS

Introduction 1

SORBETS NIEVES DE AGUA 22
CLASSIC MEXICAN ICE CREAMS HELADOS CLASICOS MEXICANOS 52
MODERN MEXICAN ICE CREAMS HELADOS DEL MEXICO MODERNO 88
SPICY AND BOOZY FLAVORS SABORES PICOSITOS Y BORRACHITOS 116
CONES, TOPPINGS, AND SAUCES CONOS, TOPPINGS, Y SALSITAS 144

Smooth Sorbet

A well-made sorbet is creamy and smooth (not taking into consideration fruit chunks or bits added for texture). Achieving the perfect consistency is all about getting the right balance of ingredients.

Sugar adds sweetness, of course, but because it doesn’t freeze, it also affects a sorbet’s consistency. Granulated sugar requires liquid of some sort to dissolve the crystals, but if too much liquid is added, the sorbet will be icy and hard when frozen, and the flavor may be compromised. In this case, using some sugar in liquid rather than granulated form, such as honey or light corn syrup, can help keep the sorbet smooth. Just a tablespoon or two inhibits the formation of ice crystals during freezing, and the thickness of honey or corn syrup gives the sorbet base a little more body, which means a creamier consistency.

It’s well-known that alcohol doesn’t freeze. Adding just 2 to 3 tablespoons of alcohol per quart (of frozen sorbet) can have a big impact on the sorbet’s consistency.

In Mexico, to ensure a good consistency, some sorbet makers add cremola, or guar gum, to their bases. This widely used emulsifier is a natural powder, and just a little bit does the trick. In the United States, guar gum can be found at many natural food stores and online.

Fruits that contain high amounts of pectin, a natural thickener, yield creamy sorbets without the help of corn syrup, alcohol, or guar gum. Peaches, raspberries, and mangoes are examples of pectin-rich fruits.

OAXACAN LIME SORBET

Nieve de Limón Oaxaqueño

MAKES ABOUT • 1 • QUART

This lime sorbet is popular all over Oaxaca. Unlike Nieve de Limón (page 29), this one is made with only lime zest and no juice, so the flavor is very intense but without any tartness. The bright green color may appear artificial but is the result of using so much grated lime zest.

In Oaxaca, sorbet makers often use tiernos limes, which are immature limes that have a very strong flavor but do not yield much juice. I find that Key limes are similar in taste to tiernos, but you can use any kind, really. Try to find small, dark-colored limes for the best flavor, and be sure to wash and dry them carefully before zesting.

12 Key limes, washed and dried
1 cup sugar
3¾ cups water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Pinch of kosher salt

Grate the zest from the limes, removing as much of the green skin as possible and avoiding the white pith. In a blender or food processor, combine the zest and sugar and pulse 4 or 5 times to extract the natural oils. Transfer the sugar mixture to a bowl, add the water, corn syrup, and salt, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours but no more than 4 hours.
Freeze and churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For a soft consistency, serve the sorbet right away; for a firmer consistency, transfer it to a container, cover, and allow to harden in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours.

"You’ll want to feature this colorful cookbook prominently on your bookshelf. Starring ingredients range from cinnamon and avocado to mangoes and Mexican chocolate. Flipping through the pages will transport you to Mexico—and have you craving a towering cone of ice cream or sorbet."
—Grace Elkus, Real Simple

"The combinations are as vibrant as those in the chef’s signature popsicles. Stories of Gerson’s memories seeking out and eating ice cream as a child in Mexico are interspersed with recipes for uncommon combinations like chocolate with peanut marzipan; avocado and passionfruit; goat cheese with hoja santa; mole; and a sour, spicy, and sweet concoction: sour cream with guajillo chile and piloncillo-roasted apricots. Transport yourself to the streets of Mexico City with a scoop of Gerson’s deviled mango sorbet topped with chamoy, a must-taste condiment made from pickled plums that brightens the floral sweetness of mango."
—Daniela Galarza, Eater

Praise for My Sweet Mexico:

"Fany's irresistible take on Mexican sweets is as smart and instructive as it is inspiring. Recipe after recipe--from traditional Buñelos to an updated Chocolate Rum Tres Leches Cake--I'm reminded why she's one of the most gifted pastry chefs around."
—Scott Jones, executive food editor, Southern Living

"Like many of you, perhaps, we haven't given Mexican desserts a lot of thought. Sure there's flan and quite a few delicious ice creams to be had in Mexico, but there's also a lot of brightly-colored pastries that are more decorative than delectable. But looking through the photographs in this truly stunning cookbook might win a few converts...I'm happy to have this book in my collection if only to dream of sweet treats...and future trips to one of my favorite places, Mexico."
—David Lebovitz, author of My Paris Kitchen

“What a super-delicious and inspiring celebration of unique flavor combinations! Fany, my incredibly talented gal pal, brings us on a tour of her beloved Mexico through this creative, joyful, and beautifully photographed collection of ice creams and sorbets. These recipes conjure happy memories that make you long to attack a cone of your own. You’ll be rushing to your local Latin-American grocery store and plugging in your ice cream maker in no time!”
—Christina Tosi, chef/founder/owner of Milk Bar

“Fany’s enthusiasm and genuine love for Mexican ice cream is contagious. This cookbook reads like a fairytale and swept me off to a place I didn’t know existed. Deeply engrossed, I wanted to make each and every flavor—not to mention head straight to Mexico, the source of some of the greatest ice cream in the world.”
—Jeni Britton Bauer, James Beard Award–winning author of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home