Amanda De Jager Friedman: If you scream for ice cream, you'll love this one

Hey there Food and Flavor readers, ice cream eaters and chocolate milk drinkers!

It's June, and that means dairy month!

Every June, since 1937, dairy industry organizations have collaborated efforts to highlight the health benefits of milk, to honor the farmers who work so hard to produce milk, and to celebrate all the ways that milk products make our food more exciting.

As it so happens, this column happens to be written by a true local dairy gal.

And in the next month, you'll be seeing a fair share of blue ribbon, grade-A dairy recipes to get your mouth watering just in time for the summer season of entertaining.

It's a great opportunity to enjoy the luscious, creamy dairy creations that are so accessible to us, thanks to the countless bovine beauties and their caretakers -- the industrious farmers who inhabit the dairies scattered across our county.

Let's talk ice cream.

It is one of milk's most celebrated products, and probably deserves its own food group. Some dinner guests of mine have turned down a glass of milk or a cube of cheese, citing lactose intolerance as an excuse.

Yet not one of them has rejected an ice cream dessert. Funny how that works, huh? Point is, you can't go wrong with the stuff.

How about your earliest ice cream memory?

I'll bet it's a good one!

I think I can safely speak for all of my cousins when I say that my Grandpa Ed was instrumental in developing our ice cream palates.

Now and then, he'd pick us up from school on a warm day and take us to the Velvet Creamery (anyone else miss that place?) for ice cream sundaes.

We all screamed for ice cream, indeed.

Grandpa knew what he was doing, cultivating a love for dairy products in his grandchildren.

After all, as the son of Dutch immigrants, he began dairying at a very early age, and has passed on the tradition and the necessary dairy work ethic to all of his eight children.

Our family began moving to this area to dairy more than 30 years ago, because my grandpa had the foresight to know that Southern California would be too crowded for dairies in the future.

We've made a great life here, and take so much pride in what we produce.

Today, on my Grandpa Ed's 80th birthday, I'd just like to say thanks for buying that first little dairy farm in Chowchilla.

I love it here, and I am so thankful that my children can grow up here, where they'll know how real food is grown. Thank you for being an example of hard work, perseverance and relentless faith. And, thanks for all the ice cream. Your contributions were significant in my development as a foodie.

So, milkmaid pie is this week's featured recipe, and it is so named for its popularity among the local dairy gals. They're a smart bunch, ya see, and they know that everybody loves this stuff.

Plus, it's easy as pie (no pun intended) to put together. There are a few variations of this recipe, and many call for a container of frozen whipped topping.

This ingredient, however, contains no real dairy, and thus is not allowed in my freezer. Moreover, nothing soothes the soul like real whipped cream.

Milk-maid pie

24 ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 toffee candy bars (Heath or Skor), crushed

1 jar Hot Fudge Topping

1/4 cup strong coffee or espresso

1. Beat heavy whipping cream on high speed using a hand mixer or a heavy duty mixer. Just as the cream is beginning to form soft peaks, turn off mixer and add the sugar. Mix again on high speed just until stiff peaks form. Keep an eye on it! Over mixing will cause the cream to separate. When whipped cream is finished, store it in the fridge for a few minutes while you begin to assemble the dessert.

2. Pour the hot fudge topping into a bowl, and add the coffee or espresso. Stir until smooth and combined.

3. Layer ice cream sandwiches in bottom of a 9 x 13 dish. Spread with 1/2 of the whipped cream, then drizzle with 1/2 of the fudge topping, sprinkle with 1/2 of the candy bars. Repeat layer again. Take care when drizzling fudge on the top layer, as this is the presentation layer. Make fancy designs for your guests to ooh and ahhh over.

4. Place the dessert in the freezer for an hour or more before serving.

5. Serve to guests/family/ravenous children. As you receive accolades, pretend as though you exerted yourself tremendously during the assembly of this expert-level dessert.