Ice Cream Bike

Ice Cream Bike is Go! A few years ago, some co-workers and I...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:10:00 -0400

Ice Cream Bike is Go!

A few years ago, some co-workers and I were chatting about awesome combinations of things we love and how they become greater together than they were separate - like, butter and scotch becoming butterscotch - and I threw out a totally unformed idea, “ice cream and biking!”

“You should do it,” they replied, further proof that I am surrounded by awesome, adventurous souls. We chuckled about the idea, chatted about it and moved on to the next conversation.

But the idea never left my mind. Not only that, it took hold of it, prompting hours and hours of research and ice cream churning, late nights and early mornings full of internet searches and what-ifs.

In those early days of my passion project, I had no idea what an FEIN was or why I needed it, or what the chemical composition of an inverted sugar is and why it makes ice cream such much creamier, also - surprisingly - I had never read the Michigan Dairy Law of 2009. Can you believe it?

Today, thanks to my undying passion for truly moving ice cream and my desire to bring all of you the most flavorful ice cream made from only the freshest ingredients, I know all those things and more. And, today,

I am proud to announce that Ice Cream Bike has become Go! Ice Cream.

We can’t quite hit the streets yet - that will happen in May, so stay tuned - but when we do, expect flavors that truly move you. I’m talking about flavors that make you want to dance and sing, flavors that take you back to childhood, flavors that make you close your eyes and take a moment to really soak it in. That’s my goal. That’s the kind of flavor Go! Ice Cream brings.

So what’s the plan? Well, it’s all in motion still, but we’ll be on the streets around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, selling out of the back of our bike. We’ll also offer doorstep delivery via orders placed on our website, goicecreamgo.com. We’ll also bring the ice cream bike to your birthdays, bar mitzvahs, family reunions, whatever - anywhere you want flavor, we’ll be there.

Thanks for following our tumblr thus far, and stay tuned over at our new website, Facebook page and Twitter. I think you will, like me, be really pleasantly surprised where this ice cream bike will take you.

Thank you and let’s Go!
Rob

My first video post! Here I am, a professional filmmaker &...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:51:42 -0500

My first video post! Here I am, a professional filmmaker & ice cream maker, yet somehow I have never posted a video about my ice creams! Crazy talk.

Well, I certainly had a fitting subject for this first video. My good friend Andy Windak, a private chef and part of the interwebs’ most hilarious and informative food & entertaining podcast, The Table Set, was in town recently and proposed the idea of a dinner party at my place. Well, it got a little crazy, cause it’s us, and turned into a four-course Taco Tuesday themed entree & ice cream pairing menu. We invited a few friends, hit The Rocket in Ypsi for sombreros and mustaches, decked my dining room out in taco truck meets ice cream truck decor, threw some beers in paper bags and - voila! An epic party.

Where I’m Churning FromFebruary 2013 Oh man, January and...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:01:00 -0500

Behold the ChocoTaco: Waffle cone, dark chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate shell sauce and cacao nibs topped with cinnamon chocolate chipotle salt!

My scientific taste test of vanilla beans from Tahiti, Madagascar and Uganda. The difference is astounding and I came up with the perfect blend for making the most amazing vanilla ice cream!

Bananas getting the brûlée treatment!

A pint of Lagavulin Single Malt Butterscotch and a pint of Banana just chillin' in the freezer.

Chipotle Cajeta - the world's smokiest, spiciest caramel sauce, served as a sauce for the ChocoTaco.

Are these ingredients for Corona and Lime Sorbet, or ingredients for a bar fight? Both?

My apologies to Thomas Lynch for using his wonderful, insightful book as a mold for ChocoTaco shells.

Where I’m Churning From
February 2013

Oh man, January and February have been awesome! In mid-January I hosted a four course entree and ice cream Taco Tuesday dinner with the always inspiring LA-based private chef, Andy Windak. I’m editing a little video together soon, which will show you all of the fun pairings, but from the Corona and Lime Sorbet to the ChocoTaco to Andy’s AMAZING Duck in Mole taco and the whole Taco Truck vibe of the whole night, we ate right. That’s whats up.

I also recently had the honor of making up four pints of Single Malt Butterscotch ice cream for the 60th birthday of a Lagavulin loving friend.

Oh, and I conducted a really thorough taste test of vanilla beans from Tahiti, Uganda and Madagascar and came up with the perfect ration / blend of the various beans to produce a truly killer vanilla ice cream that highlight the smoky, subtly floral and citrus-y notes that you find in a truly fresh, high-quality vanilla bean.

Umm…what else… oh, I came up with a great new flavor: Banana Brûlée….and…oh, righht…

I am TOTALLY launching the ice cream business. Yep, that’s right. Big news on that front, COMING VERY SOON! Suffice it to say, if you have been reading my blog and wanting to wrap your lips around some of these flavors, you will be able to THIS SUMMER. Stay tuned, because it is about to get crazy here in flavor-town.

