Ice Cream Sunday: Honey Lavender Ice Cream
26 Feb 2012 7 Comments
in Desserts, Ice Cream Tags: Desserts, Honey, Ice Cream, Lavender, lavender flowers, lavender ice cream
Have you ever seen the movie It’s Complicated with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin? While watching it a few weeks ago, the movie characters talked about the deliciousness of the honey lavender ice cream Streep’s character, a restaurant owner, had made. That got me thinking about the package of lavender I had purchased last summer while hubby and I visited North Shore Market in Columbus, Ohio. I hadn’t made anything with it yet, and after hearing the movie characters rave about the ice cream, I just had to try it.
Let me tell ya, this is one funky-flavored ice cream. I’m not sure if the lavender creates the funkiness or whether it’s the quality of the honey I used or both. I think a better-quality honey, less lavender, and less steep time with the lavender would make it much tastier (a.k.a. less intensely flowery tasting).
Although it has a funky quality, the taste has grown on me, so I’ve been eating it here and there. Mind you, this one doesn’t take the willpower to not scarf it all down in one sitting like the espresso or the butter pecan or the dark chocolate peanut butter or the espresso fudge ripple ice creams I’ve made. However, it is fun to experiment and break out of making my favorite flavors all the time.
Honey Lavender Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2/3 cup mild honey (reviewers say to use 1/3 cup wildflower honey)
- 2 tbsp. dried, edible lavender flowers (reviewers say to try 1 1/2 tbsp.)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/8 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS
- Prepare a large bowl with ice and water, and have ready another bowl that will fit into this one to cool the ice cream custard.
- Bring cream, half-and-half, honey, and lavender just to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from heat. Let steep, covered, for 30 minutes (reviewers say to steep for 15 minutes).
- Pour custard base through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the lavender.
- Return mixture to a clean saucepan; heat over moderate heat until hot.
- Whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl; add 1 cup of the hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.
- Pour back into remaining hot cream mixture in the saucepan; cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (if using a thermometer, it should register 170-175 degrees F). This should take about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil or you will have scrambled eggs in the mixture.
- Pour custard through a sieve into a clean bowl. Set this bowl into the water/ice bath to cool it completely; stir occasionally.
- Chill, covered, until cold–at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
- Freeze custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Transfer ice cream to an airtight container; store in freezer to harden.
- Consider serving with strawberries or raspberries to jazz it up a bit. Or serve with mild desserts, like almond cake or shortbread cookies.
SOURCE: adapted from Epicurious.com
Stuffed Bell Peppers
24 Feb 2012 5 Comments
in Main Dish, Meats, Vegetables Tags: Bell Peppers, Ground Beef, Main Dish, stuffed peppers, Tomato Sauce, Vegetables
I love my mom’s stuffed bell peppers. I always thought they took a ton of work, but they are really quite easy. Who knew? All these years I’ve avoided making them. Well, that and my mom sends me home with a pot full every so often, so I had no need to make my own.
Growing up–and even into our adulthood–my siblings and I would devour the innards of the stuffed peppers but pile the green skins onto my mom’s plate; green peppers just taste too bitter, and none of us can stomach it.
Lately, she has made the stuffed peppers with the yellow, orange, and red peppers, which I have actually learned to eat raw but still didn’t want to eat them all cooked and mushy. I find them very sweet and refreshing in raw form, though. My husband, while we were dating, tricked me one time into eating orange peppers. I thought they were carrots in the salad he had made. Boy was I surprised to find that I actually liked peppers!
So, my odyssey with making stuffed peppers was born out of a need to use up the excess peppers we had bought for a bargain price at the farmer’s market (4 for $1!!). A bit of internet sleuthing led me to a recipe that sounded similar to my mom’s, and now I am tickled pink to add these babies to my repertoire. They are especially tasty because the skins are blanched and retain some of their crunch after cooking. I think the difference with this recipe and my mom’s is that she drowns hers in sauce and that makes the skins ultra tender during the baking in the oven.
