Question: As a monkey is to bananas, a Mormon is to …?
If you answered macaroni and cheese, Jell-O or funeral potatoes, sorry, you are incorrect.
If you said ice cream, you are a winner.
I could find no documented evidence to prove that Mormons eat more ice cream than other religions, but you need only observe to discover the truth.
A million summer family gatherings would not have been the same without the sweet, creamy taste of ice cream.
The Mormon dating culture would be crippled if it weren't for an assorted variety of yummy flavors, sometimes mixed with fruit or candy. As a poor college student, a walk to the local ice cream parlor was all I could afford. The girls didn't seem to mind.
Attend any warm-weather ward activity, and you will find the soft and smooth icy dessert there.
As you plan your summer activities, don't forget to have some old-fashioned fun with ice cream. You can even find recipes on lds.org. Here are a few, taken from the July 1978 New Era:
Easy Creamy Ice Cream
You will need:
1 small package gelatin (match the flavor to the flavor of fruit used)
4 cups sugar
4 cups mashed fruit (strawberries and bananas are especially good)
½ tablespoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
1 quart cream (whipped)
1½ quarts milk
Dissolve the gelatin in 2 cups of boiling water. Let it cool. Mix the sugar, fruit, salt and lemon juice together in a bowl. Mix the gelatin in and pour mixture in ice cream freezer container. Add the whipped cream. Pour in enough milk to fill can (just below the top line of the container). Fold together. Freeze. Makes 4 quarts.
Custard Base Vanilla Ice Cream
You will need:
2¼ cups sugar
6 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
5 cups milk, scalded
6 eggs
4 cups heavy cream (for extra rich ice cream use all cream and omit milk)
3 teaspoons vanilla
Combine sugar, flour and salt in saucepan. Slowly stir in hot milk. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened. Mix small amount of hot mixture into beaten eggs. Add beaten eggs to the rest of the hot mixture and cook 1 minute longer. Chill in refrigerator. Add cream and vanilla. Pour into freezer container and freeze. Makes 4 quarts.
* Rock salt is much preferred over table salt for making ice cream.
E-mail: ttoone@desnews.com