Some say Nero staked the first claim to an icy frozen dessert that probably resembled more of a snow cone than ice cream. Others say the Chinese were the keeners who discovered that adding milk to ice with honey and fruit created the origins of ice cream.
Ice cream was known only to royalty back in the days when King Charles the first threatened to kill his chef if he shared this culinary secret.
Legend has it that as King Charles was beheaded in 1649, that chef could know longer contain his secret and with the promise of notoriety he passed it on to other nobility. They were soon all enjoying ice cream at their lavish parties.
The early colonists brought the idea to the new world, and with the early days of the Pennsylvania dairy farmers came the high quality ice cream that was then a lengthy process to make and sought by the wealthy statesmen of the day.
Early American presidents raved over it and served this frozen delicacy at their inaugural balls and celebrations that marked a milestone.
The ice cream parlour came later when one bright woman by the name of Nancy Johnson invented the first hand crank ice cream maker, sold her patent to William Young in 1847 and this opened the door for dairy sellers to churn their cream into a more sellable product and get twice the price.
By the beginning of the civil war, ice cream parlours were popping up in American cities like Baltimore and New York, but it wasn't until the 20th century when individual freezers made it possible for ice cream to be manufactured and distributed on a larger scale.
Today you have more flavours and varieties of ice cream than you know what to do with. Ice cream has become so manufactured these days that, like other over-processed foods, it has lost its pure taste.
Thankfully we have local dairy farms like Vancouver Island's The Udder Guys who make the real deal using real cream from Island raised dairy cows. I challenge you to put a locally made ice cream up against a big name like highly processed Nestles and you can see for yourself the taste difference.
Not to mention that the list of ingredients on the name brand products should tell you just how far from the natural state ice cream has become. Corn syrup sweetened products just don't match up to the great taste of cane sugar products.
Gelato is also a superb treat that offers an Italian slow food option to your dessert menu and a hush up to your diet plan. Gelato differs from its American cousin ice cream in that it is made with whole milk and has less fat in it.
Gelato is also denser than ice cream due to a slow churning creating 20 to 30 per cent air, while ice cream has about 50 percent air after the churning process.
Ice cream is served frozen while Gelato likes a bit warmer temperature, which actually gives a more intense flavour, and in theory you may need less to be satisfied it.
Whether you choose a good old fashioned American style ice cream or take a romantic stroll with an Italian gelato, think about the journey of this stone cold fabulous treat and enjoy.
Rhubarb Cream Dessert
4 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
1/4 cup water
1 three-ounce package strawberry or raspberry flavoured gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1 10-ounce package frozen strawberries
Raspberries
2 cups vanilla ice cream
In saucepan, combine rhubarb and water. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer over medium heat until rhubarb is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin and sugar until dissolved. Add frozen strawberries and ice cream. Allow to thaw, stirring occasionally. Pour into individual serving dishes. Refrigerate until set, at least two hours. Top with a small dollop of fresh whipped cream and a strawberry. Serves four to six servings.
