Okay, it’s really strawberry sour cream ice cream.  But wait!  Don’t you dare go running away or turn up your nose in disgust at the inclusion of sour cream in this recipe.  Believe me, when I first read the recipe title I thought, “Ew, gross!” and moved right along.  But recently I have seen this mentioned a few times around the blogosphere with great reviews and so I gave it a second look.  I’ve already come to adore the use of sour cream in baking.  It makes the best blueberry scones ever, and makes an amazing chocolate cake (I need to share that one soon – it seems a crime not to!)  Why should it not be magnificent in ice cream?  I’ll admit I was still a bit skeptical while I was making the recipe but after taking that first small taste fresh out of the ice cream maker, all those thoughts fell away.  It is ripe with intense strawberry flavor and the sour cream makes it super creamy while keeping it from being overly sweet.  Truth be told, in a blind taste test I would never have even known sour cream was one of the ingredients.  What I do know is that this is for sure the best strawberry ice cream I have had.  Plus, I’m a sucker for anything this pretty shade of pink.

Thanks for celebrating National Ice Cream Month with me!  I’ve already got tons of fun ideas brewing for next year, though I probably won’t be able to wait that long to try most of them :)  In case you missed them, here is a recap of the other flavors I featured this month:

Pistachio Gelato
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream
Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Dreamy Creamy Strawberry Ice Cream
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Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced*
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. vodka or kirsch (optional)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Combine the sliced strawberries in a medium bowl with the sugar and vodka.  Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a blender or food processor and add the sour cream, heavy cream and lemon juice.  Pulse briefly until almost smooth but still slightly chunky.  Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

*Note: I highly recommend using organic strawberries for this recipe.  The flavor is worlds better than their more artificial counterparts.

Source: barely adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

As I mentioned last week, I’m really trying to enjoy summer to the fullest rather than spend it waiting for fall.  For me, one thing this has meant is eating copious amounts of fresh berries.  I mean, they are gorgeous, healthy, delicious and portable – how can anyone resist them?  I certainly can’t, especially in the form of these mixed berry crostatas (well, there goes the healthy part.)  This is a very low maintenance dessert and great for entertaining in a pinch.  Have the dough ready in the freezer or the fridge, and use whatever fruit you have on hand to make a spectacular ending to any meal.  The jewel tones of the mixed berries are so rich, this dessert is both beautiful to look at and to eat.  When made as instructed (four crostatas), the final product is really too big to be a personalized dessert.  I ended up serving them to be split between couples so it worked out in the end, but next time I’ll divide the dough into six or seven portions to get something more manageable for an individual guest.

Mixed Berry Crostatas
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Ingredients:
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces
4 tbsp. ice water
1-1½ cups berries (I used blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp. milk

Directions:
To make the crust, combine ½ cup of the sugar with the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Mix briefly to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and the largest butter pieces are the size of peas.  (This can also be done with a food processor or by hand with a pastry cutter.)  Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing on low speed until the dough comes together.  Form into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.  Form each into a ball.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough piece into ¼-inch thick rounds.  Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.  Add about ¼ cup of berries into the center of each dough round, leaving a 1½-inch border around the edge.  Fold the edges up around the fruit, pinching as needed to keep the dough in place.  Generously sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top of the fruit.  Brush the edges of the crusts evenly with the egg wash.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the crust is light golden brown.  Cool for no more than 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to serving plates.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream as desired.

Source: adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

Wine coolers – aah, wine coolers.  I do believe they were the first alcoholic beverage I ever tried.  My tastes quickly evolved to fancier things like cosmos and wine, surely in part because of the stigma associated with wine coolers.  You know, that they suck?  Well these don’t suck.  In fact, they are pretty great.  These are what wine coolers should be, but probably never could be in the bottled form because they would lose all the wonderful fresh fruit flavor.

These are fantastic for entertaining on a summer’s night.  The novelty of homemade wine coolers was a big hit with my friends, and so was the flavor.  I used a Riesling and it seemed just right to me, but you can use your favorite white wine.  I’m already looking forward to trying more flavor variations, and I think it is fair to say I have a lot of friends willing to partake in those endeavors.

Peach Wine Coolers
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Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh peaches, peeled and chopped
2 oz. peach schnapps
Generous pinch of kosher salt
2 (750 mL) bottles dry Riesling, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, divided
Ice, for serving
Additional sliced peaches, for serving

Directions:
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine the peaches, peach schnapps, salt and a scant 2 cups of the wine.  Puree until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve if desired (I skipped this step and preferred the thicker texture of the peach puree) and transfer to a pitcher.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, fill wine glasses with ice.  Fill the glasses halfway with the peach mixture and top off the rest of the way with the additional white wine.  Garnish with sliced peaches as desired.

Source: adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern

It’s still summer and we’re still grilling.  I just can’t get enough!  I use ground turkey quite frequently as a healthier substitute for ground beef, but I’ll admit that have always preferred a classic beef hamburger to any turkey burger I’ve tried.  Finally a recipe for turkey burgers came along that actually tempted me enough to try them.  I’ll be darned if these weren’t some of the best burgers we’ve ever made!  In fact I enjoyed them so much they went right back onto the menu for the following week – always a sign of a winner.  Most recently I prepared a full batch of patties (8 total), wrapped half of them in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for a quick dinner at a later date.  They came in handy this weekend when I needed a quick meal for my dad, who tends to think it isn’t food if it didn’t come off the grill.  I’ll be sure to have these around as a freezer staple in the future.  (And just so you know, these buns freeze amazingly well too.  I always keep some in the freezer.)

Turkey Burgers
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Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. minced fresh sage
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
Heat the coals of a grill to medium-high.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer, until the onion is tender.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl; let cool.

Once the onion mixture has cooled, add the ground turkey, salt, pepper and herbs to the bowl.  Mix well so everything is evenly blended.  Mix in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Form the mixture into 8 equal sized patties.  When you are ready to grill, oil the grates of the grill with additional olive oil or vegetable oil.  Cook until evenly browned and cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side.  Serve with toasted buns, lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments as desired.

