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Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Ice Cream For Breakfast

I was going to write about Pierre Hermé's chocolate cakes today but it's just too damn hot. We're looking 100 + degrees in the face =UGH I was lucky. Cold Stone Creamery believed me when I said I had 3 under-12-year olds waiting at home for some ice cream. They let me buy 3 "Kid's Size" cups of ice cream at $1.25 each !!! This has to be the bargain of the century.

At least in New York where you can easily spend $5.00 for a not-so-hot cup of 2 flavors at CONES for example.
They have a pretty shop and their flavors LOOK gorgeous but I thought the ice cream was mediocre. Sorry CONES, but THIS IS NOT GELATO!
I wasn't thrilled with Mary's Dairy ice cream either, though they do have adorable ice cream cone seats.
I tried their Yin-Yang flavor -Milk chocolate with Valrhona Bittersweet chunks...why ever would you pair these two? Valrhona deserves better. I don't think they'd approve. I've come to the conclusion that true gelato can not exist outside of Italy. There are factors like altitude and Italian cows you can't replicate. And forget cloning too. If you're ever in Bologna go to Gianni's. I'm excluding il laboratorio del gelato from this discussion because their stuff is celestial and something all together different.

Two Dips, watercolor, 10 1/2 x 7 3/4"

It's much easier to be an ice cream critic than a chocolate critic. Who hasn't eaten ice cream since almost day one ? Did your mom "trim" those 1st ice cream cones like my mom did? I'm not sure that's allowed anymore...off-limits territory for parents :( Nowadays Kids are King.

Speaking of drips, Food And Wine magazine says in their article, Shoot First, Eat Later that you should ->
#3) Wipe glasses and plate edges. Be sure surfaces are free of smudges and greasy fingerprints, says food stylist Alison Attenborough. In good light, they really stand out.

I have yet to get this one right especially with a vulnerable subject like ice cream and I like a bit of mess in my photos. Hmmm..
The other day the
NYTimes said “It’s simple, never leave a container of ice cream unfinished.” Otherwise you get ice crystals. Now I'm totally with them on this one. BTW the Watermelon ice cream shown here was delicious and I can recommend it without hesitation :)

12 comments:

  1. You scream, I scream we all srcream for ice cream!

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  2. Anonymous11:17 AM

    I definitely think ice-cream is the exception in the "Shoot first Eat Later" mantra! When I have a nice ice-cream cone in my hand, I'm not even sure if I remember anything else for that brief 5 minutes of heaven...

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  3. Ice cream is easier to paint than chocolate too...

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  4. Anonymous6:13 PM

    The structure of the cherries is absolutely (plumply) perfect!

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  5. Anonymous7:09 PM

    It sounds like the heat is moving from CA to NYC - hope you're eating lots of ice cream and staying cool! The "ice cream sculpture" is adorable!

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  6. My readers have such good "eyes"!
    I didn't see the structure of the cherry or the "ice cream sculpture" aspect!?
    That's why a blog is a wonderful thing :)
    MERCI

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  7. Anonymous5:37 AM

    The reds are to die for, PB! You've got them so deep and rich, but not muddy (the way mine end up.) How did you DO that,you wizard? Seriously, though, I need to order these paints from you---what colors did you use, if I may be so bold/nosy? Oh, and another fun post to read, too ;D.

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  8. OOh Ive just found you, lovely subjects, will be back to look further

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  9. Anonymous9:21 PM

    I do love these drippy ice cream pictures- If there's a reason for a drip - then it works.
    But if someone brings you a pastry that has not been picked up by hand or bitten- there's no reason to have crumbs on the table- it looks like you're not paying attention (i.e. sloppy).
    Michael & I once lost a food photog job because he showed the art director a beautiful pix of green peas and one of the peas in the front had a dent in it!!
    Why do you think photo food stylists shop at Balducci's and Jefferson Market!
    P.S. I never said anything about the drippy ice cream cones-The drips make
    sense!!!I think these pix are fun
    Prof. Sardi

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  10. i'm not impressed with mary's dairy either, although i so wanted to like it because it looked cute and tasty. have you been to the gelOTTO cart in washington square park yet?

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  11. Thanks Pinknest for the Washington Square cart tip. Always on the lookout for something new & yummy. I'll try to hit it today :)

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  12. Who is the arist responsible for the beautiful water colors?

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