“X-HOT Chile Peppers & COLD Ice Cream”
September 13th, 2011 § 25 Comments
Fresh Roasted New Mexican Hatch Chile Peppers
Late August….early September…our ritual chile pepper roasting day came again this year just like clock-work. Wouter returned home to Nashville with a very large burlap bag of fresh red and green New Mexican chile peppers straight from the fields around Hatch.
This was a hard year for chile growing in New Mexico, not enough rain for too long left much of this world-famous crop of peppers more scarce than usual. Therefore,I am even more delighted to have a little part of this years New Mexican chile pepper harvest.
In his haste to get packed up for his drive back to Nashville, Wouter bought 2 bags of peppers, tossed them in the back of the car…heading East….thinking one was mild & one hot. Not so…one HOT and one X-HOT for roasting day..even better!
Roasting these peppers with their fleshy skins and thick meat is quite easy. Just a few steps takes the chile fresh from the bag to being fresh frozen in the freezer. New Mexican chiles have a very unique flavor that is both bold and earthy. We add them throughout the year to soups, egg dishes, salsa, pastas, steaks…..not to mention homemade ice cream….we’ll get back to that later. First the roasting……
Gather together the following: a few really cold beers; your chiles, prepare a charcoal grill with very hot coals (you can use a gas grill of course, but the charcoal just adds to the flavor); tongs, a couple of metal trays, a few large zip-lock type bags to “sweat” the peppers & some small pint size freezer zip-lock type bags to store peppers.
Directions:
1. Sort through peppers tossing out any that are rotten. Pile good firm peppers in a pan & place close to the grill.
2. Start roasting. Wouter manned the grill….the cold beers helped!
3. When peppers are black on the outside and roasted, this happens pretty quickly, place on a metal pan to cool for a few seconds. I cannot adequately describe the smell wafting up and out of our backyard…the rich earthy chile roasting smell of these particular chiles…unless you have either been in and around Santa Fe during chile roasting time or have roasted your own…it is the smell of hard work, harvest time, and things that matter.
4. I put the still hot roasted peppers into large plastic bags & close tightly. You can add lots of peppers to each bag. Sweat peppers until they cool. This usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
5. When they are cool enough to handle remove peppers, one by one, from the bag & peel. You might want to wear protective gloves for this part. I usually don’t but I make sure I clean my hands & fingernails with a nail brush after peeling. I do the peeling while Wouter roasts. A cold beer helps with this process also.
6. Peeling the peppers can be a bit tedious, but I enjoy the process. Don’t fret about getting every little piece of blackened skin off every pepper. A bit of the skin just adds to their flavor. Seeds? I pretty much discard what comes out easy & rest stay.
7. I add about 2 to 4 peppers to each small freezer bag & seal tightly, press out most of the air & freeze. (A couple of these babies will be enough for most recipes.)
Peppers ready for the freezer…..and ice cream?
I have been interested in using the fresh New Mexican chiles as an addition to a homemade ice cream concoction for a couple of year. This year I came up with just the right recipe and ingredients. Each one compliments the other very well.
“Chocolate Chile Pepper Mocha Ice Cream”
Ingredients:
1 pint heavy cream; 1 pint whole milk; 1 tsp instant espresso powder; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup sugar; a dash of salt; 3 tbsp dark cocoa; 1/4 cup chopped frozen or fresh chile peppers (For this recipe I used an electric ice cream freezer.)
Directions:
1. Freeze bowl of electric ice cream freezer based on directions with your particular brand.
2. Put sugar, salt, cocoa & chile peppers in the bowl of a food processor & pulse until well mixed & no chile chunks remain.
3. Heat cream & whole milk over medium heat. Do not boil. Add sugar-cocoa-chile mixture to pan & sir until sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla. Remove from heat. Bring to room temp & then chill in refrigerator.
4. Pour chilled mixture into the freezer bowl and freeze according to directions…about 20-30 minutes is what it took for mine to bring the mixture to the right texture.
My “Chocolate Chile Pepper Mocha Ice Cream” had the right amount of “hot & cold, sweet & chocolate”.
The end.
“A Late August Four-Letter “F” Word To Savor!”
August 27th, 2011 § 32 Comments
My favorite four letter “f” word in late August is “Figs”. Finally we have some figs to play with. I have been watching the trees in the neighborhood, snooping around the farmer’s markets, just waiting, thinking on simple recipes using tree ripened figs.
