Ice Cream Social - The After-Party!

The Final Scoop

August 4, 2009

Announcing the Winners of The Ice Cream Social!

For more incredible frozen desserts, please visit Scotty Snacks and Savor the Thyme.

Congratulations to the following winners* of Stonyfield Farms ice cream and frozen yogurt coupons! [*Recipients were chosen at random, using random.org's number generator to draw from a list of all dessert entries. Coupons will be mailed directly from Stonyfield Farms.]

#3 Greg of SippitySup - At Home Cherry Garcia

#61 Fearless Kitchen - Almond Ice Cream w/Strawberry-Amaretto Sauce

#27 He Cooks, She Cooks - Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

#46 Marillyn of Just Making Noise - Pomegranate Ice Cream

#31 Phyllis of Me_Hungry! - Princeton Ice Cream Crawl

For our three remaining prizes, it proved to be unbelievably difficult to pick from among all of the outstanding entries we received. So, in addition to the winner of each prize, we have decided to name a runner-up to receive Stonyfield Farm coupons!

Best Photograph

Prize: Ice Cream Cone graphic designed by Susan Kare, courtesy of LTLprints.com

1st Runner-up: Denise of Chez Us, for a gorgeously vivid Boysenberry Sorbet on a cone.

Winner: Deeba of Passionate About Baking, for a sublime photo hinting at lovely flavors in her Roasted Peach & Plum Ice Cream.

Most Unique Ingredient

Prize: Hand-printed Tee-shirt with original design by Penelope of neenacreates

1st Runner-up: Leela of SheSimmers, for turning a savory side dish into a sweet treat - Baked Purple Potato and Sour Cream Creamsicles!

Winner: Anna of Very Small Anna, for her use of the relatively obscure herb angelica to update a classic summer pie combination into Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream.

Best Use of Adult Libations

Prize: Ice Creams & Sorbets: Cool Recipes, by Lou Seibert Pappas

1st Runner-up: Paula of Ambrosia Quest, for her sophisticated and refreshing Lemon Sorbetto Cocktail.

Winner: Wizzy of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Punch, for a double-dose of Irish stout in her Guinness Brown Bread Ice Cream.

Congratulations to all of our prize recipients! If you see your entry here, please send your full name and complete mailing address to icecream@scottysnacks.com so that we can send your reward. For international winners, prizes will be mailed via US Postal Service.

Many thanks to our wonderful prize providers: Penelope of neenacreates, Stonyfield Farms and LTLprints.com!

Ice Cream Social Roundup

Just because the official event has ended doesn't mean we can't keep celebrating! After thirty-one days of blissful indulgence in all things frozen and delicious, the Ice Cream Social may be over, but the real party has only just begun.

We put out the call to send us your best frozen desserts and the response has been incredible, with more fanciful, imaginative and extravagantly original creations than any of us could have imagined. In fact, the number of entries was so great that they could not be contained in a single blog! So, after enjoying the following delightful desserts here, please be sure to visit Scott of ScottySnacks and Jennifer of Savor The Thyme for even more wonderful treats.

Memória's Mint Chocolate Chip & Cherry Frozen Yogurt

Picking up where I left off in my previous post is Memória of Mangio da Sola, a post-graduate student of Spanish and Portuguese linguistics whose other deep interest is in the language of food. Her Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is a popular flavor combination but she also pairs the richness of cocoa with the tartness of cherry in an intensely-hued Cherry Frozen Yogurt with Chocolate Stracciatella. As good as these sound, visit her blog to find even more incredible ice cream creations!

Deb's Apricot-Cardamom Yogurt & Cherry-Thai Basil Sorbet

Another one who had cherries on her mind was Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, whose Cherry-Thai Basil Sorbet was inspired by her success with recipes pairing varieties of this herb with sweet fruits such as strawberry and watermelon. As a resident of the beautiful Hawai'ian Islands, Deb can indulge in an abundance of tropical fruits, but she admits to an occasional craving for some mainland produce. So when the opportunity arose, she snagged some fresh fruit for an Apricot and Cardamom Yogurt Ice Cream - flavors that evoke the essence of India. For a taste of the islands, please stop in at Deb's 'Beach Kitchen'!

