I Scream Sandwich!: Inspired Recipes for the Ultimate Frozen Treat
176
I Scream Sandwich!: Inspired Recipes for the Ultimate Frozen Treat
176eBook
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Overview
In I Scream Sandwich!, cookbook author Jennie Schacht redefines this hugely popular sweet treat and shows us how it can easily be the star of a dinner party, child’s birthday bash, family picnic, or just a lazy summer afternoon. The book includes a variety of ice cream sandwich recipes, from the classic (Vanilla Ice Cream on Soft Chocolate Cookie Bars), to the exotic (Kaffir Lime and Lemongrass Sorbet on Five-Spice Cookies), to the seasonal (Blackberry-Buttermilk Ice Cream on Crispy-Chewy Meringues), to the upscale (Pistachio Gelato on a Brioche Bun). In addition to cookies and ice cream, sandwiches are made with brownies, bars, cakes, brioche, crusts, gelatos, sorbets, and dairy-free options. This idea-filled book also includes recipes for sauces, roll-ins, and decorations.
“You’ll scream for I Scream Sandwich!—a yummy guide to filling every kind of cookie imaginable with scrumptious ice creams and other frozen delights. Jennie’s recipes will guarantee a freezer full of chilly treats all year round!” —David Lebovitz, author of The Perfect Scoop
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781613125007 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | ABRAMS, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 176 |
| File size: | 16 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Sandwich Secrets
I know too many people who love to cook but are afraid to bake. I have good news: It doesn't take training as a pastry chef to bring forth creamy, intensely flavored ice creams from your ice cream maker, or to bake cookies ready to sandwich into tantalizing frozen morsels. This chapter tells you all you need to produce sandwiches that are as captivating to eat as they are to look at.
Ice cream is not nearly so temperamental as many other kinds of baking and pastry products. These recipes are reasonably foolproof, in part because they are well tested, but also because they tend to be less exacting, with room for error. Making these sandwiches is all about fun. Throw a sandwich-making party with friends and you will up the fun factor exponentially. When sandwiching ice cream between layers of cookies, brownies, or other good things, it's hard to go wrong.
That said, there are a few things you can do to assure supple ice cream free of icy crystals, and cookies with a pleasing chew or crunch when frozen. In this chapter, I share tips and tricks for making the most of your frozen beauties, including how to make great ice cream, the characteristics of the best sandwich holders, and a guide to putting the two together. In the next chapter, we'll drill down into details of ingredients and equipment that contribute to the best sandwiches. It won't be long before you're a pro.
What makes a great i scream SANDWICH!?
Ice cream sandwiches are all about contrast: a creamy or frosty center against a chewy or crisp holder, with complementary flavors to seal the deal. There may be additional contrast when the filling is frozen and the holder is at room temperature, or even warmed. These recipes combine flavors ranging from the familiar to the unique, in combinations that please and sometimes surprise, but never disappoint.
The combination of several important qualities works to make an ideal sandwich. It goes without saying that you've got to start with great-tasting ingredients, but there's more to it than that. The filling should be full-flavored and either silky smooth or, in the case of sorbets, composed of fine ice crystals that readily melt on the tongue. It must be supple, but not so soft that it oozes out when you bite through the cookie. The cookies may be crisp, chewy, crumbly, or soft, but they must be well matched to the filling. For soft and chewy cookies, and most brownies and bars, we'll be slightly underbaking them for the best consistency when frozen.
Keys to great ice creams, ice milks, sorbets, and sherbets
A great ice cream sandwich filling must be firm enough to hold up to the cookies or other holders without squishing out the sides, yet not so firm that you can't easily bite into it. To achieve that balance, I use specific ingredients that enhance creaminess without making the ice cream overly soft and melty. A splash of alcohol occasionally helps, and though sugar keeps ice cream from freezing hard, I'd rather not drown the flavor of my ice cream in excess sweetness. We have better ways. In engineering these recipes, I've found the most effective tools to lock up water that could turn to hard ice crystals are tapioca starch and inverted sugar syrup, or sometimes other syrups. Sorbets and non-dairy frozen desserts are always icier, but the ice is fine rather than coarse, part of their refreshing appeal. We'll learn more about these and other key ingredients in the next chapter.