For my sauce, I used a homemade roasted garlic and red pepper tomato sauce (the recipe is on the blog Full Measure of Happiness). Scrumptious!! I bet store-bought sauce would work just fine, but this homemade sauce is to-die-for delicious and takes these stuffed peppers over the top.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
INGREDIENTS
- 6 peppers (any color–greens have a bitter bite while the red, orange, and yellows have a sweet flavor)
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce (I recommend adding more if you like to pour lots of sauce over the pepper when serving it)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef or chuck (I used venison)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice (quinoa works, too)
DIRECTIONS
- Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Dice edible parts of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Saute diced peppers (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend. Add uncooked ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well.
- Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish or a Dutch oven.
- Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes.
Ideas from reader reviews from the recipe’s source:
- add 3 tbsp. ketchup to add sweetness to meat mixture
- sauce: 8 oz. jar tomato sauce + 16 oz. sour cream
- add some corn for crunch
- try substituting some sausage for the ground beef
- double recipe and freeze leftovers; microwave/defrost for a quick meal
SOURCE: southernfood.about.com
Minestrone Soup
18 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Soups Tags: Minestrone Soup, Soups, soups and stews, Vegetable Soup, Vegetables
From my research, minestrone soup is basically the Italian whatever-is-in-season veggie soup with beans and sometimes pasta or rice tossed in. The good folks at Cooks Illustrated use a hunk of parmesan rind to deepen the flavor as well as some pesto. Pesto? I had never heard of including pesto in a soup before, but hey, it works. Now for that parmesan rind…not something I typically have in the fridge. I did happen to have a hunk of parmigiano-reggiano, so I used that. Could I tell the difference in flavor? Not really. But then again, I don’t have the most in-tune taste buds out there. Anyhow, this soup packs in healthy goodies and warms the tummy. That’s a winner in my book.
Minestrone Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 small leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced(about 3/4 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 medium stalks celery, trimmed and diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 medium baking potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 medium zucchini, trimmed and diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 3 cups stemmed spinach leaves
- 1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, packed in juice, drained and chopped
- 8 cups water
- 1 parmesan cheese rind, about 5×2 inches
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup pesto
- I also added about 1/2 cup corn leftover from another dish
DIRECTIONS
- Bring all ingredients except beans and pesto to a boil in a large stockpot of Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the cheese rind.
- Add the beans and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the pesto. Adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
SOURCE: adapted from Brown-Eyed Baker who adapted from The Best Soups and Stews
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
14 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Bread, Breakfast Tags: Breads, Breakfast, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Bread, cinnamon swirl bread
Oh my God, this bread takes FOREVER to make! It has 4 rise times of 45 minutes each. And that’s not counting all the prep time, mixing time, rolling time, baking time, cooling time… Whew, just tires me out to write about it and relive it all again.
But is it worth it? I sure as heck was hoping so as the interminable hours passed waiting for one rise…then another…then another…and yet another.
And once it’s finished baking, you need to let it cool for two hours! Oh, this was killing me!
And to make it worse, I started this entire process after dinner–not the kind of timing I recommend. Start it early in the morning one day when you have all day to hang around and no errands to run or parties to attend.
Make other goodies in between rise times. I mixed up ice cream and made jam and cooked some soup… And of course I had to clean up all the messes I made. I kept busy but my eyes got droopy as the clock ticked closer to midnight. That’s way past my bedtime, people!
But the thought of some homemade cinnamon swirl bread just sounded soooooo good. To add to that, the entire house smelled like a bakery. Cinnamon wafted into every corner, totally teasing my taste buds and triggering a drool factory.
By the time the bread finished baking, I had to wait for it to cool, but at this point, I was just glad I could go to bed. I was okay with not tasting it yet.
And YES, the following morning I awoke bright and early, eager to cut a slice. Oh my, people, IT WAS WORTH THE PAIN.
Delicate, light, airy bread laced with slightly gooey cinnamon sent shockwaves through my taste buds. I had to practice some serious raging willpower to not scarf the entire loaf right then and there. And I’m not kidding.
I can imagine it made into french toast. Good thing this makes two loaves so I can freeze one to try that out later.
Now, let me share a few observations I made along the way. This is easy to mix with a big stand mixer; I imagine it would be a nightmare without one.