2012: The Year in Flavor In January 2012, I had a funny thought....

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 12:27:00 -0500

2012: The Year in Flavor

In January 2012, I had a funny thought. “What if I let myself make as much ice cream as I want? What if I let it all go, and just churn, baby, churn?” It seemed like a radical notion at the time. I had always put restraints around ice cream. As a health-conscious person, I didn’t trust myself having that much deliciousness in my freezer. Would I just pig out and get huge? I was also really self-conscious about my love of cooking. Some old unexamined part of me was ashamed of it, didn’t see cooking as “manly” enough or some crap.

The idea of publicly embracing my lifelong love of all things ice cream made me uncomfortable, so I knew I had to challenge those fears and insecurities. Some part of me knew that they were standing between me and a whole lot of fun and I was right. So, this year, while many people around me were savoring the 40 or 50 different flavors I churned up, I was savoring the sweet taste of personal victory.

I had so much fun with ice cream this year. A few great moments come to mind; my good friend Colleen wordlessly, excitedly spooning a bite of her Avocado Ice Cream and Tequila float into my mouth at our backyard social, sharing biscuits and buttermilk ice cream for breakfast with Andy Windak on our front porch, the excited expressions on my co-worker’s faces when they saw me taking ice cream to the freezer at our office and the near riots that would ensue. I could rattle off fun ice cream moments from 2012 for hours, but instead, I will just hope that you tasted some of my ice creams this year and made some fun memories of your own.

I kept track of all (or most) of my ice cream batches in my super-secret Ice Cream Book. I worked out what formulations worked best for my bases, how to roast fruits, how to extract flavor from different ingredients, how to upscale for larger batches, potential profit margins, all kinds of stuff. I thought it would be fun to look back and see what flavors I churned up this year. Sometimes I just freestyled and didn’t write down what I had done and some of these flavors I made several times throughout the year, so this is not a complete list, but here are my flavors from 2012.

I am so excited for 2013 and all the fun and flavor that ice cream will bring!

Vanilla
Blackstrap Molasses
Coconut
Chocolate
Ginger Vanilla
Star Anise
Cacao Nib
Peanut Butter with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Spice Cream (Nutmeg, Clove, Ginger, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Brown Sugar & Molasses!)
Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip
Pomegranate with Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Ganache
Pistachio
Toasted Almond
Vegan Vanilla
Vegan Chocolate
Vegan Maple Cinnamon
Vegan Chocolate with Smoky Caramel
Roasted Strawberry Balsamic
Rhubarb
Toasted Conconut
Candied Bacon
Malted Vanilla
Dark, Dark Chocolate
Buttery Salty Caramel with Lemon Dulce de Leche swirl
Lemon with Shortbread and Meringue
Single Malt Butterscotch
Black Licorice
Peach Cobbler
Buttermilk with Butter Awesome Shell sauce
Chocolate Sorbet
Black Peppercorn
Ellyse’s Chocolate
Bourbon Vanilla
Avocado Tequila
Vegan Oatmeal
Lemon Poppyseed
Pecan Pie
Clove
Cake Batter with Chocolate Frosting
Cinnamon Cajeta Caramel
Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut
Irish Cream

Irish Cream Ice Cream with Bittersweet Bushmills Chocolate...

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:39:26 -0500

Irish Cream Ice Cream with Bittersweet Bushmills Chocolate sauce

My mom never taught me how to cook. She just cooked. And she let me cook along with her. I learned to love it, to have confidence in my abilities and I still think of her each and every time I pick up a whisk or a rolling pin. It’s like she is there in the kitchen with me.

My favorite thing to cook with my mom when I was a kid was gingerbread men. We made them every year, without fail, from my earliest days until I got my own place. I never really loved the taste of them - i loved the taste of molasses - but not really the cookies. I just loved the tradition of it. I loved that it was something special that we did together and that we didn’t do it without each other. I was one of the ingredients in the recipe and so was she. Years later I cam to love the taste of the cookies and every other taste we put together over the years - my palate has morphed with hers.

I’m very fortunate to still be able to bake and cook with my mom and to create new memories with her. We are hosting my parents at our house this year and I took special delight in not only whipping up a batch of gingerbread men, but also making an ice cream out of her favorite after dinner drink: Bailey’s Irish Cream. I didn’t just add Bailey’s to my ice cream, I actually took bittersweet chocolate, Bushmills, espresso, almond and vanilla and made my own version of it. I topped it with a bittersweet chocolate whiskey sauce that really makes it sing. I can’t wait to give my mom a taste after Christmas dinner. I know she will love it, because I love it!