To make the creamiest ice cream in a home ice cream maker, be sure to have everything as chilly as possible before spinning. I quickly cool the ice cream mixture in an ice bath, refrigerate it until cold, and, finally, slip it into the freezer before spinning; avoid letting it freeze hard. If time is short, I skip the refrigerator and go directly from ice bath to freezer, letting it chill there until it turns icy around the edges only, about two hours, stirring occasionally for uniform chilling. When using the type of machine with an insulated bowl, get the bowl into the freezer 24 hours in advance. (Until my obsession forced me to step up to the compressor-freezer ice cream maker model, mine lived there.) While the base chills, put the ice cream maker's dasher and cover into the freezer too, along with a container for packing the finished ice cream, and a spatula.
When you're ready to spin the ice cream, if possible, pour the ice cream mixture in a slow stream into the running machine to begin freezing it quickly as it hits the machine's cold walls. Process the ice cream a little longer than you think is needed for maximum smoothness and volume.
Listen up! The ice cream is done when it wraps around the dasher and stays there, moving as a block rather than flowing around the dasher. If you perk up your ears, you will hear the sound drop to a deeper register as the dasher works harder to move the thickened ice cream, a hint to check if it is ready.
Using store-bought ice cream
Most of the recipes include options for swapping store-bought ice cream for homemade. For many of these, you can just scoop it between two cookies. For recipes that shape the ice cream, if it came in a cardboard container, slice it right through the cardboard using a serrated knife, then use cookie cutters to cut out shapes to fit your cookies. You can also slightly soften the ice cream, then spread it about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick on a baking sheet or in a freezer-safe pan lined with parchment or waxed paper, pressing plastic wrap over the top to evenly smooth the surface. Freeze the ice cream until firm, about 4 hours, then use cutters or molds to shape the ice cream.
Sandwich math
For most recipes, the cookies make the exact number needed for the recipe, and the filling a bit more than needed, allowing for variation in scoop sizes. Keep in mind that sampling as you cook, chill, and pack your ice cream will dwindle away your yield, possibly leaving you short.
For the typical 12 sandwiches, each filled with 1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 to 80 ml) of ice cream, you will need 24 cookies and 3 to 4 cups (720 to 960 ml) of ice cream. The recipes in this book typically make 1 quart (1L), which should be more than enough to fill 12 sandwiches. If you come up short on cookies, consider making some of the sandwiches open-faced — they're quite adorable, and as we were testing, some tasters requested their sandwiches that way. (These can be stored ice-cream-side up in a parchment-lined airtight container but are not suitable for individual wrapping.) Enjoy leftover ice cream by the scoop. If you make several different sandwiches, you'll have the fixings for a Banana Split sandwich party (this page), with lots of leftover ice creams and toppings to mix and match.
Timing
Although the recipes have many steps, each step is reasonably quick and easy. (My testers, who are home cooks, agree!) Tackle the sandwiches in pieces as your time allows, or use the suggested store-bought substitutes to save time. (If you do have the time, the homemade versions are yardsticks beyond anything you can buy.) Be sure to read through the entire recipe and plan ahead so you won't be disappointed by not having the sandwiches ready when you need them. Here's the most efficient way to approach the recipes:
1. For most of the sandwiches, make the ice cream first — either early in the day or, better yet, the day before you plan to complete the sandwiches. You'll need time to chill the mixture before spinning it and, for most, additional time (6 hours or more) after spinning to firm up the ice cream before assembling.
2. Bake the cookies while the ice cream mixture chills, spins, or firms in the freezer.
3. Be sure to have any ripples or mix-ins at room temperature or colder for mixing into the just-made ice cream without melting it.
4. Many of the sandwiches may be served immediately after filling or can be frozen ahead. Sandwiches made in a large block are best filled the night before, allowing time to become quite firm for easily cutting into bars.
5. Sandwiches that have been frozen ahead are best enjoyed slightly thawed; just 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature transforms a rock-hard sandwich into creamy ice cream encased in pleasingly soft, chewy, cakey, or flaky cookies or bars.
Using cutters and molds
Molds and cutters (this page) can be fun and helpful for cutting cookies into uniform shapes, and for assembling the cookies and ice cream into sharp-looking, neat, and adorable sandwiches. Consider scalloped or plain round cookie cutters, or ones in heart, leaf, gingerbread man, ice cream (cone, sundae, or bar), or holiday shapes. Some cutters are not sufficiently sharp to cut fresh-from-the-oven cookies, so I sometimes cut around them with a paring knife for a clean edge. If you don't have the right size cutter for the ice cream, try an overturned drinking glass with the right diameter.
