“AS PURE AS THE SNOW-CAPPED PEAKS OF MOUNT OLYMPUS” . . .

I’m half-Olympian from my mother’s side. Not an Olympian like a citizen of the city of Olympia in the Peloponnese region of Greece, where the Olympic Games first took place. Nor Olympian like the athletes in the Olympic Games. But rather a half-Olympian (in the local sense) from the village at the foot of Mount Olympus in Northern Greece, where my mother is from. This little town is called Pythion, from which you can easily gaze up at the snow-capped mountain tops and climb up the slopes of Mount Olympus, to gather wild herbs (oregano, mint and mountain tea which is actually called sideritis or ironwort, etc.) … and where the Greek Gods are supposed to live.

Being half-olympian, I have a privileged relationship with those gods on the mountain, but I can’t get away with doing just anything nor (in this particular case) dedicating to them and serving them just any type of ice cream. It has to be “special”, it has to be “pure”, it has to be “whiter-than-white” and devoid of any flavors that may mask or mar its purity … Just white dairy (milk and creamy concoctions) and egg whites and white sugar with just a hint of salt and lemon juice. No, there is no vanilla in this recipe because it would inevitably alter the color of the ice cream, nor any honey nor orange blossom water nor rose water (even though that would be nice too) … These gods only appreciated and consumed AMBROSIA & NECTAR, usually !

What is “FLEUR DE LAIT” or “FLOWER OF MILK” you ask ?! You may have heard of “FLEUR DE SEL” which is the thin hand-harvested and wind and sun-dried topcoat of unrefined sea salt. “Fleur de Lait” is similar, it is that topmost layer of cream from fresh milk, usually appreciated in southern Europe a few generations ago. Those who are both familiar and remember this taste are either long gone or senior citizens or older adults today in southern European countries. My attempt here was to combine different proportions of dairy products to achieve this “flavor from the past” and which is why it was necessary to have these same “connoisseurs” taste-test my recipe … I saw in their eyes that I succeeded and could almost see the memories swirling around in their heads and mouths !

Anyways, enjoy the 2016 OLYMIC GAMES in Rio (or on television) this year. Enjoy some mythology about the Olympian Gods of Ancient Greece. Enjoy some Olympian-inspired ‘fleur de lait’ ice cream too … :)

Note 1 : different dairy products are available in different countries and often with variations in their fat content : in North America, whole milk is at 3,25% fat while in Europe it is at 3,5% - 3,6%; in France, heavy cream is at 30% which corresponds to single-cream in the United Kingdom or light whipping cream in North America, these countries also has heavy cream or whipping cream at 35% - 36% fat; crème fraîche is easy to find in Europe but difficult to find in North America, but sour cream exists in North America at 20% fat; in the United Kingdom and Russia, double-cream exists and is at 48-50% fat … Feel free to play around with the weights and fat contents; example #1 : if your milk is at 3,25% fat and your heavy cream is at 35% fat and your sour cream is at 20% fat, then add an extra 22,5 grams (1½ tbsp) mascarpone … example #2 : if you have double-cream at 48%-50% fat, then you can simply use 360 ml (1½ cups) whole milk + 360 ml (1½ cups) double-cream or try a mixture of 1 cup milk (240 ml) + 1 cup double-cream (240 ml) and 2/3 cup sour cream (180 ml) + 1/3 cup mascarpone (60 ml). All these combinations will result in the same amount of fat percentage (approximately 18,5%) and creaminess for the exact same volume. Combining different dairy products with their varying degrees of fattiness, sweetness, sourness, etc., enhances the overall flavor and subtlety of the “fleur de lait” ice cream …

Note 2 : often, egg sizes and weights differ too from one continent to the next; in Europe a medium egg (with the shell) weighs 53-63 grams, a large egg weighs 63-73 grams; in North America, New Zealand & Australia, this corresponds to a very large or extra-large egg … my eggs weigh 65 grams each (19 g egg yolk, 38 g egg white, 8 g egg shell) …

Note 3 : superfine sugar is often available in supermarkets and very white in color and this sugar is simply a finer version of regular granulated sugar, it is not as powdery as icing or confectioner’s sugar; it is somewhat in between; simply make your own by placing the sugar in a food-processor and pulse several times at intervals, until finer; this will make the oven-heating part of the sugar easier and the hot finer sugar will blend perfectly with the beaten egg whites to create the meringue base for the ice cream … the sugar represents 16,5% of the total weight.

Note 4 : normally, the egg yolks in the custard base are used to bind the water molecules to the fat molecules and sugar in the ice cream to avoid crystallization when freezing; when making a sorbet, gelatin or pectin is sometimes added to achieve this same creamy effect; there also exists an ingredient often used in ice cream (approximately 5g/litre), called a “stabilizer” to avoid crystallization and add creaminess. In this recipe, even though I have this stabilizer, I tried to use only as natural as possible ingredients and avoided these “extras” (because the gods see all and know all) … which is why I used a meringue !

Note 5 : ice cream is best when freshest and creamier when immediately served but freezing is often necessary when making larger quantities; a good idea is freezing your container(s) before transferring the ice cream inside them or using smaller containers that will freeze much more quickly and thus avoid or reduce the formation of ice crystals.

p.s.: I hope these notes are helpful ! :)