From the Ice Cream Bike house to your house, Happy Holidays!

Blackstrap Molasses Ice Cream in a Spicy Root Beer float! I LOVE...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:29:00 -0500

Blackstrap Molasses Ice Cream in a Spicy Root Beer float!

I LOVE Molasses Ice Cream. Of the nearly one hundred ice cream flavors I have experimented with in the last year, blackstrap molasses may be my favorite. It’s a perfectly simple and uncluttered flavor, yet it has a spicy complexity to it that’s just so beguiling…man, just thinking about…I love this flavor. Chocolatey, smokey and spicy. Yum. I didn’t know how it would go with my Spicy Root Beer, though. I mean, it’s not your every day root beer, I make it using a really old recipe that calls for lots and lots of assertive and unique ingredients (like spearmint, sassafras, clove, burdock, etc.) that are combined in a very specific way to produce a balanced soda with lots of character. I really wanted to try out my new (to me) vintage soda glasses, though. My risk was rewarded and the ice cream and soda got along swimmingly and I was treated to a desert that was not only irresistible but quite picturesque!

Backyard SocialFeaturing: Avocado Tequila Vegan Ice Cream,...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:10:22 -0400

The evenings menu!

Avocado Tequila meets more tequila!

My refreshing homemade root beer.

Backyard Social
Featuring: Avocado Tequila Vegan Ice Cream, Chocolate Sorbet, Ginger Vanilla Ice Cream, Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream, and Dulce De Leche Ice Cream paired with Chocolate Awesome Shell, Homemade Ginger Soda and Homemade Spicy Root Beer!

Lara and I had our first-ever backyard ice cream social this past Friday. It was such a blast, 30 or 40 friends showed up and spent a beautiful Summer evening running around our backyard savoring ice creams and sodas. It was one of those perfect events that you know you will remember for the rest of your life.

It’s no small feat to put one of these parties together. I spent the better part of a week whipping up all of these ice creams and sodas, but watching the reactions of partygoers as they tasted all of the flavors made it all totally worth it. The kids were especially fun to watch because they didn’t say a thing. They just kept spooning ice cream into their mouths and that is all the feedback I could ever want.

At the end of the night one of my really good friends told me that I am “making people really happy with my ice creams.” I think that’s true, actually. I don’t want to overstate the importance of my ice creams and I don’t think that food should be used as some sort of emotion adjuster, but I don’t think that’s what he meant.

I think he meant that you can tell when something you consume is made with love and that makes people happy. Food is such a powerful and personal experience, and it truly is an honor for me to be able to create food and flavors that I love and share them with the people I love. And I think that, while I hopefully will have many more ice cream events in my future, that feeling is the one I will remember from this particular first event - the feeling of sharing my flavors with those closest to me, sharing and spreading that joy with those who have brought so much joy to my life.

Thanks to everyone who showed up for the event and I look forward to the next one!

16-Quart Ice Cream Social wrap-up! Well, the ice cream social...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:04:24 -0400

Cajeta for the Caramel Ice Cream

16-Quart Ice Cream Social wrap-up!

Well, the ice cream social sundae bar that I provided for some friends was a huge success. I took my camera with me so I could share pictures of the event with all of you, but it came and went so quickly, in a blaze of scooping and nomming, that I didn’t even have time to take any pictures.

Here’s a look back at some of what I learned in the process of creating my first ice cream event:

I like making ice cream - Perhaps this seems a little obvious. However, I have never spent 3 full days putting food together, and even though it was tough at times and not without it’s share of failures and frustrations, at the end of the day I loved having the chance to create a sundae bar comprised solely of flavors that sing to my palate.
I can’t put out a product I don’t believe in - I just can’t do mediocre flavors. If I don’t love it, if the taste or texture or the experience doesn’t move me in some way, I just can’t do it. That was a big part of the angst of my weekend. I really wanted to creat a cohesive experience where all of the toppings would enhance the experience of each of the ice cream flavors in some way. That was the reason I came up with the lemon marmalade as one of the toppings. I had peppercorn ice cream, strawberry ice cream, chocolate sorbet and caramel cajeta ice cream and I knew I was going to do a dark chocolate awesome shell topping. What other topping would not only work with all of those flavors, but bring out some interesting, exciting quality of all of them should someone eat all of them together? The lemon marmalade was a definite hit and something that will appear in my future offerings.
I love discovering where food comes from and sharing that with others - It really hit me this weekend just how removed we have become from the source of the foods we eat. Not that we have to know the name of the cow that gave us the milk, but I do believe there is some value in knowing what we are consuming. Case in point from this weekend: pectin. It is important to me that I use local ingredients whenever possible. I picked up some pectin from the Ypsilanti Co-Op (where ALL of my ingredients were purchased from) but it was a national brand. So, I started researching pectin - what it is, where it comes from, is it vegan - and found out is a naturally occurring substance in fruits. It makes so much sense, how else were they making Marmalade in Britain hundreds of years ago? A sense of where our food comes from connects us to our history and, I think, imbues a sense of responsibility for the things we consume. It also just tastes better. I could have bought a canned Caramel to swirl into the caramel sauce, but using a local goats milk and boiling it down is pretty easy, tastes better, is better for the environment, and is just a more ethical product to consume. I feel it is my job as a food provider to take on the responsibility for those issues so that my customers don’t have to worry about it, they can just sit back and enjoy their ice cream while knowing they are getting the very best, tastiest and most responsible food, that is made with ethics and love.
People love ice cream - All of my hours of work were totally worth it when I saw my 50 or so friends smiling and giddy at the sight of the ice creams. Those real, visceral reactions are priceless to me. I love giving folks that gift of something wholesome, tasty and satisfying.
I can’t wait to do it again - Enough said.

