Ice Cream Queen: Flavors from Black America's Past, Present, & Future - Hardcover

by Lokelani Alabanza (Author)

Back in the 1840s, a free Black woman ran a successful ice cream saloon in Nashville. Her name was Sarah Estell, and she became known as "the Ice Cream Queen." Now taking up her crown is Lokelani Alabanza, a trained pastry chef and avid collector of all things Black Americana. Her love of ice cream and appreciation for those who preceded her come together in this joyful cookbook.

Ice Cream Queen features Alabanza's original creations and revamped classics such as Malted Vanilla, Roasted Strawberry, and Mint Chip. Building on simple bases, standout flavors range from boozy and fruity to adventurous and decadent. Recipes include Nashville Hot Chicken, an ode to her adoptive city's iconic dish; Juneteenth Sorbet, with summer-ripe raspberries and hibiscus flowers; PB&J, a vanilla swirled with peanut butter, strawberry jam, and slices of white bread; Chocolate-Covered Kettle Chip, a crunchy mix of sweet and salty . . . and many more.

A love letter to generations of Black ice cream makers, this cookbook offers something entirely new: ice cream as an act of memory, identity, and Black excellence.

Back Jacket

Acclaimed pastry chef LOKELANI ALABANZA offers a celebration of Black culinary history through ice cream, with 100 recipes that expand the canon of American flavors, including Banana Split, Cookie Supreme, Salted Watermelon, Mango-Coconut Sorbet, and Roasted Peach Cobbler. Discover new and unexpected combinations and along the way learn about the makers and entrepreneurs who played with candy, chocolate, pretzels, and even Parmesan cheese to make ice cream, sorbets, and sherberts anything but basic.