Blueberry Pie Ice Cream

I made two versions of this. The "Fruity Base" tasted much more like gelato than ice cream; I didn't cook it and the proportion of berries to cream was half and half. The other was much more ice cream-y and will last longer in the freezer without getting too hard.

Fruity Base:
3 cups blueberries (washed and patted dry)
3 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brandy

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth and thick. Transfer to ice cream machine and process as directed. Meanwhile, make "milk bites."

Custard Base:
3 cups whole milk
2 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups sugar, separated
6 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 recipe milk bites

Process milk, blueberries, and 1 cup sugar in blender until smooth. Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar with electric mixer until pale and smooth. Heat blueberry mixture over medium heat, until a near simmer, but do not boil (if mixture bubbles a couple times, you will know it is ready!). Very slowly add hot blueberry mixture to egg yolks, beating constantly. When fully incorporated, return to pot, and cook over medium-low heat until slightly thickened. Let custard cool a bit before processing in ice cream maker. When churned, stir in milk bites.


Milk bites:
1 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp (or more) milk

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. Work in butter with fingers until fine crumb forms. Stir in milk until mixture is still crumbly, but begins sticking together. Press very firmly into the bottom of the bowl or a greased cookie sheet, and place in freezer until ready to incorporate into ice cream.

When ice cream is churned, but still soft, gently fold in "milk bites." Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.

Caramel Truffle Ice Cream

This is pretty much a frozen truffle, and is my favorite homemade ice cream. Generally taken from Bon Appetit.


7 ounces dark chocolate (70% to 75% cacao), finely chopped
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large egg yolks
7 tablespoons sugar

For caramel:
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth. Set melted chocolate aside; let cool slightly.

Whisk milk and cocoa powder in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to boil (or melt VERY CAREFULLY in microwave); set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in another medium bowl until very thick ribbons form, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk mixture to egg yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Add melted chocolate and whisk to blend. Stir over low heat until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 175°, about 5 minutes. Transfer chocolate custard to a large bowl and place over another large bowl of ice water. Stir until chocolate custard is cool.

Stir 1/4 tsp salt into 1/2 cup cream until dissolved. Bring remaining 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small heavy, deep saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush (do not stir), until a dark amber color forms, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Fold half of caramel into chocolate custard. Cover and chill custard and remaining caramel until cold or for up to 2 days.

Process custard in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. While still soft after churning, drizzle in caramel and fold in to incorporate (avoid mixing in completely to create caramel swirls).Transfer to another container; freeze for at least 1 day or up to 3 days before eating.

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Ice Cream

I made 4 different kinds of ice cream in two days, and this was the ultimate favorite, across the board.
6 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup raw sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup chilled buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Whisk yolks in another medium metal bowl. Combine cream, sugar, and salt in large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk half of hot cream into egg yolks, then return mixture to saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until custard thickens and coats back of spoon when finger is drawn across, 2 to 3 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Pour cold buttermilk into reserved chilled bowl. Strain custard into buttermilk; whisk. Whisk in vanilla. Chill mixture uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.
Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon until incorporated.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to freezer container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Pasta Chips

These could also be referred to as fried pasta or puffed pasta, but those seem misleading to me. The first because "fried pasta" is generally still a cooked pasta texture; maybe slightly crispy, but still limp. This pasta seems to not be quite as puffed as "puffed pasta" implies, but it does puff when fried slightly.



1 lb. penne, rigatoni, macaroni, or other hollow pasta
salt
1-3 cups corn, canola, or peanut oil for frying
seasonings*

Boil pasta in salted water until tender.

Dehydrate in dryer for several hours at about 130˚F until fairly dry, but not completely hard.

Deep fry in oil (heated over low to medium heat), until pasta puffs, and turns golden.

Remove from oil, and toss with seasonings*


* Any spice combination will likely work quite well on this pasta. I've tried an Italian mixture (rosemary, thyme, and tarragon) and a chili mixture (chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin). Also, dehydrated cheese powders, marinara sauces, or other sauces are great seasonings.

Miso Potato Salad

Boil until tender:
1 lb. fingerling potatoes, coarsely chopped.

In a separate pot, bring to a boil:
6 fresh eggs
Turn off heat and let rest 10 minutes.

Let potatoes and eggs cool a bit.

Remove egg shells, and chop eggs.

Add potatoes and eggs to large bowl.

Combine:

1/4 cup miso
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce

Pour through sieve (to remove soy chunks, if miso is chunky or gritty), onto potatoes and eggs. Stir until the cooked egg yolks have blended with the miso sauce to form a sort of dressing over the potatoes and cooked egg whites. Chill before serving.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage and Brown Butter

This recipe comes directly from Bon Appetit, and has been used by my family for Christmas Eve dinner every year for nearly 5 years. It is time consuming, but always worth it.



Ingredients:

2 1-pound red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork
1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Preparation:

Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.

Yuh-ummmmmmmmm

Groundnut Stew

From Sunday's At Moosewood Restaurant:

2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp cayenne or ground dried chiles
1 tsp pressed garlic cloves
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup apple juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 chopped tomatoes
2 cups chopped okra
1/2 cup peanut butter

Sauté onions in oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garlic. Sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes, and sauté, covered, for a few more minutes. Mix in juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer or about 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender. Add okra and simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir in the peanut butter, turn heat to lowest setting, and simmer until ready to serve. Add more juice or water if stew is too thick.

Generic Cold Blended Coffee Drink

Make 2 cups of very strong coffee, or 1 cup of espresso plus 1 cup water.
Combine 2 cups milk, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tbsp of any flavor of syrup (chocolate, hazelnut, etc...or even honey!).
Add coffee to milk mixture.
Freeze for at least 3 hours, or up to 5. If frozen for less time, drink will be cold, but not icy. If frozen for more time, some thawing may be required before blending.
Remove from freezer, and place half of the mixture in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately to avoid separation.

An Assortment of Sheet Cakes

Wedding:

2 9x13 orange chiffons + orange cream cheese frosting

2 9x13 orange chiffon and coconut + orange cream cheese frosting

~decorated with roses and lavender~

1 9x13 coconut

4 9x13 chocolate raspberry

~decorated with sunflowers~

Served about 150


Going-Away:

4 9x13 chocolate-raspberry + cream cheese
frosting

Served about 50

Lemon Wedding Cake

12 inch lemon cake
+
1 cup lemon curd
+
9 inch lemon cake
+
3/4 cup lemon curd
+
6 inch lemon cake
+
1/2 cup lemon curd
+
Lots and lots of white chocolate, cream cheese, and lemon curd frosting

AND

Sunflowers!

(Hint: Don't put them in the freezer if you want them to last more than a few minutes!)

Experiences, experiences...

Also, don't try to frost a cake in 90˚F and humid weather.

Best Breakfast "Shake"

1 ripe banana
1-2 tbsp cocoa powder (or even 3, if you want a super dark chocolaty shake)
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp vanilla
1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup milk (or milk substitute)
optional: 1 tbsp peanut butter, coconut butter, or other nut butter

Toss all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth. Serves one.

Boerenkool Stamppot (Kale and Potatoes)

2 lbs. yellow potatoes
1/2 yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sour cream
1 lb. fresh kale
salt and pepper to taste

Dice potatoes and onion and toss into a pot. Cover with water, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Mince garlic, and add to pot. Cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, finely chop kale, and place in a separate pot, with about a 1/4 cup of water. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until wilted.
Drain water from potatoes. Mash with potato masher, until relatively smooth. Add butter and sour cream, and stir until melted. Toss potatoes with kale. Season with salt and pepper.