“Brown Turkey Figs”
Sitting with a group of food friends the other day we started talking about foods we really were not aware of when we were younger, foods that we now know and love. For most of us Southerners it seems fresh figs just didn’t make it onto our radars until adulthood. I am not sure why. Fig trees thrive around here so it seems that figs would have been a summer staple just like peaches & late summer pears. I think I will do a bit of research to figure out why I never ate fresh figs as a child. As an adult I relish the arrival of this little, lush four-letter word.
“Fresh Figs-Pine Nuts Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake”
The corn meal gives it a bit of a crunch as do the pine nuts. The caramelized fig topping drizzled with maple syrup is luscious.
Ingredients: 5 to 6 fresh figs, 2 to 3 cups self-rising white or yellow cornmeal (I used gluten-free); 1 tsp ground cardamom; 1 stick good butter (Kerry gold of course!); 1 cup brown sugar; (divided into two 1/2 cups; 1/4 cups toasted pine nuts; 2 eggs; milk; real maple syrup
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a cast iron skillet, preferably, over medium high heat. Add in 1/2 cup brown sugar stirring until melted.
2. Wash & dry figs. Cut each one in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down in skillet in a circular pattern. Sprinkle toasted pine nuts over figs. Turn heat to low allowing the figs to caramelize somewhat for about 5-8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients..cornmeal, second 1/2 cup brown sugar & cardamom. Add eggs & enough milk to make a batter.
4. Pour/scrape batter into the hot skillet with the figs on top of the stove. Transfer skillet to the pre-heated oven. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until cake is golden brown and set in the middle. Remove skillet from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes.
5. Place a plate over the top of the skillet and “flip” plate & skillet upside-down. Scrape any caramel left in the pan over the top of the cake. While cake is still hot drizzle generously with real maple syrup. Cool cake for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve slices with additional maple syrup on side if desired.
Bonus Recipe: “Figgy Pancakes”
Ingredients: Same as for the cake recipe with a few extra figs quartered.
It was morning when I was baking the cake and had a bit of batter left over after filling the skillet. While the cake was baking I whipped up some pancakes for breakfast!
Directions: 1. Heat some butter in a small non-stick pan or griddle over high heat. Add a few quartered figs.
2. Pour in batter. When batter is set on bottom and bubbly on top flip pancake and finish cooking til golden brown.
3. Serve immediately with real maple syrup. This was one good pancake recipe!
EXTRA, EXTRA BONUS RECIPE…SEE BELOW…THE EASIEST MOST DELICIOUS WAY TO EAT FRESH FIGS…….DON’T MISS THIS ONE!
“Sea Salt & Raw Sugar Dipped Figs”
Take some wonderful fresh figs. Cut them into quarters. Sprinkle some great sea salt & raw sugar on a saucer. Dip cut edges of figs in salt-sugar mixture and eat.
A sublime treat.
Doesn’t the word “fig” conjure up an image of Adam romping around in the Garden of Eden wearing a fig leaf?
I wondered what figs would be like after they were frozen?
FYI. Mushy, but aren’t they pretty frozen?
Some “f” word music I like. A little bit different, fun and peppy to help you get figgy.
Album, “The Figs”, The Figs, 2007 Valcour Records
Album, “What Keeps Me Up At Night”, The Figs 2008
Songs, “Jumbo” & “The Long Goodbye”, Marseille Figs, 2009 Figs of London
Eat good stuff.
“Bacon-Tomato-Polenta Breakfast Stack”
August 15th, 2011 § 26 Comments
“Breakfast Stack”
Sunday morning, 6 am….hungry….a fresh & varied selection of homegrown heirloom tomatoes sitting on my kitchen counter…some thick sliced bacon in the fridge..a BLT? No bread. Hmmmmm.
I do find, along with the bacon, some fresh mozzarella, some leeks & fresh dill…still…no bread. Polenta? Yes, I have polenta and can make some quick polenta skillet cakes…eggs? Yes, I have eggs from the West Nashville Farmer’s Market.
To Make the Polenta Skillet Cakes you will need:
1 cup polenta, 1.5 cups water, shredded Gruyère cheese (or whatever cheese you have), a hunk of cream cheese would be nice, 1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks, some fresh dill, butter, salt & pepper to taste.