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes

Fruit tarts are one of my favorite desserts because there are so many variations and wonderful ways to prepare them.  For me though, it seems they almost always go something like: basic tart dough, creamy filling, and fruit layered on top.  Don’t get me wrong, I love all those variations and I have a long list with many more I’d like to try, but this apricot almond tart was a nice step away from the ordinary.  It’s also very simple.  You still use a basic tart dough, add the fruit, top with an almond cream, and bake.

Personally I would have preferred a slightly sweeter tart dough, but Ben loved this one the way it was.  What I really did love was the almond cream, and the juicy baked apricots, and the combination of the two was delightful.  Warm out of the oven, this was a wonderful treat.  Ben said this was a very French dessert and I couldn’t help but laugh because this is a family recipe of Helene’s and she, in fact, is French!   Another small perk of this tart is the convenience of apricots.  They don’t require peeling and the pits are so easily removed – a definite benefit compared to baking with some other stone fruits.

Apricot Almond Tart
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Ingredients:
For the crust:
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2-4 tbsp. ice water, if needed

For the filling:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
1 cup ground almonds (blanched or slivered)
2 large eggs
¼ cup heavy cream

8-10 apricots, halved and pitted

Directions:
To make the crust, in the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the salt.  Mix in the flour just until incorporated.  Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on low speed, just until the dough comes together.  Form the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and position a rack in the center.  Once the dough is well chilled, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll out to fit your preferred tart pan.  Transfer the dough to the tart pan and line the pan, pushing the dough into the fluted edges.  Trim off the excess dough and patch any holes as needed.  Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper or foil and fill with baking beads (rice or dried beans will also work).  Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is almost completely baked.  Carefully remove the parchment or foil and baking beads.

To make the almond cream, combine the butter, honey, ground almonds, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk together until well blended and smooth.  (This can also be done in a food processor.)  Gently fold in the heavy cream with a spatula.  Arrange the apricot halves in the partially baked tart dough.  Pour the almond cream over the fruit so it fills the tart pan evenly.  Bake 25-30 minutes until the almond filling is a light golden brown.  Serve warm with a drizzle of honey, if desired.

Source: barely adapted from Tarlette

What’s better than cookie dough?  Double cookie dough, of course.  I’ve always been pretty lukewarm to cookie dough ice cream in general because while the bites of cookie dough were delicious, the base ice cream was usually just a boring vanilla.  Don’t get me wrong, I love vanilla.  It just seems the vanilla used as a base for cookie dough is often sub-par.  Then I saw a recipe for ice cream that is cookie dough-flavored.  Immediately I thought the best thing to do would be combine the that ice cream as a base with chunks of cookie dough mixed in.  Now we’re talking.  Ooooh my, this stuff is pretty amazing.  In fact, it catapulted right up the ranks of ice cream flavors and is now vying with coffee ice cream for the number one spot in my heart.  Which will it be?  I think I’ll need to try a bit more of each before I decide.  Darn.

And of course, the best way to serve it?  Over a warm chocolate chip cookie….or with a warm cookie crumbled over the top…or maybe sandwiched between two cookies…basically anything that takes it to triple cookie dough – yeah, I went there.  These cupcakes made me do it.

PS – I think it is good sense to have frozen cookie dough in your freezer at all times for just this sort of emergency.

Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream
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Ingredients:
For the cookie dough:
5 tbsp. salted butter, melted (or unsalted butter plus ¼ tsp. salt)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

For the ice cream:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of coarse salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

Directions:
To make the cookie dough, stir together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Mix in the flour, then the vanilla and chocolate chips.  Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

To make the ice cream, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Continue heating, stirring often, until the butter is a deep golden brown color, being careful not to burn it.  Whisk in the heavy cream and heat until simmering.  Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the egg yolks until pale and fluffy.  Once the cream mixture is warm, add a small amount to the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Slowly whisk in the rest of the cream.  Mix in the salt.  Return the egg-cream mixture to the saucepan and heat until just slightly thickened, and the temperature reads 170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.  Immediately remove the mixture from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.  Stir in the vanilla extract and the whole milk.  Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Chop the disk of cookie dough into small chunks.  As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chocolate chips and the chunks of cookie dough.  Store in the freezer until firm.

Source: cookie dough from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, ice cream adapted from Joy the Baker

Shortcakes are on my short list (no pun intended) of go-to desserts when there is little time or equipment available (read – dinner at my dad’s house for a big family gathering.)  Normally I opt for a strawberry or mixed berry variety, but this peach version has been taunting me since last summer and it was time to give it a go.  I’ve been doing my very best to take advantage of peach season before it is gone and this seemed the perfect fit.  Shortcakes are also great for entertaining large groups because almost everything can be made in advance and then simply assembled when it’s time for dessert.  The biscuits are just barely sweet, an ideal counterbalance to the sweet, juicy fruit topping and the airy whipped cream.  Such a perfect ending to a summer get together, don’t you think?

Peach Shortcakes
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Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
For the fruit:
2 lbs. firm, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced ¼-inch thick, divided
6 tbsp. sugar, divided
2 tbsp. peach schnapps*

For the biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
1 large egg
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the whipped cream:
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
To prepare the fruit, combine about three quarters of the peach slices in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons of the sugar.  Toss to combine and let stand 30 minutes.  Combine the remaining peaches, remaining sugar, and peach schnapps in a medium microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high until the peaches are bubbling, about 60-90 seconds, stirring once or twice during cooking.  Crush the peaches into a coarse pulp with a potato masher.  Let stand 30 minutes.

To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a medium bowl, then whisk in the melted butter, stirring until the butter forms small clumps.  Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together and no dry ingredients remain.  Using a greased 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop a mound of dough and drop it onto the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough spacing the biscuits about 2 inches apart.  Sprinkle extra sugar over the top of the dough mounds.  Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 15 minutes before assembling.

When you are ready to serve the shortcakes, add the heavy cream and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat.  Blend in the vanilla.

Split each biscuit and place the bottom half on a serving plate.  Spoon a few tablespoons of the crushed peach mixture over the biscuit, then top with some of the peach slices and a dollop of whipped cream.  Replace the top half of each biscuit and serve.

