Grammy Peg’s Ice Cream

From the open skies of Wyoming, here’s this month’s short story about ranch life, an insight I learned from my family, and a piece of trivia.

Story

Grammy Peg, my grandmother, was an excellent cook who often performed her magic out on the ranch. She loved making desserts for her family and the hired hands, and we all loved watching her in the kitchen—and tasting the results.

One summer day, she brought an ice cream maker from town and set it up on the kitchen counter. Then she assembled the ingredients: milk, sugar, egg yolks, salt, and vanilla bean.

But she wasn’t quite finished.

Peg enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen. She wasn’t afraid to add a splash of brandy to pudding or serve an after-dinner liqueur. That day on the ranch, she announced she was making rum ice cream.

She packed the ingredients into the ice cream maker and turned the crank around and around, churning the mixture. Then she added a little rum . . . and then a little more. The color darkened, and the aroma of vanilla and rum filled the air. When the mixture had thickened, she ladled it into a large bowl and placed it in the freezer.

Several hours later, she pulled the bowl out, and we gathered around her, eager to taste her new creation. Smiling, she dipped in the serving spoon.

Something wasn’t right.

The ice cream hadn’t frozen. It was still more liquid than solid.

Peg had added too much rum. It worked more like antifreeze than flavoring.

We all laughed—including Peg—as we sipped the icy concoction. It was delicious, the sweetness of the cream balanced by the bite of the rum.

Today, someone would probably charge good money for it.

Grammy Peg

Insight

If you want to have a stiff drink with your ice cream, prepare them separately!

Did You Know?

Peg was the best cook in the family for several decades.

Until next time,

Mark Miller

“I learned soon enough you never cross a ranch cook.” From A Sometimes Paradise.