Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

It's rare that I create something in the kitchen that even I'm impressed by, specifically if it's a recipe of my own creation. Now, I'm not willing to say this is the best ice cream I've ever had (hello, there's no chocolate in it), but what nearly sent me over the moon is that it tastes exactly how I wanted it to.

Although the recipe is 100% mine, I can't take all of the credit for this creation. Earlier this summer I tried this flavor combination at a local ice cream shop but wasn't impressed; it tasted like plain strawberry ice cream, with no balsamic to speak of.

It may not be winning any beauty pageants anytime soon, but it does look a little pinker in person and not so brown.

This version, however, is spot on. The strawberries make it sweet and fruity but the balsamic gives it just the slightest bit of tang. Perhaps the second best thing about this ice cream is that it's really simple to make. There's no tempering eggs, or heating over low and stirring constantly until it's just right, to trip you up. Blend everything together, churn in an ice cream maker, you're done.

You'll notice that I used frozen strawberries instead of fresh which is because a) I haven't tasted a great fresh strawberry in months, and b) you can find frozen all-year round so you can make this whenever you want. I chose to use organic because out of all the frozen strawberries you can buy, I'm betting these probably taste the best; plus, eating organically when I can makes me happy.

Warning: reducing vinegar makes it super potent. Chances are your entire house will smell long after you're finished cooking it, and if you lean in too close to the steam coming out of the pot, you'll end up in a coughing spell with your eyes burning. Just ask Dan.

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream
Yield: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
10 oz (2 cups) organic frozen strawberries, thawed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 pint heavy cream

Directions:
1. Pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and lower heat so vinegar is simmering. Continue to simmer until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Combine strawberries, sugar, and reduced vinegar in food processor or blender. Pulse to combine. Add heavy cream.
3. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid.

Espresso Oreo Ice Cream

A few weeks ago, we made a special trip to a particularly good ice cream parlor in Carytown called Bev's.

It was hot. Like, over 100 degrees hot. So hot that someone came home and eaten almost all the ice cream left in our freezer.

So that someone had the pleasure of driving me into town so I could get my fix. We've been to Bev's a couple of times and I always appreciate that their ice cream is homemade and that they experiment with new flavors. On this particular trip, I sampled Sweet Corn ice cream and Strawberry Balsamic.

But I was craving chocolate so I ordered one of their signature flavors: Espresso Oreo.

I was a bit skeptical at first, because I'm not really a coffee lover. I love the smell of coffee, but I hardly ever drink it. My drug drink of choice? Diet Coke. Need it, love it, kind of want to make out with it.

I'll drink coffee if it's loaded with milk and chocolate. Sort of like chocolate milk with a little splash of coffee. But generally, I go without it, which is probably why I'm such a joy to be around in the morning.

But enough about me, let's talk about this ice cream. Because it was yummy.

Great coffee flavor, not too bitter, with those irresistible chocolatey, crunchy Oreo chunks. And yes there was a waffle cone. Really, is there any other way to eat ice cream in the summer? I think not.

You should know, Dan ordered nothing. He drove, he waited in line with me, he paid, and he walked away empty-handed. I think gorging himself on our ice cream earlier in the afternoon probably did him in. But he did sample some of mine on the way home. Luckily his hands were on the wheel so I was in charge of portion control. And believe me, I hoarded that ice cream like it was my job. 

Since I sort of fell in love with this ice cream and thus, need it in my life as much as possible (and since not everyone can live as close to Bev's as we do), I came up with a homemade version. Not a perfect replica, but a close second. Crumble an extra Oreo on top. Don't be sorry.

Espresso Oreo Ice Cream
Makes about 3 pints

Ingredients:
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
8 egg yolks
3 T ground coffee
2 cups Oreo pieces (or about 12 cookies, chopped)

Instructions

1. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot over medium to medium-low heat*, combine heavy cream, half the sugar, and ground coffee. Bring to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Allow to steep for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and remaining sugar.
3. Return the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat. Working about 1/4 cup at a time, add a third of the hot cream to the egg yolks, whisking to incorporate.
4. Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the remaining heavy cream. Return to low heat.
5. Using a wooden spoon, stir mixture constantly until it thickens. Timing for this will vary; use a low heat, and be careful not to let the mixture boil again. Your custard is ready when it coats the back of the wooden spoon and you can create a definitive line down the center with your finger.
6. Line a fine mesh sieve with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and set it over a clean bowl. Pour the custard through the lined sieve to strain. Use a ladle to help push it through if necessary. Set the bowl over an ice bath (you can later transfer it to the fridge). Allow to cool completely.
7. Process in an ice cream machine until it is the texture of soft serve. Add the Oreo pieces in the last 1-2 minutes of churning. Transfer to a sealed airtight container and place it in the freezer to set fully, about 4-6 hours or overnight.