*You can sub orange liqueur or freshly squeezed orange juice

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, July/August 2008

So, this is not a recipe or a step-by-step “how to” post, but since this is the place where I share my kitchen goings on, you get to hear about it.  I made my first wedding cake!  A friend from high school contacted me last fall to see if I would be interested in the job.  My knee jerk reaction was to say no, I don’t do wedding cakes but then I thought heck, I could do that!  It sounded like a fun challenge.  Eventually the order morphed into a small three-tiered cake for the bridal party and 140 cupcakes on towers for the rest of the guests.  I felt very comfortable with this concept as I have done several tiered cakes for bridal showers, baby showers and birthdays so I knew I could handle this project.  The cake and cupcakes were all red velvet with cream cheese frosting (excellent choice!) and the cake was covered in homemade marshmallow fondant.  I thought the cake design the bride chose was simple, elegant and beautiful.  I absolutely loved it!

The biggest lesson I learned from this adventure was the importance of flexibility and how to roll with the punches.  I didn’t receive the brooches to finish assembling the tiered cake until about 4 hours before I had to leave for the reception which was way too late for the timeline I had planned.  Thankfully I finished frosting all the cupcakes with just minutes remaining, so I was still on time.  I’ll spare the details but to say the set up scenario at the reception location was less than ideal is definitely an understatement.  Thankfully my best friend Amanda was there to help, and using many skills we learned back in our Daisy, Brownie, and Girl Scout days, we made it work.  The final set up was not exactly what I had envisioned because of some apparent miscommunication with the florist, but it ended up working out in the end.  The most important thing was that the bride and groom were happy with the end result and since I heard only good things, I’m calling it a success.

Despite the stress of the final hours, I must say it was a truly amazing honor to have this role in a friend’s wedding day.  Almost the whole time I was working on it, I was imagining the bride and groom cutting the cake and feeding it to each other, saving the top tier for their anniversary, and years later looking back through the pictures where the cake would be featured.  I am so happy to have had this experience.  Thank you Kathryn and Jake for letting me be a part of your special day.  I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

(Bottom photo courtesy of Robert Ginda)

I have to admit, I’m proud of myself.  It’s no secret that fall is my favorite season of the year and normally I spend most of the summer just waiting for autumn to arrive.  This year though, I think I’ve done a great job of making the most of summer and enjoying it to the fullest (well, as much as one can without a beach vacation).  Meals involving lots of fresh produce and grilling have been the focus of our menus and for me, this burger is an ideal summer food.  I’ve never been keen on the idea of fruit-meat combos, but this one sounded too good not to try.

The burger patties are the same as those of my favorite basic hamburger, then topped with a homemade teriyaki sauce and garnished with a mango-pineapple salsa.  Really, I can’t say enough good things about this meal so I’ll just say that I think everyone needs to make them at least once before summer slips away.  I have a feeling I’ll be making them again in the depths of winter when I’m yearning for warmer weather.

Side note – Not sure how to cut a mango?  See my step-by-step instructions.

Teriyaki Burgers with Mango Pineapple Salsa
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Ingredients:
For the salsa:
1 mango, diced
1-1½ cups diced fresh pineapple
½ of one red bell pepper, diced small
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Pinch of coarse salt

For the sauce:  (I halved it and had plenty for 4 burgers)
1 cup fresh chopped pineapple
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced fine
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. vinegar (apple cider or rice vinegar)
½ tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water

For the burgers:
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 tbsp. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Toss to mix well.  Cover and refrigerate, allowing flavors to blend while you prepare the sauce and burgers.

To make the sauce, combine the pineapple, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar and sesame oil in a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth and well blended.  Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan.  Warm over medium-high heat until bubbly, about 1-2 minutes.  In a small prep bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and stir until well incorporated.  Continue heating the sauce, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the burgers, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.  In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about ¾-inch thick.

When the grill is heated, cook the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 -5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.  A few minutes before the burgers are done cooking, grill the buns just until lightly brown and toasted.

To serve, place a hamburger patty on each of the buns.  Top with teriyaki sauce and garnish with mango-pineapple salsa.  Replace the top bun to form a sandwich and serve immediately.

Source: adapted from White on Rice Couple

Piña coladas, for me, are the drink that signifies summer more than any other.  I have spent so many wonderful vacations sitting on the beach with one, they mean only good things.  Up until this year I had never made them at home other than using one of the premade frozen cans.  I saw this recipe and knew my days of the canned concoction were over.  It takes very few ingredients to make this fabulous frozen drink and thankfully they are things that I have on hand almost all the time.  Perfect, since I have no time for a real vacation this summer.  Instead I just sit outside in the evening with one of these, close my eyes, and imagine really hard that I’m somewhere else.  Okay, it doesn’t quite work, but at least the drink is darn good.

This is what summer nights should be.

Piña Coladas
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Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
6 oz. light rum
½ cup coconut cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 cup fresh chopped pineapple
1½ cups frozen chopped pineapple
2 cups crushed ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree on high speed until smooth and well combined.   Pour into tall glasses and garnish as desired with fresh pineapple.

Source: slightly adapted from Culinary Musings

National Ice Cream Month is still rolling along, and I’m totally overwhelmed with all the potential flavor options I could share.  I decided to try this butterscotch pecan because it’s certainly not a typical flavor for me.  If you’ve been reading this blog long, you may remember that I used to declare hatred of almost all types of nuts.  Then one Thanksgiving I discovered pecan pie and slowly began to warm up to them (well, at least some of them).  I have been hearing good things about this particular recipe so I thought I would give it a try.  I figured even if I wasn’t crazy about it, Ben would surely love it and there would be lots of interested readers.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that when I was younger, I would resort to eating butter pecan ice cream when there was no other sort of ice cream around and pick out all the nuts which left me with basically just vanilla ice cream.  Once I got around to actually making this recipe, I realized this was a whole different ballgame.  Butterscotch pecan ice cream – as in butterscotch, my dear sweet love.  Well, hello, we have a winner.  So rich, creamy and well, buttery!  I even enjoyed the pecans.  My biggest mistake?  Only making a half batch.

Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream
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Ingredients:
For the buttered pecans:
1½ tbsp. butter
1½ cups pecan halves
¼ tsp. coarse salt

For the ice cream:
5 tbsp. butter
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ tsp. coarse salt
2 cups heavy cream, divided
¾ cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. scotch whisky (I didn’t have scotch so I used Jack Daniels)

Directions:
To make the buttered pecans, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Melt the butter in a skillet.  Remove from the heat and toss the pecans with butter until evenly coated.  Sprinkle with the salt.  Spread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-12 minutes, stirring once or twice during baking.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  If desired, coarsely chop the pecans before adding them to the ice cream.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.  Once melted, whisk in the brown sugar and salt.  Stir in 1 cup of the heavy cream, and the whole milk.  Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream in a mixing bowl with a fine mesh sieve set over the top.

Place the egg yolks in a separate medium mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks.  Whisking constantly, slowly add the warm sugar-cream mixture to the egg yolks to temper.  Continue until all of the liquid has been incorporated.  Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat.  Continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches 170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.  Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the sieve and into the bowl with the cream.  Stir in the vanilla and scotch.  Cover the bowl and transfer to the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.  (To speed chilling, stir over an ice bath.)

Once the mixture is completely chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer to a freezer-safe container and gently fold in the buttered pecans until evenly incorporated.  Freeze until firm.

Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

I have a lot of cookbooks.  Also, I love love love to read cookbooks.  Before Andrew was born I loved to go to the bookstore and browse the cookbook section for hours at a time.  (Now it’s in and out before any meltdowns or property damage occur.)  Whenever I get a new cookbook or new cooking magazine, I save it for a time when I can fully enjoy it.  You know, sit down in a quiet place and look through the whole thing undisturbed.  It’s a guilty pleasure for me.  Ben gifted me The Pastry Queen Cookbook for Christmas last year and that’s exactly what with it.  One night I finally broke it out as my bedtime reading material.  We were both laying in bed reading quietly, Ben with his book and me with The Pastry Queen when I suddenly sat up and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, what a GREAT idea!”  Ben nearly fell out of the bed I scared him so bad, and then we could not stop laughing.   I was referring to this recipe.  It combines two of my favorite things – Caesar salad and pizza.  Brilliant, I tell you!

This meal was exactly what I was hoping for.  The Caesar salad was absolutely wonderful and definitely good enough to eat all on its own (in fact, I did just that after finishing my pizza).  The combination of the salad and the crust was reminiscent of the Caesar salad with a baguette slice on the side I like to get for lunch sometimes.  My only slight disappointment was that the crust was much thicker than the picture in the book showed, and I thought the crust to salad ratio was a little too high.  Next time I will cut the quantity of dough in half and roll the crusts out to the same size so they are thinner and more crisp.   I did end up with quite a bit of leftover dressing so if you don’t want the extra, you might consider halving it.  This is a fun twist of a meal and I think it would be great for entertaining as well.

Caesar Salad Pizzas
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Ingredients:
For the crust:*
1½ cups warm water (105-115˚ F)
5 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 tsp. honey
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. semolina flour (optional)
1 tsp. coarse salt
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ cup coarse cornmeal
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

For the dressing:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 anchovy fillet
2 large eggs, beaten (or ½ cup pasteurized egg product)
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Garlic croutons
Parmesan shavings

Directions:
To make the crust, combine the water, yeast, olive oil, honey, and 3 cups of the flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the semolina flour, salt, and red pepper flakes; mix on low speed until combined.  Add in 1 more cup of the flour and mix until a soft dough comes together.  Mix on low speed about 5 minutes to knead.  Add additional flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time as needed until the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover and let rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Coat 2 baking sheets with olive oil.  Sprinkle the sheets with cornmeal.  Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  (You can also use a baking stone, preheating it with the oven – no need to oil.  Sprinkle with cornmeal just before adding the crusts.)  Divide the dough into four equal pieces, transfer to a work surface, cover with a damp towel and let rest 10-15 minutes.  Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 hours.

With a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, flatten each dough ball into an 8-inch circle.  Brush each dough round lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet or stone and bake until browned and crisp, about 10-15 minutes.

To make the dressing, combine the garlic, anchovy, eggs, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and mustard int he bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  With the processor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube in a thin, steady stream.  Pour the dressing into a bowl, stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the salad, combine the lettuce and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.  Drizzle with some of the dressing and toss to coat; add more dressing as needed.  Place a generous amount of salad on top of each warm pizza crust.  Top with croutons and Parmesan shavings, and freshly ground pepper if desired.

*For thin crusts, halve the amount of dough but roll to the same diameter.  They will need less time to bake.

Source: adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

A few months ago I was thinking about various foods and recipes I wanted to try, and I was struck by a sudden blast of inspiration – blueberry cinnamon rolls.  I’d never had them before or even heard of them before, but as soon as I imagined them, I knew they would be amazing.  I’m not going to lie, I was pretty proud of my idea until a few days later when I saw blueberry cinnamon rolls appear on another blog.  Of course I realize now plenty of people have surely made these before me, but I’m still excited about them anyway.

Since I already have a basic cinnamon roll recipe that I love, I decided to tweak it only slightly to get my desired end result.  The only real changes I made were to cut the amount of cinnamon-sugar filling, add the blueberries (duh) and make the glaze thinner and more lemony.

I’m happy to report that these were even better than I was hoping for.  Blueberries really seem to take on new magical properties after being cooked or baked and I can’t resist them!  The beautiful purple color and the juices are so delectable that I didn’t get too upset when, upon biting into one, berry juice squirted on both my cute top and shorts forcing me to change outfits about 10 minutes after getting dressed the first time.

Work them into your weekend plans.  You will be so glad you did!

PS – Andrew loved them.

Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
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Yield: 8-12 large cinnamon rolls or 12-16 smaller rolls
Ingredients:
For the cinnamon rolls:
6½ tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
5½ tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon zest
3½ cups bread flour
2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1 cup plus 2-4 tbsp. whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature

For the filling:
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ cups fresh blueberries

For the glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
6-7 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, salt and butter on medium-high speed until smooth.  Mix in the egg and lemon zest until incorporated.  Mix in the flour, yeast and milk until a dough forms.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, about 8 minutes until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky.  (You may need to add a little extra flour or liquid to achieve this texture.)  Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Mist a work surface with spray oil.  Roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the dough with flour if needed to keep it from sticking (about 12 x 14 inches for larger rolls or 9 x 18 inches for smaller rolls).  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to blend.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough.  Sprinkle the berries over the top evenly of the dough.  Starting with the wide edge, roll up the dough into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll.  Pinch the seam shut, and with the seam side down, slice the log into your desired number of rolls.  Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, placing the rolls about ½-1 inch apart.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75-90 minutes, until the rolls have grown into each other and have nearly doubled in size.  At this point, the rolls can also be covered and retarded in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Pull the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to let the dough proof.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool in the baking about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.  Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and then swirl over the top of the cinnamon rolls.  Let cool at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

I’ve never been a ham and cheese kind of girl, let alone ham and Swiss.  (On that note, why is Swiss kind of icky but Gruyere is sooo good?)  Anyway, a ham sandwich is something I pretty much never order or make at home.  To be honest, the only real reason I made these at all was to have a snack-type food to fit the green eggs and ham concept for Andrew’s Dr. Seuss birthday party.  They completely surprised me both with how popular they were at the party, and the fact that I loved them too!  A certain brother of mine may have eaten five.  Apparently a simple buttery mustard poppy seed sauce is all it takes to make a kind of eh sandwich turn into something much better.

And talk about easy – they are so easy Ben made them, twice.  (I don’t mean this negatively towards Ben, but he’s constantly telling me my idea of “easy” in the kitchen is completely different than his.)  Basically all this requires is assembling the sandwich, mixing the sauce, pouring over the top and baking briefly to melt the cheese.  I put them on the dinner menu last week on a night when I had to work late, and it was the perfect quick meal.   Our only change this time around was to simply sprinkle poppy seeds on top rather than add them to the sauce.  As you can see in the picture, they were a little clumped the first time we made them.  I wanted to get a new picture last week but, well, I ate them before I had the chance.  These are definitely an ideal party food because you can assemble them in advance and then just pop them into the oven before serving.  I have a feeling these will be on our menu a lot come football season (COME ON, football season!)

Ham and Cheese Sliders
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Ingredients:
For the sandwiches:
24 slider rolls (mini Hawaiian rolls are also recommended, but I can’t find them in my area)
24 slices honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise

For the sauce:
1½ tbsp. yellow mustard
8 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. finely minced onion (or 2 tsp. dried minced onion)
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Split the slider rolls and spread the insides lightly with mayonnaise.  Fold a slice of ham to fit on each slider bun, and top with a slice of Swiss cheese.  Replace the top bun to assemble the sandwiches.  Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Drizzle the sauce over the tops of the slider buns.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Remove the foil and bake 2 minutes longer.  Serve warm.

Source: slightly adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

A few weeks ago I took one of the best trips of my entire life.  I flew out to Boulder, CO with my friend Shanon so we could attend the Food and Light workshop.  A food photography workshop sounded fantastic on its own, but the fact that it was taught by my absolute favorite bloggers (Jen of Use Real Butter, Helene of Tartlette and Todd & Diane of White on Rice Couple) – well, it was an opportunity I absolutely could not pass up.  I’m excited to share the details of the trip, the workshop, and all the fun we had and food we ate in Boulder with all of you!  (Warning – this will be a long post, but I just can’t help myself, it was a trip packed full of amazingness!)

We arrived in Boulder on Sunday evening.  After checking in to our lodging (the Briar Rose Bed and Breakfast), we went out for dinner with one of my friends who lives in the area.  She took us to a great restaurant called The Med, which was perfect because I’d been reading their menu online for days before the trip.

The meal was phenomenal.  We ordered wine and an assortment of tapas including an unbelievable cheese plate with brillat, balasmic glazed cherries and bread (more on this later).  For my entree I had a seafood paella that was incredible.  It was a huge portion but I ate an embarrassing amount anyway.  For dessert I had a gooey chocolate cake with caramel ice cream.  Wow, what a great meal and a perfect way to start out the trip.

On Monday morning we had breakfast at our B&B.  I never know quite what to expect at these places and think the food is sometimes mediocre, but it was just lovely.  The little breakfast nook where we sat was so beautiful and peaceful.  The B&B is eco-friendly and serves organic, vegetarian foods.  I loved everything about it and will definitely stay there next time I’m in Boulder.

After breakfast we walked over to the workshop for our first day.  I was excited and maybe a tad nervous.  When we walked in and I saw Jen and Helene for the first time, I was seriously star-struck.  For me, this is the equivalent of meeting a celebrity and I was on cloud nine (still am, I think!)  Jen started out the morning by discussing the basics of dSLRs, shooting manually, etc.  Honestly I could hardly pay attention because the whole time I was thinking, “OMG, that’s JEN!”  (Later in the morning, a few other bloggers approached me in a similar manner as though I was some kind of special person they were excited to meet.  It was very surreal and flattering, but I’m not used to that sort of thing!)

Much of the workshop was hands-on practice time which was wonderful.  Since the workshop was held in a art gallery, we obviously couldn’t do cooking for our shoots.  They had a table full of fruits, veggies, spices, and some baked goods for us to practice with.  Another table had dishes and a few linens.  Here are a few of the pictures I took the first morning.  (You are all shocked I chose to shoot cupcakes, right?)

After the morning shoot, we had a break for lunch.  Thankfully they gave us ample time to enjoy the amazing restaurants that Boulder has to offer.  We went to lunch with a few other conference attendees and had so much fun!  We headed over to Brasserie Ten Ten, a French restaurant right across the street from The Med.  These women were all so sweet and wonderful, and it was such fun to talk shop with others who have similar interests.

We were given the assignment of photographing our lunch.  I think I chose one of the least photogenic items on the menu (moules a la marinere), but I don’t care because it tasted ah-mazing.  I ate every last bite and loved it.

