Black Raspberry Ice Cream
May 28, 2010 at 2:18 pm | Posted in ice creams & frozen, sweet things | 15 Comments
I’m going to the Yankees game tonight…I already have my Teixeira shirt on and everything. At about 8:00, I’ll probably be having a chocolate Carvel soft-serve out of a little plastic helmet (along with a beer chaser–classy!). That’ll be pretty great, but I know it won’t be as tasty as the Black Raspberry Ice Cream I made last week.
If this summer is anything like last summer, I’ll be able to get fresh black raspberries at the Greenmarket in a month or two. But they’ll also cost like five bucks a half-pint, and make this one super-expensive batch of ice cream. I noticed frozen black raspberries at Trader Joe’s late last year…one thing I’ve learned about TJ’s since they arrived in NYC is that if I see something that looks interesting, I should just chuck it in my basket, because the next time I go, I’ll be told that it’s been discontinued (or that it’s “seasonal,” which I’m pretty sure is a euphemism for discontinued). I snapped up a bag right away, and unfortunately I haven’t seen them in my local store since.
If you can’t find black raspberries, just use red…heck, the recipe below was originally for red raspberry ice cream anyway. Your ice cream will be less purple and more pink, but it will be every bit as good. If something can taste like summer, this is it. And just like summer, you might even cry a little when it’s gone (not that I’m admitting to having done this).
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend!
P.S.: I cannot even tell you how awesome the ice cream was with this cake…..*sigh*
Black Raspberry Ice Cream– makes a generous quart
modified from David Lebovitz’s recipe for Raspberry Ice Cream in The Perfect Scoop
Steph’s Note: Make the purée by whizzing the black raspberries in a blender or food processor and pressing through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Lebovitz says you should begin with 6 cups (or 750 g) of berries to get the required amount of purée, but I got all I needed from one 340 gram bag of frozen black raspberries, coupled with about 3/4 cup of frozen red raspberries (because one bag of the black was all I had).
1½ cups (375ml) half-and-half
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1½ cups (375ml) heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1½ cups (375ml) strained black raspberry purée (from fresh or thawed frozen berries)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
about 1/8 t xanthan gum (optional; helps keep ice cream scoopable)
-Warm the half-and-half, pinch of salt and about half of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.
-In a separate medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg yolks with the other half of the sugar. Slowly pour the warm liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
-Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Vigorously whisk in the xanthan gum, if using, and quickly pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Mix in the raspberry purée and lemon juice, then stir until cool over an ice bath.
-Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, but to preserve the fresh berry taste, churn the ice cream within four hours of making the mixture.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Banana-Coconut Ice Cream Pie
May 25, 2010 at 1:10 am | Posted in groups, ice creams & frozen, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 21 Comments
I know I’ve told you before that I’ve been turning my nose up at raw bananas since I was a kid. But I try to keep an open mind, and I want to bake along with everyone, so I always give banana recipes a go anyway. Well, guess what. I think I’m starting to accept them…maybe even like them a little. I didn’t at all poo-poo Spike’s choice of Banana-Coconut Ice Cream Pie for TWD this week. In fact, I enjoyed it! What’s happening to me?? 🙂
An ice cream pie is what it sounds like– a crust (cookie-coconut in this case) topped with ice cream. I made mine in a springform rather than a pie plate, but that’s a nitpicky detail. Dorie uses chocolate ice cream as the base in her recipe…I assembled this pie at the same time I made that burnt sugar ice cream, so I used it instead. I didn’t want to miss out entirely on the chocolate, though, and made a cocoa fudge sauce to go on top.
Raw bananas make three different appearances here. There’s a layer of them between the crust and the ice cream, there’s a rum-banana smoosh stirred into the ice cream, and there are a few decorative slices for the top. Further proof that I am beginning to appreciate bananas: I thought the burnt sugar ice cream with rum and bananas stirred in was just killer!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Spike Bakes. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Raw Asparagus, Pecorino and Red Onion Salad
May 22, 2010 at 11:24 am | Posted in savory things, veggies | 9 Comments
What is that?? Does seeing a salad here blow your mind just a little? Would you be surprised if I told you that I love veggies even more than sweets? My head is positively spinning seeing all things green popping up at the farmers’ market. I am snapping up asparagus while I can, and this raw salad is my favorite new thing to do with it. I know that raw asparagus sounds a little strange, but I have been eating up huge bowlfuls of this stuff all month long.
Take those skinny-minny stalks of raw asparagus, add red onion, sharp pecorino and a quick dressing and you get something super fresh, crisp, and snappy. Not to mention so easy…my only real advice is to use a big cutting board for prep, because otherwise those little coins of asparagus will want to go mobile all over your counter.
