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1971 Mountaintop Ice Cream Social

Shirley Kutzscher

It is the spring of 1971 and most of the snow has melted. The peepers are making their usual music and the Broome Center Chapel's ladies guild meets to plan the summer fund raiser.

Without much fanfare, we agreed to add homemade ice cream to the menu of the day while people were visiting the white elephant crafts booths. The ladies of the mountaintop, pros at baking pies and cakes, can surely make ice cream too!

One of our church members tells us of a band from nearby Esperance that her father, Andrew Quick, directs. We invite them to join us and for many years, ice cream and the Esperance Band are the drawing card. People came from many miles around, bringing lawn chairs so they can be comfortable as they socialize, eat, listen, and sing along with the band. Over time, friendships were made and continued at the Broome Center Chapel during this festival, and people saw friends they hadn't seen since the last ice cream social.

Generally, the ladies made seven kinds of ice cream: standards like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry were joined by lemon, banana, maple walnut, and chocolate chip. The contributors of the ice creams varied over time, including Bonnie Mace, Joan Hallock, Mark Haskin, Carolyn Brown, Clyda Mace, Irene Brown, Bonnie Chichester, Clara Kingsley, Ruth Hallock, Kristina Higgins, Linda Brown, Nina Farsell, and Shirley Kutzscher. And behind each of these people were at least two strong men and some children to crank the freezers. With a brine of 3 cups of rock salt and 25 pounds of crushed ice for a 6 quart freezer, all available hands were kept busy for several hours making up to 167 quarts of the cold, delicious treat.

Add a slice of homemade pie or cake and listen to the band as the sun lowers to the horizon.

Linda Brown Ice Cream 4 quarts 3 qt. milk 1 1/2 c. sugar 7 tbsp. flour 1 tsp. salt 6 eggs, beaten flavoring(s) Scald milk in double boiler. Combine sugar, flour, salt, add sugar mixture to scalded milk, cook until thickened. Add 2 c. hot cream to beaten eggs, then add this back to the mixture. Cook 5 minutes, remove from heat. — — — — — Vanilla Add 2+ tbsp. vanilIa Chocolate Add 3/4 squares melted chocolate Chocolate chips Add 1/2 c. chopped sweet chocolate Strawberry Add 1/2 qt. smashed strawberries + 1 c. sugar Raspberry Add 1 qt. raspberries smashed + 1 c. sugar Peach Add 4-6 smashed peaches + 1/2 c. sugar. Freeze in ice cream freezer using 1 part salt to 8 parts ice (crushed).	Shirley Kutzscher Chocolate 6 quarts 3 cups milk 4 cups sugar 8 t. cornstarch 6 t. cocoa 4 tsp. vanilla 12 eggs 2 pints heavy cream Place milk in double boiler to heat. Add sugar and stir well. Mix cornstarch and cocoa with small amount cold water to make a paste. Mix chocolate mixture into warm milk and stir until thick. Add vanilla, beat eggs well, and add to them one cup of the hot chocolate mixture. Mix well. Put egg mixture into chocolate mixture and stir. Cool custard until ready to put in ice cream freezer. Add cream and freeze according to directions on the freezer.
Bonnie Mace Vanilla 20 quarts 12 quarts milk 12 cups sugar 24 level t. cornstarch 24 eggs 8 t. vanilla heavy cream Heat milk, add sugar. Mix cornstarch with water to make a paste. Add to milk. Beat eggs, add a small amount of hot milk mixture to the eggs. Put egg mixture in the milk mixture and stir. Remove from heat, add vanilla and cream before freezing.	Peach 2 quarts 1 cup milk 2 cups pureed peaches 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup heavy cream Combine sugar and flour, add milk and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, Cool. Add peach pulp and lemon juice. Fold in lightly whipped cream. Chill 20 minutes. Churn freeze according to directions.
Lemon sherbet 2 tablespoons gelatin 1 1/2 cups milk 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup cold water 1/2 cup half and half 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup Soften gelatin in water and dissolve over hot water. Combine lemon juice, milk, half and half, salt, sugar, and corn syrup. Add dissolved gelatin. Chill 70 minutes. Churn freeze according to directions.	Joan Hallock Strawberry 6 quarts 4 1/2 cups sugar 10 eggs 4 quarts milk 1 can evaporated milk 7 t. cornstarch 4 t. flour 1 1/2 quarts strawberries vanilla Beat eggs, a few at a time with sugar, cornstarch and flour. Add milk and cook in large double boiler until thick. Add a little vanilla, strawberries. Freeze in ice cream freezer.
Maude Haskin Chocolate 5 gallons 15 quarts milk 2 cups cornstarch 15 cups sugar 6 cups cocoa 2 teaspoons salt 30 eggs Heat milk. Mix all the rest 'till smooth. If too thick to pour well, add a little warm milk. Pour into hot milk and cook, stirring, until creamy. Do not burn, and cool overnight if possible. Go to the ice house, uncover the ice and brush the sawdust off it. Use ice tongs and take a block [about 1 cubit foot] down and wash it off. Put it in a feed bag and use the flat of the ax to crush the block. Put ice cream in freezer and pack salt and ice around it. Crank 'till done.	Maple walnut 1 quart 2 large eggs 1/4 cup of dark amber maple syrup 1 cup milk 2 cups heavy cream 3/4 cup of sugar 1/2 cup chopped walnuts Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Blend in sugar a little at a time, until all is completely blended, about one more minute. Pour in the cream and milk to blend. Add maple syrup and stir until blended. Transfer the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze. After ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done) add walnuts and continue to freeze.
	Clyda Mace Vanilla 20 quarts 12 quarts milk24 level Ts cornstarch 24 eggs12 c. sugar 8 T. vanilla Heat milk. Beat eggs. Add sugar mixed with cornstarch; add to hot milk and cook up well. Cool well. Add vanilla just before freezing. note: Heat milk in kettle set in pan of hot water!

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