Organic A-Z: Ice Cream

Alrightie, I'm really pushing it on the letter I. There are very few foods that start with this letter. Even my copy of the encyclopedic foodie bible "LAROUSSE GASTRONOMIQUE" is of little help. The giant tome does make mention of IGUANA and two types of wild goat: Ibex and Izard. While I am a huge fan of goat curry and once met a man in Costa Rica who told me that Iguana tastes exactly like chicken, I just don't think those are appropriate theme ingredients for this episode...and where am I going to get a farm-fresh iguana?

But I seriously love ICE CREAM. It is one of the tastiest treats on Earth. Just pure magic. And so I chose Ice Cream Sandwiches for fun. Sure, I didn't even make ice cream...but I got a good excuse to show off my cookie prowess!

I've experimented with a ton of ice cream recipes and ice cream makers and I've never found the magic combination at home. It always turns out disappointing. Buying ice cream is a pretty cheap and easy way to get instant gratification. Now that several producers are making ORGANIC ICE CREAM it is something I want to celebrate on the show!

Organic and Raw Milk

I guess this brings us to the ORGANIC MILK debate. I'm having déjà vu...oh yeah, that was the chicken episode. To avoid opening another can of worms, all I will say for now is that I only drink organic milk. When I can afford it, I go for RAW organic milk. Raw milk is stuff that has never been pasteurized (cooked) or homogenized (blended). It's basically milk that has come out of one single cow, from the utters to the bottle. It is so rich, so sweet, so fantastic you'll be totally revolutionized!

Raw milk is controversial and it is illegal to be sold [for human consumption] in some states. Critics say that without pasteurization the milk is more prone to bacterial infection. Fans of the stuff claim pasteurization strips it of vital nutrients, minerals, probiotics and taste.

Raw milk isn't exactly common but it's also not that hard to find either. In California there are a handful of producers selling it commercially (even in big health food stores) and there are many more at (you guessed it) farmer's markets. If you are interested in trying it, keep an eye out, do a search online, ask around at your farmer's market and chances are you'll find a cool bohemian farmer nearby with grass-fed dairy cows and milk a plenty!

Since I can't afford to spend $10 on a half-gallon of raw milk I have found a compromise. One of my local dairies offers an organic, cream top milk (there's a thick layer of separated cream floating on the top of the milk before you shake it) that is non-homogenized. Though it was pasteurized, this is as close to raw milk as I can afford and the taste (and perhaps the nutritional benefit) is way better than homogenized milk.

I love making cookies and the recipe I crank out here is easy and on the healthier side. It's all about the almond meal. You can find almond flour or meal at just about any health food store or you can make your own by grinding almonds in a food processor (don't overdo it or you'll make almond butter). By adding so much almond meal to this cookie recipe, I've not only pumped up the flavor (nuttier) and texture (firmer, tough enough to stand up to ice cream) but also the nutritional value with a whole lotta extra vitamins and minerals. Almonds are good for you!

As for the ice cream sandwiches, they are fun and delicious. Not a whole lot to it, once you've got your cookies and your ice cream, slap 'em together and eat up!