Cooking with Judy: When a classic malted made a perfect gift

Father’s Day is almost here (June 16), and year after year I always faced the same dilemma.

Which would I rather do: Return a really cool outfit I picked out for my husband to Nordstrom’s or return the same tool he already had to Home Depot? And who decreed that wives should buy Father’s Day gifts for their husbands anyway?

I do remember one Father’s Day long ago when I hit the jackpot.

For years I had listened to my husband, Barry, waxing nostalgic about his teenage good old days when he worked in his father’s candy store on Utica and Church in Brooklyn, making egg creams and malteds.

I had heard ad nauseam how you just can’t get a real malted anymore. The machines just aren’t the same.

For an authentic malted you must use a malted machine and not a blender, which is too fast, he said. And you’ve got to use fresh malt. The malted milk powder they sell in supermarkets? Fuggedaboudit.

That year, I tracked down a prehistoric, previously owned Hamilton Beach malted machine from a restaurant supply house. The scratched off mint-colored paint only added to the ambiance.

Need I tell you that was one present he didn’t return? That Father’s Day gift made him very popular with the grandchildren and assorted visiting young ones, whose parents were only too glad to have “just a little taste.”

The trick to making a great malted is to almost freeze the milk, Barry advised, so the preparation begins an hour or so before the main event.

A malted without malt is not a malted, but a shake.

Malted milk powder is made with wheat flour, malted barley and whole milk evaporated down to a powder. It was invented in 1897 by William Horlick, a London pharmacist who moved to Racine, Wisconsin, as a food supplement for infants and was used as a health drink for children and invalids.

Walgreens in Chicago then started using the malted milk powder in fountain drinks, and in 1922, an employee named “Pop” Coulson began adding two scoops of vanilla ice cream to the concoction. This new taste treat was named “Horlick’s Malted Milk,” which soon was shortened to “malted,” and the rest, as they say, is history.

That year, Barry found the real deal, malted milk powder from the company that claimed to supply Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins. An online search today revealed a number of companies claiming to sell authentic malted milk powder, including King Arthur Flour.

The amount of malt you use is very subjective. I’ve seen recommendations ranging from 1 teaspoon to 2 rounded tablespoons. Barry said too much malt overpowers the taste, but you will have to experiment.

What is it about Fox’s U-bet syrup that distinguishes it from other brands? Since 1895 Fox’s has been the syrup of choice in the New York area for fountain drinks. But its appeal may be more than a nostalgia for Barry’s New York roots. The company uses cane sugar and real cocoa as opposed to artificial flavors and corn sweeteners. Some say its unique flavor comes from the addition of dry milk.

Of course, you may use any flavor of ice cream you wish, but chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream make an authentic New York black and white malted (as opposed to a New York black and white cookie, which is a whole other column!)

Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.

BARRY KANCIGOR‘S BLACK AND WHITE MALTED

From “Cooking Jewish” by Judy Bart Kancigors; makes 1 very generous serving

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespooons Fox’s U‑Bet chocolate syrup
• 1 cup semi-frozen whole milk (freeze for about 1 hour)
• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream (the higher the quality, the better the malted)
• 2 teaspoons malted milk powder, or to taste
• Whipped cream, for garnish

Method:

1.  Pour the syrup into the metal cup of a malted machine. (Barry said to avoid ridicule, put away the measuring spoon. It’s about 1/2 inch.) Add the milk, ice cream, and malt. Blend until whipped, almost smooth, and frothy, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

2. Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with whipped cream around the rim. Serve the remainder in the metal cup.