After lunch we returned for a presentation by Todd and Diane on lenses, focus, and natural light.  The elements they discussed were extremely useful, and I have already incorporated them into my own practice since returning home.  Afterwards we had another hands-on practice session and these are a few of the shots I took.

(Thank God someone finally cut that cake!  I only had a little bite but it was delicious.)

After the first day of the workshop, Shanon and I set out to (quite literally) eat our way through Boulder.  Since we were only there for less than 48 hours, we did our best to make the most of our time and hit as many places as we could.  The cheese plate from The Med was so phenomenal the first night that we decided to start our evening out there for their tapas happy hour.

We had these spicy harissa-scallion deviled eggs.  I’m a deviled egg fanatic, and I just couldn’t resist!

We also tried these fried artichoke hearts with lemon aioli – unbelievable.  I need some more now, please.

And because it was probably our favorite food of the trip, we ordered the cheese plate with balsamic cherries again.  It’s just indescribable.

Hey, it’s me having the time of my life!

We made a quick stop at our B&B to change and drop our stuff, and then we headed back out for dinner at The Kitchen.

The ambience in this restaurant was wonderful.  I loved the simplicity of the decor, the menu, everything.  But my absolute favorite thing about this place was the extremely attractive waiters.  Every one of them was eye candy and Shanon and I were giggling like little girls the entire meal trying to choose the cutest one.  (It was our waiter, I have decided.)

As for the meal itself, I had a hard time deciding and ended up choosing three small plates.  One was a green salad with a lemony vinaigrette – it was okay, but a little to simple of a salad for me.  Literally just greens and viniagrette – it was too much of the same thing.  I also had their macaroni and cheese which was good but not the best I’ve had.  I also tried the chilled zucchini basil soup.  I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it but that ended up being my favorite part of the meal.  I thought the serving size was too big for something with such a strong flavor, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Much of Boulder is very eco-minded and this place was no exception.  They served all local food and even ran on local wind power.  They are also really big on giving back to the community – how awesome is that?!

After dinner, we headed back to Ten Ten since we didn’t have the chance for dessert there during lunchtime.

I ended up choosing the profiteroles which were wonderful.  Now I want to make my own (soon!)

The second day of the workshop started out with talks by Todd and Diane, and Helene covering artificial lighting, light bounce, and basic styling.  This was also extremely useful.  I loved learning from all these geniuses!

During the subsequent hands-on practice session, Helene and Diane each did a quick food styling demo.  It was so cool to watch Helene set up one of her “classic Tartlette” shots.  Being familiar with the photos on her site, I would have thought each one took hours to set up but it only took her a few minutes to come up with an amazing scene.  Talk about gifted.

These are a few of the photos I took that morning.

For lunch on day two, we made a beeline for Sushi Tora.  We’ve been excited about eating there for months.  It did not disappoint.  We had roasted edamame and four different sushi rolls: shrimp tempura (my standard favorite), spider roll, orgasm roll, and another that escapes me at the moment – maybe spicy tuna.  We ate it all.  My stomach is a bottomless pit when it comes to sushi.

After lunch we came back for a bit more practice shooting and a wrap-up session.  Oh, and I must mention that we received totally rockin’ swag bags.  I can’t even begin to list all the things they included, but they were so bountiful that though we had only carry on luggage on the trip to Boulder, we had to check a bag on the way back because of all our stuff!  (Including Wüsthof knives – I’m pretty sure that’s not allowed to be a carry on.)

And this is probably a life highlight for me – a picture with Jen and Helene = coolest thing ever.  I was in heaven.  This trip was truly life-changing.  I met so many kind and talented people, ate a LOT of really amazing food and learned so much useful information.  I only wish I had had more time to interact with everyone, and definitely more time to spend eating and exploring in Boulder.  Since returning home my shooting methods have already changed quite a bit for the better, and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to attend this workshop.  Way to go, guys, you did a truly outstanding job!

PS – I also have to give a quick shout out to my new blogging friend Paula who so graciously offered us a ride to the airport so we could avoid taking the shuttle bus.  She is a genuinely nice person, and I love her blog.  Thanks again, Paula!

Celebrating National Ice Cream Month with a new flavor each week is one of the best chores I have ever created for myself.  I mean, does it even count as a chore if I enjoy it this much?  I asked Ben for input on the flavor for the week and it took him about 0.02 seconds to declare peanut butter as the winner.  I said sure, but let’s mix in some Reese’s cups and if I remember correctly, he kissed me right then and there :)  This recipe is great because if you are like us and consider peanut butter a pantry staple, chances are you have everything you need to make it on hand.  The only thing we needed to buy were the Reese’s cups.  (We don’t keep those around the house because let’s just say someone who shall remain nameless can’t stop popping them in her mouth.)  It seems a fact of nature that chocolate and peanut butter are a perfect pair, and this ice cream was certainly evidence of that.  I think the peanut butter base would also be fantastic with a fudge ripple – I may try that next time!

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway for copies of The Perfect Scoop last week!  I had such fun reading everyone’s favorite flavors of ice cream, and it gave me lots of inspiration for new varieties to try.
Without further ado, here are our winners:
#191 – Lucy said, “I’m all for trying other flavors but I still go back to chocolate chip, my all time favorite! Love your blog!!!
#409 – Lydia said, “I studied abroad in Italy in the summer of 2004 and I absolutely know I can attribute the majority of my weight gain to Gelato!! I for some reason REALLY loved the vanilla.. I don’t know what it was about it but it was just beyond amazing! (of course I cant even remember its Italian name).”
#175 – Shannon said, “My favorite flavor is actually a creation I make a Coldstone. I take the banana ice cream and mix it up with oreos, cookie dough and chocolate fudge. Tastes like a frozen banana! I LOVE IT.”
#567 – Erin said, “Mackinac Island Fudge!”

