One look at the cover of Ample Hills Creamery: Secrets and Stories from Brooklyn’s Favorite Ice Cream Shop should tell you all you need to know about this collection of ice cream recipes from a very popular neighborhood shop. The ice cream flavors are over-the-top indulgent, and each one sounds so good that you’re not going to know which flavor to start with. When you’re visiting the shop – like my friends who happen to live in Brooklyn – it is easy to get an extra scoop or two (especially if you’re sharing) to try out different flavors. When you’re working with the cookbook, however, you’re going to be making small batches and not single scoops, so you’re either going to have to narrow down the flavor that sound best to you to find a starting point or put in some extra overtime on your ice cream maker.
The cookbook has a fun feeling, just like an ice cream shop, and is dotted with hand-drawn illustrations. Like most books, it starts with an overview of how to make ice cream (and the history of the shop) before getting into the main recipes. The recipes are divided into categories that should suit any taste. The ice cream flavors range from classic vanilla bean to the addictive “the Munchies” and the after-dinner Bourbon St. that is a more grown up flavor. These are flavors that you can really have a lot of fun with. In addition to the ice creams themselves, the final chapter of the book features many recipes that you can use to accessorize your ice creams, such as homemade ice cream cones, ice cream cakes and ice cream sauces. Throughout the book there are also recipes for things like cookies that are used as mix-ins for ice creams, but can also easily be made separately if you want to get creative with your ice cream sandwiches.
The recipes are very clearly written and the methods used in the book are easy to follow along with, though many of these recipes are more complicated than your average ice cream recipes because they have more components. The recipes are still not difficult to make, but they may take a little bit of extra time to put together. The time investment is well-worth it because the results are delicious and you’re going to have a freeze full of unique flavors that you won’t be able to pick up at the local market.
What do you think?