1. Add the water to a pan & bring to a boil. While whisking, pour in the polenta. Turn heat to medium & continue to whisk & cook until polenta mixture begins to thicken which will take a few minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients whisking to blend. Remove from heat.
3. Let polenta mixture sit for about 15 minutes to cool somewhat while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
4. To make skillet cakes heat a non-stick or well-seasoned iron skillet over medium-hi heat. Add a dollop of butter. (We are not counting calories on a Sunday morning!)
5. Spoon large dollops of the polenta mixture into hot skillet cooking until a bit crusty and brown on both sides. Note: these skillet cakes will be soft, messy but that is okay. Just work the hot polenta dollops into “cakes” using your spatula. When crispy on the outside remove to a sheet pan and place in warm oven until all skillet cakes are done.
“Crispy Polenta Skillet Cakes”
6. Cook some bacon until crispy. (Our dog, Ella, was at this point doing a kitchen dance hoping to get a scrap!)
7. Choose some ready-to-eat homegrown tomatoes to slice.
“Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Wild Cherry, Mortgage Lifter & Yellow Pear Tomatoes”
8. To Serve: Place one of the Polenta Skillet Cakes on each plate. Top with a thin slice of Mozzarella. Add a slice of tomato & then one slice of crispy bacon cut into two pieces. Repeat layers ending with some tomato slices, a dusting of sea salt & cracked black pepper. Eat with a knife & fork. It’s okay to let the stack slide over to eat!
Alternative: Fry up an egg. Slice an avocado. Add these to the top of stack along with a few tomatoes.
”Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes… what’d life be without homegrown tomatoes…. Only two things that money can’t buy…That’s love & homegrown tomatoes” Lyrics by Guy Clark, Song: Homegrown Tomatoes
Once Upon a Time in the West….”New Mexican Chile Pesto”
August 3rd, 2011 § 21 Comments
I love a great American road trip…one of the best is to drive to Santa Fe via Route 66 and I-40….East to West to East. Just got back from a week or so on the road where many sites were seen, much food eaten, an abundance of conversation, laughter & awe ensued. Some of stops along the roadways were delicious stops, some iconic, a historical stop or two & some truly poignant imagery was seen.
“Once Upon a Time in the West……”
To Make:
2. Add in Parmesan & squeeze in fresh lime juice. Pulse a few times. I like a more chunky pesto so I don’t over process. You can process to your liking.
3. Add about 1/3 cup olive oil and pulse a few times.
Adios…Tennessee Trinity – “Homegrown Tomatoes, Fresh Picked Peas and Sweet Corn”
July 18th, 2011 § 22 Comments
Let’s start with “The Trinity”
Vine Ripened Sweet Baby Tomatoes
Lady Peas
Sweet Corn
These three summer-fresh vegetables have been part of my own food-lore for as long as I can remember. So many summer meals in my life have been made up of this “trinity” that grows so abundantly here in Tennessee.
As a child in West Tennessee, I and my playmates would pick ripe tomatoes fresh from the vine in the mid-day sun and bite into them, the warm juice running down our chins, dripping onto our clothes. It was a bit naughty and messy which we loved and as an adult I still love slices of warm, unrefrigerated tomatoes. The juice warm and sweet with a bit of salt is the most simple edible ode to the tomato I can think of.
I recall picking peas with my Grandmother on hot summer mornings…the sun not yet up, dew on the lawn as we went to the backyard garden, trying to get our picking done early. Sitting later in the day on the back porch with a bowl to catch the peas and a paper sack to toss the shells into beside me on the swing. I loved shelling peas then and I still do…this simple task that yields so much pleasure.
One of my favorite times of the summer was when the “corn came in” and all the women in our rural neighborhood would gather together at one person’s house to “put up” corn. Eunice & Dave, our next door neighbors, would pull a large flat wagon bed up under large oak trees in their back yard. The trees so big and old no hot sun could penetrate the foliage. The neighbor women would gather under these trees, around this wagon bed used as a canning work table before sunrise one day each summer and spend most of the day shucking and cutting corn, taking it inside the house to can …I do not think I was much help but I loved being there with the adults, listening as they talked and gossiped about everything under the sun while saving one of the best parts of the summer in glass jars. In my mind I still hear the all-day, softly constant sound of Shuck, Cut, Scrape, Shuck, Cut, Scrape…..
