Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with homemade toppings
Few things complete a summer day like ice cream, so what better month than July for National Ice Cream Month and what better day than this Sunday for National Ice Cream Day. As this day approaches, think of recognize it by eating ice cream topped with homemade sauce.
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Caramel Ice Cream Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup half and half
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in half and half, water and corn syrup until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter is melted. Serve warm or cold over ice cream. Makes about 1 cup.
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For a sugar-free sauce, skip the sugar and stir in the equivalent sugar substitute with the vanilla after removing from heat.
Fat-Free Hot Fudge Sauce
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small saucepan stir together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and evaporated skim milk. Cook and stir constantly until sauce is bubbly and thick. Cook and stir two minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
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Since the sweetness of strawberries varies, taste before serving. If more sugar is needed, add a tablespoon or two of confectioners’ sugar and mix well.
Simple Strawberry Sauce
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Place strawberries in a saucepan and mash slightly with a fork or potato masher. Remove about 1/4 cup of the strawberries’ juice; mix with cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and set aside. Add the sugar to the berries and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve warm or cold over ice cream. Makes about 2 cups.
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Pantry Pointers
Whenever possible, don’t store ice cream in the freezer door. The texture of the ice cream may suffer from the temperature changes that occur in this area every time the door opens.
Use your imagination when choosing ice cream toppings. Unusual but tasty choices include pretzels, vanilla wafers, animal crackers, and gummy bears.
The Practical Pantry ©2005 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
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