(Take notice for the next giveaway, all the winners answered the question I asked by listing a single flavor of ice cream ;))

Peanut Butter Ice Cream
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Ingredients:
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
2 2/3 cups half-and-half
Pinch of coarse salt
Dash of vanilla extract
1 heaping cup mini Reese’s cups, wrappers removed, frozen and chopped (optional)

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients (minus the candy) in a blender or food processor; and puree until completely smooth.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  When the mixture is chilled through, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  To mix in the Reese’s, transfer the ice cream to a storage container and gently fold in the peanut butter cup pieces until evenly distributed.

Source: adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

I believe I may have discussed before the “salads” of my childhood – plain iceberg lettuce topped with sliced carrots and a bottled salad dressing.  It’s no wonder I had such an aversion to salad for such a long time.  I had no idea what a fantastic meal they can make.  Granted, my dad was a single parent raising three very rowdy kids, so I hardly know how he got dinner on the table at all.  Even so, a little more variety would have made a world of difference for me.  The first real salad I ever truly liked was Caesar salad, and thanks to that little love affair, my tastes have grown to appreciate all sorts of wonderful varieties of salads.

Of late, ranch salad dressing has been my new fling and I am head over heels.  Crunchy romaine lettuce with tomatoes, red onion, homemade croutons and grilled chicken – add in this dressing and you have a meal I love so much, I crave it every single night.  Now that is a salad I can get on board with.  The measurements for the herbs in the dressing may seem a bit vague, but it’s important to taste and make adjustments accordingly.  The recipe only calls for chives and parsley, but I think dill would be a lovely addition as well.  That said, I don’t think I’ll change a single thing next time because I just love it so much as it is.

Ranch Dressing
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Ingredients:
¾ cup mayonnaise (I use light)
¾ cup sour cream (I use light)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼-1 cup buttermilk (I use the full cup)
1 small bunch chives
Small handful parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor starting with ¼ cup of the buttermilk and blend for 10 seconds.  Check the consistency and taste and blend in additional buttermilk as desired.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Note: For all those asking how long this keeps, I don’t know exactly since I’m not a food scientist.  I would imagine as long as any of the separate components might keep in the refrigerator.  Mine kept at least two weeks before we had used it all.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from The Gourmet Cookbook, 2004

It seems somewhere along the way I blinked my eyes and I have finished my first year of residency.  Wow, that was fast!  I measured the year not in 525,600 minutes (sorry, couldn’t resist), but in batches of birthday cupcakes – to be exact.  It has been so much fun playing cupcake fairy for everyone, and seeing how excited everyone gets when “it’s cupcake day!”  These double chocolate raspberry cupcakes were my last batch of birthday cupcakes for the academic year.  A wonderful choice by a wonderful coworker, I was thrilled to make them and even more so to eat them.  If you’ve been reading for a while you may recall that I have another chocolate raspberry cupcake recipe posted but as far as I’m concerned, you can’t have too many.  This one uses a homemade raspberry filling where the other uses jam and these are topped with ganache while the others have a raspberry jam buttercream.  One thing I did keep consistent was the garnish of a ganache-filled raspberry.  It’s a sweet little surprise I just can’t resist.

I thought it would be fun to look back on all the different kinds of treats we enjoyed this past year.  Not everyone chose cupcakes, and some cupcakes were repeats due to popular demand.  I’m already looking forward to whatever flavors of cupcakes this new year will bring!

Strawberry Cupcakes
Carrot Cupcakes
Fauxstess Cupcakes
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Banana Caramel Cupcakes
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Mocha Brownie Cupcakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Pumpkin Butterscotch Cupcakes
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Pina Colada Cupcakes
S’mores Cupcakes
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
Black Forest Cupcakes
German Chocolate Cupcakes
Perfect Party Cupcakes with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Easy Vanilla Buttercream
Pecan Bars
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes (again)
Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (again)
Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes
Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
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Yield: 24-28 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
1¼ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups buttermilk
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen raspberries, thawed
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

For the frosting:
12 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
1½ tbsp. sugar
1½ tbsp. corn syrup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; add the hot coffee and let stand a minute or two, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs on medium-high speed until slightly thickened and pale yellow.  Slowly add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, mixing until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the raspberry filling, puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan to remove the seeds.  Whisk in the sugar and cornstarch, and heat, stirring frequently until the mixture boils.  Once it has thickened, remove the pan from the heat.  Chill before using.

Meanwhile, make the ganache.  Add the chopped chocolate to a medium heatproof bowl.  In a saucepan combine the cream, corn syrup and sugar.  Heat until just boiling.  Immediately pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate and let stand a few minutes to melt.  Whisk in small circular motions until the mixture is smooth and blended, then whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.  Let the mixture stand at room temperature to thicken slightly, so it can be piped or spread.

To assemble the cupcakes, place the raspberry filling in a pastry bag.  (I used a tip specifically for injecting fillings, but a plain tip is fine too.  This cake is soft enough that you can just stick the tip into the top of the cupcake and pipe away.)  Pipe a few teaspoons of filling into each cupcake.  Spread the ganache over the tops of the cupcakes.  If desired, pipe excess ganache inside fresh raspberries and place on top of the frosted cupcakes (be sure to do this before the frosting sets.)  Allow to set completely before serving.

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet, March 1999

Not long ago I did a post about my weekly menu planning process and I showed an example of our weekly menu board.  After seeing that menu, many readers requested the recipe for this crispy baked chicken with teriyaki sauce.  I was already planning on sharing it anyway, but after all the requests it was a done deal.  This recipe comes from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by the fabulous Jaden Hair.  After hearing good things about this book on blog after blog, I knew I needed a copy for myself.  As soon as it arrived I read it basically cover to cover and let me tell you, I am pumped.  It is chock full of recipes that I can’t wait to try, and by the time I finished looking through it I was practically (okay, literally) drooling.

This is the first thing I have made from the book and it was a great choice.  The chicken is baked with a coating of flour and panko to keep it crispy.  In fact, it uses the method from my very favorite chicken Parmesan for keeping the breading light and crisp, so I knew this would be a winner.  Having the teriyaki sauce on the side made this far better than any chicken teriyaki I have ever tried, that can be coated in an overly sweet and sticky sauce.  This way you can control exactly how much sauce you want to use.  I was having a hard time deciding on a side dish for this meal but eventually I settled on veggie fried rice from none other than Jaden once again.  Her shrimp fried rice is one of my very favorite dinners (also included in the cookbook), so I used the same basic recipe but minus the shrimp and with extra veggies added.  Great main dish, great side dish, great meal – case closed.

