Spice Dreams

Flavored Ice Creams and Other Frozen Treats

by Sara Engram, Katie Luber, Kimberly Toqe

Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-8016-5
ISBN-10: 0-7407-8016-6
Format: Hardcover
Size: 7 x 8 in.
Page Count: 112 pages

“Enticing our rather bored taste buds, spice revolutionists Sara Engram and Katie Luber, co-owners of the highly successful organic spice company, The Seasonal Palate, Inc., have dedicated an entire cookbook to the creamy goodness of ice cream.” ––Sacramento Book Review http://bit.ly/d9ORzZ

“Sara Engram and Katie Luber, founders of the Baltimore-based organic spice company the Seasoned Palate, share their recipes for frozen concoctions such as chile-lemongrass ice cream and mango sorbet with cumin and cinnamon in their new book,  “Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Cream and Other Frozen Treats“” ––The Portland Press Herald http://bit.ly/azxHr9

“In the mood for Chile Orange Chocolate Sorbet? Cardamon Mint? Dark Chocolate Anise? You’ll find all that and more in “Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Creams and Other Frozen Treats’ by Sara Engram and Katie Luber.” ––Courier Post Online http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100818/LIFE/8180301/Here-s-the-scoop

“Based on a simple formula, ice cream waits with open arms for the imaginative use of spices and herbs to create surprise and delight the taste buds.  Spice Dreams makes full use of the imagination, turning it to sorbets and frozen yogurts as well as ice cream, then combines the inventions into sandwiches and sundaes.  … This is sugar and spice and everything nice.” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/Books_on_Sweets/Spice_Dreams_Engram_Luber.html

“Forget the processed ice creams you find in your local grocery store and make your own. Sara and Katie show you how to take all-natural ingredients with fresh and dried herbs and spices to create some refreshing new flavors. Try something new and make a  twist to your favorite summer treat: ice cream.” ––Foodie in Disquise http://bit.ly/dh30hH

“Turns out, digging into the cabinet was the hardest part, and the result around my house is that we’re all swooning over odd-flavored ice creams. “Spice Dreams” recipes include sorbets, frozen yogurts and popsicles. The ice creams are custard-style - calling for egg yolks - which requires a little more work but yields an impossibly sensuous treat.” ––Hampton Roads http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/pass-herbs-and-try-cone-spice-cream

“This book has me jumping up and down like a child. I wanted to put on a sundress and run threw a field of sunflowers or just get on my bike pedaling as fast as I can through the neighborhood with my tassels and hair blowing in the breeze and a cone in my hand savoring the arrival of summer. Can you imagine adding spice to ice cream? This book has opened up a whole new freezer of ice cream possibilities.” ––Chocolate and Croissants http://chocolateandcroissants.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html#3152622532183829032

“This book is devoted to ice creams, sorbets, and frozen yogurts made with sometimes adventurous flavor combinations. There are options like honey-mint ice cream with thyme and basil, chile-lemongrass ice cream, white chocolate-allspice ice cream, and chocolate ice cream with cumin and fennel. In the sorbet chapter, pink grapefruit-tarragon sorbet and chile-orange-chocolate sorbet both grabbed my attention. There are also suggestions for frozen sandwiches and sundaes like cardamom snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches and peach waffle sundaes with cinnamon syrup. Last, there’s a chapter for sauces, syrups, and toppings to further gild the lily” ––Lisa is Cooking http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2010/06/brown-sugar-and-spiced-banana-ice-cream.html

“Do you remember going to Baskin Robbin’s 31 Flavors when you were a kid? The novelty was that they actually had 31 different flavor options to choose from. Not long ago, ice cream manufacturers began to realize that anything goes when it comes to ice cream flavors. Just when I thought every possible flavor had been created, along came a newly released cookbook called Spice Dreams. Sara Engram and Katie Luber are the real “Spice Girls”. They know their stuff when it comes to enhancing recipes with herbs and spices. Their latest cookbook has more than 50 ice cream recipes that incorporate spices and herbs. These ladies know how to take an ordinary flavored ice cream, add a dash of this and that, and create something extraordinary. This past weekend I made their Apple Spice Ice Cream. It is without question the best ice cream that I have ever made. ” ––Grin and Bake It http://grinandbakeit.com/ice-cream-essentials-give-away-get-ready-for-summer

“This little book packs huge flavour.  … All the spices in the cookbook can easily be found in your local markets or, likely, you will have them in your cupboard already. Get ready for some exotic combinations like Chile-Lemongrass Ice Cream, Marjoram-Mint-Coconut Sorbet, Lemon-Allspice Frozen Yogurt, and toppings such as Ancho-Lime Syrup and Cardamom-Coconut Toasted Topping. With Spice Dreams, your summer just got a little more exciting.” –Living in the Kitchen with Puppies http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies.blogspot.com/2010/05/spice-dreams.html

