Ice Cream Cones – Because Egg White Omelets Shouldn’t Be a Thing

When you make homemade ice cream, you always end up with spare egg whites, which just happen to be one of the main ingredients in homemade ice cream cones – and if you think that’s merely an accident, you don’t fully understand how the food Gods operate.

They obviously want you to make homemade ice cream cones, since there’s no other good explanation. These are surprisingly easy, and as long as you can wad-up some foil into a cone, there isn’t any special equipment, or tools required. Actually, you really do need to use a silpat to line the baking sheet, but you need one of those anyway.

Like I suggest in the video, please test your batter with the first few cones, to make sure they’re tough enough to handle a scoop of ice cream. Even spread thin, this stuff is fairly sturdy, but by adding more flour to the batter, you get a thicker layer on the pan, and that means a stronger, tougher cone.

You can also roll these into cigar-shaped cookies, or press over a ramekin to form an edible bowl. Regardless of the shape, I hope you make some homemade ice cream, and then sacrifice a few egg whites to the heavens, and make these crispy cones soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8-10 cones:

2 large egg whites

½ cup white sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon cold water, or as needed

1/2 packed cup all purpose flour, plus more if needed

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

- bake at 400 F. for about 8 minutes, or until browned around the outside few inches

Frozen Vanilla Custard – Western NY for French Vanilla Ice Cream

If you’re thinking that I’ve already posted a video recipe for vanilla ice cream, I have, but for what I consider a “real” vanilla ice cream, which means no eggs. That’s called an American-style ice cream, and features a cleaner, more pronounced vanilla flavor.

The French weren’t into that. They froze their famously delicious custard, and the rest is history. While I prefer the later, I have to admit they won, since it is the style that dominates the freezer case.

I like to use pure vanilla extract over the whole bean, mostly because it’s easier, cheaper, and always consistent. Having said that, it’s hard to argue against the whole bean, so feel free to go full foodie. Speaking of which, if you don’t have an ice cream maker, there are plenty of “hacks” online that work fairly well.

I would have called this French vanilla ice cream, but where I grew up, this is called frozen custard. It’s traditionally served soft, in cones, but I prefer to freeze it firm. That way, I get French vanilla ice cream, and as it melts, I also get soft-serve frozen custard. Now that’s a win-win. Anyway, stay tuned for homemade cones, and in the meantime, I really hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 quart of Frozen Vanilla Custard aka French Vanilla Ice Cream

5 large egg yolks

pinch of salt

2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or one split/scraped whole vanilla bean)

Heading to Norfolk to Get the Truth Behind America's First Ice Cream Cone

I sure hope I can handle the truth. I'm heading out on my last press trip of the year (I think), to Norfolk, Virginia. I was invited to cover the Town Point Virginia Wine Festival, as well as sample the local cuisine, and since I've never been to the area I decided to check it out.

On Friday we're stopping by Doumar's Cones and BBQ, where a certain Abe Doumar is said to have created the world's first ice cream cone. I will be subjecting them to the same hardcore investigative journalism you've come to expect from me.

That said, after a few free ice cream cones I'm liable to say anything. Hey, you want objectivity, go read the...er...umm...well, you get the point.

Here is a very cute video I found on Doumar's Cones. Enjoy, and stay tuned!



Photo from www.doumars.com