Root Beer Floats... surprise!

"Why the surprise notation in the title?" you ask. Ah, there's a long history behind this all-American classic, and a short tale behind my root beer float today. 

Some sources claim that root beer was first manufactured, bottled and sold in 1880 and the first root beer float followed some thirteen years later. Frank Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado noticed that the snowy peaks on Cow Mountain looked like ice cream floating in soda. The following day he floated a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the top of his glass of root beer and invented the "black cow."

OR, on a particularly hot day in Philadelphia in 1874, Robert McCay Green ran out of ice as he served soda to his customers. He substituted ice cream instead to chill the drinks. However, many others claim to have made this creation, including one of Green's employees. No matter who first served this fizzy, foamy concoction, it has been a favorite treat for many generations. 

Today it was an unplanned surprise in my kitchen. I frequently order groceries online, specify a convenient delivery time, and free up my schedule to do other things. Today's delivery should have included a 6-pack of Bundaberg ginger beer, a necessary ingredient for a batch of Moscow Mules. Instead the grocery mistakenly substituted a 6-pack of Bundaberg root beer, an entirely different flavor of soda, more sweet and less spicy, and definitely not what I had in mind for Moscow Mules.

  
Okay, switch over to a taste-test of dueling root beers, not a bad plan for lazing about on the deck in 80-degree weather. It only took a few sips of each to reaffirm my preference for Henry Weinhard's root beer. Bundaberg tasted sweeter, maybe too sweet, and a bit thin in flavor. Henry's, pleasantly smooth and creamy, had a somewhat stronger flavor (honey, vanilla and maybe some licorice or wintergreen) with a hint of a bite . Both root beers fizzed nicely when combined with ice cream. So, sip, taste, switch samples. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Yes, a valid taste test requires much sampling.

The crystalized ice cream foam remained the star of the show, frothy bubbles of carbon dioxide released when carbonated root beer and ice cream meet. The fat and foaming agents in the ice cream coat the CO2 bubbles, increasing surface tension, which allows the the bubbles to expand and produce a longer-lasting, foamy head. Technique gurus dispute the order in which ingredients should be added to a chilled glass. 

• Begin with root beer, filling the glass 3/4 full, and carefully add ice cream to allow foam without overflowing. 
• OR add scoop(s) of ice cream to the glass, then tilt the glass and gently pour the root beer down the side. This prevents a wasteful splash when you drop the ice cream in. Detractors say it results in a murky-looking liquid from the ice cream melting more quickly as the soda is poured over it.

Pick your method, or experiment with both. Enjoy the original, a two-ingredient classic float of root beer with vanilla ice cream, or get creative and try a few flavor additions. Maybe a splash of bourbon and a dollop of whipped cream, or kahlua with coconut ice cream, or just skim Pinterest for a gazillion more tempting combinations. Myself, I'm happy enough with the classic... with Henry Weinhard's root beer, of course.

   

Going Bananas! with a sweet banana topping over chocolate banana faux ice cream

It's Secret Recipe Club time again; time to reveal Shelley of C Mom Cook as my assigned blogger for October and feature a recipe (or two) from her blog. With SRC membership around 150, it's always exciting to see which blog is mine for the month, a familiar site or one totally new-to-me. I was pleased to be assigned C Mom Cook, I know this blog from Shelley's participation in so many other food challenges (SourdoughSurprises, DaringBakers, DaringCooks, BreadBakingDay, TwelveLoaves and of course SRC). As the mother of two active children I've often wondered where she finds the time to be such an adventurous cook?! Shelley notes in her blog:

"I love food and almost everything involved with it - preparing it, eating it, sharing it. I am a stay at home mom to two wonderful children and it is my goal to share this love of food and the appreciation of the process with them as they grow... I love to try new recipes and learn new things, and to impart my love of fresh, homemade foods to my family."

Check out her blog, you're sure to find more than one recipe to tempt you. I bookmarked several savory recipes, but my recent experience with cardamom ice cream drew me to a dessert, Chocolate Banana Faux Ice Cream. What's better than a bowl of ice cream? that's easy, ice cream with a topping. Pan-Fried Cinnamon Sugar Bananas, a riff on Bananas Foster, joined the party. I couldn't resist the temptation to add a boozy finish with a hint of orange zest, just for fun. 

Why the additions? The Flavor Bible, a data-packed reference book by Page & Dornenburg, suggests cinnamon, sugar, rum and oranges as good flavor pairings with bananas. After hearing the author's presentation at #IFBC 2014, I reserved their book at the local library. Now I'm having fun playing with new flavor combinations and tweaking recipes, sweet banana topping and chocolate banana ice cream included.

The taste test got off to a rocky start - really rocky. The frozen dessert was as hard as a rock and could not be scooped, even with a heated metal scooper, until it sat out on the counter for 4 or 5 minutes. The faux ice cream had a slightly grainy texture, freezer induced I suppose since the mix came out of the blender quite stiff but silky smooth. The not-too-sweet frozen chocolate, banana and orange blend was pleasant enough, but served by itself was not a huge hit. No one wanted a second sample. Fast forward to another serving topped with the warm and buttery, brown sugar coated bananas and my taste testers were happier. After the topping was finished with a flambé of rum and a sprinkle of fresh orange zest, voila! magic happened. That topping would make even cardboard taste good - just saying.   
  