Anna's Mascarpeach Ice Cream & Espresso-Cacao Fudge Swirl

From apricots and beaches to espresso and peaches! Don't let the name fool you: Anna of VerySmallAnna is anything but small in her endeavors. Already an accomplished artist, she recently made the move to New York City to attend pastry school. In the meantime, she was busy in the ice-cream making arena: her Mascarpeach (Mascarpone Cinnamon Peach) Ice Cream is truly a home- and hand-made recipe, while her Espresso-Cacao Fudge Swirl was so good, it prompted a special someone to give up any other coffee ice cream but hers! If you don't have an IC maker, head over to Anna's site for her tutorial Ice Cream: No Machine Required!

Phyllis' Frozen Cherimoya & Coffee-Chocolate Almond (Halo Pub)

The absence of an ice cream maker didn't stop Phyllis of Me_Hungry from enjoying her own scoop of frozen coffee goodness - she simply let someone else make it for her! To celebrate National IC Month, she and her husband Kris embarked on an Ice Cream Shop Crawl in Princeton, NJ (five in one day), where they enjoyed everything from sorbets to a Banana Whip. But Phyllis does make her own special cold treat: Frozen Cherimoyas, which - given its other name, 'custard apple' - is pretty much Nature's own version of ice cream! Visit Me_Hungry to find out more about Banana Whips, cherimoyas and her very popular Weird Food Wednesdays.

Perhaps you've already heard of cherimoyas, but have you ever tried ube (pronounced oo-beh), also known as 'purple yam'? In the Philippines, its vivid violet hue can be found in a variety of cakes, candies and other desserts, attesting to its popularity as a sweet ingredient. Among the most favored treats is Ube Ice Cream, which Maine-based blogger Manang Kusinera made and dedicated to her fellow Filipino expats who miss this unique taste of home. If you've ever wanted to try Filipino cuisine, let Manang ('older sister') show you how it's done!

Given the name of her blog, Aiofe of The Daily Spud would seem to be the natural choice to use a tuber in a frozen dessert, but her creativity with any ingredient assures delightful surprises. Inspired by the springtime scent of lilac flowers outside her doorstep, Aiofe infused a vanilla ice cream recipe with some lovely blossoms to produce a delicately-flavored Lilac Ice Cream. In submitting this entry, she noted, "It's past lilac season now, but maybe it'll inspire people to make other kinds of floral ice cream." For even more delectable inspiration, take a virtual trip across the Atlantic and discover for yourself why The Daily Spud was named this year's Best Food/Drink Blog by the Irish Blog Awards.

His and Hers (clockwise from top left) Dulce de Leche, Strawberry Lemon Basil,

Ginger Berry, Mango Habanero and Green Tea Lychee

There's nothing delicate about the next entry: Mango Sherbet with Candied Habanero Peppers, courtesy of He Cooks, She Cooks - a pair of journalism students with a shared culinary passion and a wicked sense of flavor. This small sampler of their creations is a veritable 'what's what' of frozen desserts: the heat of chili peppers gives way to a different spiciness with Ginger Berry Ice Cream before being tamed altogether by the floral-like Green Tea Lychee Ice Cream, while the creamy richness of Dulce de Leche is balanced by a light and refreshing Strawberry Lemon Basil Sorbet. If you think these are interesting flavors, then visit He and She, and demand that they post the recipe for their Butterscotch Bacon Ice Cream!

If sweet and salty is a bit much for now, then how about something sweet and citrus-y? LouAnn of Oyster Food and Culture offered this Spiced Orange Honey Sorbet along with lovely reminiscences about princesses, carousels and childhood dreams. Judging by the photo of her husband enjoying a bowl of this creation, it's not hard to imagine that a taste of her sorbet is indeed dreamy! If you're looking for detailed information on international cuisines and unusual ingredients from around the globe, then the world is your oyster - Oyster Food and Culture, that is!

Mare's Coconut Lime Sorbet, Pomegranate Ice Cream

and Honey Almond Dream with Blackberry Sauce

Citrus and honey are quite the popular combination it seems, as Marillyn of Just Making Noise used the bounty from her backyard lime tree in Costa Rica to make a sherbet-like Coconut Lime Sorbet, using raw honey and coconut kefir. The discovery of pomegranate molasses during a trip to the Asian market inspired Mare to create her Pomegranate Ice Cream, which she described as having "a sweet, sour tingle". But as good as that sounds, she declares that her favorite recipe so far is Honey Almond Dream with Blackberry Sauce, which is sweetened with raw honey and thickened with a bit of arrowroot. For healthy, natural recipes, such as one for making your own coconut kefir, please stop by Mare's blog where she shares her life as a missionary, wife and mother - all without the sense of sound.

