Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I found Dairy Joe's on a weekend drive west of Lincoln. They have a drive-thru window but I decided to enjoy the day a little. I got out to order, then went back to my car to enjoy. Mint chocolate chip is a favorite of mine. What an enjoyable treat! Thank you, Dairy Joe's!

I stopped by 402 Creamery after lunch. My server was very cheerful and explained that their business in the evenings had been improving. I took my cup outside to enjoy. My ice cream was, as always, delicious.

Alaskans clearly love their ice cream. I saw several ice cream scooperies while I was there. I heard particularly good things about Wild Scoops and headed there after dinner. The line was very long and grew longer as I waited. Once I tasted my ice cream I knew why people waited so long to order some. My black cup coffee had a nice coffee flavor and some coffee grounds, a nice touch. The ice cream was superbly creamy and rich; the flavors accented the creaminess without competing. Well worth the wait.

My evening walk in Copenhagen wouldn't be complete without some ice cream. I stopped by Nice Cream to learn that all their ice creams are vegan. A vegan ice cream is a huge challenge and my interest was piqued. My mint chocolate chip was superb, very creamy and rich. I never would have guessed that it was vegan. Great job, Nice Cream!

I decided to use some of my buttermilk to make ice cream. I used a custard with buttermilk substituted for cream. I split the batch in two: half was chocolate, half was peach. The peach version made use of my peach preserves. I made up each batch. The peach was the winner. The buttermilk's acid matched perfectly with the peach's acid, with everything balanced by the cream. These two flavors were meant for each other.

Peach ice cream goes with several different types of pie---peach, of course, but also pecan. And the taste is delicate enough to complement other types of fruit pie. I made a batch of Philadelphia-style ice cream, meaning no eggs. I used 2/3 heavy cream, 1/3 half-and-half. The fruit came from one of my jars of peach preserves. I added about ¼ cup of sugar to complement what was in the preserves. Here is the ice cream in my Kitchenaid mixer. I had a great deal of trouble getting the drive to stay engaged with the beater. The new Kitchenaid bowls come with a friction-fit coupler that simply doesn’t work for me. The old style coupler kept sliding, too. I’m not sure why since it was relatively reliable in the past. But it eventually jammed itself into a position that kept the beater moving. I ended up with smooth, fluffy ice cream. I spread it out on a pan and put it in the freezer overnight to harden.

Given my surfeit of apples, I decided to make some apple ice cream to complement all those pies. The applesauce I canned a few weeks ago provided the ideal starting point. I boiled down the applesauce for a few minutes to get rid of some liquid. I made Philadelphia-style ice cream. That means no eggs, just cream, some sugar, and the applesauce for flavor. After cooking the mixture, I let it cool and mellow for the day in my refrigerator. Churning was a bit of a problem. I am increasingly disenchanted with my Kitchenaid small ice cream mixer---it tends to jam. I ended up churning the ice cream by hand with a hand paddle. The result wasn't as fluffy as I would like but it still tasted of very rich apples.

On the way back from the Blue Ridge Parkway, I needed a little snack to keep me going down the road a little longer. I found this ice cream stand just outside the entrance to Pisgah National Forest in Brevard. No burgers, no fries. Just ice cream, and sno-cones, and a nice porch. Just what I needed.

Ginger ice cream is my latest experiment in pie/ice cream pairings. Ginger seems like the perfect complement to apple pie. To make it, I chopped a couple of thick fingers of peeled ginger. This batch is all half-and-half because I grabbed the wrong container; this is Philly-style ice cream without eggs. I threw in the ginger and scalded the mixture. The result went into the refrigerator for the day. When I was ready to make the ice cream, I put the machine in the refrigerator to run. We want to keep the container as cool as possible for as long as possible; the refrigerator helps extend the useful life of the container. This batch froze on the edges quickly. I had to chip out the container several times before I could get the dasher to run properly. Here it is going into the pan to harden in the freezer. The ginger and cream go together very nicely. I probably could have put in even more ginger without overpowering the cream.

We wrapped up my visit with a trip to the neighborhood parlor. The ice cream is quite good---very rich. We sat outside on a summer evening, eating ice cream and talking. Little things do matter.

I was interested in a break and a treat so I headed over to Buford Highway to try out I*CE*NY. The words "ice cream rolls" made me think about ice cream cake rolls. I should have realized that they actually serve hand-rolled ice cream off an anti-griddle. You order as a custom sundae: ice cream flavor, mixin, up to three toppings, and a sauce. Here is my server starting to freeze the ice cream along with my mixin, in this case banana. She worked the ice cream until it was cold, then rolled it up very neatly. And here is the result: chocolate ice cream, banana, coconut and strawberries, and caramel sauce. It was delicious and rich. It stayed cold for a long time too---I'm sure that spreading the ice cream so thin on the antigriddle helps to make it very solid. Just be careful for brain freeze...

