History

Louis Charles Graeter opened a small ice cream shop on Court Street in Cincinnati in 1870. He adapted a French-pot process he had learned, freezing ice cream in 2.5-gallon spinning copper pots one batch at a time. His widow Regina took over after his death in 1919 and grew the business. The same family still runs Graeter's today, with the same French-pot process used across all 50-plus locations in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 1 quartHands-on 30 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (475ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 cup black raspberry preserves
  • 6 oz (170g) dark chocolate, chopped into uneven chunks (3/8 to 1/2 inch)

Method

  1. Whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar in a bowl until pale.
  2. Heat the cream, milk, remaining sugar and salt in a saucepan until just steaming. Whisk a ladleful into the yolks to temper, then stream the rest in slowly.
  3. Return to the pot and stir over low heat until the custard coats a spoon and reads 170F (77C). Do not boil.
  4. Strain through a sieve into a chilled bowl. Stir in the vanilla and the black raspberry preserves until streaked through.
  5. Chill thoroughly, at least 4 hours.
  6. Churn in an ice cream maker per the manufacturer's instructions until thick.
  7. In the final minute of churning, add the chocolate chunks. Transfer to a chilled container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Tip from the editors. Use uneven chocolate chunks, not chips. The Graeter's signature is hand-folded chocolate that breaks unevenly each spoonful.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat graeter's french-pot ice cream

Graeter's French-pot ice cream in Cincinnati

Graeter's Hyde Park ★ 4.7

hyde-parkDaily 11:00-22:00Walk-in onlyFrench-pot ice cream and bakery, since 1870

Graeter's on Erie Avenue in Cincinnati's Hyde Park Square is the Hyde Park scoop counter and bakery since 1870, with French-pot ice cream and sweets.

Worth the queue: Black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream

2704 Erie Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45208

Findlay Market ★ 4.8

over-the-rhineTue-Fri 09:00-18:00, Sat 08:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon

Findlay Market on Race Street in Cincinnati's OTR is the 1855 public market, the oldest continuously operating market in Ohio, with 40-plus vendors.

1801 Race St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

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