Big Red Ice Cream

Summer Perfection

I have to apologize up front for sharing a recipe you might not be able to enjoy.

Big Red is a drink that I couldn’t describe without a visit to Wikipedia. It’s a “red cream soda” flavored with lemon and orange oils and “topped off” with vanilla. I never cared for Big Red in its soda form, but as a homemade ice cream flavor, it can’t be beat.

Big Red was the flavor of family reunions and my grandparent’s back porch. It’s what I ate when I read about Dumbledore’s demise and when I finished my Ph.D., and it’s how my dad welcomes me home every summer.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find 2-liter bottles of Big Red in the greater Nashville area. A few select Krogers sell it by the can, but that’s not convenient or cost effective. I try to remember to ask anyone visiting from Texas in the spring to bring us a few bottles so we can get our summer fix. If you can find Big Red, put this on your summer bucket list. The slightly fizzy, perfectly sweet, hint of vanilla-ness is summertime perfection.

Does your home have a regional drink?

Big Red Ice Cream

• 1 pint frozen strawberries (thawed)

• 1 small can crushed pineapple

• 1 small carton of heavy cream*

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

• Big Red to fill line (at least 2 liters)

Also Needed:

• Ice cream freezer*

• Ice cream salt

• Ice

Notes:

• The ice cream will freeze faster if all of your ingredients have been in the refrigerator.

• You can use more heavy cream if you prefer creamier ice cream. I don’t.

• I don’t know how to make this in a smaller freezer. I’ve only done it in the old-school 4-quart metal canister situation.

Combine the first four ingredients in your ice cream freezer. Pour Big Red to the fill line, stirring down the foam at the top. Follow the instructions for your ice cream freezer to finish.

Let me know how it goes!