Raw Asparagus, Pecorino and Red Onion Salad– makes 6 to 8 servings
from a recipe by Anne Burrell
1 bunch pencil (the skinny stuff) asparagus, tough bottom stems removed
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 cup coarsely grated aged pecorino
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
-Cut the asparagus, including the tips into very thin slices, crosswise and place in a medium bowl. Add the red onion and pecorino and toss to combine.
-Dress with the vinegar, olive oil and salt and toss again. This salad should be fairly heavily dressed. The vinegar will sort of “cook” or tenderize the asparagus. It is best to do this about an hour or so in advance to let the flavors marry.
The Cake Slice: Lemon-Poppy Seed Cake with Almond-Cream Cheese Frosting
May 20, 2010 at 5:12 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 13 Comments
I almost forgot to bake this cake. That’s not quite true…I didn’t forget about the cake, I just didn’t realize the 20th is already here! For the month of May, we Cake Slice Bakers have mixed it up a bit and are throwing back to last year’s book, with a recipe for Lemon-Poppy Seed Cake with Almond-Cream Cheese Frosting from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes.
It’s pretty, isn’t it? Something about this cake seems so sweetly charming and old-fashioned…like something my grandmas might bake (except for my grandmas have never been much into baking). Underneath the almond-cream cheese frosting is a light white cake, flecked with lemon zest and poppy seeds. I added a few drops of lemon oil to the batter, just to enhance the lemon flavor.
The lemon oil was my only tweak to the recipe (also not quite true…I cut back on the almond extract in the frosting just a tad), although I did a wackadoo two-fifths of the original amount of batter and frosting (I only wanted to use two egg whites). I baked the cake in a quarter sheet pan, then cut it into three strips for frosting and stacking. I like the change from the usual round layer cakes, although I do find squares and rectangles to be a bit trickier to frost.
Poppy seeds are so freakin’ cute! Their amazing ability to get absolutely everywhere, though, really isn’t.
Here’s a printable link to the recipe…it’s really a keeper. Better yet, get your hands on a copy of Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne. Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our mile-high cakes this month.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Apple-Apple Bread Pudding
May 18, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 23 Comments
Elizabeth of Cake or Death? chose Apple-Apple Bread Pudding for TWD this week, but I actually baked this baby back in October. I’m not really sure anymore why I made it then…probably some combination of warm apple desserts sounding good to me at the time and having a couple of orphaned yolks to use up. Whatever…what’s important is that I remember how good it was. Caramelized apples and custard-soaked bread (or…umm…croissant). So squidgy and good. A little caramel sauce might have been gilding the lily, but I recommend it anyway.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Cake or Death?. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Vanilla-Caramel Roasted Pineapple
May 15, 2010 at 4:07 pm | Posted in other sweet, sweet things | 12 Comments
Meet my latest addiction– Vanilla-Caramel Roasted Pineapple. Pineapple is delicious and sweet as-is, but cook it in rum and vanilla-infused caramel, and you may not be able to eat it any other way again. The first time I made it, I did just half a recipe, with half a pineapple. How silly! It was gone in a flash, and I had to make it again!
If you can manage to control the urge to eat every last piece with your fingers and then drink the syrup, you might like to know that it makes for a great tart, and it transforms Greek yogurt into something even tastier than my childhood favorite Breyers flavor. It’s a shame I don’t have some vanilla ice cream in the freezer right now, because I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to make an incredible, syrupy pineapple sundae. Don’t even get me started about pineapple pancakes…
The original recipe comes from Pierre Hermé…I’ve made some minor modifications to it below, basically just to make it a bit quicker/easier to cook and a bit more economical. If you don’t have banana or ginger, you could modify it further and leave them out, with no ill-effects, I’m sure. I do recommend roasting the pineapple in quarters, then cutting them into chunks later, as I imagine the smaller pieces could get mushy otherwise.
Vanilla-Caramel Roasted Pineapple
modified from a recipe by Pierre Hermé
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cored
120 gr granulated sugar
30 gr (about 1/2) mashed banana
1 vanilla pod, scraped
20 ml (4 t) rum
4 thin slices of fresh ginger
60 mL (1/4 c) cold water
-In a small heavy-bottomed pot, make a dry caramel (no water) by heating the sugar over medium heat. Wait until the caramel is deep amber. If part of the sugar is caramelized while the rest has not melted yet, turn your pot to move the hot spots under the unmelted sugar.
-Meanwhile, split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds. Add the seeds and pod to the caramel along with the ginger slices. Leave 10 seconds, then pour the cold water into the caramel to stop the cooking process (don’t worry if it seizes). Bring it to a boil and cook gently until the caramel is liquid. Remove from the heat and add the rum and mashed banana.
-Leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight to infuse. The syrup will be quite intensely flavored, but will mellow when it cooks and mingles with the pineapple juices.
-Fish out the vanilla pod (save it) and pass the syrup through a fine sieve.
-Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and lay your pineapple quarters in the smallest oven proof dish that will just hold it. Pour the vanilla-caramel sauce over the pineapple, toss in the saved pod, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, turning and basting the pineapple every ten minutes. It is important to check that the caramel remains liquid or else it will burn. If too thick, just add a splash of water.
-When cool, cut the quarters into slices or chunks. Store them in the fridge in an airtight container, submerged in the syrup.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Quick Classic Fruit Tart
May 11, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 36 Comments
My “extended spring break” from work is absolutely lovely, but, to tell the truth, my life is losing a bit of structure. All those things that I had planned to do (spring clean the apartment, organize my digital photos into folders that make some sense, finally get a recipe archive on this blog…just to name a few) are just not getting done. I’ll tell you what is getting done, though…catching up on the DVR list (is anyone else addicted to Sarah’s House??), walking around Tribeca (with a stop for something caffeinated at either Kaffe 1668 or RBC Coffee) and taking afternoon catnaps (yes, even after the coffee). Well, I am enjoying it, because I know it won’t last forever, and I do thank the weekly TWD deadline for keeping my baking in check.
What’s up this week? Cristine of Cooking with Cristine chose a Quick Classic Berry (or Fruit) Tart. This is certainly a classic…I think it was the first tart we learned how to put together in cooking school. I’ve made a couple of these custard–type tarts at home in the recent past. The combination of the crisp cookie-ish crust and the cool pastry cream is killer. Really, I hardly need anything more than that, but a little fruit makes it even better. I fiddled with the traditional glazed berry topping a little bit (since berries are still a tad expensive here) and topped it with some vanilla-caramel roasted pineapple. I am going to tell you how I made this pineapple stuff, because it is easy, it is fab and it could dress up a zillion different things…maybe after my afternoon nap!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Cooking with Cristine. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream
May 4, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in groups, ice creams & frozen, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 37 Comments
I suppose because I work in the pastry biz, I’m often put on the spot about my favorite desserts. If I’m asked to name my favorite to eat, that’s such a tough question…often the answer that comes to mind is just the last thing I’ve tried! But if I have to name my favorite to make, that’s easy…ice cream! I love the way one simple base recipe can be switched up a million different ways. I love tempering the eggs and watching as they magically thicken the custard (geeky, right?). And I especially love that first taste of soft-serve right out of the machine! Yeah, so, needless to say, Becky’s pick of Burnt Sugar Ice Cream for TWD made me pretty jazzed up.
What is “burnt sugar?” It’s caramel taken half a step further…deep dark and just smoking. Don’t be afraid to take it to this stage for the best flavor. But do be prepared to move fast with your milk and cream when you reach it, or instead of getting the complex sweetness with a bitter edge that you are after, you will wind up with something that is just plain burned (and a pot that’s hard to clean!). Stand back when you add the milk and cream to the hot caramel…it will bubble and spit (you can minimize that by heating the liquids first), but the fury dies down quickly.
If you’ve given up on making ice cream at home because it turns rock hard as it sits in the freezer, give this one a shot. Because of the caramel, it stays luxuriously soft, creamy and easy to scoop. And the taste– oh momma! It’s perfect in an affogato, prefect for leftover DdL cookie sandwiches and perfect on its own, with just a sprinkling of pink salt.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Project Domestication. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chockablock Cookies
April 27, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 23 Comments
Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet decided on Chockablock Cookies for TWD this week. Why “chockablock?” Because they are loaded with good stuff– dark chocolate, dried fruit (I used cherries) and nuts (cashews here). Oops, I almost forgot to mention the oats, coconut and molasses. Don’t worry, the molasses doesn’t make then seem like spice cookies…it gives them a lovely chew and a brown sugary sweetness.
Usually extra cookie dough winds up in my deep-freeze, and is pulled out when I have nothing else prepped for dessert. But not this time…these guys were gone in a blink. Yeah, they are that good.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Popsicles and Sandy Feet. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
The Cake Slice: Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting
April 20, 2010 at 7:30 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 22 Comments
This is the second time I’ve made a banana cake with The Cake Slice Bakers. The two are quite different, but my reaction is the same: bananas make for a darn good cake! The cake itself was so moist and flavorful. I can see it being great with a little cinnamon or espresso powder mixed in, or re-engineered as a snack cake. It’s one I’ll make again, for sure…
…The chocolate frosting, though was a different story. It turned super thick after I added the last addition of powdered sugar. So thick, that I couldn’t spread it. Rather than toss it in the bin, I put it over gentle heat until it just started to soften. Then it was use it or lose it time, so I immediately swiped it on the cake in one pass. I think I did a reasonably good job, all things considered, but can you see how the frosting looks a little dry and crackly? It tasted good, and had quite a fudgy consistency, actually, but I think I’ll go with a tried-and-true chocolate frosting next time and save myself the stress.
Here’s a printable link to the recipe. Or get your hands on a copy of Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott. Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our banana cakes this month!
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