My brother-in-law suggested that I try this frozen custard stand. He couldn't remember their name but their ice cream left a strong impression. The stand is simple and classic, with tables outside, a walkup window, and a drive-thru window. It's a great place to spend a summer afternoon. And my lemon custard was superb. You don't find this flavor every day so I always jump at the chance to have some. The custard was rich and creamy. The lemon flavor was smooth. I can see why my brother-in-law drives across town for this treat.

I finally had a chance to try Ultimate Ice Cream and I understand what all the fuss is about. It's a cozy little shop in a cozy little neighborhood. The freezer, as you can see, is no fuss. I ordered the dark chocolate ice cream. It was superb in both taste and texture. The cream and chocolate both came through perfectly. The texture was fluffy and silky. I enjoyed my ice cream outside. I didn't enjoy the company of a dog, but I approve of any ice cream place that puts out a dog bowl. Why should your dog suffer while you enjoy?

Mountain Fresh Creamery is on the road to Cleveland (Georgia, not Ohio). It's the outlet of a local dairy farm. Their store sells milk, butter, etc. They also have an ice cream stand. The line was a dozen people long as I pulled out of the parking lot. You can see their fiberglass cow next to the sign; just to the left of the cow is a nice set of shaded picnic tables at which you can enjoy your ice cream and the beautiful views. I ordered salted caramel ice cream. Boy, was it good. Not only was it rich and creamy, it also tasted like milk. Not only is their milk fresh, they use low-temperature pasteurization, which I'm sure helps preserve the taste. I also bought a block of smoked white cheddar to take home; I look forward to some wonderful bowls of macaroni and cheese.

I am continuing my experiments with paired pies and ice cream. This is apple. The pie is King Arthur's Secret Ingredient Apple Pie, made with boiled cider. The cider is rich and thick and makes the filling more intense in a very nice way. The ice cream is made with homemade apple butter. The intense spices of the apple butter go very well with the cream and add to the rich experience. The apples don't get lost in the ice cream and the cream helps to modulate the intensity of the pie. Everything works together perfectly. Vanilla ice cream on pie is a safe choice but these pairings are definitely worth the effort.

Last summer, I bought two cases of Pearson Farm's delicious peaches. I am still reaping the benefits. One box went into the freezer for pie filling; the other became peach preserves. I eat pie for breakfast several times per week---if it was good enough for Edison, it's good enough for me. Mom plans to make some ice cream, which led me to consider making a batch myself. I realized that the peach preserves would make a great flavoring. So I made a half-batch of cream-only ice cream, let it harden overnight, and served it up the next morning on some pie. Now that's a breakfast.

8 Fahrenheit is the new ice cream sensation on Buford Highway. It's on the ground floor of a small shopping center on the southbound side of the highway. Here is the list of flavors available on my visit. I ordered the Sexy Georgia. ALl the ice cream is served sundae-style but their technique, which the staff explained is Thai, is very different from the traditional American approach. The ice cream is made to order on a cold plate, giving the emporium its name. Their process is extremely labor intensive, but the result is not just an excellent sundae but also an entertainment experience. Each order is hand-made. The ice cream maker starts by chopping up the mixins. He then pours the custard from a little pitcher---you can see the pitcher disappearing at the top of the frame. He chops and mixes everything together for a minute or so. He then spreads the mixture out in a thin layer on the cold plate. After the ice cream hardens, he scrapes it into rolls.....

What better way to wash down some pizza than Jake's Ice Cream? After enjoying an O4W pizza, Grant, Marie, and I ambled over to Jake's for dessert. We bypassed the chocolate-covered bacon; perhaps another post. I ordered strawberry buttermilk. This is an inspired flavor. The acid in the buttermilk complements the acidity of the strawberries. It balances tartness and sweetness perfectly with a buttery note mixed in for good measure. I don't eat ice cream very often and this was a wonderful way to break the fast.

Ghirardelli Chocolate and Ice Cream is at the Outlets at Atlanta, near but not in the food court. Ghirardelli ice cream parlors all find their roots at the original Ghirardelli factory in San Francisco. Many more have sprung up around the country. The mall locations can't have the same magic as the original location but they are fun and serve good food. My main score was a 3.5 pound bag of baking chocolate---good stuff at a good price.

Honeysuckle just opened in Ponce City Market's food court. They have a variety of ice creams which they can serve in cones, cups, or as shakes. This beauty combines chocolate and burnt butter ice creams with a drizzle of caramel on top. Everything about it was luscious. The ice creams are very rich with fat and not overly sweet, which allows you to appreciate the cream that much more. The burnt butter flavor has a wonderful finish and it goes perfectly with caramel. The chocolate is chocolaty without being overbearing. Really great stuff.