Deep within the recesses of an unassuming Amherst sweet shop, there’s science afoot. A mint hunk here, a pumpkin there, even some Mexican chocolate – each plays its flavorful part in concocting the unique ice cream flavors ginned up in the back room of Jake’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Sweet Shoppe.
Baker and ice cream maker Roni Vetter, 35, of Milford, took over the Amherst staple about six years ago, and ever since has honed the science of ice cream making by mining the recesses of her creativity and customers for new and inventive flavors.
“We have hundreds of flavors that we’ve made, and a lot of them came from customer suggestions,” Vetter said.
Though she’s only been a purveyor of fine sweets for a few years, she’s always been a baker.
“I actually listened to my parents,” the Nashua native said. “I found myself lost for a career, and they pointed out that since I always loved baking and cooking that I should go to culinary school. So I credit that to them. I’m proof that sometimes your parents are right.”
So off she went to the culinary program at what was then New Hampshire University. She completed the two-year program in a year and a half, a fact she is still very proud of. While she had her choice of pursuing pastry or straight up cooking, Vetter was all about the sweets.
“I was more drawn to the cakes and the creation of these things,” she said. “Which is funny to me. When I was younger, I couldn’t focus and I had absolutely no patience. And I chose a career where you absolutely have to have patience. You can’t just bake a cake in a few minutes and then quickly frost it. You have to take time to do those things if you want them to come out right. And if you want to frost, you can’t do that right away. It’s funny to me.”
She went on to work at a slew of country clubs and restaurants, eventually landing a gig as a pastry chef with the Ritz Carlton, whom she was with for about six years.
But serendipitously, a whole state away, a sweet shop was coming onto the market around about the same time Vetter found herself downsized from the Ritz. She decided to go for it, and since has made it her own.
The shop is known for its sweet treats and especially its homemade ice cream and sorbet. While the cool confections are their specialty, Vetter is more than willing to share her secrets with at-home ice cream enthusiasts.
First and foremost, good ice cream comes down to the quality of its three basic components: butterfat, cream and sugar.
“The lower the butterfat content you have – well, your ice cream is not going to be as good,” she said. “Some people like ice milk and think it’s just the best thing in the world, but I can’t stand it. . . . I would just rather have a smaller portion of the good stuff.”
But she said, there is such a thing as too much butterfat, which she found out the hard way.
“Long before I got into making ice cream, I experimented a little bit at home. I tried to make my own chocolate ice cream,” she said. “It was basically like a frozen butter log. It was awful.”
As she learned, when there’s too much butterfat, it kind of coats the mouth and has a waxy feel, which as one can imagine, is not a pleasant ice cream experience.
Once one masters the butterfat balance, though, it’s also important to mind the science of ice cream, also known as “don’t let your ice cream freeze for too long.”
Ice crystals give ice cream its texture. The longer ice cream freezes, the more ice crystals grow. Leave it in too long, you get grainy, crystallized ice cream.
Vetter recommends taking ice cream out of an ice cream maker just as it gets to a soft-serve state. Then, she said, pop it into a very cold freezer. That way, she said, the ice cream will freeze into a solid block, which is good, but it will do it quicker. Ergo, no grit in your ice cream.
Here’s a cool late summer treat to try at home.
<B>CANTALOUPE SORBET</b>
2-3 large ripe cantaloupes
2-1/2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
Skin and seed melons, then chop into medium-sized pieces.
Puree melon in food processor or with a stick blender until no large chunks remain. You should yield 5 cups of juice. Strain for less pulp, if desired.
Heat water to simmer. Add sugar to dissolve. Cool.
Add juice to sugar syrup. Stir until uniform.
Freeze in ice cream maker to manufacturer’s instructions.
Serves 10.
