Eat First

The scoop on ice cream in Central New York

We all scream for ice cream this time of year, but in my world, nobody screams ice cream more than my friend M.F. (Mary Frances) Piraino.

M.F., better known as Fran, is a freelance writer and social media manager who lives in Syracuse. We used to work together at The Post-Standard and have been “freelance friends’’ since we left the newspaper in 2009.

Fran is also a major league ice cream enthusiast. If you follow her on social media, a highlight is her posts using the hashtag #franniepicecreamtours. When the weather warms up in the spring and until the snow flies, you can count on Fran (with her husband, Bob) to hit as many local ice cream spots as possible – and share a taste online with her friends and followers. She has the scoop on local stands and their frozen assets, which isn’t surprising for a former newspaper reporter with a passion for frosty treats.

Fran says her affinity for ice cream can be traced to childhood, when her grandfather would take her and her sister out for a cone. “Going to an ice cream stand for a soft vanilla cone was a big deal to me and a special treat back in the day (and still is),’’ Fran says. “It’s one of summer’s simple pleasures.’’

Tag along with her virtually on #franniepicecreamtours and you pick up on certain patterns: She has a soft spot for vanilla, chocolate, coconut and lemon ice cream and is somewhat faithful to those flavors, in various forms. “I’m not overly adventurous when it comes to certain flavors,’’ she says. “Every once and a while I may try a new flavor or different sundae combo, but not too often. If I find something I like, I stick with it.

“Even when I travel, I always seek out a local place for a scoop or two,’’ she adds.

It's late August, but in the spirit of there still being plenty of summer left, here are five of Fran’s favorite ice cream spots:

•  Gannon’s Ice Cream: “The king of cones in Syracuse.’’ Favorite flavors: Strawberries and Cream (seasonal), Lemon Custard, Chocolate Pie.

•   Sno Top, Manlius: “An OG stand with a top-notch Vanilla Pepsi Float.’’

•  Emmi’s Antonio’s Ice Cream, Liverpool: “My go-to here is a Heath Chip Razzle (also known as a Flurry) with soft vanilla ice cream. Most stands only offer Heath Bar crumbles, I prefer the Heath Chips.’’

•  Arctic King, Central Square: “The Strawberry Shortcake Sundae is elite.”

•  Gabrielle Chocolates and Ice Cream, Manlius. “Lots of delicious homemade ice cream and custards to choose from.’’

Follow Fran on social media: Twitter Instagram Facebook

 

And the award for Outstanding Performance by a Kitchen Appliance goes to: My KitchenAid Classic stand mixer

I couldn't get by each day without our hard-working refrigerator-freezer and basic but reliable coffeemaker. But the award for Outstanding Performance by a Kitchen Appliance in a Leading Role goes to: my trusty KitchenAid Classic Plus stand mixer.
I've had her for going on 20 years now and she occupies a choice corner of our limited, old-house counter space -- unlike lesser-used and lesser-loved appliances that are relegated to the basement shelves for storage.

She's made countless cakes and loaves of bread, hundreds of batches of cookie dough and turns out a bowl fluffy whipped cream in a snap. My "other" isn't as much into baking as I am, but he, too, has come to appreciate the stand mixer's speed, efficiency and ease of operation.
I saw a lot of KitchenAid mixer attachments leave the store during my holiday stint at Williams-Sonoma, including the meat grinder and various pasta attachments, but I've never used anything other than the tools that come with it: the flat/paddle beater, wire whip and dough hook.

I did buy an attachment called a Side Swipe blade, which is not made by KitchenAid.  The gizmo, which cost about $25, has little silicone "fins'' that act like a spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl -- no need to stop and do that by hand.

The tool comes in handy when making, say, chocolate chip cookie dough: The bowl gets "scraped'' and the chocolate chips and nuts don't get crushed.

 

Several years ago, my other got me a second stainless steel bowl for my mixer, which is very useful during marathon baking sessions -- no need to stop and wash the bowl between cookie batches.

And with the sun out and spring and summer on the way, I'm daydreaming about the $99 ice cream bowl attachment I spotted at the KitchenAid Web site. I'd use it just to make fat-free fruit sorbets, right?!? The KitchenAid stand mixer comes in several models now (Artisan series, Pro, etc.) and lots of cool colors, like kiwi green, candy apple red and carnation pink, but the Classic Plus, in basic white, meets my needs and aesthetics just fine. I think I paid $159 for it way back when and it paid for itself in use and enjoyment a long time ago.
The thing has been with me through thick (cheesecake and lemon extract cake batters; mashed potatoes) and thin (devil's food cake batter) and has never once failed to start or get the job done. Even when I've doubled a recipe and pushed the bowl and the machine to its limits, and even at Christmastime, when it's in use almost daily.

They call it KitchenAid, but I call it KitchenWarrior. And KitchenFriend.

Gettin' jiggle with it!

Maybe it's because it comes in colors that don't exist in nature, or because I heard (and believed) as a kid that gelatin comes from horse hooves.

