If You Only Make One Dessert All Summer, Let It Be Ice Cream

Home Made Jeni’s Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce and….

Don't you just love the hum of an ice cream churn? It sounds like summer. Apart from a wave crashing at the beach or little voices...it's one of my favorite sounds.

Ice cream is one of the things I know I do well.

I’ve tested every method—custards, churns, steeping real beans in homemade vanilla extract. But I always come back to Jeni’s way. No eggs, just rich, smooth flavor and a technique that works. Her Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook won a James Beard Award for good reason.

I’ve been devoted to Jeni’s ice creams from the grocery store for years—my secret treat. Brian doesn’t eat sweets, so I save my ice cream experiments for company. Which brings me to last weekend.

We had a chef over for dinner. So what did I make? Burgers. Good ones. And for dessert? Homemade vanilla ice cream with salted caramel sauce. Simple, but done well. Because when you’re feeding someone who knows food, sometimes the best thing you can do is trust the basics.

A good cook—and a good hostess—knows that tools matter. These are my ice cream go-tos:

• The original Zeroll scoop (a classic for a reason)

• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook

• Real vanilla beans and a few tricks I’ve picked up over the years

I’ve linked my full Ice Cream Night Kit here—everything I use, all in one place. Whether you’re hosting or just treating yourself, it’s worth it. And when you're ready for homemade peanut ice cream... we can talk. I am from Suffolk, after all.

Ice Cream Night Kit

1. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home: https://amzn.to/3I9ZZZ9

2. Coops Salted Caramel and Hot Fudge: https://amzn.to/44Hvr9P

3. The Original Ice Cream Scoop from Zeroll: https://amzn.to/45RbwXg

4. Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker: https://amzn.to/44H3TRU