Summer: I Scream for Ice Cream!!

Growing up in the tropic, having a temperature of eighty degrees every single day of the year, also meant having a childhood with an incredible abundance of ice cream... In Caracas, my hometown, there never was a "hide and seek" tournament or a good match of "freeze tag" that didn't finish at the ice cream shop... I can still remember my little gang- my brother, cousins and neighbors all sweaty, licking popsicles and scooping chunks of our favorite flavors, always followed by a "colita" Grapette soda... Ahhh!! those times when a sugar overdose was not an issue...

Flavors like tamarind, passion fruit, mango, coconut and pineapple were my favorites... Of course, classic vanilla, chocolate and strawberry were always an option, but the richness of the tropical flavors was unbeatable... A bunch of years have gone by since childhood, but "ice cream" remains my biggest weakness. I'm not even sure about who gets more excited, my girls or I, when summer arrives and the ice cream parlors open doors around town... I'm always searching for new places and I have to say, the variety of texture, flavors and styles of ice cream in New York can really drive you insane.

Recently, on one of those sizzling days of summer in New York, we discovered Beacon Creamery, our latest obsession and most visited place... A colorful lilac facade with whimsical, dotted frames and bright, yellow walls inside, seemed to be calling our names. We had no idea what we were just about to shock our taste buds with, until we reached the counter... How can you decide on just one flavor, when you are tempted with such concoctions like Killer Chocolate, Dulce de Leche, Green Tea, Ginger, Cappuccino Kahlua Calypso, Pistachio, Very Blueberry or a Watermelon sorbet??

It turns out Beacon Creamery sells the wonderful confections of Jane's Homemade Ice Cream, a name that is almost a well kept secret in the Hudson Valley, extending only to some upscale restaurants and hotels in New York City. With the help of mini tasting spoons, we endulged in some of those incredible flavors until we made up our minds and picked our favorites.

It didn't matter what we chose, the ice cream was always fabulous with the right texture and the perfect flavor, truly matching the name of it. In other words, pistachio tasted exactly like the green nut and raspberry like the real fruit ...What a difference!! ...Artisan ice cream, made in small batches using fresh, local and organic products from the Hudson Valley, served in a friendly atmosphere.

I just love the peaceful, satisfaction packed time I spend with my girls, sitting at the creamery's little patio, licking over and over, till everything is gone...

By the way, if planning a visit to the Hudson Valley, Beacon is a really nice town to stop at... The Dia Art Foundation is right off the train from New York City, as well as the gorgeous park by the river and, still at a walking distance, the attractive Main Street with many interesting boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and of course, ice cream.

Did you know July is National Ice Cream Month? Do you have a favorite ice cream place? Where is it? Would you share with us and tell us about it? We'd love to visit, surely if it is in New York!!