The dough is very sticky after the first mix. Once butter is added (a lot of butter, I might add, but it helps create a tender bread), the dough looks very slick yet it grows quite elastic and easy to handle at this point. After rising, gas bubbles appear. I left them alone, for the most part.
Read the directions carefully; otherwise, you’ll mess up like I did on the rolling and sprinkling of the cinnamon swirl. I got to the step about patting out the dough, folding it into thirds, but totally forgot to then roll that into a ball and split the dough into halves. Hence, I rolled out all of it, thinking this was the step to sprinkle the cinnamon swirl. Oops! It really needed one more rolling and even some rest time somewhere in there. That’s what happens when you work late at night and are droopy eyed with fatigue. Never fear, I just rolled up the dough, cut it in half, and rolled again–and had to simply let go of the fact that I forgot to include rest time for the dough. My bread and swirls still came out pretty and tasty in the end.
As I was rolling, the dough had more of the gas bubbles and kept letting out the gas. It was quite hilarious. Lots of popping noises going on.
Bottom line: if you are up for a long process and a deliciously delicate-tasting final product, by all means try this recipe. I will definitely try this again some day…just not in the evening!
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
INGREDIENTS
- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 4 1/4 cups (20 2/3 oz.) bread flour, plus extra for dusting work surface (recipe calls for 3 3/4 cups flour, but when I measured 20 2/3 oz. on my scale, it came out to 4 1/4 cups)
- 3/4 cup (2 3/4 oz.) nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/3 cup (2 1/3 oz.) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz.) golden raisins (I omitted these)
Filling
- 1 cup (4 oz.) confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
Dough
- Cut butter into 32 pieces and toss with 1 tbsp. flour; set aside to soften while mixing dough (tossing butter with flour helps the dough grip the butter and pull it into the dough, resulting in a lofty baked loaf).
- Whisk remaining flour, milk powder, sugar, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add water and egg and mix on medium-low speed until cohesive mass forms, about 2-5 minutes, scraping down bowl if necessary. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.
- Remove plastic wrap from mixer bowl, add salt, and mix on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 7-15 minutes (the long kneading time creates more elasticity and better traps gas for a taller rise).
- With mixer running, add butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to knead until butter is fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 3-5 minutes longer.
- Add raisins and mix until incorporated, 30-60 seconds.
- Transfer dough to a large greased bowl and, using bowl scraper or rubber spatula, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Repeat 6 more times for a total of 8 folds. (All this folding incorporates more air into the dough, encouraging it to expand and rise more.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to middle rack of oven. Place loaf or cake pan on bottom of oven and fill with 3 cups of boiling water (this will create warm, humid air which will stimulate yeast activity and speed rise time); close door and allow dough to rise for 45 minutes.
- Remove bowl from oven; gently press down on center of dough to deflate. Repeat folding step (making another set of 8 folds), re-cover with plastic wrap, and return to oven until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
- Filling: Whisk filling ingredients together until well combined; set aside.
- Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans (mine were 9 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch).
- Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide into 2 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough, pat into rough 6 x 11-inch rectangle. With short side facing you, fold long sides in like a business letter to form 3 x 11-inch rectangle. Roll dough away from you into a ball. Dust with flour and flatten with rolling pin into 7 x 18-inch rectangle with an even 1/4-inch thickness.
- Using spray bottle, spray dough lightly with water. Sprinkle half of filling mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border on sides and a 3/4-inch border on the top and bottom. Spray filling lightly with water, making sure entire surface is speckled with water (FYI: powdered sugar absorbs water from the dough, dissolving to form a sticky paste that helps hold the layers together as the bread expands during proofing).
- With short side facing you, roll dough away from you into a firm cylinder. Turn loaf seam side up and pinch closed; pinch ends closed. Dust loaf lightly on all sides with flour and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Repeat with second ball of dough and remaining filling.
- Working with 1 loaf at a time, use bench scraper to cut loaf in half lengthwise; turn halves so cut sides are facing up. Gently stretch each half into a 14-inch length. (Cutting loaf and having cut side face up allows any trapped gas to escape during baking.) Line up pieces of dough and pinch 2 ends of strips together. Take piece on left and lay over piece on right. Repeat, keeping cut side up, until pieces of dough are tightly twisted. Pinch ends together. Transfer loaf, cut side up, to prepared loaf pan; push any exposed raisins into seams of braid (so they won’t burn during baking).