Thanks for following my journey in creating this event! I will now return to highlighting stories and experiences of making different flavors and launching a small business. I am planning an Ice Cream Social for more friends in July so don’t touch that channel, there is more ice cream madness coming to you soon.

Vive la ice!

BREAKING ICE CREAM ANTI-SOCIAL NEWS!!! Free (that’s...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 18:46:39 -0400

BREAKING ICE CREAM ANTI-SOCIAL NEWS!!!

Free (that’s right, free) goats milk at the Ypsilanti Co-op!! That’s because the Ypsilanti Co-Op rules and the universe just happened to know that you were going to the Co-Op looking for goats milk to use in the cajeta that will be folded into your caramel ice cream which is replacing the first caramel ice cream that you burned earlier today and the universe (and the Co-Op) want you to succeed in this new ice cream making venture and they knew you were crying inside and doubting yourself after you ruined that first batch of caramel ice cream.

The moral of this story is that it pays to buy local. Also, follow your dreams. Don’t do drugs. Stay in school.

ICE CREAM ANTI-SOCIAL WEEKEND continues!Day 3: The Churn...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 11:04:03 -0400

"Really, you're still making ice cream?"

A list full of fun!

Behold the mighty strawberry base.

ICE CREAM ANTI-SOCIAL WEEKEND continues!
Day 3: The Churn Identity

Good morning, ice cream makers!

Who is well rested and ready for another day of ice cream making fun? Never mind the sleepy-eyed dogs all around us. These dogs don’t have the mettle to be ice creamer makers. We ice cream makers don’t wait for someone to put our kibble in a bowl! No, we make our own kibble, from scratch, using the best local ingredients and then we put it in bowls ourselves, and we eat it with spoons (usually) and our kibble is ice cream. And ice cream is good! And dog kibble is nasty. So, whatever for dogs, I’m over them.

It’s little wonder these weak-willed dogs are tired, though. Big things went down in the Ice Cream Bike kitchen last night. First, after I chilled strawberry out (see earlier post) I transferred him to my giant 4-quart measuring pitcher and realized I had accidentally doubled the already double-sized batch. Oops! So, I will be swimming in Strawberry Ice Cream for the foreseeable future. Strawberry is a little tricky for me though, because you add in all the strawberries and it really ups the volume of your base, as opposed to most flavorings, which have a negligible impact on quantity.

I was also semi-plagued by a different conundrum yesterday. So, I have these four flavors of ice cream: Strawberry, Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Sorbet and Peppercorn. And I also have a Dark Chocolate Awesome Shell topping for it, but I wanted to make another sauce, too. But, outside of chocolate, what sauce would go well with all four of those flavors? You see the problems I wrestle with? You know how they say the President ages four years for every year they are in office? Well they double that number for ice cream makers. I don’t have a bright red world-crisis phone on my nightstand, but I do have a light pink Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, and there ain’t no way some politician is stepping up to that kind of pressure.

Don’t worry, I figured it out and at about 10:30 last night I whipped up a really tart and puckery Lemon Marmalade. It goes GREAT with all of the flavors and will really add a nice, unique touch to the sundae bar. Like Jack Nicholson says, “you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. You can’t handle the sauce!”

And we ain’t done yet. Today we have to churn up the Strawberry Ice Cream, make the base for the fourth ice cream, hit the store for some supplies, toast some walnuts and, I don’t know…maybe take a bike ride? Sure, why not!

So stay right here, glued to your computer for updates on all the blazing-hot and freezing-cold ice cream action!

Ice Cream Anti-Social Weekend Update: Strawberry is chilling...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:05:40 -0400

Ice Cream Anti-Social Weekend Update: Strawberry is chilling out!

