Sweet Summer Nostalgia: Homemade Ice Cream with Craig Nielsen

Nothing goes better with a warm, sunny summer afternoon than a refreshingly rich and sweet scoop of vanilla ice cream. While this dessert seems quintessentially American, you might be surprised to hear that ice cream’s origin story starts several thousands of years and miles away.

The earliest form of a frozen, ice cream-like dessert comes from around 60 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Nero enjoyed a treat made from ice, honey and wine. Other records pinpoint its origins to a sweet made with ice, flour, camphor (a menthol-like ingredient from trees) and water buffalo milk during the Tang Dynasty in China, 618-907 A.D. Traders from East Asian countries would eventually introduce this sorbet-style dessert to Europe. European chefs began experimenting with this recipe, enhancing it with other ingredients and creating new flavors. The French are credited with first introducing egg yolks during the mid-1700s, giving ice cream its signature smooth and creamy texture.

While ice cream took the world by storm, the vanilla bean made a culinary journey of its own. Vanilla was originally grown only in Mexico and was used by Aztec people to make a drink similar to hot chocolate. Like ice cream, dried vanilla pods found their way to Europe through trade. Along with the addition of egg yolks, French chefs began to flavor their ice creams with vanilla, bringing the two together to create the classic treat we know and love today.

Records show ice cream was enjoyed in North America as early as 1744, but the popularity of the dish began to skyrocket at dinner parties in Colonial America. For instance, George Washington spent over $200 buying ice cream during the summer of 1790 – that’s equivalent to $5,500 today! Thomas Jefferson was also such a fan of vanilla ice cream that he developed a recipe for his Monticello estate. While it started as a favorite dessert of elites, the advancement of freezer technology in the early 19th century made ice cream more accessible. The rest, as they say, is history.

At Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, nobody loves ice cream more than our Vice President of Sustainability, Craig Nielsen. Our resident expert on the dessert, Craig’s love of ice cream all started when his father, former Nielsen-Massey President Chat Nielsen, Jr., would travel on sales calls to ice cream makers. He would bring back several half-gallon containers for the family to enjoy, making ice cream both a frequently enjoyed dessert and fond childhood memory.

Today, Craig shares his ice cream expertise with students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he teaches a class each January. Craig also volunteers his time to help chefs continuing their culinary education or opening ice cream shops, detailing the science behind ice cream and flavor composition.

Craig has a few pointers for all the home chefs celebrating National Ice Cream Month this July. Homemade ice cream can be a daunting task, but these beginner tips can help you whip up a tasty batch.

Craig Nielsen’s Ice Cream Tips:

1. Make your ice cream ahead of time. It can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for flavors in ice cream to fully infuse and develop, especially if you’re making vanilla ice cream.
2. If you’re adding fresh fruit to your ice cream, use soft, overripe fruits. Fruits that are a bit past their prime have developed more natural sugars and will be more flavorful than underripe fruit.
3. Elevate flavors with vanilla. Vanilla is a natural flavor enhancer and should always be added to ice cream, regardless of the recipe, to add complex notes and improve taste. Craig’s rule of thumb is to find your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe, divide the amount of vanilla called for in that recipe in half, and add the halved amount to the flavored ice cream you are making.

We’ve got the perfect recipes for when you’re craving delicious, homemade ice cream hits. Put Craig’s tips to work in these treats:

Share your favorite ice cream recipes and memories with us on social media with #NielsenMasseyInspires.