by Jeni Britton Bauer
Artisan, 217 pp., $23.95
Jeni Britton Bauer built her reputation as an ice cream maven at a little boutique scoop shop in Columbus, Ohio’s North Market. The innovative flavors of her ultrapremium ice creams are still based on farm-fresh milk and cream from nearby Ohio dairies accented with seasonal fruits, vegetables, and spices from neighboring market stalls. Her ice cream empire has now grown to include locations in Ohio and Nashville, Tenn.; a burgeoning online delivery business; wholesale distribution to gourmet markets and restaurants across the country; and a new book of recipes.
Royal Blue Grocery owner George Scariano turned me on to Jeni’s truly splendid ice creams a few months back, and no sooner had I tried them than I began to notice stories about the company all over the national news media; even fictional characters on the FX series Justified (set in Kentucky) spent time searching stores for their favorite Jeni’s flavors! Select flavors of Jeni’s ice creams are available in Austin at all Royal Blue outlets and both Central Market locations. Bauer herself will be here Aug. 10, teaching a sold-out class at the Central Market Cooking School based on recipes from the new book.
If you consider $9.99 to $12.99 per pint too rich a price for regular ice cream consumption, Bauer is more than happy to share the secrets of her preparation methods as well as her eclectic recipes. Bauer studied the science behind ice cream making at the prestigious Ice Cream Short Course at Penn State and explains the particulars in easy-to-understand layman’s terms so that readers can create their own fool-proof, luscious frozen treats. While many of Bauer’s flavors are too avant-garde for my personal taste, a few fall squarely in my comfort zone – salty caramel, lemon cream, and coffee – and are delicious. The recipes are arranged by season for better farmers’ market shopping, and the author also includes instructions for such delights as baked Alaska pies, as well as component parts like sauces, ice cream cones, fortune cookies, and candied fruits and nuts. Bauer will inspire you to create your own premium ice creams at home this summer. What better way to withstand the drought?
This article appears in August 5 • 2011.