It’s been a big couple days for Strawberry. Why, just yesterday he was just hanging out in the Ypsilanti Co-Op produce department totally unaware that, over the course of the next 24 hours, he would be purchased, washed, sliced, coated in sugar, blended, and nearly-boiled in cream and sugar.

It’s cool now, though. He’s chilling in an ice bath, looking forward to hitting the churn tomorrow and completing his transformation into some sweet, tart Strawberry Ice Cream.

For those of you keeping score at home and noticing there was nary a mention of buttermilk in this post, well…yeah. I decided against the buttermilk at the last minute for a variety of gastronomic reasons, but mainly because I wanted the strawberries to really come to the forefront of this flavor and the buttermilk, with the way I prepared this batch, would have just messed things up.

Stay tuned for more Ice Cream Action! We ain’t done yet!!

ANTI-SOCIAL update! We interrupt your previously scheduled...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:04:04 -0400

ANTI-SOCIAL update!

We interrupt your previously scheduled 16-quart Ice Cream Anti-Social weekend with a bike ride and a quick stop at Ypsilanti’s historic quick stop, Chick-Inn.

We now return you to the ice cream making in progress.

Vive la scoopabilité! Chocolate Sorbet is a success! My 16-quart...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:18:04 -0400

Vive la scoopabilité!

Chocolate Sorbet is a success! My 16-quart Ice Cream Anti-Social weekend is off to a great start! Next up…Peppercorn Ice Cream hits the churn while I make the base for the Strawberry Buttermilk. It’s about to get krazy up in here.

My Ice Cream Anti-Social WeekendPart 1: The Ice Cream Man...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:04:00 -0400

The raw ingredients.

Self-portrait with Chocolate Sorbet!

Crushing peppercorns.

The Angelina Jolie of the fruit world.

Pepper and heavy cream. Go figure!

My Ice Cream Anti-Social Weekend
Part 1: The Ice Cream Man Cometh
I am providing an ice cream social for 50-60 people next week, my first time making ice cream on a larger scale. This blog is the only extant document of the events from this (sure to be) fateful weekend.

In my life, before there was biking, there was skateboarding. This was in about, oh… seventh grade. So, where there is a desire to skate, there is need for a skateboard. Which meant I needed about $100, which meant I needed to get a Summer job.

Which I did. At - where else? - an ice cream shop.

Yep, some foolish person let the inmate run the asylum, and I, Rob Hess, was a 12-year-old employee at Swensen’s Ice Cream in the Tyson’s Corner mall. My cousin and I worked there together that Summer, and every lunch break, when we weren’t playing video games or chowing down at Roy Rogers, we were across the mall, ogling the Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero decks we were sure to buy after just a few weeks of illegal employment.

How does one get a job in the mall at the tender age of 12? Not above the table, I assure you. My Aunt’s partner owned or managed the Swensen’s and gave my cousin and I the benefit of the doubt. And we were good employees. Mainly. I mean, I definitely was attentive and friendly to the customers and I served them the kind of scoops that I personally would want to be served, which is to say huge.

I can’t imagine Swensen’s made any profits during our shifts.

My most enduring memory of that awesome Summer was the night that my other aunt, Aunt Bon, called us up at the store to tell us she was having the family over that night for a barbecue, so why didn’t we bring home a little ice cream for everyone? Scoop ice cream and share it with people?! Sounds like something I would do! And we did. With glee. We scooped up full pints of all of our favorite flavors, and then filled up containers with some of our favorite toppings and sauces, too. By the time we left work, showed up at my Aunt Bon’s house and saw that our employer was also attending the barbecue, we had probably, oh…15 pints of unpaid for ice cream in our hands. Needless to say, she wasn’t as excited about the ice cream as we were.

In the last few months since I began this adventure, I often feel like that 12 year old boy. It seems that every function I go to, I walk in with cooler in had, ice cream for everyone. It’s so much fun. I love thinking about the event and who will be there and what they like to eat and getting the ice creams all ready.

Next week’s event is the biggest one yet. 16 quarts! Yep. It’s huge. 4 flavors at 4 quarts per. I’m going to throw down a full ice cream sundae bar, with flavors that are twists on classic sundae bar flavors: Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream, Chocolate Sorbet, Peppercorn Ice Cream and a fourth flavor that I am not sure about yet, maybe my Dulce de Leche.

I was up bright and early this morning, prepping my grocery list and getting out the door to the co-op. I bought so much dairy! I loved being able to browse up and down the aisles, checking and re-checking my lists, making adjustments here and there as I got a better idea for how to make things taste their best.

I ran home and instantly got the base for the Chocolate Sorbet together. I have never made this flavor before, and my luck with making sorbets has really been the opposite of luck, so I want to make that one first in case it doesn’t turn out, I will have time to re-make it.