Speaking of almonds, who's nuts about nuts? For one, there's Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen, who offered an eggless Pistachio Gelato made with pistachio paste and kewra extract (from pandan flowers). Although it's currently monsoon season in her home of Goa, it's not too cool for more frozen desserts, so she also adapted the above recipe to make Mango Gelato with Chocolate Chips. One recipe, two flavors: now, that's a deal! If you're interested in trying Goan cuisine and other vegetarian dishes, I encourage you to visit Aparna in her Diverse Kitchen.

Gelato was also on her mind when Lisa of Lisa Is Cooking recently became the proud possessor of a brand new ice cream maker. Coupled with her awesome personal library of cookbooks, it's not surprising that she found and made a unique vanilla gelato recipe that called for a subtle yet distinct flavor of salt. Taking it one delicious step further, Lisa paired the gelato with the sweet, rich flavor of chocolate malt to create a scrumptious ice cream sandwich: Vanilla Gelato with Chocolate Malt Cookies! Follow along with her blog as she prepares dishes from her impressive collection of culinary compendiums and you may just find yourself wanting to start your own gourmet library!

Ellie's Caramel Glace and Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Vanilla with chocolate cookies is a classic pairing of ice cream flavor and baked goodies, but as Ellie of Almost Bourdain demonstrates, so are strawberries and cheesecake. Her Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is not for the waist-watcher or calorie-counter, as it calls for full-fat milk, double cream and Philly cream cheese. For something a bit more delicate but just as luscious, try her Caramel Ice Cream, inspired by her favorite Caramel Glace from Berthillon's in Paris. Like her blog's namesake, Ellie says, "I travel, I cook, I eat"; stop by her site and you'll find a truly global banquet of Malaysian, Australian, Dutch and French food!

Michelle's Chocolate and Butter Pecan Ice Creams

Speaking of classic, perhaps no other ice cream flavor is as near-universally beloved as chocolate and Michelle of Brown Eyed Baker shows us why, with her Chocolate Ice Cream on a cone. Taking one look at the depth of chocolate goodness in her photo and I was hard put not to lick the screen! To pile temptation on top of temptation, she then offers up an equally enticing Butter Pecan Ice Cream, a favorite of her mother and grandmother. Michelle admits that it's not her first choice - that is, until the praline-like taste brought to mind Southern flavors and . . . bourbon! Oh, yes, she went there: a Butter Pecan Bourbon Float*! Check it out at Brown Eyed Baker (*You must be over 21 to view this dessert drink. Just kidding).

While ice cream is a treat for all ages, not all ages can indulge in some ice cream treats. The combination of adult libation and frozen dessert is the centerpiece of the final two entries in this round-up. First is Wizzy of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Punch who brings us Guinness Brown Bread Ice Cream, a surprisingly favorite flavor from ice cream vendors near her Caribbean home. Wizzy's version incorporates Guinness stout in two ways: in the egg-less 'custard' mixture and then in the crunchy, sweetened brown bread crumbles. Erin go bragh, mon! Wizzy's blog is relatively new, having just launched in June, so be sure to stop by and show her some blogger love and support.

Last but absolutely not least is my fellow Minneapolitan, Kathy of A Good Appetite, who tortured me with Twitter updates as she made her Oatmeal Stout and Heath Bar Ice Cream. The candy bar heightened the natural undertones of toffee flavor in the stout, while the brew itself gave the ice cream a rich, caramel color. This is just one of several unique ice creams that Kathy has made, including Red Velvet Gelato Sandwiches and the intriguing Honeyed Fig and Pig. Don't take my word for it - a visit to A Good Appetite is sure to whet your own!

I don't about you, but after looking at all these amazing desserts, I think I've gained 5 pounds! Please be sure to head over to Savor the Thyme and Scotty Snacks for even more of these incredible frozen creations. And remember - any time is a good time for ice cream. Scoop on!