Blackberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

2 cups cream
1 oz white chocolate
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup blackberries


Combine cream, white chocolate, sugar, and cream cheese in heavy bottomed pot. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until white chocolate melts. Transfer mixture to blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in blackberries and transfer to ice cream maker to process.

Duck Egg Ravioli

Fresh Egg Pasta:

2 3/4 cup wheat flour
4 eggs, room temperature

Place flour in processor. Add eggs. Using on/off turns, blend until clumps of moist dough form (do not process into ball). Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; shape into ball. Knead until smooth, sprinkling lightly with flour if sticking, about 3 minutes. Wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Filling:
You have two options. You can mix all ingredients except for the duck eggs, fill the ravioli, then crack an egg into each ravioli. This is the "traditional" way to do it. However, this also results in REALLY HUGE ravioli. But it's also way cooler, in presentation and texture. So if you don't want REALLY HUGE ravioli, simply mix the duck egg into the filling. It will not be as thick, but it will still have the full flavor, if not the same texture or drama. 

Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap. Set pasta machine to widest setting. Flatten 1 dough piece into rectangle; run through machine or roll out as thinly as possible with rolling pin. Cut into 2x2 inch squares. Fill each with 1 heaping teaspoon of filling mixture, top with second square, and tamp edges down with fork.

Coal Roasted Eggplant with Yogurt-Goat Cheese Sauce

General idea and procedure stolen from Bon Appetit Mag, Aug. 2013.

Eggplant:
Find some long tongs and solid hot pads.
Make fire.
Throw some whole eggplants in the coals.
Let them cook until the skins begin to flake off.
Remove, cool, and peel skins off. Lightly salt, and serve atop Yogurt-Goat Cheese sauce.

Yogurt-Goat Cheese Sauce:
Combine 1/2 cup greek yogurt and 4 oz. soft creamy goat cheese. Add salt to taste.
Alright, time for some unusual spices.
I'm not going to give amounts, because how much you use is really up to you, but start with 1/2 teaspoon of each if you are unsure. Toast carom seed (aka ajowain), asafoetida, and nigella seed (aka kalonji), until they become fragrant. Grind with mortar and pestle. Add to yogurt sauce. Add a bit of amchur powder. Taste. Adjust spices (or goat cheese/yogurt) as needed. Add a bit of milk if sauce is too thick (should be fairly thick). 

To serve, spread on platter, top with eggplant, and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with pita or roti.

Chilled Berry and Greek Yogurt Pie

Combine:
2 cups sugar cookie or Vanilla Wafer cookie crumbs, finely crushed or ground in food processor
1/2 cup butter, softened
When throughly mixed, press evenly into springform pan.
Bake in 350˚F oven for about 10 minutes. Let cool completely before proceeding.

Mix any combination of the following in medium saucepan over medium heat:
3 cups blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, or other sweet berries
Add:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
a few drops of almond extract
pinch of salt
Stir until sugar begins to dissolve.

Stir 2 packets of gelatin into 1/4 cup of water, and let sit for 30 seconds.
Add to berry mixture.
Cook briefly, stirring, until gelatin melts completely.
Stir in 2 cups greek yogurt (not fat free).

Pour berry mixture over prepared crust.
Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least two hours.

Serve topped with fresh berries and whipped cream or creme fraiche.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Best Way

Here is the "Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Cookies", which is a wonderful reference. For a basic recipe, and a few of my personal insights, follow the instructions below. 

Makes about 16 large cookies. Recipe can easily be doubled.

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp butter

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips/morsels

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg, beat until fluffy. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Add to butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for 24 hours.

Remove from fridge 15 minutes before shaping.

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

Use about ¼ cup dough for each cookie. Space several inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or maybe more, checking every couple minutes (yeah, it’s a pain, but every oven is different) until the cookies are relatively flat on top and not gooey in the center, but still slightly soft to the touch.