Asymmetrical cutters will cause mismatched cookies. Remedy this by cutting half of the cookies with the cutter inverted to form a mirror image, then pair the cookies so that they match with bottom sides together.
Storing your SANDWICH!es
For short-term storage, leave the sandwiches layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in the container in which you packed them.
For longer storage, to maintain their shape and flavor, individually wrap sandwiches in plastic wrap or waxed paper, or slip them into small waxed paper or cellophane bags, and freeze in an airtight container or zipper-top bag. Sandwiches requiring last-minute assembly, or that do not store well, are noted in the recipes.
Bear in mind that the filled sandwiches will continue to evolve in the freezer over time, often for the better. If you make a batch of sandwiches and taste them day after day, as I did while developing this book, you may find that some flavors become more intense and others more muted. Textures may change too, with many of the cookies, ribbons, and swirls softening over time in contact with the filling. To me, these changes are all charming and interesting, but if consistency and perfection are important to you, you may wish to serve the sandwiches within a day or two of making them. In developing and testing the sandwiches, I ate some that had been in the freezer for several weeks and they were still thoroughly enjoyable. Well wrapped, most should keep for up to one month.
Assembling the sandwiches
I use four basic assembly methods, each detailed here: rustic style, using cookie cutters or molds, making matching cookie and ice cream cut-outs, and forming the sandwiches in slabs and cutting them into bars. While each recipe indicates a preferred method, most may be adapted to others, by using cutters or molds instead of pressing the ice cream between two cookies, for example, or by baking the cookies in a slab and cutting them into bars.
For all assembly methods, cool the cookies or bars completely before sandwiching. (Please note that some methods have you cut the cookies before cooling.) Have the ice cream firm but slightly softened: Transfer the container to the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or to the countertop for about 10 minutes. Have ready one or more airtight containers large enough to hold all of the finished sandwiches, and pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper to layer between them. As you form the sandwiches, transfer them to the prepared container, returning the container to the freezer each time you complete a layer. Transfer leftover ice cream to an airtight container, press plastic wrap directly over the surface, cover, and freeze.
SANDWICH! METHOD #1:
Rustic Sandwiches
1. Pair the cookies with like-size mates.
2. Place a 1/4-cup (60-ml) scoop of ice cream (1/3 cup / 80 ml for large cookies, ice cream quantity permitting) between the bottoms of each cookie pair. For the neatest scoops, use a measuring cup with straight sides, about the diameter of the cookies, to measure out the ice cream. Fill the measure according to the recipe, and use a knife or offset spatula to release the scoop onto a cookie bottom.
3. Press gently to squeeze the ice cream slightly beyond the edge of the cookies. If desired, use a small offset spatula or the flat side of a dinner knife to smooth the ice cream flush with the edge.
SANDWICH! METHOD #2:
Using Ice Cream Sandwich Molds or Cookie Cutters as Molds
1. Select an ice cream sandwich mold or a 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7 1/2cm) cutter that is about 2 inches (5 cm) high. (A round biscuit cutter works well.) Whether you baked the cookies in a slab or individually, slide the just-baked cookies on their liner to a flat surface, then immediately cut out the cookies with cutters. (In the case of individual cookies, you will be using the cutters to neatly trim them.)
2. Lay a piece of waxed paper on a flat surface to catch drips and place the cutter on top of it. Place one pre-cut cookie top-side down into the cutter so that it lies flat against the paper. Scoop 1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 to 80 ml) of ice cream (quantity permitting) into the cutter over the cookie.
3. Top with a second cookie, top-side up, and use the mold's plunger to firmly press the cookie over the ice cream and compact the filling. If using a cookie cutter, use a drinking glass or flat-bottomed bottle that fits inside the cutter as a plunger to press the top cookie onto the filling. Continue pressing the plunger while lifting the cutter or mold to release the sandwich.
SANDWICH! METHOD #3:
Making Cookie and Ice Cream Cutouts
1. Transfer the ice cream directly from the ice cream machine into a 13-by-9-inch (33-by-23-cm) pan lined with waxed paper or parchment paper extending up two sides as a sling for easy removal. Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, pressing it directly against the surface, and freeze until quite firm, at least 6 hours.