It’s churning right now, so wish me luck!

I also had the chance to get the base together for the Peppercorn Ice Cream. I am so intrigued by this flavor because it has that earthy floral-ness of pepper, but also that stinging heat at the end. It tastes like a really great brown sugar ice cream and then it leaves your throat tingling. I hadn’t planned on it, but I threw in a handful of ground Pink Peppercorn Berries for color and to add a brightness to the flavor.

Tomorrow I will churn up the Peppercorn Ice Cream, and I’ll make the base for the Strawberry Buttermilk. I also have to put together all of the toppings for the sundae bar, too! It is going to be a busy weekend and I feel like I will probably churn right up until the last minute, but I will be posting pictures and updates throughout the weekend, so keep checking back.

Join me tomorrow for:

My Ice Cream Anti-Social Weekend - Part 2: As The World Churns

Father’s Day Special: Black Licorice Ice Cream(Question:...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:27:14 -0400

Black Licorice Ice Cream.

Anise: so dainty, yet so strong.

Molasses and anise - a striking combo.

Father’s Day Special: Black Licorice Ice Cream
(Question: Why is it brown then, Rob? Answer: Because I love you too much to feed you colorants.)

I don’t know that my Dad’s idea of having a son included that son being a filmmaker, writer and ice cream maker. I don’t want to speak for him and I want to say right away that I am a very fortunate man to know that my Dad loves me and more than that he respects and admires me. But I think it’s safe to say that at some point in his life, the idea of his son and the reality of who his son actually is was probably a little challenging.

And I think that’s a good thing. The things we love challenge us. We grow and see things as we might not have otherwise. In the ways we most need to.

I think about a time years ago when I was struggling to make ends meet and my parents very generously offered to let me remodel their basement bathroom for extra cash. It was one of the defining moments of my then recent adulthood. Spending that much time together with my parents and going through a task like that really showed us new sides of each other, helped us grow to appreciate each other more as adults. I was editing one of my feature films at the time and I remember one night, after cleaning up and telling my parents I had to race home to do some editing, my Dad told me that I amazed him, he told me that he didn’t know any other guy who could sweat copper plumbing all day then edit a feature film all night.

That sentence is bedrock for me. I rest on it anytime I doubt myself, my goals, my interests or their possible outcomes. Ice Cream Bike, along with many other things in my life, is a direct result of that statement.

And, while I have said time and again that I have been blessed with my Mom’s palate, I have been further blessed with my Dad’s love of ice cream. I get it from him. When you see the man take a bite of ice cream and then close his eyes and go silent, absent of words for a few moments, there is no doubt. If you find my ice cream obsession weird, he is to blame. I’ll give you his address and you can send your complaints directly to him.

I remember so many nights after dinner, my Dad asking if I would like to get some ice cream. Are you kidding me?! I was already in the car before he finished the question, anticipating the drive up to the party store and the dizzying array of square cartons stacked neatly on the brightly lit shelf behind the glass doors, the flavors calling out to me.

Some of my favorite memories from childhood are my Dad and I sitting there on a Summer night (or Winter, Fall or Spring, whatevs, we didn’t discriminate) with our legs crossed out in front of us, our spoons clinking on the frosty bowls as we went in for yet another scoop.

My Dad’s other passion in life is black licorice. Doesn’t matter how old and tooth-cracking it is. If it’s black and it’s licorice, he’ll eat it. He’ll get excited about it. Like, a glimmer-in-the-eye and a skip-in-the-step excited. For all the 37 years I have known him and the hundreds of times I have seen him receive a gift of black licorice, it never fails. Genuine, actual excitement. So, picking the flavor to churn up for Father’s Day was easy.

I had tried to make an anise ice cream before, and it was good, but not quite right. It wasn’t until I picked up on the molasses taste of black licorice that this flavor really came together for me. This ice cream is molasses-y and spicy. Bold and at the same time a little flowery from the star anise. Strong and sweet. It’s a pint full of contradictions, like me. And like my Dad. In all the best ways. And perfect for Father’s Day.

This one was for you, Dad. I love you.

Lemon Curd Ice Cream with Shortbread pieces and Vanilla...

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:35:00 -0400

Lemon Curd Ice Cream with Shortbread pieces and Vanilla Meringue

Some dudes dream about supermodels. I dream about ice cream flavors.

This past Wednesday I was up late making ice cream and, you know how some people have to stop drinking and eating a few hours before bed or it messes with them, well, I think I have to do that with ice cream making. Because I was churning right up until sack-time and, lo and behold, I dreamed about making ice cream.