- Repeat with second loaf.
- Cover loaves loosely with plastic wrap, return to oven, and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
- Remove loaves and water pan from oven. Allow loaves to rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes longer (top of loaves should rise about 1 inch over lip of pan).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush loaves with egg mixture (this will make crust shiny). Bake until crust is well-browned, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F, tent loaves with aluminum foil to prevent sugar from burning, and continue to bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees, 15-20 minutes longer (took 20 minutes for me).
- Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and cool to room temperature before slicing, about 2 hours.
- Baked and cooled loaves can be wrapped in double layer of plastic and stored at room temperature for 2 days. To freeze bread for up to 1 month, wrap it with additional layer of foil.
Yield: two loaves
SOURCE: Cook’s Illustrated magazine (March & April 2012)
Ice Cream Sunday: Mango Sorbet
12 Feb 2012 3 Comments
in Desserts, Ice Cream Tags: Desserts, Ice Cream, Mango, Sorbet
This tropical mango sorbet made a brief appearance last summer but disappeared before I could snap a photo for the blog. I’ve been awaiting the return of mangoes so I could make this again to share with you.
Whipping up this sorbet couldn’t be easier. Well, I guess cutting up the mango makes it a bit of work, but other than that, it just requires mixing in the blender and then mixing in the ice cream maker.
Easy peasy.
And super tasty.
And oh-so-pretty with the yellow-orange color.
Mango Sorbet
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large, ripe, sweet mangos (about 2 pounds)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 4 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tbsp. dark rum, plus more to taste (I skipped this)
- pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
- Peel the mangoes and cut the flesh away from the pit. Cut the flesh into chunks and put them in a blender with the sugar, water, lime juice, rum, and salt. Puree the mixture until smooth. Taste, then add more lime juice or rum if desired. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
SOURCE: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Yogurt Panna Cotta
10 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Custards, Desserts Tags: Berries, Custard, Desserts, Panna Cotta
Quite a few years ago–like maybe a couple decades ago–I dined at Macaroni Grill with a couple friends. We ordered a dessert called panna cotta, which I had never encountered before. It arrived as a perfectly-shaped, smooth white dome drizzled with raspberry sauce. My spoon slid into the custard-like dessert, picking up some of the tart raspberry sauce on the journey back toward my mouth.
H-e-a-v-e-n.
It was love at first bite.
I had never tasted anything so light and so creamy and so dreamy and so elegant. Why had our paths never crossed before?
Not long after, my friend from that evening shared a panna cotta recipe with me when I raved about the dessert from that dinner. I made the recipe once only. I don’t recall how it tasted, but I guess that means it wasn’t scrumptious enough to leave an impression on me. I also had minimal kitchen skills back then, so maybe that had something to do with it. Okay, maybe it had a lot to do with it.
When I chanced upon this particular panna cotta recipe on a food blog, my memories flooded back to that night at Macaroni Grill and my short-lived love affair with the dessert. It was time to reignite the flame.
Plus, I had some Greek yogurt in the fridge in need of use.
And I had exactly one packet of gelatin leftover from a refreshingly fizzy fruit gelatin recipe.
And I had some mixed frozen berries in the freezer to add pizzazz to this treat. I kept it simple and just defrosted the berries, which released enough juice to dress up the dessert.
This all came together easily. And I got to use my cute trifle dessert cups for these.
So, if you are looking for simplicity, elegance, and a dreamy taste, this just might be the dessert for you.
By the way, I only used four trifle cups, but they were big portions. This can definitely be spread amongst more dessert cups. I can envision small juice glasses working well to house the panna cotta if you happen to have some of those in your kitchen cabinets.
Yogurt Panna Cotta
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cups milk (any kind or combo of types should work…I used 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream)
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 — 1/3 cup honey (or sugar)
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (hint: strain regular plain yogurt for a few hours to eliminate some water and you’ll have the consistency of Greek yogurt for a lot less money)
DIRECTIONS
Panna Cotta
- Place 1/4 cup of milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the packet of gelatin on top. Set it aside while the gelatin becomes moist.
