Cook This: 3 ice cream recipes from Made By Marcus, Made By You, including mac and cheese

National Post

5 hours ago

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He relocated the business to Calgary, where his wife, Mel, was offered a pediatric residency. With a surplus of unused Alberta egg yolks left over after making macarons, he started making ice cream in a small basement kitchen. His 'scientific brain' was hooked, and in 2016, Purtzki opened the flagship Made By Marcus ice cream shop across the street.
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Nearly a decade later, Purtzki channelled his skill and talent into Made By Marcus, Made By You. Before launching into 50 ice cream recipes and more than 60 inclusions, such as purées, ripples and caramels, he features a version of the primer he gives new scoopers and offers in workshops: how to taste and evaluate ice cream and the science behind it.
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A solid understanding of the science underpins it, but seasonality is a key element. From Calgary's Village Ice Cream to Vancouver's Earnest Ice Cream, Purtzki points out that seasonal flavours are central to today's scoop shop culture.
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Made By Marcus's seasonal approach to ice cream extends to the cookbook. Using local products has been one of Purtzki's priorities from the beginning, whether in the wintry Douglas fir ('a Christmas tree in a scoop') and the summery Taber corn and blackberry, or fan favourites, such as malted chocolate with housemade honeycomb (a nod to the Crunchie chocolate bars Purtzki loved as a kid). They source their dairy, 70 per cent of their ice creams, from Alberta farms.
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Purtzki embraced the opportunity to explain how menu items came to be in the book. At Made By Marcus, they come up with new flavours every month. Purtzki draws on his childhood memories, background in fine-dining restaurants, and Swedish and German heritage to develop imaginative combinations, such as goat cheese and lingonberry and toasted hay and Saskatoon berry.
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Chapters are devoted to the four seasons plus a fifth 'Weird' season filled with unusual flavours, such as mac and cheese ice cream and Caesar sorbet. 'Weird is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but I'd like to think that we do weird pretty well here at Made By Marcus,' Purtzki writes. These recipes aren't tied to a specific time of year, but many would be at home on the Calgary Stampede midway, where visitors flock for out-of-the-ordinary food experiences.
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Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden was the inspiration for including a fifth 'Weird' season. 'It's one of the best books I have,' says Purtzki.
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After studying food and nutrition science and working in Michelin-starred kitchens, Purtzki found his calling. He enjoys the mentorship aspect of working with people who are just beginning their professional lives, the creativity of coming up with new ice cream flavours and the fun of the marketing side of the business.
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'People hate Mondays. I love Mondays. It's the best day,' says Purtzki. 'I'm going to sound like my dad, but I just love work. I love going to work every day. I love having a purpose to work, and being in ice cream gave me that purpose.'
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Yield: 3 pints
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Base:
360 g (1 1/2 cups) whole milk
360 g (1 1/2 cups) cream
38 g (1/3 cup) milk powder
133 g (2/3 cup) cane sugar
5 egg yolks
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Base additions:
48 g (1/3 cup) powdered cheddar cheese (i.e. Kraft Dinner powder)
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Prep the base
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Whisk together the powdered cheddar cheese with dry ingredients before following base steps below.