In the dream, I found a jar of lemon curd in the fridge. I instantly thought, as I would in real-life, “Hey! I’ll make an ice cream out of this.” So I did. And it was awesome. Like, dream awesome, where you can taste the awesome all the way into your toes and your spine does that little snaking motion and you kinda melt and it’s so awesome it is a color and it’s so awesome the Eskimoes have twenty different words for how awesome it is and you hear the awesomeness talking to you and then suddenly the awesomeness is Ernest Hemingway and he gives you a nod and you high five and are best friends you are planning a trip to go big flavor hunting in Africa and the hills are like white elephants. You know, that kind of awesome. At least that is what awesome is like in my dreams, your experience may vary.

Anyway, the dream lemon curd ice cream was awesome, but then it needed something. And it was very British, you know, being lemon curd and all, so I decided to quick crumble up some shortbread. It was a dream, so the shortbread just happened to appear right there in my hand and it was awesome and buttery and crumbly and soft and crunchy, so - BAM! - I tossed some in there. But, still it needed something more? Another texture. Nothing too gooey, how about gooey, but airy and sweet and light? How about magically appearing dream-meringue? Or, better yet, magically appearing dream-meringue with vanilla specks in it! Perfect.

And that was the dream. And, like most of my dreams, I totally forgot about it. Until late Thursday morning when I was talking to my friend Evan. And it hit me. Right there. In public. And I must have seemed like a gastronomic sociopath, recalling the ice cream that appeared to me in a dream as I scrambled for a pen and paper to write it all down.

Now, I’ve seen Field of Dreams enough to know that, when you are stationed in an outpost deep in Indian territory, the buffalo are called Tatanka. Wait, was that Field of Dreams? Anyway, the point is, if you build it they will come. So, I set about building the dream ice cream.

I zested a few lemons and added it into an ice cream base tinged with just a little bit of buttermilk to keep things snappy. I bake up the shortbread, whipped up the meringue and, packaged it up and froze them. A few hours later, I took my first spoonful. I definitely expected it to be a strange experience to bite into a flavor that I first tasted in my dream, but it was better than I expected. I don’t know if Ernest Hemingway was there, but it was awesome. The ice cream is really tangy and zesty up front, and the meringue just sort of hangs in there and mellows things out. The crunch of the shortbread is wonderful and then, at the very end, you get this really awesome buttery finish. I really love this flavor. It is not a combination I would have ever come up with in my waking mind. I can’t wait to find out what flavor I will dream up next. Literally.

And, as I can attest, if you churn it they will yum.

Caramel Ice Cream with a Lemon Dulce de Leche swirl I...

Sun, 13 May 2012 10:43:48 -0400

Caramel Ice Cream with a Lemon Dulce de Leche swirl

I don’t even know what to say about this ice cream. As any regular reader of this here Tumblr knows, I can talk at length about all things frozen, sweet and creamy. But this ice cream? No words.

It was just so good. The caramel ice cream was really buttery with just a hint of saltiness and the lemon dulce de leche was tart and snappy. It drew raves from the taste testers and several people told me it was the best ice cream they’ve ever had.

All I can say is that this flavor is definitely going on the Ice Cream Bike. I can’t wait to make the next batch just so I can taste it again!

Malted Vanilla Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Awesome Shell I was...

Fri, 04 May 2012 08:00:18 -0400

Malted Vanilla Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Awesome Shell

I was mesmerized by the idea of Magic Shell™ as a kid. I wanted some SOOO bad that, some 30 years later, I have to use CAPITAL LETTERS to convey the intensity of my desire. However, we didn’t really eat that kind of junk food in my house. Don’t get me wrong, we ate some junky food sometimes, just not THAT junky food. Maybe that’s why I was so transfixed by the notion of it. Magic Shell™, like actually kissing a girl, was so unattainable. So unknowable.

There are certain personal victories that come with growing into your adult self, and creating your own version of Magic Shell™ is definitely one of them. In fact, the fun of watching the shell go from liquid to solid - and then the sensation of it’s sweet crunchiness melting in your mouth - is so awesome, I’ll just call my version Awesome Shell. My Awesome Shell is, in fact, so awesome, the only way to do it pictorial justice was to eat it out of a glass shaped like a trophy.

I think Awesome Shell will be a regular offering on Ice Cream Bike, but with more flavors; like Caramel and Cherry and Blueberry and Vanilla and Peanut Butter and all kinds of crazy, thoroughly awesome shells.

Here’s to being an adult! Here’s to Awesome Shell!

Secret Birthday Black Forest(Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Sour...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:34:00 -0400

Secret Birthday Black Forest
(Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Sour Cherry Swirl)

This ice cream was a secret mission special request from my old friend Julie. You all know Julie. Julie was that girl in Junior High that was effortlessly cool. The one that listened to music that is still considered cool today and dressed even cooler, while you, me and every other Middle Schooler were in full “no, my mom doesn’t dress me” denial.

