Irresistible Ice Cream

Birthday confetti announces a decorative cake is sure to be savored. And this delicious confection is not complete without a scoop of ice cream along side, whose line blurs as the cream absorbs into a dense chocolate layer.

Why can’t wedding cakes be accompanied by such a delight? It isn’t uncommon to be served a multi-tier liqueur-saturated slice adorned with a tartlet, macaroon or petaled flower. Close your eyes and envision the most beautiful raspberry or orchid, then imagine it as a frozen piece of edible art! St. Clair (http://www.stclairicecream.com/) has mastered such molded ice creations that shine with a hand painted glaze, and make your wedding cake presentation complete.

Long before the two were paired, ice cream commanded its own stage in the limelight. Frosted cream boasting of a multitude of flavors, traces back to the rule of Emperor Nero of Rome (A.D. 37-68). He ordered ice be retrieved from the Italian Alps, an innovative mix of snow and nectar, plus fruit pulp and honey became his served dessert for honored guests.

Credit for pouring milk into the saccharine concoction is given to King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China. And history was made as the mark of prestigious high fashion in Italian and French royal courts was not the icing on the cake, but a perfectly poised pedestal with frost rimmed glass, heroing a dollop of ice cream. http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/ice_cream.htm

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson may have begun America’s introduction to ice cream, but today it is a mark of entrepreneurial originality with unique variation of ingredients and preparation illustrating the spirit of each small town.

Cincinnati rivals the very definition of ice cream with our local churn.
• Graeter's ice cream is made in a French pot process. The ice cream mix is placed into a chilled, spinning French pot. As the liquid freezes, a worker scrapes down the sides of the pot with a blade. For flavors that include chocolate chips, liquid chocolate is poured into the pot, and freezes into a thin shell on top of the ice cream. A worker uses a blade to break up this shell and mix it into the ice cream, resulting in Graeter's' famous huge dark chocolate chips. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeter's
• Aglamesi's Brothers premium ice creams have been made with fresh cream, sugar, milk, honey and eggs, using old world recipes developed by the Aglamesi brothers in 1908. http://rodeo.cincinnati.com/ent2/entity.aspx?e=180624
• United Dairy Farmers Homemade Brand, founded over 20 years ago, offers a thicker, more buttery ice cream than the regular UDF brand, and has the finest Cookies & Cream you'll find. http://cincinnati.citysearch.com/profile/8159372/cincinnati_oh/united_dairy_farmers.html#profileTab-reviews
• Madisono’s Gelato ….but Italian ice is another topic for a future blog! http://www.madisonogelato.com/

It’s not unusual to look over your shoulder and see a friend or two gathered on the eastern hilltop of Ault Park (http://www.aultparkac.org/ ). Settling into the lush grass, watching airplanes silently glide to a peaceful landing in the distance at Lunken airport, (http://www.skygalley.com/history.html ) while entranced by each delicious lick of ice cream.

If seaside ice cream destinations are a favorite past time, or a present tradition with your family, capture this memory with a watercolor painting from The Painted Memory (www.thepaintedmemory.com ), an essence of your lifestyle that should never be forgotten! http://www.thepaintedmemory.com/Lifestyle/