Jane Austen at the American Museum of Natural History © AMNHD. Finnin

“Known for her sharp-witted novels about love and manners among the English gentry, Jane Austen did most of her writing in the early 1800s, more than a century before most European households had electricity. Although she lived comfortably and ate well, she had fewer food choices than most English people do today. At the time, a summer treat as simple as ice cream was quite a luxury” per information provided by the museum to go with the photo above.  Only the wealthy tended to have “ice houses” in the summer, sometimes a cave-like feature in the shade far from the house.

(c)AMNH Summer of 2013

The recipe below was one of the goodies gained when I recently visited the AMNH and enjoyed this summer’s “Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture”  exhibit. Visitors can be given tickets through package deals at the nearby Belleclaire Hotel or purchase tickets in advance for the “timed exhibit.”  Such crowd control makes it easier to sample that day’s free tastings, make a “virtual meal,” explore the complexities of “farm to fork” today, or get a better look at what people of the past ate.

Thanks to the AMNH for the following recipe. The ziplock bags seem to be a bit anachronistic, but this museum houses both great dinosaur skeletons and a cosmic walk through eons in space, so I’m not questioning temporal matters.  But I may go make some ice cream- glad to have ice so readily available.

“Jane Austen” No Electricity Ice Cream in a Bag

Ingredients

• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla or vanilla flavoring, if desired
• ¼ cup frozen or fresh currants, plums, blueberries, or peaches
• ½ to ¾ cup sodium chloride (NaCl) as table salt or rock salt
• 2 cups ice
• 1-quart plastic zip bag
• 1-gallon plastic zip bag

Procedure

1. Add ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup milk, ½ cup whipping cream, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla to a blender or mixing bowl.
2. Add the fruit and blend until smooth.
3. Add mixture to the quart bag. Seal the bag securely.
4. Put 2 cups of ice into the gallon bag.
5. Add ½ to ¾ cup salt (sodium chloride) to the bag of ice.
6. Place the sealed quart bag inside the gallon bag of ice and salt. Seal the gallon bag securely.
7. Gently rock the gallon bag from side to side. It’s best to hold it by the top seal or to have gloves or a cloth between the bag and your hands, because the bag will be cold enough to damage your skin.
8. Continue to rock the bag for 10-15 minutes, or until the contents of the quart bag have solidified into ice cream.
9. Enjoy!

-Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens.com