Book Review: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Jeni Britton Bauer

Publisher: Artisan (June 15, 2011)

Pages: 217

Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine / Baking / Desserts

My Reading Format: Hardcover

Available Formats: Hardcover

My Review

My friend Susan sent me this book.  She works at Artisan & worked on the book.  In fact, she's listed in the Acknowledgments (yay, Susan!).  Nashville got a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams full-size shop back in June & since then, I've gained easily 5 pounds of ice cream weight.  But it was totally worth it.  This is THE BEST ice cream I've ever had.  A few thoughts:

• This book is more than just ice cream recipes, but if you want recipes, don't worry, they're all in there.
• I really enjoyed reading Jeni's story, which started in 1996 with an ice cream shop called Scream in downtown Columbus.  Her passion for ice cream & her success as a female entrepreneur is inspiring.
• After closing Scream & spending years working on a business model & learning the science behind making ice cream, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams opened in Columbus in 2002.
• Everything at Jeni's is made by hand, by sight, & in-house, from their ice creams to their seasonal store decor & graphic design.  They hand-write the name of the ice cream on every pint (even on days when they pack 4,000 pints).  Jeni's has shops in Ohio & Tennessee, & retail partners in over 35 states.
• This book will not only make you want to drive to your nearest Jeni's supplier & buy a pint of ice cream, it will encourage you to figure out what your passion is & how to make it happen.

My Final Thoughts

 I love Jeni's ice cream, obvi, but I also really love this book.  I think it's the first 'cookbook' I've sat down & read cover to cover.  The lay-out, the graphics, & the pictures are great.  And she opens each chapter with a page & photo of one of her local suppliers, which is such an awesome way for her to show her appreciation.  It warms ye old heart.  I have no idea if I'm ever going to attempt to make ice cream at home, especially since I don't currently own an ice cream maker, but by God, if I ever do decide to try it, this is the first book I'll pick up!  Five stars!

P.S. My friend, & fellow Jeni's enthusiast, Alexis has made one of the recipes out of this book.  She made the salty caramel flavor & swears it's easier than you think it is.  Read more about her ice-cream-at-home experience here.