where am I?
Ice Milk
Answer
Dear Sharl
ICE MILK
Some of the very earliest attempts at making ice cream in Italy (Harvest of the Cold Months, Elizabeth David) were little more than flavoured milk churned in a container within an outer pail containing a mixture of ice and salt. Ice milk as a dessert is made in much the same way as ice cream, except for the fact that it contains much less milk fat and dairy solids. The result is a considerable saving in calories and a much lighter, less creamy texture. For this, read "not very nice to eat, in fact". Ingenious recipes which attempt to produce low-fat ice cream invariably use lots of egg yolks, beaten egg whites, a cooked meringue base or the mixture is stabilised with an over-generous quantity of gelatine. The missing fat is what normally gives ice cream it`s velvetine and sensual texture. What used to be called `ice milk` in the supermarket, is now usually called simply `light` or `reduced fat` ice cream. It contains from 2% to 7% milkfat, and a minimum of 11% total milk solids.
If you are trying to reduce your fat intake, all of the ice milk recipes I have seen are pretty grim so I would recommend you get to like sorbets, water-ices and granitas instead, as they are virtually fat-free and quite delicious. That is the route I plump for, with occasional forays into high-end ice cream when it is offered.
There is, however, one proprietary mix for making a low-fat ice cream that is surprisingly rather good. It is called EASIYO and is a frozen yoghurt variant. The sample I was sent to test out last summer was their best-selling probiotic bacteria version and the finished product has a total fat content of max. 2.5%. It is really easy to make: the powder is mixed with water and frozen for 6-8 hours until it is just frozen through. It is then transferred to a large bowl and whisked for at least 5 minutes until it miraculously more than doubles in volume (you are in fact simply beating in a lot of air to turn it from unappealing shards of frozen ice and milk powder to a texture that is the smoothest I have ever encountered in a low-fat ice cream.) With a trusty KitchenAid mixer it is an absolute doddle. To be fair, it is not `quite` as silky as a Ben & Jerry`s, Häagen-Daz or Hill Station ice cream, but it`s very good for everyday consumption, especially at the rate some people wolf down frozen desserts.
EASIYO is available in natural vanilla (to which you can add your own flavourings) or other versions from Lakeland Ltd.
For a full discussion on the history of ice cream and the merits of different recipes, I fully recommend Ices: The Definitive Guide by Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir.
Best Wishes
Richard Maggs
THE AGA COOKERY DOCTOR
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Richard I am looking for a recipe to make ice milk - a substitute for ice cream. Thank you Sharl