Ahh. . . milkshakes. Who wouldn’t like an ice cold creamy treat in the sweltering summer? Well, milkshake lovers, it’s time to modernize the old fashioned parlor favorite and get creative at home with your own blenders. Thanks to Adam Reid, a columnist for the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine, we’ve got a guide to lead the way. His decadent new book, Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes, offers hundreds of irresistible flavor concoctions, from traditional favorites like chocolate and vanilla to more imaginative shakes such as sweet corn basil and lemon buttermilk.
When I was asked to participate in a blogger “party” to celebrate the release of this new book, I couldn’t resist. My invitation came on the first hot day of the season and frankly, the thought of a milkshake sounded too darn good to turn down! So here I am, writing about milkshakes.
Since I was asked to make and then write about a recipe from Adam’s book, I decided to involve my kids and asked them to select their favorites. (Not a bad approach since I was bound to eat less if I had to share with the kids!) After flipping through the pages of this tantalizing book, with each milky image more delicious than the next, my 14 year old son decided on the Bananas Foster shake (page 111). My 6 year old stuck to the basics opting for the Serious Chocolate Shake (page 44). So, this past Friday, I greeted them after school with a few pints of ice cream ready and we got to work whizzing and whirring in the blender.
The bananas foster required caramelizing brown sugar and butter with sliced bananas and a fancy flaming of some dark rum. Once cooled, the mixture was blended with vanilla ice cream and milk with sensational results. Wow, this shake had an absolutely extraordinary mix of flavors, with a depth similar to a crème caramel topping. My son said it tasted like banana cream pie. What a change from a regular old banana shake!
Next, we rinsed the blender and got to work on the chocolate shake. With the name Serious Chocolate Shake, we had huge expectations. And with a combination of chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate sorbet and a hint of vanilla extract, this rich shake was in my son’s words “amazing.”
Not fair Adam for throwing a curve ball into healthy summer eating. Although I used the full fat ice cream this go around, next time I’m planning to lighten things up with reduced fat. I bought all the ingredients for the Lemon-Buttermilk shake and plan to make a lighter version. Tart lemon sorbet, milk and vanilla ice cream blended with touch of buttermilk. Yum. Thanks for the opportunity to enjoy a few milkshakes. Everyone needs on once in a while and if I’ve tempted you, here’s the link to Norton the publisher.
Hey Loveliest,It’s good to see you back.
L.L