*Don't be tempted to turn the cream up to high to get it to boil. It won't heat evenly and the cream on the bottom will burn before it boils. Watch carefully, and use a pot large enough to ensure it doesn't boil over.

Basil Ice Cream

Ok, hear me out.

It's summer. I just got a new mixer with an ice cream attachment (thanks mom!). And I love basil. It's spicy and sweet and so aromatic. When we moved into our new house, starting an herb garden was one of the first things I wanted to do. Sadly, we got a bit of a late start since it was already June, but our mint is growing like a weed, our rosemary isn't dead yet, but (sadly) our basil is already flowering (which Dan tells me is a sign that it's the beginning of the end).

I really wanted to take advantage of our fresh basil as much as possible, and since I can't eat pasta every day of the week for fear that my ass would expand exponentially, ice cream was the next logical step.

Hmm, I should probably work on that logic. Whatever. It's hot and ice cream is like edible air conditioning.

I've tried basil ice cream before, and it tasted like frozen pesto. Now I love pesto, but it's not really what I'm looking for when my sweet tooth is aching for some sugar. Plus, big fresh basil leaves can sometimes have that overpowering flavor of licorice. Not a fan.

But, in this ice cream, instead of blending the basil leaves and incorporating them directly into the custard, I use my basic ice cream base and infuse heavy cream with the herb so the end result is subtle and sweet, flowery, herbal and aromatic. Personally, I think this is best served as an accompaniment to a fruity baked dessert, like blueberry cobbler or mixed berry pie.

Who am I kidding. I eat this straight from the container while standing in front of the open freezer. It's hot and we don't have central air. Don't judge.

 Basil Ice Cream
Makes about 3 pints 

Ingredients:

1 quart heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
8 egg yolks
3 stalks sweet basil, leaves and stems

Directions:

1. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot over medium to medium-low heat*, combine heavy cream, half the sugar, and basil leaves and stems. Bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and remaining sugar.
3. Once the cream has come to a boil, remove from the heat and carefully remove the basil. Working about 1/4 cup at a time, add a third of the hot cream to the egg yolks, whisking to incorporate.
4. Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the remaining heavy cream. Return to low heat.
5. Using a wooden spoon, stir mixture constantly until it thickens. Timing for this will vary; use a low heat, and be careful not to let the mixture boil again. Your custard is ready when it coats the back of the wooden spoon and you can create a definitive line down the center with your finger.

 Not ready

Ready!

6. Strain the custard into a bowl set over an ice bath (you can later transfer it to the fridge). Allow to cool completely.
7. Process in an ice cream machine until it is the texture of soft serve. Transfer to a sealed airtight container and place it in the freezer to set fully, about 4-6 hours or overnight.

*Don't be tempted to turn the cream up to high to get it to boil. It won't heat evenly and the cream on the bottom will burn before it boils. Watch carefully, and use a pot large enough to ensure it doesn't boil over.

Watermelon Sorbet

We've had a sweltering summer so far, and if you've been sweating as much as I have (attractive, right?) you're in desperate need of something to cool yourself down. Now, you can either grab a sports drink to replace those lost electrolytes, or you can whip up a batch of this lovely Watermelon Sorbet.

It only uses a few ingredients, is incredibly fast and easy to prepare, and comes from David Lebovitz, a man who truly knows his ice creams. I love to make ice cream, but hadn't ever tried one of his recipes. Given how much everyone raves about them, I had a feeling this would be good, and it didn't disappoint. The watermelon flavor is intense and gives the sorbet great color.

It was cool and refreshing, but was almost a bit too sweet for me. I would have liked a little more tartness from the lime juice, so I've increased the amount in the recipe below. You could alternately reduce the amount of sugar added, depending on how sweet your melon is. Definitely try a piece (or 6) first and use your best judgment. I pureed my melon in a blender and then passed it through a fine sieve to ensure it was free of seeds and pulp, measuring as I went.

Texturally, this sorbet was just a tiny bit icy for my taste. When it first came out of the ice cream maker, it was the perfect consistency, but as it hardened in the freezer, more ice crystals developed. Since vodka doesn't freeze, the small amount added to the sorbet is what helps soften the texture. The original recipe called for 1 or 2 Tablespoons, and I only used one, which was silly, since generally speaking, the more vodka, the better! If using alcohol isn't your thing (but wait, what else is there?), be prepared to get a very hard, icy sorbet. You may be better off freezing the mixture in popsicle molds if you have them.