These days I do grow my own tomatoes, but my peas and corn come from local farmer’s markets. Here are two very easy recipes I made up last week using my ”Tennessee Trinity”.
Recipe #1 – A Very Simple Bread, Tomato & Lady Pea Dinner”
Ingredients: A generous handful of homegrown cherry tomatoes; 2 cups fresh Lady Peas (black-eyed Peas, Crowder Peas, etc); Butter, Salt & Black Pepper; thick crusty bread slices cut into large croutons; olive oil; 1 cucumber & fresh Basil leaves
1. Wash, drain & cut tomatoes in half. place in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Cook Lady Peas in water just to cover, add a small chunk of butter, salt & pepper. Cook on med-lo heat for about 15 minutes, or until most of water is absorbed &peas are a bit soft but not mushy.
3. In a skillet over medium-hi heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add pieces of bread to skillet, toss well. Cook until browned & crispy. Remove from skillet. Set aside.
4. Peel & chop cucumber.Tear Basil leaves into pieces.
To Serve:
1. On each plate scatter a some of the tomato halves, cucumbers & basil pieces.
2. Place a spoonful of the cooked Lady Peas in the center of each plate. Scatter some of the crusty bread croutons over all. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, some sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.
Beautifully fresh complete dinner on a plate for a hot summer evening. Serve with a crisp, cold white wine.
Recipe #2 – “Warm Polenta with Fresh Sweet Corn & Roasted Sweet Baby Tomatoes”
Ingredients: Sweet Corn cut from the cob; a few fresh from the garden baby tomatoes still on the vine; olive oil, sea salt & pepper; coarse ground yellow cornmeal; water; fresh basil leaves & Parmesan cheese
1. Wash & drain tomatoes. Pre-heat oven broiler. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Place tomatoes on baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil & sea salt.
3. Place tomatoes under broiler and broil until skin is browned & tomatoes are slightly cooked. Remove from oven. Set aside.
4. Bring water to boil in saucepan. Slowly add in cornmeal while stirring. Cook over medium heat until polenta thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in fresh corn. Add in a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Stir in some fresh basil leaves. Remove from heat.
To Serve:
1. Serve warm sweet corn polenta topped with roasted tomatoes. Season with sea salt & fresh ground pepper.
A perfect melding of summer tastes!
….and then there was none.
“July Fresh Peaches & Cream Corn Ice Cream with Blackberries”
July 10th, 2011 § 13 Comments
“July Peaches & Cream Corn Ice Cream with Fresh Picked Blackberries”
I first tasted corn ice cream in Quintana Roo, Mexico a few years ago. I have never forgotten the rich, sweet fresh corn flavored frozen dessert and have often tried to recreate it. I have used various recipes that I have found on-line and in cookbooks but I found them all too fussy & too lengthy (it shouldn’t be rocket science). This week while at the Farmer’s Market buying some fresh corn I had a “corn ice cream epiphany” and came up with this recipe that is as good as my first tasting. Try this recipe which is simple and uses Peaches & Cream corn and you will be just as seduced by the taste as I have been.
Fresh Peaches & Cream Corn
To Make Fresh Corn Ice Cream:
1. I used an electric ice cream freezer. Whatever freezer you use prepare it according to the instructions that came with your freezer.
2. Shuck & clean the silk from 4 ears of sweet corn such as Peaches & Cream or Silver Queen. Using a sharp knife, cut corn from ears into a bowl. Then scrape each with the knife to “milk” the corn. Save one ear & cut into smaller pieces and set aside.
“shuck, silk, cut, scrape, milk”
3. Place cut corn & cobs into a pan with 2 cups whole milk. Heat over medium heat until mixture comes to a low boil. Turn heat to low & simmer for about 8 minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat & take cobs out of mixture & throw away. Puree corn mixture in a food processor.
5. Pour pureed mixture through a mesh strainer sitting over a glass bowl. Use a rubber scraper to press liquid out.
6. Into bowl of corn-milk liquid add 3/4 cup turbinado or raw sugar & 2 tsps vanilla extract. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add in 1/2 cup cream & blend. Pour mixture into a measuring cup…you should have about 2 1/2 cups liquid. If you do not then add more cream to make this amount. Cover & chill for at least one hour before making ice cream. The raw sugar & vanilla will give the mixture a caramel color.
