Perfectly Simple Ice Cream: 100 Recipes Anyone Can Make

Another week, another cookbook review. Perfectly Simple Ice Cream is one I am so excited to make some recipes from, especially coming up on the hot season.

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Perfectly Simple Ice Cream by Anthony Tassinello, Mary Jo Thoresen
Published by Callisto on April 30, 2024
Pages: 248
Source: NetGalley

Sweeten and savor any occasion with this incredible homemade ice cream book!

"The next time you're even thinking of going out for an ice cream cone, grab this book instead and take it into the kitchen because the best ice cream recipes imaginable are between these covers." — JOANNE WEIR, author and James Beard Award winner.

Discover how easy it is to recreate recipes from your favorite ice cream shop at home in this irresistible celebration of all things sweet and frozen. Brought to you by Anthony Tassinello and Mary Jo Thoresen, veteran chefs of Alice Waters's famed Chez Panisse restaurant, this book shows you how to whip up the perfect scoop of ice cream, sherbet, granita, frozen yogurt, and other delightful treats—from the classic and nostalgic flavors to the surprising and festive.

• 100 flavors to try — Explore unique recipes that showcase fresh, seasonal ingredients, such as London Fog Ice Cream, Creamy Lime Sherbet, Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream, and more!
• Tips and techniques — Master your ice cream maker with step-by-step guidance for achieving smooth and delicious results every time.
• Don't forget the toppings — Go the extra mile with a section of recipes for homemade toppings like Caramel Sauce, Candied Nuts, and Perfectly Whipped Cream.

Whether you're making ice cream for the first time, or looking for new takes on traditional favorites, this ice cream cookbook includes everything you need to create luscious desserts that everyone will love.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

General Thoughts

Two former chefs from Chez Panisse, Alice Water’s Berkeley restaurant authored Perfectly Simple Ice Cream. Chez Panisse is known for great ingredients and tasty foods. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet, but I’m really hopeful I’ll get to go on future trip to the Bay Area.

Overall, the recipes seem straight-forward to make, assuming you have an ice cream machine. It goes over the basic techniques for ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt and then goes into very many flavor profiles. There’s traditional flavors (Strawberry, Mint Chocolate Chip, etc). There’s also some surprising recipes (rice, London Fog, Honey-Lavender, etc.), and even a section on boozy options (Apple Brandy, Late-Harvest Riesling, Rum-Raisin, etc.) It’s a really great starting point for trying new recipes and flavor combinations. I’m really excited to try some of these, especially since we don’t have a unique local shop like Molly Moon’s near us in the Midwest!

Weeknight Cooking?

I wouldn’t make ice cream for the first time on a weeknight after work. There’s a pretty decent amount of skill in tempering the eggs and making the custard that I would want to be clear-headed and have time to work through the recipe. However, I think once I learned the skill and made a few batches, these recipes seem to be quick enough to make that it would be easy to make on a weeknight. Maybe 30-40 minutes to make the custard and then whatever chilling time you have on your ice cream machine.

Basics or Advanced?

This book goes through the basic techniques of ice cream making, so it’s suitable for beginners. It might take some practice to make a great custard, but overall, definitely good for any levels. It’s called Perfectly Simple Ice Cream for a reason!

Picture Quality

Pictures and drawings of the instructions are beautiful. In the techniques section, the drawings are good to explain what you need to do. In the rest of the book, it’s pictures of ice cream sundaes, which is amazing. Definitely enough to help someone understand what they are doing.

Unique Tools and Ingredients?

So you definitely need an ice cream machine to make most of these recipes. There’s a variety of prices that they recommend at the beginning of the book, so maybe not a huge investment, but it’s a machine that is single use that will take up space. It might be right for you but not necessarily for everyone!

Ingredients are not very hard to find and most can be kept in the fridge for while before they go bad. For example, a basic ice cream only needs heavy cream, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar and salt. Add some fresh fruits for flavors, but generally, the ingredients are very approachable and won’t require a lot of effort to find. Perhaps some of the more unique flavors have harder to find ingredients, but for most of the book, you don’t need anything very hard to find. Again, it’s really called Perfectly Simple Ice Cream for a reason!

Recipes I’ve Cooked From Perfectly Simple Ice Cream

None yet. I’m borrowing my brother’s ice cream maker to get started.

Recipes That I Have on my To-Make List From Perfectly Simple Ice Cream

London Fog. Honey Lavender. Rocky Road. Peanut Butter.

Overall, if you’re looking for a good book on how to make ice cream and suggestions for flavors to try, I would highly recommend Perfectly Simple Ice Cream!