In the nineteenth century, many legends arose about the history of what was even then known alternatively as “ice cream” and “iced cream.” Didn’t Nero make it? Surely the Emperor of China had some! Charles the First, of England, kept it a closely-guarded secret – didn’t he? Although none of these tales has proven true, we do know that the history of ice cream follows the history of refrigeration to a great degree. For many years, people were making cold drinks by mixing ice with beverages, but by the eighteenth century, the finest chefs in Europe were talking about how to “ice” cream.” Mrs. Mary Eales, reportedly one of Queen Anne’s confectioners, published the first recipe on the subject four years after the queen’s death. This recipe comes from the second edition of her book.

To ice CREAM.

Take Tin Ice-Pots, fill them with any Sort of Cream you like, either plain or sweeten’d, or fruit in it; shut your Pots very close; to six Pots you must allow eighteen or twenty Pound of Ice, breaking the Ice very small; there will be some great Pieces, which lay at the Bottom and Top: You must have a Pail, and lay some Straw at the Bottom; then lay in your Ice, and put in amongst it a Pound of Bay-Salt; set in your Pots of Cream, and lay Ice and Salt between every Pot, that they may not touch; but the Ice must lie round them on every Side; lay a good deal of Ice at the Top, cover the Pail with Straw, set it in a Cellar where no Sun or Light comes, it will be froze in four Hours, but it may stand longer; than [sic] take it out just as you use it; hold it in your Hand and it will slip out.” (from Mrs. Mary Eales’s Receipts, second edition, 1733, pp. 92-93)

The end of the 18th century saw a real advance in the popularity of ice cream. This happened in New York, when Phillip Lenzi arrived in the United States and began to sell his products to everyone. On November 25, 1773, Rivington’s New York Gazetteer published an advertisement which read in part: “Just arrived from London, Monsieur Lenzi, Confectioner, makes and sells … ice cream and fruits … which he will sell at the most reasonable rates….” After such a quiet beginning, ice cream suddenly gained popularity when First Lady Dolly Madison started serving it at parties. Madison’s staff included confectioners, and the quality of her catered affairs was known worldwide. By 1813, the fact that she served ice cream at parties was widely circulated, people began craving it, and legends arose about the source of her ice cream recipe.

However, keeping the ice or snow cold was a problem. The great Augustus Jackson, who worked on the White House cooking staff from about 1820 until about 1830, had to deal with refrigeration issues. In 1832, shortly after returning home to Philadelphia, Jackson began using salts to keep the cream cool, and his shop started selling ice cream and frozen custard in tin cans. The advances spread widely, and of course they began to be published in cookbooks. Our next recipe comes from this period.



To make Ice Creams – To a pound of any preserved fruit add a quart of good cream, squeeze the juice of two lemons into it and some sugar. Let the whole be rubbed through a fine hair sieve, and if raspberry, strawberry, or any red fruit, add a little cochineal to heighten the color; have the freezing pot very nice, put the cream into it and cover it; then put it into the tub with ice beat small and some salt; turn the freezing pot quick, and as the cream sticks to the sides, scrape it down with an ice-spoon, until it is frozen. The more the cream is worked to the side with the spoon, the smoother and better flavored it will be. After it is well frozen, take it out and put it into moulds, being careful that no salt adheres to any part of them.” (from The Roger Cookery, attributed to P.P. Roger, 1838, p. 37.)

After Nancy Johnson invented the hand-cranked freezer in 1846, production of ice cream really took off. Within five years, the product began to be sold on a wide scale, and after the invention of the continuous freezer, stores began to stock it regularly. After the freezer came along, products became progressively more creative. The ice cream cake – actually layers of ice cream in the shape of a cake – was invented in the 1870’s. Baked Alaska, supposedly invented in the early nineteenth century, was given that name and popularized at Delmonico’s in New York in 1876. The following recipe comes from one of the most famous cookbooks of the 20th century:

BAKED ALASKA

Bake half recipe Egg Yolk Sponge Cake in 10” spring form pan which makes a cake with high sides and cavity in top. Shortly before serving make a

SPECIAL MERINGUE

Beat 6 large egg whites with ½ tsp. cream of tartar until stiff. Beat in gradually 1 cup sugar. Continue beating hard until meringue is stiff and glossy.

Place cooled Sponge Cake on several thicknesses of wrapping paper on a wet board. Pile 2 qt. ice cream (preferably pink) into hollow in cake. Completely cover ice cream (and sides of cake) with a thick coating of the meringue. Place in very hot oven (500o) for 3 to 5 min. (just until meringue is delicately browned). Slip the dessert from board onto serving platter. Serve at once. AMOUNT: 12 to 16 servings. (from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book, 1950, p. 242)

When humans first put the freezer together with the automobile, we naturally invented the ice cream truck; Wall’s Ice Cream (in England) began using them in about 1923. From France, to England, to the United States, ice cream is truly an international delight… especially in the northern hemisphere in August. Why not make some the old-fashioned way. Good eating, and save me some!

About the author: Frank Daniels is the author of Collector’s Guide to Cook Books (Collector Books, 2005). His collection of cook books currently numbers more than 1,000.