7. Freeze corn mixture in ice cream freeze according to directions until creamy-frozen.
8. Serve immediately with fresh picked blackberries scattered over ice cream or cover & place in refrigerator freezer until ready to eat.
Fresh picked Tennessee Blackberries from the West Nashville/Sylvan Park Farmer's Market
It is very hard to describe the subtle deliciousness of this ice cream. It is unique in the creamy sweet corn flavor with a hint of vanilla which is all rounded out by the raw sugar.
Bon Apetit!
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Film Strip Father’s Day – Slightly Sweet Blueberry Cornmeal Spoon Bread
June 19th, 2011 § 24 Comments
“The Film Strip”
One of my many early food memories is of my Dad eating a glass of icy thick cold, golden-flecked buttermilk with some of my Mother’s warm cornbread crumbled into it. I am pretty sure this combination is mostly a Southern thing.
My Dad was a rounder to say the least. On this eve of Father’s Day I think of him and can still see him sitting in our linoleum floored West Tennessee kitchen. Bare-bulb ceiling light casting harsh shadows, the back screen door keeping out the moths and letting in a summer breeze, sitting, alone in the summer night heat, the beginnings of a hangover about to take hold, quietly eating his buttermilk and cornbread, looking up, seeing me standing in the doorway…a cocked smile on his face, offering me a bite.
Most of my food memories have mental film strips attached to them. Some are laugh-out-loud funny, some are quietly poignant, others from my raucous youth and a few bitter-sweet. I keep them all and they have all helped me as an adult in so many ways. So, on this Father’s Day, while thinking of Dads in general and my own in particular, I came up with a new way to combine buttermilk and cornmeal with a dash of sweet.
“Slightly Sweet Blueberry Cornmeal Spoon Bread”
(For this recipe I used local, just picked blueberries from the Sylvan Park/West Nashville Farmer’s market and fresh buttermilk from J.D’s Dairy in Russellville, Ky from the Downtown Nashville Farmer’s Market.)
Ingredients:
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups fresh buttermilk
1/2 cup yellow self-rising cornmeal
2 Tbsp cream
2 tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup raw sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Directions:
First things first: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. In a saucepan bring the buttermilk & raw sugar to a low boil. When the buttermilk begins to bubble around the edges of the pan slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Stir with the whisk for about 8 minutes with heat on low. Mixture should be mushy. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
2. Beat egg whites with the salt until stiff. Set aside.
3. Whisk butter & vanilla into the slightly cooled cornmeal mixture.
4. Add egg yolks to mixture & whisk until well blended. Stir in cream with whisk.
5. Gently fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into a buttered baking dish & top with 1/2 of the blueberries. Spread the remainder of the cornmeal mixture over the blueberries. Top with a scattering of the remaining blueberries.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown, firm but wobbly in the center. This spoon bread will be somewhat like a souffle in puffiness. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Serve hot with a dusting of powdered sugar. This Blueberry Cornmeal Spoon Bread is really good at room temp or chilled as well.
Father’s Day June 19, 2011
Most Sunday mornings my friend Terry Martin and I work (or don’t work) the NYTimes Crossword Puzzle. It is our long-standing tradition and unless one of us is out-of-town we honor this custom without fail. Terry has been a bit dismayed that she has so far missed out on my “Blog Food”. This Father’s Day morning (both of our Father’s are long-dead) I made this ”Slightly Sweet Blueberry Cornmeal Spoon Bread” especially for her. We worked the puzzle, we ate the warm, powdered sugar dusted Spoon Bread, we worked the puzzle, we ate some more…….
finito!
"Darling" cup from the flea market. I think it might have been a child's drinking cup, but found it holds exactly 1/2 cup so it has become my favorite 1/2 measure cup.
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“Weekend Kitchen Math – When 4 = 2″
June 12th, 2011 § 15 Comments
When does 4 equal 2? When 4 first-crop small ripe tomatoes from my garden became 2 simple, fresh meals in just minutes. Each meal uses 2 small ripe tomatoes.
Weekend meals should be easy to prepare, should incorporate fresh from-your-garden, or the farmer’s market, vegetables & fruits, should definitely be enjoyed with a crisp chilled glass of wine and each bite should make you very, very happy.
