NEW YORK — If the thought of crafting your own ice cream seems overwhelming, consider Tyler Malek’s comparison to making soup. Malek, from the renowned ice cream company Salt & Straw, suggests that ice cream can be just as approachable and customizable as a pot of soup.
“Creating a pint of ice cream mirrors crafting a pot of soup. By starting with a fundamental stock recipe, like chicken or vegetable stock, you can build flavors until it tastes just right,” Malek explains from his Portland kitchen. “An excellent base allows you to incorporate ingredients like strawberries for strawberry ice cream or chocolate for a chocolate version. The possibilities are endless.”
The foundation of any great ice cream is its base, as highlighted in Malek’s recently released cookbook, “America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams: A Salt & Straw Cookbook,” co-authored with JJ Goode. As summer approaches, the book aims to demystify the art of ice cream making by introducing readers to various ice cream bases such as gelato, custard, sorbet, coconut, and classic ice cream. Mastering these basics paves the way to creating exquisite flavors, including Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper and Banana Parsnip Sherbet.
Malek envisions this book as a gateway to creativity. “My dream is for someone to get lost in this book, having a blast and unleashing a Pandora’s box of imagination,” he says. The book features 10 iconic flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, green tea, pistachio, cookie dough, salted caramel, cereal, and rum raisin. Once readers grasp the core techniques and flavor principles, Malek encourages them to explore and innovate.
The cookbook is also packed with adventurous creations such as Toasted Sourdough, Chocolate and EVOO, and Lemon Earl Grey Shortbread. “We want readers to feel like they’ve stepped into our R&D kitchen, alongside us as we explore and refine recipes,” Malek shares.
Take salted caramel, a flavor often misunderstood as merely being salty and sweet. “It’s actually salty, sweet, and bitter,” Malek laughs, emphasizing that understanding this trio can unlock new flavor pairings.
Malek’s journey in the ice cream world began in 2011 with his cousin, Kim, at a small food cart in Portland. Their creative and sometimes unconventional approach has since expanded into over 40 stores across seven states, famous for adding new flavors monthly. Past flavors range from Malted Potato Chip Cupcake to Black Olive Brittle and Goat Cheese, with festive offerings like Caramelized Turkey & Cranberry Sauce. “I’ve created around 2,500 recipes, with maybe 20,000 failed attempts,” admits Malek.
Salt & Straw’s unique methods include employing xanthan gum to prevent “heat shock” in ice cream, a problem where melting and refreezing lead to larger ice crystals. Malek also utilizes acids like citric, malic, and tartaric, which he considers the secret weapons of ice cream making.
Francis Lam, an editor who worked on the cookbook, describes Malek as part scientist and part artist. Lam first encountered Salt & Straw’s inventive approach at a Portland event featuring prosciutto ice cream, which drove him to learn more about Malek’s imaginative process.
The artisanal ice cream trend continues to thrive, with brands like Van Leeuwen, Gelato Fiasco, Lick Honest Ice Creams, Morgenstern’s, and Wanderlust Creamery joining the wave. Meanwhile, Malek seeks collaboration with partners, creating flavors such as a cream cheese ice cream with doughnut maker in Florida, featuring glazed brioche doughnut chunks and guava curd. By interning at breweries, he also learned about beer making to incorporate it into his ice cream.
“I love learning and storytelling,” Malek confesses. If not for ice cream, he would have aspired to be a travel writer, finding ice cream a fascinating medium for storytelling through culinary creations.
Malek points out that different regions of America possess their own culinary blind spots. When Salt & Straw launched in Los Angeles, many locals were unfamiliar with rhubarb, while he was unaware of the variety of avocado types available.
For home cooks looking to replicate Salt & Straw’s success, Malek offers another useful tip from the soup-making world: create large batches of different ice cream bases, freeze them, and thaw as needed to whip up fresh ice cream quickly, incorporating special ingredients bought from the local market.
“Once home, you can defrost your base in the microwave, add in fresh strawberries, and make delightful strawberry ice cream,” he advises. “The key is to prepare your ice cream within hours of sourcing a special ingredient.”
Below is a recipe shared from this new cookbook, offering a delicious dive into one of Salt & Straw’s unique flavors:
**Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Dough**
Makes about 2½ pints
**Ingredients**
– 3 cups of Salt & Straw’s 17% Butterfat Base (recipe below)
– 1½ teaspoons molasses (avoid blackstrap)
– 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
– ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
– 1 cup packed Malted Cookie Dough (recipe follows), frozen
– ¾ cup Malted Fudge (recipe follows)
**Directions**
In a medium bowl, blend the ice cream base with molasses, vanilla, and salt, whisking until smooth. Pour this mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, typically 30-40 minutes based on your machine. Layer the ice cream with chunks of cookie dough and fudge into freezer-safe containers. Freeze thoroughly for at least 6 hours, or up to 3 months.
**Salt & Straw’s 17% Butterfat Base**
**Ingredients**
– ½ cup granulated sugar
– 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
– ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
– 1 1/8 cups whole milk
– 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
– 1 1/8 cups heavy cream, very cold
**Directions**
Mix sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum in a bowl. In a pot, combine whole milk and corn syrup, adding in the sugar mix while whisking until smooth. Heat while stirring until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat. Combine with the cold cream, stirring until smooth. Store and chill the base mixture for at least 6 hours, or longer for enhanced flavor, before using.
With this base, home chefs can explore a variety of flavors right from their kitchens—be it for a day or up to a month by freezing the base, allowing for spontaneous creation with fresh finds.
This recipe and more are featured in “America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams: A Salt & Straw Cookbook,” showcasing the innovation and limitless possibilities when armed with the right ice cream base and lots of creativity.