Crispy Baked Chicken with Citrus Teriyaki Sauce
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Ingredients:
For the sauce:
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp. sake
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. mirin

For the chicken:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 large eggs
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3)
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
To make the sauce, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, sake, sugar and mirin in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 6 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  In a second bowl, lightly beat the eggs together.  Place the panko in a third shallow bowl or pie plate.  Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Butterfly the chicken breasts into halves so that you have 4-6 pieces total.  Lightly season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Using tongs and working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture to coat both sides.  Shake lightly to remove any excess.  Then dip into the eggs and shake gently to remove any excess.  Finally place in the panko, turning to coat well.  Transfer to the prepared wire rack.  Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.  Once all the chicken pieces are in place, spray lightly with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden.  Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.  Serve with the teriyaki dipping sauce.

Source: slightly adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair

Here’s my big problem with cherries – I love them so, so much in their pure form that I almost never bake or do anything with them because before I do, I end up eating them all.  I wait all year long for cherry season and when it is finally here, I eat them like nobody’s business.  Literally every day.  When I saw the recipe for this sweet cherry pie though, I needed to try it right away.  My sweet Ben went out and bought a double allotment of cherries the very next day so I had some to bake with and still plenty to eat.

This recipe does have a few odd techniques, like adding a plum to the mix and using ground up tapioca as a thickener.  I sometimes wonder if Cook’s Illustrated makes things more complicated than they need to be, but then the recipes always turn out perfectly so I guess they are right.  Same situation here – this was without a doubt the best cherry pie I have ever made (or tasted).  They do suggest grinding the tapioca in a coffee grinder or food processor, but I don’t have a coffee grinder and my food processor was temporarily out of commission at the time.  Instead, I put it in a plastic bag and tried to crush it with a rolling pin, but I don’t think it made any difference.  It didn’t even matter in the end because I couldn’t tell at all.  Next time I’m not sure I’ll bother with that step, but I do think the addition of the plum was important in adding a tart counterbalance to the sweet cherries.  Served with some homemade vanilla ice cream, this is a perfect summer dessert.

Sweet Cherry Pie
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Ingredients:
Double crust pie dough (or your preferred pie crust)
2 red plums, halved and pitted
6 cups pitted, halved sweet cherries (or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries), divided
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. instant tapioca, ground
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:
To make the filling, process the plums and 1 cup of the cherries in a food processor or blender until smooth, about 1 minute.  Strain the the puree through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.  Add the remaining cherries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, tapioca and cinnamon to the bowl.  Mix well to combine; let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F and place a baking sheet on an oven rack.  Line a 9-inch pie plate with a round of pie dough.  Transfer the cherry mixture to the dough-lined pie plate.  Scatter the butter pieces evenly over the fruit.  Top with the second round of pie dough.  Pinch the edges of the dough together in a fluted pattern.  Brush the top evenly with the egg wash.  Using a sharp paring knife, cut 8 evenly spaced slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.  Place the pie in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  Lower the oven temperature to 350˚ F and continue baking about 30-40 minutes more, until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature so the filling has time to set up and thicken, 2-3 hours.  Slice and serve.

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, July & August 2010

Did you know that July is national ice cream month?  I don’t know where or when these things get decided, but I’m pretty excited about it nonetheless.  Personally my love of ice cream, sorbet and other frozen treats knows no season.  I still make and eat ice cream in the dead of winter.  But if there is a month for celebrating ice cream then let’s celebrate it!  Just as I consider Helen of Tarlette the queen of macarons, I consider David Lebovitz the king (god?) of ice cream, etc.  I own a few ice cream cookbooks but The Perfect Scoop is without a doubt the bible of ice cream.

In honor of national ice cream month, I’ll be posting at least one ice cream-related treat each week.  The recipe for this pistachio gelato doesn’t actually come from The Perfect Scoop but rather from David’s fantastic blog.  Now I normally try to avoid recipes that call for specialty ingredients, but I also know that David only posts reliable recipes that will yield the best end result.  If he thinks pistachio cream is necessary for good homemade pistachio gelato, then I believe him.  You can read about his thoughts on creating this recipe here.  I didn’t really even try finding this locally as it surely would have been a fruitless search.  I ordered mine online.  The only thing to watch out for is that the size of jar I ordered was slightly less than the amount called for in the recipe.  It wasn’t a significant difference so I just made it with what I had and the result was wonderful, but next time I’ll order two jars at least.  Plus then I’ll have some left over for adding to buttercream and other things – this stuff is gooood.  (The differences between ice cream and gelato are best saved for another time and another post, but if you own The Perfect Scoop you can read David’s thoughts on the matter in the introduction.)

And the gelato?  Well, it’s good too.  Actually it’s much better than good.  I loved the thick, smooth texture and the pretty green color.  Even though it may seem to make a small quantity, it actually lasted about five or six nights of dessert in our house because a single scoop is so satisfying.  (I do not seem to have such restraint with coffee or chocolate ice cream.)

Now, on to the giveaway!  If by some sad turn of events you do not yet own a copy of this wonderful book, this could be your lucky day.  Four readers will win their own copy of The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me your absolute SINGLE favorite flavor of ice cream (homemade, store-bought, from an ice cream parlor, whatever!)

The Rules: One entry per person, U.S. residents only.  Commenting will close on Sunday, July 4 at 10:00 am, EST.  Entries that do not follow the entry requirements will not be considered.  Four winners will be chosen at random and announced next week.  Good luck!

Pistachio Gelato
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Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk, divided
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
7 oz. pistachio paste (I used closer to 5.5 oz)
A few drops of lemon juice

Directions:
Combine ¼ cup whole milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl; whisk together to form a slurry so all the cornstarch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.  Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is almost to a boil.  Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at a gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, preferably overnight.  Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, whisk in the pistachio paste and a few drops of lemon juice.  Freeze the gelato in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Source: barely adapted from David Lebovitz