The thrill is never gone when I find ripe tomatoes in my garden after weeks of waiting, watering and wondering. Saturday morning I found these little jewels hanging ripe on the vine waiting for their close-up.
SATURDAY EVENING SALAD:
2 small ripe garden-fresh tomatoes, sliced
slices of feta cheese
slivers of red, yellow or orange bell pepper
Arugula
A simple vinaigrette
Directions:
1. Arrange tomato slices in a ring around the outside edge of a dinner plate.
2. Add a handful of arugula in the center of the plate.
3. Create “spokes” with the bell pepper strips.
4. Evenly arrange feta slices over tomatoes.
5. Serve with a drizzle of your favorite home-made vinaigrette. Season with sea salt & cracked black pepper.
SUNDAY EVENING PASTA:
1 pkg fresh gnocchi (I used a sweet potato gnocchi) or any other fresh pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano
Shredded Spinach leaves
2 small ripe garden tomatoes chopped
Directions:
1. Cook fresh Gnocchi/pasta in boiling salted water for about 2-4 minutes. Drain quickly & return pasta to pan. A few tablespoons of cooking water should be left in the pan.
2. Add a generous 1/2 cup grated Parmesan & toss with pasta & pasta water.
3. Add portions of Gnocchi to serving bowls, sprinkle shredded spinach leaves over the top.
4. Scatter chopped tomatoes & additional grated Parmesan. Season with sea salt & black pepper.
Bon Apetit!
Ice Cream Dreams
June 6th, 2011 § 18 Comments
Last Friday it was 98 degrees in the shade and the job was to shoot some real ice cream dessert shots.
My part of the shoot was to dream up some ideas as long as they were ice cream-like. I wanted the flavor profiles to be a little outside the box while using familiar ingredients with a bit of a twist. I wanted interesting textures and a refreshing look.
My Ice Cream Dream #1 “Peach & Raspberry Buttermilk Ice Cream served with Ines Rosales Crackers Drizzled with Chocolate Sauce”
Ice Cream Ingredients:
3 cups good quality buttermilk
1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
1 generous TBSP Balsamic Vinegar (I used a Mango flavored Balsamic Vinegar. But any of the fruit flavored ones on the market would be equally delicious or just plain Balsamic.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh, ripe peaches, peeled & cut into small chunks
1 cup fresh raspberries
Directions:
1. Prep ice cream freezer as per instructions for your particular freezer. I use a Cuisinart electric freezer that works so beautifully every time.
2. Pour cold buttermilk into a bowl & sprinkle sugar over the surface. Let it sit until sugar has melted about 5-7 minutes. Stir mixture together. Add balsamic vinegar & vanilla extract & blend well. Taste for sweetness. If desired you can add a bit more sugar to suit your taste.
3. Pour chilled mixture into the freezer bowl and freeze mixture until it is soft-frozen according to freezer instructions. At this point add in the chopped peaches and whole raspberries. When mixture is frozen, cover and place in refrigerator freezer until ready to serve.
Other ingredients to complete dessert:
A package of Ines Rosales crackers (Whole Foods). (If you cannot find these then use Matzoh crackers that you have brushed with honey & sprinkled with sugar.)
A good quality dark chocolate syrup
Additional raspberries for garnish
To Assemble Dessert:
Place one Ines Rosales on each serving plate. Top with a generous scoop of Peach & Raspberry Buttermilk Ice Cream. Top with another Ines Rosales. Drizzle chocolate syrup over top and garnish with a scatter of raspberries. The crispy, salty, sweetness of these crackers were perfect with the very slightly balsamic flavored Peach Ice Cream and the hint of dark chocolate.
My Ice Cream Dream #2 “Benton Bacon Sugar Cookie Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich”
I found the Benton Bacon Sugar Cookies last week at the wonderful little grocery in The Gulch “The Turnip Truck”. I was intrigued enough to bring a package home to couple with dark chocolate ice cream to create an unusually fantastic ice cream sandwich.
Note: if you cannot find these same cookies you can easily make your own by adding some cooked, chopped Benton Bacon pieces to your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe.
Once again this coupling of salt, crunch and creamy cold was a very fine treat.
To Do: Sandwich a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream between two cookies. Place in freezer wrapped in waxed paper until ready to eat.
