Features

Read It and Eat It: Everybody Was So Young and a classic black and white milkshake

Spirit away to the 1920s and into the world of Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway.

Gerald Murphy and his elegant wife, Sara, were at the very center of the literary scene in Paris in the 1920s. In Everybody Was So Young, Amanda Vaill brilliantly portrays both the times in which the Murphys lived and the fascinating friends who flocked around them. Whether summering with Picasso on the French Riviera or watching bullfights with Hemingway in Pamplona, Gerald and Sara inspired kindred creative spirits like Dorothy Parker, Cole Porter, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Enjoy this sweeping portrait of an era with a classic black and white milkshake.

Eat It.

Classic Black and White Milkshake
Recipe from Make Your Own Soda by Anton Nocito
Makes 1 drink

4 tablespoons Chocolate Syrup (recipe follows)
Seltzer
1 scoop Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe follows)

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the syrup. Add enough seltzer until the glass is two-thirds full, stirring briskly. Add the ice cream, then top with more seltzer, taking care that it doesn’t run over.

ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart

1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup heavy cream

Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the half-and-half and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and add the seeds and pod to the pan. Remove the pan
from the heat and steep for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Bring the half-and-half back to a steady simmer. While whisking the eggs constantly, slowly pour in the hot half-and-half.
Whisk until well combined, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the liquid has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl, and set it over the bowl of ice to cool. When cool, add the cream. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, process the custard in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for 14 days.

CHOCOLATE SYRUP
Makes 3 cups

2 cups water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 vanilla bean, halved
2 tablespoons chocolate husks (optional)
3 tablespoons Scharffen Berger or other high-quality cocoa powder

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the water, sugar, and salt to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pan, toss in the pod, and add the chocolate husks (if using). Steep for 10 minutes.

Put the cocoa powder in a large bowl. Strain the steeped liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Strain the mixture again, and then let cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.