2. Select 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7 1/2-cm) cutters, using one or more shapes. Whether you baked the cookies in a slab or individually, slide the just-baked cookies on their liner to a flat surface, then immediately cut out the cookies with cutters. (In the case of individual cookies, you will be using the cutters to neatly trim them.)
3. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and use the sling to lift it from the pan to a flat surface, cutting around the edges with a knife to loosen it, if needed.
4. Use the same cutter(s) used for the cookies to cut matching shapes from the ice cream, cutting as many shapes as you have sets of cookies, and gathering scraps to form the last few shapes, if needed. As you make them, use a small offset spatula to slide the ice cream cutouts between two cookie bottoms.
SANDWICH! METHOD #4:
Using Brownie or Cookie Slabs to Form Bars
1. Bake brownies, cookies, bars, or slabs, using two 8- or 9-inch (20- or 23-cm) square pans, or one 13-by-9-inch (33-by-23-cm) pan, or as directed in the recipe. (Be sure to line the pan(s) with parchment paper extending up two sides as a sling for easy removal.)
2. Use the sling to remove the cooled slab(s) from the pan(s), cutting around the edges of the pan with a knife to loosen, if needed. For a 13-by-9-inch (33-by-23-cm) pan, cut the large slab in half to form two 9-by-6 1/2 inch (23-by-16 1/2-cm) rectangles. Wrap the slabs in plastic and freeze until the ice cream is ready.
3. Form the sandwich block in the pan used to bake the brownie or bar, or on a baking sheet. (If you used a 13-by-9-inch / 33-by-23-cm pan, you will be filling only half the pan.) Line the pan or sheet with plastic wrap, extending it well beyond the edges on all four sides.
4. Place one slab top-side down in the pan and spread softened ice cream over it in an even layer. Top with the second slab, topside up, pressing firmly to evenly distribute the ice cream. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and freeze until very firm, at least 6 hours or overnight, for easiest cutting.
5. When the ice cream is very firm, take the pan from the freezer, remove and unwrap the block, and place it on a flat cutting surface. Use a sharp, heavy knife to cut the block following recipe instructions, dipping the knife in hot water and wiping it dry between cuts.
CHAPTER 2Essential Equipment, Ingredients, and Building Block Recipes
Only a few special ingredients and tools are needed to produce the best ice cream sandwiches, most of them amenable to substitutions. The most critical is an ice cream machine, though it is possible to make ice cream without one; I've included a few easy methods. You'll also find building block recipes used throughout the book: inverted sugar syrup, strained yogurt, and crème fraîche. Sources for ingredients and equipment are included in Sources and Resources, beginning on this page.
Essential Equipment
Ice cream machines.
I used three machines for making the ice creams in this book: the Cuisinart ICE-20 and the KitchenAid ice cream bowl attachment — both of which require freezing an insulated bowl overnight (I suggest 24 hours) — and the Whynter SNO (IC-2L), a 2-quart compressor-freezer model that generates its own cold (and you just can't beat that name). All three work well and produce similar results: soft-serve ice creams and sorbets without excessive air that become firm after a few hours in the freezer. (Compressor-freezer models are considerably more costly.)
Cuisinart makes probably the most commonly used ice cream maker in home kitchens. My ICE-20 takes about 25 minutes to spin 1 quart (960 ml) of ice cream, and the ICE-21 that replaced it is said to complete the task in 15 to 20 minutes. Some say they are able to squeeze in a second batch before the coolant in the bowl has thawed, but I am skeptical — I think this type of machine works best with a fully frozen bowl. Cuisinart also makes compressor-freezer models.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "I Scream Sandwich!"
by .
Copyright © 2013 Jennie Schacht.
Excerpted by permission of Abrams Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION,
CHAPTER ONE: Sandwich Secrets,
CHAPTER TWO: Essential Equipment, Ingredients, and Building Block Recipes,
CHAPTER THREE: Classics,
CHAPTER FOUR: Farm Fresh,
CHAPTER FIVE: World View,
CHAPTER SIX: Scoop and Serve,
CHAPTER SEVEN: Holidays and Special Occasions,
CHAPTER EIGHT: Extra Credit: Swirls, Mix-ins, Roll-'ems, and Coatings,
SOURCES AND RESOURCES,
INDEX OF SEARCHABLE TERMS,
BIBLIOGRAPHY,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,