Whatever the reason, I have never much liked Jell-O, and especially Jell-O molds --colored gelatin rings and jiggly orbs floating with fruit and sometimes vegetables and nuts, which tend to make a special appearance on the Thanksgiving table. Call me contradictory, but for years I have wanted to visit the Jell-O Gallery in LeRoy, Genesee County, birthplace in 1897 of "America's favorite dessert.'' And thanks to my sisters, who went out of their way to get me there as part of a surprise birthday outing last month, the Jell-O Gallery is now officially crossed off my local food-related "bucket list.'' If If you like Jell-O -- or even if you don't like Jell-O but appreciate small towns and the quirky little museums often found in them -- there is no reason not to visit the Jell-O Gallery.

Just as there's always room for Jell-O, there's always time for an interesting diversion. If you're cruising down the Thruway on auto pilot to Rochester or Buffalo, poke 23 E. Main St., LeRoy, into your navigation device and give yourself an hour to stroll around the place and take in its charms.

You'll find product and promotional displays and hear entertainers like Jack Benny and Lucille Ball plug Jell-O.

 

An entire section of the gallery is dedicated to longtime Jell-O pitchperson Bill Cosby.

Long before America's current coffee craze, there was coffee-flavored Jell-O. The first flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry and raspberry. The ever-popular lime flavor debuted in 1930.

Things that float well in Jell-O: fresh fruits, like apples, bananas, orange and grapefruit sections, sliced peaches and pears, strawberries and fruit packed in light syrup. And marshmallows, of course.

Make sure to visit the gift shop, which has Jell-O pens, pencils, cookbooklets, clothing and more. And don't forget to have someone snap a souvenir photo for you.

Make-Your-Own Jell-O 1-2-3

Remember Jell-O 1-2-3? Abra-cadabra: Mix the package of Jell-O and watch it separate into three layers as it chills in the fridge! It was introduced in 1969, disappeared from store shelves in the 1980s, reappeared in the 1990s and disappeared again. You can make your own version of Jell-O 1-2-3 at home, thanks to this recipe from the Jell-O Gallery. You will need: 3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water plus enough ice cubes added to equal 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup whipped cream 1 3-ounce package Jell-O, any flavor In a blender, mix together the gelatin and boiling water. Add the ice/water mixture and mix until the ice cubes are melted. Mix in the whipped cream for 30 seconds. Pour into four dessert glasses. Refrigerate 30 minutes or more and serve. The Jell-O Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 31. From Jan. 2 to March 31, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Admission is $4 for adults. For more information, call (585) 768-7433.

Staycations 2009: A Purr-fect place to meet for lunch

I can't resist a place with the word "cafe" or "bakery" as part of its name. If it has both of those words, all the better. So, where do three sisters -- two from Syracuse and vicinity and one from near Albany -- meet mid-way for a leisurely lunch on a summer Friday? At the Black Cat Cafe and Bakery, in Sharon Springs, of course.

Sharon Springs, in Schoharie County, about 25 miles from Cooperstown, takes its name from the sulfur, magnesium and chalybeate mineral springs found throughout it.

One of several former bath houses in Sharon Springs.

The village, south of the Thruway and just north of Route 20, was a crowd-pleasing spa community during the 19th century. Its grand hotels and healing waters attracted the Vanderbilts and other wealthy Americans, before they moved on to another famous springs, Saratoga.

When it fell out of favor, Sharon Springs fell into a long, gradual decline. But drive through the village today and you'll see signs of a rebirth.  Exterior of the American Hotel.

The most shining example is the American Hotel, on Main Street, plus a handful of shops, art galleries and restaurants.

The Black Cat is across the street from the American Hotel, in a building that, according to restaurant co-owner Tony Daou, was a residence and later a sanitarium before eventually becoming "a wreck.''

Daou and his wife, who makes the restaurant's breads, donuts, cookies, cakes and other baked goods, opened for business several years ago, and are in the process of expanding to the second floor, according to their Web site. The menu offers soups, salads, sandwiches and all the requisite coffee and espresso drinks that go well with fresh baked goods, like cinnamon sugar donuts.

Our table of three each enjoyed variations of the half-sandwich and house salad lunch special, choosing curried chicken salad on cinnamon raisin bread, housemade corned beef on rye bread and Tuscan chicken on ciabatta bread.

The waiter-owner knew we were sisters, he told us, because we managed to order the same house salad three different ways: One with balsamic dressing on the side, one dressed but with no tomatoes and one tumbled with dressing, no special requests.

The restaurant is simple and homey, with mismatched tables, chairs and china, plenty of reading material scattered about to enjoy over coffee, cases holding cookies and other sweet treats and an assortment of whimsical black cat decor.

For dessert, two Raspberry Jam Bars (with a shortbread bottom and crumble topping) and an Angel's Wing (layers of light, crispy puff pastry, with a light, sweet glaze) plus mugs of coffee, fueled us for a walk around town and the return trip home, via scenic Route 20.

Raspberry Jam Bars (above) and Angel's Wings (below).

In an era when spa vacations are once again in vogue, smelling Sharon Springs' sulfur-y waters and seeing the shells of those once-grand hotels that housed so many visitors, drawn to the waters on holiday, drawn to the waters, is haunting today.

But not so haunting that we wouldn't come back for a nice lunch, followed by a walk and some local history on the side.

The Black Cat Cafe is at 195 Main St., Sharon Springs. The restaurant is open daily, except Wednesdays, for breakfast and lunch.