Spice Dreams

When you think of ice cream, what flavors spring to mind? Vanilla, Chocolate, Chunky Monkey? Or do think more along the lines of flavors like Chili Lemongrass and Cardamom Mint? Spice Dreams is a cookbook all about herb and spice infused ice creams, and it includes both combinations that sound familiar and ones that sound more exotic – as well as some that you might have only had in savory dishes and not in dessert!

Spices and herbs can really transform a food – sweet or savory – and this is even more true when you start to put them together in different combinations. Ice creams are actually a great canvas for this kind of flavor experimentation because they are easy to infuse with all kinds of flavors and the hardest part is just deciding what kind of ice cream to make first. The chapters include ice creams, sorbets and frozen yogurts, sandwiches and sundaes, and syrups and toppings. There are about 50 ice cream recipes and enough ideas for things to pair them with that you’ll easily be able to come up with even more suggestions than are offered in the book. There is even a super easy suggestion for simply mixing some spice into your favorite store bought ice cream for those who want to try the idea but need to ease into ice cream production!

As is the case with most ice cream cookbooks, things are going to be a lot easier if you have an ice cream maker, but if you like homemade ice cream, a simple machine is well worth the investment. The recipes themselves are not difficult to follow and give you a chance to practice techniques you might not use much, such as infusion. There are plenty of tips throughout to help ensure that your finished product is at its best. The recipes are so creative – although there are some for more familiar ice creams in addition to the more exotic – that you can’t help but feel inspired to play around with some of these flavors in other forms, too.