Watermelon Sorbet

Yield: About 1 quart

Ingredients:

3 cups watermelon juice, pureed and strained (from about a 3lb watermelon)

1/2 cup sugar

Big pinch of kosher salt

Freshly squeezed of 1 lime juice

2 Tbsp vodka

Directions:

1. In a small, non-reactive pan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup of watermelon juice with the sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove from the heat and combine with the remaining watermelon juice, lime juice, and vodka.

3. Chill thoroughly and then churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

I spent awhile thinking about what to make for Memorial Day weekend. I was going to Virginia Beach with a bunch of my family, including my nephews who are 1 and 3 years old. I wanted something fun, casual, but delicious, and since I was going to be at my mom's with full access to an ice cream maker, these Ice Cream Sandwiches seemed perfect. 

When my sister was in college, she and her roommate came up with the delicious idea of buying "break and bake" cookies or pre-made cookie dough, baking it, and using store bought ice cream to create homemade ice cream sandwiches. There's nothing hugely innovative about this, but with all the different kinds of pre-made cookie dough and Ben and Jerry's ice cream, the great part about this idea is that they're fast and easy to make and the possible flavor combinations are endless. (My favorite: sugar cookies with oatmeal cookie dough ice cream. So perfect for Fall!) 

Since this recipe calls for the use of 18 individual ring molds which I don't have and have no interest in investing in, I knew I was going to make some modifications, one of which was to use my sister's method for making the sandwiches: make the ice cream but keep it soft enough to squish between two cookies, then freeze the whole thing together.

To start, I made the mint chocolate chip ice cream. Here are the ingredients:

spearmint, whole milk, egg yolks, caster sugar, heavy cream, dark chocolate, green food coloring

First, I infused the milk and cream with the spearmint. Spearmint is sweeter and a little milder than peppermint, which is why it's used in this recipe. I was lucky enough to get some from my mom's garden.

Now, here is the first modification I made. In reality, I could have made this recipe at my house, even without an ice cream maker, since there's no need for one as the recipe is originally written. What Clark suggests you do is make the custard using just the milk, whipping the heavy cream separately, and then folding the two together before filling each ring mold with some of the parfait mixture and freezing it. Once frozen, each individual ring of ice cream gets sandwiched between two cookies. The upside: no ice cream maker. The downside: 18 ring molds. So instead of doing it that way, I just made this like a typical ice cream.

I brought the milk, cream, and mint to a boil, took it off the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes. I brought it back to a boil and then passed it through a fine sieve. 

I mixed the egg yolks with sugar and with the help of a sous chef, slowly stirred in the hot milk. 

I returned this mixture to a clean pot and put it over low heat, cooking and stirring constantly until it thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, which took FOREVER.

You know the mixture is thick enough when it coats the back of a spoon and you can run your finger down the middle without the sides running back together

Once the custard had thickened, I passed it through another sieve into a clean bowl and put it in the fridge to chill overnight.

The remnants

The finished custard

The next day, I needed to make the cookies and finish the ice cream. I got sort of a late start, so there wasn't much room for error.

And here, of course, is where the shit hit the fan. 

The ice cream went off without a hitch; I just put it in the ice cream maker with the chopped dark chocolate, about 3 drops of green food coloring, and let it do it's thing.

The cookies, however, were another story. Let's start at the beginning. Ingredients:

butter, powdered sugar, an egg, flour, cocoa powder, almond flour

I let the butter sit at room temperature so it was soft and then creamed it with the powdered sugar. I added the egg and that's when disaster struck. The egg was still cold from the fridge, so when it hit the butter, it cooled it, causing the butter to re-solidify. This does not make for a particularly creamy texture. I was so annoyed with myself, and annoyed that this had happened. I know most chefs hem and haw about having all your ingredients at room temperature, and they're probably right (clearly), but this has never ever been a problem for me. I didn't think there was any saving it, so I took out more butter AND AN EGG and let it all sit at room temperature for a few hours. Of course, it was even later in the day by the time the butter was soft, and I was starting to worry I wouldn't have enough time to bake the cookies, let them cool, make the sandwiches, and let them set up in the freezer. 

Finally, the butter was soft and the egg felt about room temperature, so I repeated the process of creaming the butter and sugar, and then added the ROOM TEMPERATURE egg. And you know what?

