Ice cream in the Mother City

The Creamery dishes out handmade ice cream at the weekly Thursday St George's Mall Market. Picture: Jason Boud, Independent Media

The Creamery dishes out handmade ice cream at the weekly Thursday St George's Mall Market. Picture: Jason Boud, Independent Media

Published Jan 28, 2016

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Cape Town - What an incredible choice city-dwellers have today.

With artisanal producers catering not only for every taste, but for nearly every diet – sugar-free, egg-free, preservative-free, vegan-friendly – no one need be deprived of delectable frozen treats.

Frozen yoghurts in a variety of flavours can be found at outlets in shopping malls, while those eschewing dairy products can choose from fruit sorbets that reflect the seasons.

Those old enough to remember when bought ice cream consisted of a brick of vanilla between two wafers or scoops in cones from the corner café marvel at today’s diversity even at a spiralling cost.

Today, with nationwide commercial makes, city dwellers can choose from an ambrosial collection of artisanal ices stocked at stalls, malls, and gelateria.

Specialities vary: some stay with classic continental ingredients, several create authentic Italian gelati.

Others offer amazing flavours – think Turkish Delight, tiramisu, butter pecan, coconut, white chocolate and poppy seed.

Many make their products on site, others have a central production hub and deliver to outlets in city and suburbs. Most avoid using preservatives and artificial flavours and colours.

Whip around the world’s cuisines and you find that ice cream reflects national tastes, like buttermilk ice in southern states of US, French glacé (milk, eggs, sugar and cream), parfait (originally syrup, cream and eggs) and Indian kulfi, (based on condensed milk).

The Chinese apparently made ice cream from goat, cow and buffalo milk in the reign of the Tang emperors who ruled between the sixth and 10th centuries AD, whereas ices appeared in Europe in the 17th century , usually in the form of fruit sorbets.

Back home, heritage recipes include Mrs Southey’s ginger ice cream (sounds delicious) which appears in Hildagonda Duckitt’s Book of Recipes, (AA Balkema) collected from about 1850 to 1900.

In Louis Leipoldt’s Kos vir die Kenner (Tafelberg 1978) you would find more than a dozen ice cream recipes, including some that would excite today’s trendiest palates – such as caramel, spanspek and loquat, or how about apricot and pomegranate, spiked with Dutch gin, itself a voguish spirit.

Making your own – for reasons of economy, health or preference – is an easy habit to acquire. The classic recipes are based on an egg custard, chosen flavours added and the mixture frozen.

For an egg-free, no-cook alternative, the basic combination of contents of a 385g can of condensed milk, 250ml of cream, and as much milk as you choose – two cups is what I use – gives you a good mix for the freezer. Vanilla or other essences can be added.

If you want to use orange or lemon juice and grated zest, half-freeze the milk mixture first before beating in to avoid curdling. If you want to make your own tangy yoghurt-based frozen finales, use 500ml Greek yoghurt for the base, and add 150ml cream and castor sugar to taste, with your chosen flavouring.

If you make ice cream often, you could invest in a machine which can turn out impeccable ice cream in less than half an hour. But you can do pretty well with a hand-held electric mixer and a good freezer.

There are many luscious desserts around ice cream such as lemon meringue ice cream cake, which uses frozen lemon curd for the ice cream, then meringues made from the egg whites, which are crumbled and mixed in before freezing. For a sophisticated celebration, soak golden sultanas in good dessert wine for 48 hours, then add to vanilla ice cream with finely diced almond nougat for a Continental treat.

From stylish desserts to twirly-topped cones on the beach, ice cream is a treat for all ages.

Cold snap

Here are a few of the specialist ice cream shops found in and around the city. They are among the many that have opened over the last few years across the Cape Peninsula – and the Boland.

The Creamery

Rich, classic ice cream. Outlets in Newlands, Salt River, the V&A Market on the Wharf, Beach Road in Mouille Point and at the Earth Fair market, St George’s Mall on Thursday's.

Sinnfull ice cream

Classic ice cream, wonderful flavours such as butter pecan, cookies and cream, Turkish delight, white chocolate and poppy seeds, orange yoghurt, tiramisu. Created by Brita Sinn. Outlet is in Harbour Road, Hout Bay, open Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am. Also stocked by a few selected Spar supermarkets. Flavours: 24 – 30 available daily.

Icedream

Authentic Italian gelato and sorbets made by Fabrizio Lazzarotto in Hout Bay. The shop is at Homeleigh Place, Main Road. Open seven days a week in summer. Flavours: 18 – 20 daily.

Icezeit Gelato and Sorbets

Ice cream, frozen yoghurts, up to 150 flavours. No artificial flavours, preservatives or eggs used. Also available: sugar-free ice cream and vegan sorbets. Outlet at 32 Waterkant Street, open Monday to Friday, and at the Sea Point Pavilion, seven days a week.

Cape Argus

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