- In a saucepan, warm the remaining milk until simmering but not at a full boil.
- Add vanilla and 1/4 cup honey; stir and taste. Add more honey if you want a sweeter taste.
- Add the gelatin and whisk until it has fully dissolved into the hot milk mixture.
- Remove pan from heat and add the Greek yogurt; stir until fully combined.
- If using fruit sauce, spoon some into the bottom of the containers you plan to use; set aside the remaining sauce for topping the panna cotta when you are ready to serve it.
- Pour panna cotta mix into small glasses, bowls, or ramekins (do this carefully if you have fruit on the bottom to not displace the sauce too much). Cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 3-4 hours (I found overnight allowed the panna cotta to set more firmly than just a few hours in the refrigerator). The panna cotta will keep well for 2 days.
Fruit Sauce (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries…fresh or frozen)
- Easy version: defrost frozen berries, which will create some tart juice.
- Slightly-more-work version: In a small saucepan, warm 1/2 cup of good-quality jam with 3/4 cup fresh or frozen berries. Mix until fully combined and hot. Allow to cool slightly before using.
- And a bit-more-work version: In a small saucepan, mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch until blended; stir in 1 1/2 cups berries. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; boil 2 minutes or until thickened. If you want some fruit chunks, add 1/2 cup more of berries when mixture cools. (from a very old Family Circle magazine…so old I don’t know the year!)
SOURCE: adapted from Glorious Treats
Banana Peanut Butter Muffins
08 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Breakfast, Desserts, Muffins Tags: Banana, banana muffin recipes, Breakfast, Desserts, Muffins, Peanut Butter, peanut butter chips
As a kid, I loved to slice bananas and line them up on top of toasted bread spread with peanut butter. That was my culinary talent as a youth. I haven’t done that in years, but sometimes when I’m hankering for a quick snack, I peel a banana and spread some peanut butter on top and munch away.
The other day I had my latest bunch of bananas sitting on the counter getting close to the overripe stage. I wasn’t in the mood for doing something funky like roasted banana ice cream, nor was I in the mood for the usual banana bread I whip up with old bananas (can’t believe I’ve not posted that recipe yet). Instead, I wanted muffins. No reason for the craving. I just wanted muffins.
I have about five banana muffin recipes saved. The one that calls for a crumb topping sounded appealing, so I started reading the reader reviews about it. Someone mentioned substituting some peanut butter for a portion of the butter, and instantly I knew this was the recipe I wanted to try. Peanut butter and bananas. That took me right back to my childhood. Plus, that substitution works well in my chocolate chip cookies, so I figured it would work in the muffins, too.
And I happened to have a bag of Reese’s peanut butter chips in the freezer left over from the holidays that I thought might work well in the batter. Truthfully, I’m not fond of those chips. They taste kind of funky and plasticky. Nonetheless, I wanted to use them up. It made the muffins a bit too strong on the peanut butter taste in my opinion, though. I think mini chocolate chips might work well. Now that sounds like a great combo: banana, peanut butter, and chocolate. Yep, that’ll be tested out one of these days.
I also liked the additional spices reviewers added, so I adapted the recipe according to their ideas. The spices gave the muffins a warm wintery feeling and a deeper flavor.
The crumb topping sometimes melted onto the pan and made a slightly sticky, caramel mess. Maybe I filled the muffin liners too much or maybe I sprinkled on too much topping. The topping does add a crunchy, sugary touch, though, that I found a pleasant complement to the sweet banana.
At first, shortly after these muffins came out of the oven, I wasn’t thrilled with their taste and they seemed greasy. I actually liked them better the following day, for they lost the greasiness and their taste grew on me. Hence, I decided to share this recipe afterall.
Banana Peanut Butter Muffins
INGREDIENTS
Muffins
- 3 bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp. vanilla (or use vanilla bean paste)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter or chocolate chips (regular or mini)
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Topping
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. butter
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, mash bananas; add spices and vanilla.
- Melt butter and peanut butter in microwave or on stovetop; add to banana mixture.
- Lightly beat egg; add to banana mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, white and brown sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir banana mixture into flour just until moistened.
- If using chips and nuts, mix them in.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin liners, filling about 3/4 full.
- Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Use fork to cut in 1 tbsp. butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.Sprinkle topping over muffins.
- Bake in preheated over for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. If you want to make mini muffins, bake for 14 minutes.
SOURCE: modified from allrecipes.com
Ice Cream Sunday: Espresso Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
05 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Desserts, Ice Cream Tags: Chocolate, Coffee, Desserts, dutch processed cocoa powder, Espresso, Ice Cream
Driving home from work last week, I was having cravings for both espresso ice cream and chocolate. I imagined squeezing some chocolate syrup over the espresso ice cream. Then I had a vision of having a ripple of chocolate already in the frozen ice cream. Now, I’m sure this isn’t a new combination by any means, but it is certainly one ice cream combo I haven’t mixed up yet. And it sounded delectable to my sweet tooth.
Easily enough, I found a fudge ripple recipe, which, by the way, is way better than the Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup which we keep on hand for hubby’s chocolate milkshake cravings. This ripple is thicker yet still pours easily. It holds up well in the fridge for a couple weeks. It calls for Dutch-processed Cocoa, which I purchase from Penzey’s, but the one I used for this recipe came from North Shore Market (North Market Spices) in Columbus, Ohio from our summer visit there. I’m not sure how this would taste if you used plain ol’ Hershey’s Cocoa Powder because that stuff isn’t nearly as smooth and rich in flavor as the Dutch-processed cocoa. Overall, this fudge ripple comes together quickly and tastes divine.
I really wanted to make an ice cream sundae for the picture for the blog, but I didn’t have all the ingredients. It would be absolutely scrumptious with some chopped up bananas, whipped cream, and toasted almonds. Mmmmmmmm… I bet this would work great in an frozen pie dessert, too! Must try that soon…
Espresso Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS
Fudge Ripple
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Ice Cream
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 6 extra-large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 1/2 tbsp. ground espresso coffee beans (I buy the Medaglia D’Oro brand at the grocery store)
- 1 tbsp. coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua; I buy from BevMo! in the small bottles)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Fudge Ripple
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cocoa, then add corn syrup and water. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for one minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using. Can be stored for up to two weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.
Ice Cream
- In a medium saucepan, heat the half-and-half on medium-low heat until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed.
- Slowly add the hot half-and-half to the egg yolks until combined, creating a custard base.
- Pour the custard back into the pan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5-10 minutes, until is it thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon (170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).
- Pour the custard through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla. Refrigerate until completely chilled (preferably overnight).
- Pour into ice-cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- As you transfer ice cream into a container, layer generous spoonfuls of the fudge ripple between layers of the ice cream. Avoid stirring in the fudge ripple, for it will make the ice cream muddy.
- Spoon into a container and allow to freeze for a few hours.
SOURCES: ice cream slightly adapted from Food Network (Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa); fudge ripple from Brown Eyed Baker via The Perfect Scoop book
Hasselback Potatoes
01 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Sides Tags: Potatoes, Sides
Aren’t these cool looking taters? So easy to make, too. Just slice the potato in sections, making sure to not cut all the way through. Tuck slices of garlic in between for loads and loads of flavor, top with butter and oil, and bake. Or, you can try whatever mix of spices and flavorings/garnishes you desire. Ours came out very crispy, so I probably baked them a bit too long. They are a twist on baked potatoes and sure make for an impressive presentation.
Hasselback Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 russet potatoes–small, medium, or large
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced (or more if you prefer)
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter (or more if you prefer)
- kosher salt (or regular table salt)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- toppings of choice for baked potatoes: cheese, sour cream, chives…
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Scrub, rinse, and dry potatoes.
- Slice a thin layer off bottom of potatoes to provide stable base. Slice into potatoes widthwise but not completely through to bottom. Aim for an accordion effect.
- Thinly slice garlic cloves and slide garlic between potato slices.
- Place potatoes on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Top each potato with 1 tbsp. butter. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for one hour or until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Remove pan every 15 minutes to baste potatoes in the oil and butter on the pan. This will make the skin extra crispy and buttery.
- Remove from oven; cool for 10 minutes.
- Top with sour cream, cheese, chives, or any other toppings you desire.
SOURCE: Joy the Baker