Topping a la Bananas Foster 

adapted from C Mom Cook

2 ripe but still firm large bananas, cut into 1/2" coins
4 ounces butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ounces dark rum (optional)
freshly grated orange zest (optional)

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir together until the sugar melts. Add the banana rounds and cook over medium-high heat until warmed and lightly caramelized on both sides, flipping only once so the bananas don't fall apart.

Optional finish: remove the pan from the heat and drizzle in the rum. Return pan to the heat and ignite with a lighter or very long match. Stand back and flambé the bananas, but watch out for the flame. Let the flame die down while the alcohol cooks out, usually 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with the optional grated orange zest. 

Serve over ice cream... or crepes, waffles or a slice of cake.

Chocolate-Banana Faux "Ice Cream"

adapted from C Mom Cook

4 very ripe large bananas, sliced into thick rounds &amp
8 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons honey 
1/4 teaspoon orange extract

Place the banana rounds, cocoa powder, honey and orange extract in a blender. Blend until totally lump-free. It may take a while, but keep whirring and scraping down the sides until the mix is very smooth.
Pour into an airtight, freezer-safe container; cover and freeze until firm, usually 1-2 hours.
Note: my freezer froze it rock hard overnight, initially too hard to scoop until it sat out on the counter for several minutes.

An InLinkz Link-up

Cardamom Ice Cream

This rich, creamy, tease-your-taste-buds, homemade ice cream rocks the house as our new favorite dessert... or breakfast waffle topper... or late night snack... I first tasted cardamon ice cream as part of an awesome root beer float served at the recent IFBC's Taste of Seattle, but moved on since I don't make ice cream. Ah, but that was then. Heather at girlichef.com recreated the dish and her post sent me exploring in kitchen cabinets, searching through the farthest corners for my used-only-once ice cream maker. I was ready to to give homemade ice cream another try. Good decision!

Photo: Cardamom ice cream tops chunky homemade applesauce over apple-filled sourdough waffles... an applelicious combination.

Cardamom adds a distinctive flavor note, whether in Scandinavian baked goods or as a key ingredient in garam masala (think Indian curries). The spice can be too assertive, so I scaled back the suggested quantities, incorporating 8 whole pods but omitting the powdered cardamom completely. Ice cream begins with a flavored custard mix... custards often contain nutmeg and cinnamon... so I added 1/4 teaspoon of Penzey's Apple Pie Spice to substitute for 1/8 teaspoon of the more aggressive powdered cardamom called for in the original recipe. It worked.

Why have I avoided making homemade ice cream for so long? It's a simple process that uses standard galley ingredients, and a machine does most of the work. I did spend long minutes stirring and whisking the mixture over low heat until it thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, but that hardly qualifies as work. The real challenge was waiting for the machine to finish churning and for the freezer to firm up the mix. Disclosure: lacking patience, RL and I sampled often, cautiously dipping a spoon into the ice cream maker as it worked. 

Mmmmm, I loved the result at first bite, our brunch and dinner guests loved its unique flavor, and RL compared it favorably to his favorite Tillamook vanilla. The ice cream maker has moved onto a countertop where it hummed away churning out three batches during the past week. Three quarts in one week? Oh yes, it disappears quickly around here, and we're always ready for more. 

Photo: Cardamom ice cream - good to the last drop!

Try it, you're going to love Cardamom Ice Cream. I promise. 

Cardamom Ice Cream

adapted from Heather at girlichef 

Yield: almost 1 quart 

Ingredients: 

•  2 cups whole milk

•  1 cup heavy cream

•  1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

•  8 whole green cardamom pods, cracked open

•  4 egg yolks

•  3/4 cup granulated sugar

•  big pinch of fine sea salt

•  ¼ tsp Apple Pie Spice (Penzey's)

•  a splash of vanilla extract (optional)

  

Directions:

Place the milk and cream in a medium-large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the vanilla bean halves and cracked cardamom pods. Bring to a low boil over very low heat, stirring from time to time. Allow the mix to boil for 30 seconds; remove from the heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the vanilla bean and cardamom pods from the pot and discard; strain the liquid through a fine-mesh metal strainer and set back over very low heat.

While the liquid reheats, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together until thick and pale. Temper the egg mixture (To temper: slowly ladle 1/4 cup of the hot, flavored milk into the egg mixture, beating vigorously to incorporate; repeat). Add the now-tempered egg mixture to the pan of warm milk while whisking continuously to incorporate. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it come to a boil or it will clump and scramble. Whisk in the Apple Pie Spice and a splash of vanilla extract (optional).

Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Pour the custard into a gallon-size ziploc bag. Seal the bag carefully, pushing out any air, and submerge all but the sealed edge in the bowl of ice water. When the custard mix is completely cooled, pour it into the frozen insert of your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. (It takes 30 minutes in my Krups ice cream maker.) 

Transfer to a freezer-safe container; cover, freeze and hold until ready to serve.