Molly Moon Neitzel used to spend summers with her grandparents. Like all good grandparents, they used to break the rules every day and let her eat ice cream before lunch.
Who knew that years later, it would lead the Washington state native to become the owner of five, wildly popular ice cream boutiques in Seattle, plus a roaming, blue ice cream truck that helps fulfill the fantasies of budding young ice cream connoisseurs across the city?
Neitzel also published a pretty, blue cookbook this year, “Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream” (Sasquatch Books, $21.95). The book unveils the secrets of making cool, creamy artisanal treats using classic flavors like Salted Caramel, Honey Lavender and Strawberry with Balsamic Reduction.
Swinging by Santa Rosa this weekend on a national book tour, the Northwest’s Queen of Ice Cream will give a demonstration class at 11:30 Saturday at Sur La Table in Montgomery Village. ($69, surlatable.com or 566-9823).
To whet your appetite, here’s a recipe from the book using a seasonal fruit that’s only available for a small window this time of year. “At the shops, we always scramble to get the cherries pitted and into the ice cream as soon as possible to retain that fresh cherry flavor,” Neitzel writes. “We suggest inviting some friends over for a pitting party and then rewarding their hard work with a scoop.”
Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
Makes 1 to 1 ½ quarts
2 cups heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups pitted and coarsely chopped cherries
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (about 6 ounces)
Put the cream, milk, sugar and salt into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Just before the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add the cherries. Pour the mixture into a shallow pan or bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, 1 to 2 hours.
When the mixture is cold, stir in the vanilla. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last minute of processing, add the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the ice cream to an airtight glass or plastic freezer container. Cover tightly and freeze until the ice cream is firm, at least 4 hours.