Fortunately, even though we moved on to different high schools and colleges and then both got busy leading our lives, Julie and I have kept in touch off and on since those days - mainly because Julie, cool as always, has made the effort. Nowadays, Cool Julie is married to Ollie, a guy with the distinction of having the coolest first name on the planet. Heck, let’s just call him Cool Ollie.

So, when Cool Julie asked me to create a special birthday ice cream for Cool Ollie, naturally, my response was, “cool.”

Then she told me she wanted me to make a Black Forest ice cream. Whoa. Not cool.

You see, me? I don’t like chocolate and cherries. It just, I don’t know, doesn’t work for me. I instantly started picturing every bad Black Forest cake I had ever tasted, picturing myself as a kid, sitting at grown up parties trying figure out where the chocolate cake stopped and where the cherry components began so I could pick them apart and eat them separately.

So then I started thinking. I love chocolate. I mean, if you want to start a dessert business you better love chocolate. And I love cherries. Love them. And I even love those crappy little cherry cordials they sell on the counters at the gas station. So, what’s my deal with Black Forest stuff then?

The cherries. Those fake, neon red, semi-transparent Maraschino cherries. That’s my problem. They are the Frankenstein of fruit. They shouldn’t exist in the natural world. In fact, they don’t! They are manufactured. Plucked, pitted, and drowned in a most unholy brine, then bathed in sugar, gussied up and marched around like they are something special. Like that crappy movie “Weekend at Bernie’s.” Yeah, that’s right, I said it. Maraschino Cherries are the Weekend at Bernie’s of food.

And while I will eat one of those weird little bastards in a foil-wrapped cordial from the counter of some nameless, shady, back-roads gas station any day, and I will sure-as-hell slug one down at the end of a stiff drink, I don’t want them anywhere near my ice cream. Ice cream is precious to me. I only want to put the real stuff in. I want to put stuff in my ice cream and have people taste it and have an absolute revelation that real, actual, everyday ingredients can combine in a way that tastes so much better than the question mark ingredient laced, industrially processed food most of us eat every day.

So, for Cool Ollie’s super-secret birthday ice cream, I tried several times to make my own Tart Cherry something or other, but there aren’t a whole lot of fresh cherries in Michigan in April and all of the dried or frozen versions I tried to use ended up tasting somewhere between prune puree and not much at all. So, I picked up a local Sour Cherry preserve and then folded it in to the most intense Chocolate Ice Cream I have ever churned up. The tart pucker of the cherries and the dark, molasses-y chocolate work together for a really decadent treat that, I think, really elevates both flavors and doesn’t make me want to pick them apart and eat them separately.

Word is that Cool Ollie loved it and had a happy birthday. And I got the opportunity to, yet again, trust my instincts and never compromise on my ingredients.

Candied Bacon Ice Cream Should those four words ever go...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:40:43 -0400

my sous chef, dying for a piece of bacon

Candied Bacon Ice Cream

Should those four words ever go together? Two days ago, I wasn’t so sure. But now, I say, unequivocally, yes!

Despite the fact that I make probably six quarts of ice cream a week these days, I am not actually that big on gluttony. Things like ice cream should be enjoyed, sure, but there is a line between enjoying and over-enjoying. So, I never really got into this whole recent “Bacon is God” fervor. I mean, I like bacon, and certainly the WWBD (What Would Bacon Do) types like bacon as well, but I have a feeling the whole bacon resurgence is more about owning our indulgence than actually loving the taste of bacon.

So, when a friend’s son, Sam, requested a bacon ice cream on my Facebook page, I was skeptical. I decided pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to do it. But then the notion hung with me. I mean, I love it when my bacon accidentally gets covered in syrup from my waffles or whatever. So, what if I could bring some of that purely accidental awesomeness to an ice cream? Plus, how could I ignore the random creativity of this kid? I mean, if I could give him his bacon ice cream, how cool would that feel for him? How much would I have loved that as a kid? I mean, I probably would have asked for some ridiculous ice cream flavor like G.I. Joe or Pet Turtle or something, but still, my point stands.

One would think that this bizarre pairing would go together more like Estelle Getty and Sylvester Stallone in the not-so-blockbuster film “Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot,” but they actually go together more like, well, two things that actually go together. The rich, buttery, brown sugar base of the ice cream really highlights the smoky, crisp bits of bacon for a surprisingly harmonious and not-weird-at-all ice cream experience.

That got me thinking, once I get this Ice Cream Bike all legal and everything, what if I offered a custom ice cream flavor service to my customers? People could order their wildest ice cream flavor, or one that they would love to try but have never been able to find, and I could churn it up for them. I have had so many people request different flavors in just the past few months that I think it would fly. What do you think? Would you be like Sam and entrust me to create your craziest, most desired flavor?