“Sara Engram and Katie Luber, founders of The Seasoned Palate, a Baltimore-based company that specializes in packaging organic spices in one-teaspoon packets for convenience and freshness, have compiled a collection of recipes with an emphasis on fresh and natural ingredients. The fifty recipes including ice creams, sorbets, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and other delectable frozen treats are certain to please ice cream connoisseurs throughout the country. Most of the recipes in “Spice Dreams” are fairly straight-forward and accessible. What sets them apart from ones found in other collections is the use of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom. It’s summer, it’s hot, and it’s time to break out the ice cream freezer. This dandy little cookbook serves up tasty frozen treats with the added zest of spices.” ––Tucson Citizen http://tucsoncitizen.com/cooking/2010/05/26/new-cookbook-adds-spices-to-ice-creams-and-other-frozen-treats/

“If you’ve yet to cross over to the ranks of the at-home ice cream churners, we’ve got some sweet news: when you make ice cream at home, it can taste a whole lot better, and you can make it exactly toyour preference. This summer that means playing with fresh flavors like citrus, cinnamon, cardamom, and tarragon. Thankfully, Sara Engram and Katie Luber, authors of Spice Dreams, are experts at combining spices and creating surprisingly lip-smacking frozen treats.” ––Ready Made http://www.readymade.com/projects/article/spice_cream

“The book is devoted purely to frozen desserts, and a quick skim through will have any sweet tooth’s mouth watering. Authors Engram and Luber are spice connoisseurs, aiming to combine spices with frozen treats to make the best delectable summer desserts. The book first addresses how to make homemade ice cream. From basic vanilla to honey-mint with thyme and basil to brown sugar and spiced banana, each flavor is different than anything you’d find at the supermarket. If you prefer something lighter, there’s also an array or sorbet and frozen yogurt recipes to try, like mango with cumin and cinnamon and pink grapefruit-tarragon.” ––Kansas City.com http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/05/1925624/as-summer-heats-up-so-do-options.html#ixzz0nAMMQntB

In their previous cookbook, The Spice Kitchen, spice queens Sara and Katie enhanced everyday meals with herbs and spices from their two unique lines of organic spices, tsp spices and Smart Spice.  Now they are treating ice cream connoisseurs everywhere to 50 new recipes for ice creams, sorbets, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and other frozen treats.

Sara and Katie, with help from Nancy Meadows and Kimberly Toqe, dare aspiring “spice cream” chefs to create their own combinations, inspired by spice Dreams recipes such as Honey-Mint Ice Cream with Thyme and Basil, Chile-Orange-Chocolate Sorbet, Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches, and Almond Ice Cream with Turmeric, Cardamom, and Cloves.

Spice Dreams taps into the hot new trend of adding herbs and spices to sweets and features full-color photography of these tasty treats sure to delight young and old, sweet tooths, spice fanatics, and food lovers everywhere.

Makes about 3 cups

This recipe for mango sorbet is a winner even without the spices. But cinnamon and cumin lend an appealingly adventurous streak to mangoes, so it’s a shame not to let the spices shine. We like the full teaspoon of each spice, but it’s fine to start with ½ teaspoon.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cubed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring gently, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup is clear, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the cumin and cinnamon, and continue to cook, whisking continually, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and place in a bowl of ice water to quickly cool the syrup. Let it cool, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

While the syrup is cooling, place the mangoes and the lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mango puree through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Add the syrup to the puree and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. The sorbet mixture may be stored in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Freeze the chilled sorbet mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and freeze in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours before serving.

Makes about 1 ½ quarts  Basil is a versatile herb, and relatively easy to grow. In this appealing ice cream, the flavors of fresh and dried basil bring out the best in each other. This ice cream is especially good after a summer barbecue of spicy meats. It’s also delicious topped with fresh berries.

2 cups whole milk
½ cup plus ½ cup sugar
½ cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons dried basil
¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the fresh basil, dried basil, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan.  Scald the milk mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and let steep for 1 hour.

Strain the milk mixture through a fine-mesh sleeve. Return the milk to a clean, medium, heavy saucepan. Scald the milk once again over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

While the milk is scalding, whisk together the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and whisk until the eggs are light and fluffy. Whisking constantly, add a small amount of the hot milk to the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot milk.

Return the custard mixture to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and place in a bowl of ice water to quickly cool the custard. Let the custard cool, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

While the custard is cooling, combine the cream and the vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in the custard mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and press the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. The custard may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freeze the chilled custard mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours before serving.

Kimberly Toqe was the Assistant Test Kitchen Chef at Lawry’s before starting her own culinary consulting company, La Toqe Blanche, in 2005. She has worked as a recipe writer and developer as well as a culinary educator, teaching at the Le Cordon Bleu California School of Culinary Arts.