National Ice Cream Month: Celebrating Ice Cream California Style

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and MODESTO, Calif., June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After the fireworks on the fourth, there's a great reason to keep the party going all month long.  July is National Ice Cream Month, the perfect time to enjoy and celebrate America's favorite dessert.  California, the number one dairy state, knows a thing or two about ice cream.  In fact, the golden state is also the number one ice cream state, producing over 136.5 million gallons of ice-cold creamy goodness in 2010 alone! With ninety-percent of the American population regularly enjoying ice cream (source: IDFA), this is one celebration that is easy to get behind.

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Ice cream, always an especially popular treat with kids, has been doing some growing up of late.  While the classics like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry will remain perennial favorites, gourmet flavors and grown-up sundaes geared towards adult palates have become the rage.  From salty-sweet combinations like Turkish coffee and salted caramel to sundaes topped with fried basil or peppercorns, California ice cream is the perfect vehicle to give your desserts gourmet flair with very little effort.  Try any one of our grown-up sundaes on friends and family and you're sure to impress:

• Grown-Up Chocolate Sundae:  California chocolate ice cream with bitter chocolate syrup, sprinkled with smoked salt and pink peppercorns
• The Taj Mahal: California pistachio ice cream garnished with saffron shortbread and crystallized rose petals
• On the Beach:  California coconut pineapple ice cream drizzled with lemongrass syrup, garnished with grilled pineapple and toasted shaved coconut

And what's more grown-up than milkshake shooters?  Real California Mojito Shots (for adults only) are a cool, tropical way to kick off a summer party.  For underage guests, whip up a batch of Saffron Milkshake Shots, golden in color and delicious in taste.  Real California ice cream, made with milk from the more than 1620 dairy families in California, is the perfect beginning and ending to any meal or party because who doesn't scream for ice cream?  When you look for the Real California Milk and Cheese seals when you shop, you know your ice cream, cheese, milk, yogurt, butter and other dairy products are made with 100% California milk.

You can find more grown-up ice cream sundae tips, fun facts about ice cream and photos at RealCaliforniaMilk.com.

About the California Milk Advisory Board

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state's more than 1,620 dairy families. With headquarters in South San Francisco and Modesto, the CMAB is one of the largest commodity boards in the United States. The CMAB executes advertising, public relations, research and retail and foodservice promotional programs on behalf of California dairy products, including Real California Milk and Real California Cheese. For more information on California dairy products, visit www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com.

Simmer cream, 3/4 cup milk, and half the lime zest in a medium saucepan until mixture is reduced to 1 1/3 cups; set aside. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale; slowly whisk in hot cream mixture. Pour back into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add salt and cool over an ice bath. Puree remaining lime zest, lime juice, extracts and mint leaves in a blender; stir into cooled cream mixture. Transfer to the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. To prepare 8 milkshake shots at a time, blend 1/2 cup ice cream with 1/2 cup milk. Pour into 8 shot glasses and garnish with mint sprigs.

Makes 32 shots.

Quick tip: Eliminate the step of making your own ice cream and stir pureed lime mixture into 2 cups of softened Real California vanilla ice cream.

Recipe by Chef Bryn Robson, Cortez Restaurant, San Francisco, CA on behalf of the California Milk Advisory Board

Simmer cream and 2/3 cup milk in a large saucepan until reduced to slightly more than 1 cup; set aside. Pour hot water over saffron in a small bowl to release its flavor; add to cream mixture. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale; gradually whisk in cream mixture. Pour back into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add vanilla and salt and cool over an ice bath. Transfer to the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. To prepare 8 milkshake shots at a time, blend 1/2 cup ice cream with 1/2 cup milk. Pour into 8 shot glasses and garnish with a few saffron threads.

Makes 32 shots.

Recipe by Chef Bryn Robson, Cortez Restaurant, San Francisco, CA, on behalf of the California Milk Advisory Board

SOURCE California Milk Advisory Board