My Ice Cream Dream #3 “Frozen Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sundae”
I recently ran across this easy one ingredient ice cream idea so it is in no way my original idea. I found it at instructables.com. Of course I gilded the lily somewhat.
Ingredient list:
4-6 ripe, with lots of brown spots, bananas, peeled, cut into chunks and frozen
large bakery or homemade chocolate chip cookies
peanut butter
chocolate sprinkles
Sea Salt
Directions for ice cream:
1. Place frozen bananas into a food processor and process until bananas become the consistency of ice cream. You might have to scrape down sides of processor during this part. Mixture should be “scoop-able”. That’s it.
2. Melt peanut butter in microwave until it is can be poured.
To Serve:
Place a cookie on plate, top with a scoop of the banana ice cream, add a drizzle of the peanut butter, add chocolate sprinkles and sea salt flakes over the top and serve.
Be Sweet, Stay Cool.
“Cicada Colada Cooler”
May 27th, 2011 § 13 Comments
In my life I have eaten some pretty crazy things. I have eaten lobster roe freshly caught in the Caribbean. I have chomped on chicken feet in Kuala Lampur. I have eaten fried grasshoppers in Oxaca, eel in Amsterdam, calf’s brains with eggs in West Tennessee, and I could go on and on. But one thing I am not planning on eating this Spring is one of the ever-present Cicadas who dive-bomb us here in Middle Tennessee from dawn til dusk. I was pondering this as I was walking today. I am sure they, like many bugs, or should I say insects, are full of protein, they would be crunchy and if I had to guess they probably taste a bit like “spicy crunchy dirt”. This, alas, is something I will never know.
On a hot day with Cicadas in our hair, crunching underfoot, posing as brooches or tie-pins on our clothes, there is really only one escape. Run inside, get out the blender & whip up a cold colada cocktail with a brittle cicada-like garnish. It will soothe your nerves as you sip and crunch! Sweet Revenge.
“Cicada Colada Cooler”
The “Cicada” Brittle for Garnish part:
Ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup each pepitas & roughly chopped pecans, 1/4 cup roughly ground coffee beans, 1 tbsp large grain sea salt & 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
Directions:
1. Measure out all ingredients. Line a 15 x 12 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. It is important to use a sea salt with really big flakes so they will not melt into your brittle mixture.
2. In a heavy saucepan bring the sugar & corn syrup to a boil. Use a pastry brush dipped in warm water to brush sides of pan down where sugar crystals form.
3. Cook until sugar melts, swirling the saucepan until the syrup mixture starts to turn light golden brown. Quickly stir in the nuts, coffee beans, sea salt & red pepper flakes. The mixture might get a bit clumpy when you first add ingredients but it will smooth out as it comes to a boil again. Swirl skillet & cook until the syrup part becomes a medium caramel. (Doesn’t this mixture look just like a bunch of cicadas in a pan?)
4. Quickly pour hot brittle mixture onto parchment lined pan. Tilt pan to spread thinly. Let cool completely. If in a hurry then pop the pan into the refrigerator.
5. When your Cicada Brittle is cool break up into smaller garnish size pieces & set aside.
The Colada Cooler Cocktail part:
Ingredients for 2-4 cocktails depending on the size glass you choose: 1/4 cup dark rum, 1/2 cup coffee liqueur, 1/2 cup cold fresh-brewed coffee, 2 tbsp milk or cream, 2 tbsp raw sugar & ice cubes
Directions:
1.Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until the mixture becomes very thick. Adjust taste to your liking. Add more ice if necessary to make a frozen drink.
2. Pour frozen Colada mixture into a glass, garnish with a piece of Cicada Brittle, add a straw and sit back to listen to the “Cicada Soundtrack” outside your window.
Note: This could be turned into a “kid friendly” cooler by using chocolate milk & chocolate syrup.
“The 13 Year Cicada” other wise known as “The Great Southern Brood”
Brood XIX (also known as Brood 19 and The Great Southern Brood) is one of 15 separate broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the southeastern United States. Every 13 years, Brood XIX tunnels en masse to the surface of the ground, lays eggs, and then dies off in several weeks.
As of May 2011,[1] cicadas are now emerging throughout an area roughly enclosed by Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee and Maryland. The next three appearances will be in 2024, 2037 and 2050.
“When life gives you cicadas, make coladas.”