IT HAPPENED AGAIN! What the hell Claire?! Your recipe sucks!

There wasn't anything I could do about it at that point, so I just beat the hell out of it with my mixer and kept going.

 

While I was beating THAT into submission, I sifted both flours and the cocoa powder together into a separate bowl.

I added the flour mixture to the butter, and mixed just to incorporate, finishing it by hand. 

I turned the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and covered it with another. Using a rolling pin, I rolled the dough out to about 1/4 of an inch. The dough was very soft which made it easy to roll, but the confines of the parchment paper made it a little difficult to get a uniform thickness. 

I put the dough, still in the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet and put it in the fridge to chill for 2 hours. After that time, I lifted the top sheet of parchment off and using a pretty flower cookie cutter, began cutting out the dough to make the cookies.

Sadly, this is the last picture you'll see of this dough.

I made the imprints with the cookie cutter just fine, but when I tried to lift each one up, they were soft and stuck. The dough had not hardened nearly enough so it was impossible to pick up without destroying the cut out cookies. I knew I had to move fast, but I was getting more and more frustrated, which wasn't helping. I got about 3 cookies cut out and onto a baking sheet, cussing up a storm (under my breath of course as my mother was in the next room and doesn't appreciate foul language in her kitchen) and put them in the oven. With the rest of the dough, I re-rolled it and put it in the freezer. I did this whole process I think 3 times and only got about 14 cookies. There were 11 of us coming for dinner, so that meant only 7 sandwiches. Finally, I gave up and just put the last sheet of dough in the oven, intending to cut out the cookies once it was fully cooked. By this time, the first batch of cookies I had baked were out of the oven and I was curious to see how they tasted. I tried a little crumb and crinkled my nose. 

These weren't even good! They were bitter and flavorless, not at all chocolate-y. I had my mom, sister, and friend Kamyle try a piece each. My mom probably said it best when she described them as chocolate shortbread. But shortbread should be sweet and buttery, and this was bitter and gritty. 

And yes, I had done all this work and believe me, it was WORK, but I just couldn't face serving something that was mediocre. The ice cream was great (my mom and I tasted it before putting it in the freezer) and I just couldn't bare the thought sandwiching it between these crappy cookies. Why didn't I just serve the ice cream, you might ask? Because there wasn't enough. Since it's not really meant to be eaten in a bowl, the recipe only made about a pint, which is not enough for dessert for 11 people, even if one of them is 3 years old.

A few weeks before Memorial Day, my mom and I had been discussing the menu for the weekend and she had dropped a pseudo hint about making these chocolate cookies that she loves. I kept that in the back of my mind and sort of wanted to make them, but didn't want to go over the top baking up a storm (I had also baked homemade scones, recipe to come!). But when I was faced with this crisis, they were all I could think about. They're super chocolate-y, thick, soft and chewy, and sturdy enough to be made into an ice cream sandwich. They're also super easy and quick to make. 

So into the trash went the original chocolate cookies and out of the oven came these:

Although these cookies were easy to throw together, they still took up some time, so by the time they were out of the oven, it was almost dinner time and I really needed to get the sandwiches into the freezer. I had taken the ice cream out to soften slightly so it could be squished without breaking the cookie. I also put the cookies in the freezer for a few minutes to cool them down so they didn't melt the ice cream. Finally, I sandwiched the ice cream between the chocolate cookies, making more than enough sandwiches for all of us, and threw them in the freezer until after dinner. 

I didn't get a picture of all the sandwiches together because half of them were gone before I could get my camera, but here they are in all their chocolate, mint glory:

As I said before, the ice cream was absolutely delicious. There was just enough mint, which was balanced by the sweet custard, and the dark chocolate added just the right flavor and crunch. I don't even typically like the combination of mint and chocolate (or anything and chocolate), but the subtle mint flavor in these was just enough. The cookies were nice and chocolate-y and stood up well to the ice cream without overpowering the light mint flavor. 

And just because these chocolate cookies are so good (and because they're not from my blog cookbook, which I am HATING right now) I'm gifting you with the recipe. Go make them. Now. Really, right now.

Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients: 

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted

1 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups semi sweet or dark chocolate chips (or a cup of each)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Measure the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, whisk to combine, and set aside.

3. Cream the butter and two sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the melted chocolate and mix to combine.

4. Beat in the vanilla extract and egg, and the mix in the dry ingredients. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto two parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheets.

6. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until the tops just start to crack. They should still look very soft.

7. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express 

Next Indulgence: Possibly a change of pace...
 

Vanilla Ice Cream with Chantilly Cream and Hot Chocolate Sauce

Often when I try to fall asleep at night, I find myself thinking about this blog, about upcoming recipes or little phrases or statements that I want to remember so I can use them in my writing. Luckily, I have a handy dandy iPhone which has a voice recorder so I can just reach over on my nightstand, pick it up and record the things I want to remember without having to turn on a harsh, jarring light.

What's that I hear? Oh, it's all of laughing at me for being such so obsessive and ridiculous. Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

But here's what came to mind when I began thinking about my choice to start the next leg of this project with vanilla ice cream. It's simple, classic, and sort of a staple item in a pastry chef's reportoire, much like veal or chicken stock. It's just one of those things you should always have in your freezer to serve on the side of pretty much anything. Or, if it's this recipe, to eat all on its own. By yourself. So you can lick the bowl. But while I thought this was a good place to start, I wasn't all that excited about it. I mean, vanilla ice cream...BOOORRRING. It can only be so good; it's not like it's chocolate or anything.


Boy was I wrong.


But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the ingredients for the ice cream:

vanilla pods, whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar

To start, I slit the vanilla pods open lengthwise with a sharp knife and scraped out the tiny vanilla seeds.

This is where all the vanilla flavor comes from

I put the vanilla pods, seeds, milk, and cream in a pot and put it on the stove to bring to a boil.

While this was heating, I put a dozen egg yolks (that's right, A DOZEN. Can you feel your cholesterol rising?) and sugar in a mixing bowl

and creamed them together, just so they were well combined. Once the milk and cream had boiled, I used a ladle to slowly add it to the egg/sugar mixture, with the mixer running on low.

Once this was completely combined, I returned the mixture to the pot and cooked it over a low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. I continued to cook it until the mixture thickened to the point where it could coat the back of the spoon.

Once it had reached this point, I poured it through a fine sieve into a bowl and then put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice.

Once the custard had cooled to room temperature, I covered it and put it in the fridge to cool completely. Once it was cool, I churned it in the ice cream maker until it was creamy and semi-solid.

It was at this point that I first tasted the ice cream and immediately thought I'd died and gone to heaven because it was THAT GOOD

I put the ice cream in a tupperware and put it in the freezer to harden completely.

Later that afternoon, I made the Chantilly cream, which is just a fancy British name for whipped cream. Those Brits, always trying to be so classy. This was simple. I just whisked the cream with the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it formed stiff peaks.

before

and voila!

This went into the fridge until it was time to serve.

Right before serving I made the hot chocolate sauce. This was also really easy. I simply boiled heavy cream and then poured it over dark chocolate pieces.

before

 after

The recipe calls for chocolate that is 70% cocoa, but we only had 60% and since it looked like this outside:

we thought we would just make due.

Finally after a delicious dinner of homemade baked ziti (meaning we made both the noodles and tomato sauce from scratch. What else were we going to do on such a snowy day?), I scooped out the vanilla ice cream, topped it with some of the chocolate sauce and added the whipped, excuse me, Chantilly cream. Ideally I should have piped on the whipped cream, and I did use a plastic bag to sort of kind of maybe pipe it on, but it still ended up looking like this:

The recipe also calls for toasted slivered almonds, which would have added a nice crunchy texture, but we didn't have any. And, well:

We did without. And you know what? This was ammmaaazzzing!!! I would bathe in this if it wasn't so cold. And sticky.

It was by far, the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had. It was so creamy and rich and sweet, and just had the perfect proportion and texture. I mean, this really made vanilla ice cream into an event. Up until the point when I tasted it, I was worried that choosing this as the first recipe to make was a bad idea, because the preparation was just too simple and easy. I mean, I promised you guys more excitement and all you were getting was vanilla ice cream!? Ugh.

But really, this was soooo good. SO GOOD. It has validated not only my decision to switch gears but also to use this cookbook as a guide. Because if Clark can convince me to cheat on my all time favorite lovah, chocolate, she obviously knows her shit.

The slight bitterness from the chocolate sauce balanced out the sweetness of the ice cream, but as I ate, I started to feel that the chocolate and whipped cream were really just a distraction from the perfect vanilla ice cream, which was truly the star. My recommendation, (and how I ate this after that first night): omit the chocolate (gasp!!) and whipped cream.

Sadly, I finished off the very last remnants of the ice cream last night.

And yes, I licked the bowl.

Next Indulgence: Lemon Posset and Shortbread