Stay Cool with a Hotsicle- Adding chile to ice cream seems the natural thing to do for New Mexicans.

This miserable hot and humid weather reminds me of summers in Michigan when I was small.  When both the temperature and the humidity soared into the 90s, my older sister would attempt to fry an egg on the cement driveway.  Not me.  I'd retreat to the backyard under a sweeping willow tree and demolish three scoops of Rocky Road ice cream slopped with extra thick and gooey chocolate syrup.  It wasn't uncommon for me to sneak in three helpings of ice cream daily. I remember getting a "good talking to" when Mom discovered me at 3 a.m. licking the bottom of a bowl that, just moments earlier, had been heaped with French vanilla resting in a pool of caramel sauce.

Today, ice cream remains my dessert choice, and I 'm not alone.  Since the 18th century, the confection has been America's best-loved treat. We spoon in, on average, 23 quarts of ice cream per capita annually with New Englanders taking the lead, consuming 7 quarts more per year than the typical American.

Many historians believe that ice cream was invented in China in about 200 B.C. when a mushy milk and rice blend was hardened by packing it tightly in snow. Roman emperors made ice cream by flavoring mountain snow gathered by slaves, which was always a hit at their renowned food orgies.

Ice cream appeared in England in the 17th century, and a century later in America by Phillip Lenzi, a New York caterer who had recently journeyed from London. Dolly Madison, wife of U.S. President James Madison, impressed guests by serving ice cream at her husband's Inaugural Ball in 1813.

The first hand-cranked ice cream freezer was invented and patented in 1846 by Philadelphia native Nancy Johnson. Five years later Jacob Fussell commercialized ice cream, transforming his Baltimore, Maryland milk plant into an ice cream plant.  Ice cream was mass-produced when the first commercial "continous process freezer" was perfected in 1925.

Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are American's favorites, with vanilla in the front.  But some New Mexicans find the blends bland..."not enough zing" they claim. Adding chile to ice cream and other icy cool treats such as popsicles seems the natural thing to do. (By the way, the popsicle was invented in the winter of 1905 by an 11 year old California boy named Frank Epperson, who mixed soda water powder to drink, but left it overnight on the back porch with the stirring stick still in it. Record low temperatures caused it to freeze. First dubbed the "Epsicle," it later became known as the "popsicle.")  Few commercial ice cream shops offer ice cream flavored with the jaunty chile pepper, so most New Mexs in search of a chile 'n cream fix make their own.

One Internet chilehead, Andrew Healy, makes a thick fruit syrup of apricots, mangoes and orange habaneros and then swirls the heated concoction through vanilla ice cream. (I prefer mine in Breyer's dark chocolate.)  SIN-sational!  Another chilehead, Besty Mac makes Hot Ice Cream by combining one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream with 1/3 teaspoon of finely chopped dried hot chile peppers and then freezes the mix overnight. "Garnish with shaved chocolate and strawberries (they'll mask the heat that lurks beneath) and enjoy?  Maybe!"

One of my preferred frozen chile treats, however, is Frozen Fire (Hot
 Popsicles), a recipe shared by Susan Hazen-Hammond in her book Chile Pepper Fever:  Mine's Hotter Than Yours [Gramercy Books, 1996]. In preparation for tomorrow's 4th of July celebration, I prepared my version - Star Spangled Chile "Hotsicles" - by combining steeped yellow habaneros and frozen cranberry-raspberry juice. I asked a young neighbor friend, Kevin Albers, 5, to sample the spirited concoction.

"Do you like chile?" I asked the handsome blonde hair, blue eyed lad.

"Oh, no!" he said, wrinkling his pug nose.

"Well, then, you probably won't like this popsicle I made especially for you," I said.  "It's got chiles in it."

"Well, I could try it - maybe."  Kevin cautiously reached for the treat I offered. "It tastes tart," he said after his first bite.  "No it tastes sweet."  He bit off another sample.  "No, it's hot!" he exclaimed.   "It's biting me in the back of my throat." 
Kevin's mom, Kathleen, was armed with the chile fire extinguisher - an ice-cold cup of milk, which he gulped down eagerly.   Believing Kevin had had enough of the fiery ice, I reached out to take the hotsicle. "Oh, no," he said pulling away. "You get used it."  Another chilehead debutes in Las Cruces.

STAR SPANGLED "HOTSICLES"
(adapted from Susan Hazen-Hammond's Frozen Fire (Hot Popsicles) recipe in her book Chile Pepper Fever:  Mine's Hotter Than Yours [Gramercy Books, 1996].)

3 yellow habaneros
5 cups water
1 (12 ounce) can frozen cranberry-raspberry juice concentrate

Wash habaneros and cut off the stems, leaving the rest of the pepper intact.  Add the habaneros to the water and bring them to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Remove and discard habaneros.  If any seeds remain in the water, strain them out.  Combine the water and the frozen juice concentrate in a pitcher. Mix well.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.  Or pour into ice-cube trays and use as ice for soft drinks. The juice may also be served unfrozen, as a lively cold drink.