George Washington's Ice Cream Recipe: First, Cut Ice From River
George Washington liked ice cream too, or at least the stuff they were calling ice cream back then. Where'd he get his ice? The Potomac River in the dead of winter. The Salt has the story on that, along with Washington's other eating habits. Note: the family had Double Gloucester Cheese imported on the regular:
That ice was stored in a dry well or ice house until milk and cream became available from dairy cows in the spring.
Martha Washington used a recipe from the most popular cookbook of the day, Hannah Glasse's Art of Cookery, to prepare a slushy, creamy version of the sweet treat we've come to love. (Her copy of the book is shown in the exhibit.) But forget chocolate or vanilla. Fruit was the only thing added to the cream and sugar. And the Washingtons served their guests tiny portions, doled out in delicate white French porcelain cups, that appear to hold no more than an ounce or two.
