The Great Garlic Ice Cream Challenge

(and Martha Stewart Shows Up)

The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival and I go way back to its earliest days.. Last week, I was reminded of that and more, when I made a return visit after many years away. Let me explain.

Back in the late 80s, Mary Anne joined a group of gardeners at Shale Hill Farm in Saugerties for Pat Reppert’s talks on growing herbs…and yes, garlic. The fees were modest, but everyone was expected to help weed her gardens. We were weekenders then, and I teased Mary Anne that I wished she would spend as much time weeding our gardens as she did Pat’s.

One year in the fall, Pat decided to host a little garden party, promote her business, sell some herbs and flowers, and simply have a good time. She called it a garlic festival and wanted to feature different varieties of garlic.

Starting with a newsletter, “Notes from Shale Hill Farm”, a local newspaper article, and good old word of mouth, the “little garden party” ballooned, quickly outgrowing the charming little farm. Overwhelmed by the response, she concluded she needed help, handing it over to the Kiwanis Club of Saugerties, and soon the festivities moved to Cantine Field.

By then, the festival was mobbed, tents filled with garlic farmers from all over New York, musicians, crafts people, and food vendors, featuring everything garlic. The festival exploded, attracting over 45,000 one year. It also attracted the attention of Martha Stewart over in Connecticut. Somehow she’d gotten word that someone was making garlic ice cream, could she come with a camera crew? Here in Saugerties we had no idea what she was talking about, but did we want to disappoint her? Of course not. That’s when I got the call, “Can you make garlic ice cream for us? It’ll be featured on Martha Stewart’s show”.

By then I was already scheduled to do a cooking demonstration with our 10 year old son, Chris Erickson, the cutest little chef imaginable. Sporting a mini chef’s coat and apron he, needless to say, soaked up all the attention and made a great assistant and sidekick.

What to do? I had always been happy to volunteer, but by then at the Blue Mountain Bistro we were serving a packed restaurant on Saturday nights. Make garlic ice cream for the festival in our tiny kitchen? I couldn’t do it, no way.

“This can just be a demo as well; you don’t have to make enough for everyone,” I was told. Well aware I was being coaxed, maybe even cajoled, but not wanting to let anyone down, including Chris, I caved. The next morning I woke up, horrified at what I’d said yes to.

“Garlic ice cream? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Deadlines certainly have a way of sharpening one’s focus and stimulating creativity. After all, we chefs face deadlines every day.

Roasted Garlic and Thyme Honey Ice Cream, that’s what I came up with. Roasting the garlic brings out a nutty sweetness, and the local thyme honey fits right in. I never even had enough time for a test batch, it was one and done. I crossed my fingers, after all, Martha was coming. To everyone’s surprise, including mine, it was genuinely tasty. That said, I never featured it on the bistro menu and never made it again. Oh well. Don’t worry, I’m not posting a recipe for garlic ice cream here.

As for Martha? She showed up briefly with a small camera crew, gave the ice cream a thumbs up, and moved on to where the action was a little livelier. I had hoped for the opportunity to say I once cooked for her at a party she catered at the Metropolitan Museum. Ok, actually I was one of dozens of cooks, maybe more, but the opportunity somehow slipped away.

Did our little cameo make the show? I’m sure it did, but I honestly can’t remember. Mostly, I remember Chris stealing the spotlight. He never became a professional chef, but he is the go-to chef for all his friends. I guess the apple (or garlic bulb) didn’t fall far from the tree.

Richard & Chris' cooking demo, Garlic Fest 2001

Looking back, I’m still amazed I pulled that one off. Whether or not we made a splash on Martha’s show is not the point. Deadlines and a few butterflies in the stomach can nudge me to try something new, extend myself a bit and almost always leaves me feeling better having said yes.

From this year's Garlic Festival

We had a food concession booth for a few years at the Garlic Fest to great popular acclaim. And what was our signature dish? Garlic mashed potatoes, of course — as it was one of our most popular dishes at our restaurant, served with Roast Chicken Grand-mère (which can be found in our Feel Good Food Cookbook). So here’s the recipe we have used for years, and with the cold weather beginning to settle in, this is one of those comfort foods you will love to share with your family. Enjoy!

Perfect Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4-6 or more

I’m always amazed at how much excitement can be generated by a bowl of freshly made mashed potatoes. While most of us are lukewarm about pureed carrots or beets, potatoes win over just about everyone. They’re not really difficult to make, but like most easy things, they’re also easily ruined. Here is a suggestion to help you make the perfect mashed potatoes: you’ll need a food mill or, lacking that, a potato ricer in order to make creamy mashed potatoes without lumps. That said, what’s a few lumps amongst friends or family?

2 1/2 lbs Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 cup milk
freshly grated nutmeg
4 oz cold butter, cut into pieces
1 lg bulb roasted garlic
1/2 cup sour cream
salt

Peel and cut potatoes into similarly sized chunks so they cook evenly. Place them into a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. They should be tender but not mushy. Do not overcook! Drain the potatoes in a colander, reserving the cooking water.

Heat the milk with a bit of grated nutmeg. (Heavy cream or half-and-half are good for many things but far too rich for mashed potatoes.) Never, ever melt the butter with the milk. The butter must be incorporated cold, bit by bit, into the potatoes. Now fit your food mill over a pot and begin to crank the potatoes through it. Add a bit of hot milk to keep things moving while pushing with a spatula. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the mix a little at a time. Continue adding potatoes, butter, garlic and milk until everything has passed through the food mill or potato ricer.

Using a large wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the sour cream until the potatoes are fluffy. Season with salt to taste. You may add a bit of the reserved potato water if you feel the mixture is too thick or if you’re not serving immediately; mashed potatoes tend to firm up as they stand.

Chef’s Note

Mashed potatoes are best eaten soon after they’re made. If you must prepare them in advance, a microwave is really the only acceptable way of reheating them, a little bit at a time, stirring in between. The reserved water that the potatoes were cooked in makes a great broth for soups by the way, and don’t even think of using a food processor or electric mixer, it will turn the texture gummy and unpleasant.

Roasted Garlic

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. If the garlic bulb has any loose papery skins, remove them. Slice off about ¼ inch of the top of the garlic bulb, or enough to expose the tops of the garlic cloves.

3. Place garlic bulb on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the foil up and around the garlic, keeping the bulb sitting upright. Place the foil-wrapped garlic in a small baking dish.

4. Roast in the oven for 40-55 minutes, until garlic is soft and browned.

5. Let the garlic cool, then use your fingers to remove the roasted garlic cloves from the papery skins. Set aside while you cook the potatoes.

or…

My apologies to the garlic farmers, but it is quite common now to find peeled garlic cloves in grocery stores. Should you have these, simply place the peeled cloves in a small sauce pot, add vegetable oil to barely cover, and on a low heat, simmer until the cloves are light brown and soft, about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool, then add an equal amount of XVOO, now you have roasted cloves and garlic oil. Bay leaves, thyme, or rosemary may be added to flavor the oil further if you wish. The whole cloves are great for garnishes, adding to sauces, or making into a paste to smear on bruschetta.