Il Re dei Cuochi, published anonymously in 1885, doesn't discuss the origins of ice cream, but does give lots of recipes, and also tells how to make fruit syrups so you'll be able to make your favorite ice creams and sherbets when the necessary ingredients are out of season:
To make fruit ice creams when the necessary fruits are unavailable, one should plan ahead, gathering the juices of the fruit that works best in making these preparations.
Procure the types of fruit you prefer, for example cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants, apricots, peaches and so on; the fruits should be ripe, perfect and unblemished. Pit those that require it and blend the types of fruit individually, pressing the pulp of each through a wire mesh strainer into a bowl. Transfer the contents of the bowls into dark canning jars, seal them tightly, and set the jars in a rack canning pot, or put them in a normal pot, wrapped in cloth to keep them from rattling against each other. Fill the pot with cold water to cover and set it on the fire. Once the water comes to a boil remove the pot from the fire and let the contents cool. Transfer the jars to a cool dark place and they're ready for use.
When it came to making the ice cream, Il Re says to fill a bucket with crushed ice and salt, set a second metal bucket with the ingredients in it, and churn the ingredients vigorously for about an hour, or until the mixture is creamy and smooth -- hard work indeed, and Artusi, who was writing in the 1890s, joyfully notes that "the new American crank-operated ice cream machines have made things much easier."
Of course one still had to muck with ice and salt, and turn the crank. Today there are all manner of ice cream machines that do everything but measure the ingredients, so life has become easier still. And, you can make flavors that your local ice cream parlor doesn't have.
Don't have an ice cream machine?
Simply prepare the ingredients, put them in a metal bowl that's deep enough to hold the ingredients with a couple of inches to spare, as they will expand, and put them in the freezer, covered lest the mixture absorb freezer aromas. After about an hour and a half remove the bowl; the ice cream will have begun to firm up, especially around the edges. Whip the mush well to aerate it and break up any ice crystals that may have formed, or use an electric beater at the slow speed setting, then cover the bowl and return it to the freezer. Repeat the process once or twice more, keeping in mind that the air you beat into the ice cream contributes greatly to its softness and creaminess. So when in doubt, beat more rather than less.
For sherbets the process is similar:
Put the ingredients in the bowl, cover it, and put it into the freezer; beat the mush every hour or so to break up the ice crystals. An important thing to keep in mind it that it will firm up considerably if you stop beating it, so keep beating it occasionally until you're ready to serve it. This if you're serving it in cups; you can also make the sherbet into Popsicles: Purchase the molds from a cooking supply company, and fill them with the sherbet, tamping it down well to remove air pockets. Press the sticks into the mush and return the molds to the freezer until the Popsicles have frozen solid.
A few observations and caveats:
- The Milk. It should be quite fresh, and whole. If you prefer, you can use good quality Soya milk instead, though it does add a rather distinctive taste to the ice cream.
- Cream. It makes for a richer ice cream, and if you want to enrich a recipe that doesn't call for it you can add it. Simply replace a given volume of milk with a given volume of fresh heavy cream. Don't simply stir it in, however. Beat it until it is fluffy but not stiff, and gently combine it with the remaining ingredients after they have cooled, before putting everything into the ice cream machine.
- Eggs. They also make for a richer ice cream, and in the past also helped to thicken the ice cream. With modern ice cream machines you can reduce their number, and if you are avoiding cholesterol you may want to. They should in any case be absolutely fresh, and perhaps from an organic farmer if the recipe calls for raw eggs.
