It has been what seems like an eternity since I have posted here and I attribute much of that to recovering from this "attempt-at-flying" accident I had this August. It has taken forever to get to feeling normal and I didn't feel like eating for a long time and cooking was really a lot of work. I has been just over 3 months and I am finally feeling like I'm coming back to a sense of normalcy.
During that time I have told you about some ice creams that I have tried and that has been fun. I sat my kids down during one of the holiday celebrations and we talked about some ice cream flavors they might like to see. Here are a few of them:
Candied Almond
Bananas Foster
Pumpkin Pie
Dark Chocolate Cherry
Amaretto
Egg Nog
Cardamom
Chocolate/Cayenne
Dark Chocolate/Caramel/Sea Salt
Malted Milk
Toasted Coconut
Malibu Rum
Browned Butter
Those are some of the ideas my kids came up with and I like all of them. It will take a while to work my way through all of these along with the normal fun of cooking for daily life but it will be a great adventure in any case.
Another adventure that is coming up in the next couple of weeks is an annual wild game feed at my church, the Vineyard Church here in Duluth. I did my first one ( and their first one) last year about this time and it was an absolute blast!
Many, many folks donated game and brought their own dishes to be shared and it was a total success. We fed about 100 to 120 people with plenty for everyone.
Last year we cooked Elk Sliders, Walleye Cakes, Baked Walleye fillets, Venison Bourguignon,
Wild Rice Pilaf, Roast Wild Turkey and a host of other fun things. It happens this year on the 17th of December and if you might think of coming you are officially invited.
Another adventure that has been rolling around in my head is something I mentioned here some time ago and haven't yet pursued. My friends Lisa, Anita and I have been kicking around the idea of an "underground dining" experience where we would invite 10 to 15 people for a 5 course meal including wine and charge 25 or 30 dollars a head for the evening.
I recently watched a show on the cooking channel called The 4 Coursemen that did just this. There was a group of 5 people that collaborated on a dinner in a house in Georgia somewhere and did just what we have been talking about. It was fascinating! I am getting more and more pumped to do this. My friend Lisa has a large enough dining area to accommodate 10 or 12, I think, and she is interested in this concept as well. We need to get together and work out the details and find our 10 to 12 people to invite that might be willing to part with enough money to make it happen and we would all enjoy some killer food together. We will be getting together in January for a brunch event that involves our normal gourmet group and I am sure we'll talk about it then, if not before.
Enough of my food ramblings for now,
Good eating!
Tim
Showing posts with label Ice Cream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ice Cream. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Candied Bacon Ice Cream
I decided to try an ice cream including one of my favorite ingredients, bacon. I checked a few recipes and decided to adapt them to my own tastes using the best of two or three of them and making my own version.
It began with candied bacon as the impetus for the flavor profile and the rest was a standard custard-style recipe using egg yolks and cream as well as half and half for the base. I start with the bacon being cooked in the oven on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and lay 5 or 6 slices of thick sliced bacon on it, sprinkled with Sugar in the Raw and a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then flip the bacon and sprinkle with the sugar and pepper and cook for another 15 minutes. Set the bacon on a rack to cool and finely chop.
Start with:
3 T salted butter
3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2 3/4 Cups Half& Half
5 Large egg yolks
2-3 teaspoons Bourbon
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Combine the 1/2&1/2, Sugar, Cinnamon and Vanilla in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until hot and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot 1/2 & 1/2 mixture to temper the eggs and then return the yolk mixture to the saucepan, beating constantly and cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 175 degrees F or coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and add the Bourbon, letting it cool and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
Place in an ice cream machine and process according to the mfrs. instructions.
Add the Bacon in the last 5 minutes and process until thickened.
Place in freezer containers and freeze for 2-3 hours, then serve and enjoy!
Tim
It began with candied bacon as the impetus for the flavor profile and the rest was a standard custard-style recipe using egg yolks and cream as well as half and half for the base. I start with the bacon being cooked in the oven on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and lay 5 or 6 slices of thick sliced bacon on it, sprinkled with Sugar in the Raw and a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then flip the bacon and sprinkle with the sugar and pepper and cook for another 15 minutes. Set the bacon on a rack to cool and finely chop.
Start with:
3 T salted butter
3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2 3/4 Cups Half& Half
5 Large egg yolks
2-3 teaspoons Bourbon
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Combine the 1/2&1/2, Sugar, Cinnamon and Vanilla in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until hot and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot 1/2 & 1/2 mixture to temper the eggs and then return the yolk mixture to the saucepan, beating constantly and cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 175 degrees F or coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and add the Bourbon, letting it cool and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
Place in an ice cream machine and process according to the mfrs. instructions.
Add the Bacon in the last 5 minutes and process until thickened.
Place in freezer containers and freeze for 2-3 hours, then serve and enjoy!
Tim
Friday, October 15, 2010
Dark Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Cream
I have been playing with various ice cream recipes lately and finding some very fun combinations as I experiment with them. My latest trial is combining my love for dark chocolate with my love for red wine. It has resulted in a fine ice cream.
Here is the recipe I came up with:
2 1/4 Cups whole milk
2 1/4 Cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/8 Cups granulated sugar
1 1/8 Cups Dutch process cocoa
2 Large eggs
2 Large egg yolks
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 oz. Cabernet Sauvignon wine
In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream over medium-low heat.
Add the vanilla and bring to a bare simmer and remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg yolks and beat until thickened similar to the consistency of mayonnaise. mix 1 cup of the milk/cream mixture into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream to temper the egg mixture.
Stir the chopped chocolate into the saucepan with the milk mixture and then the egg mixture into the milk mixture in a steady stream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the consistency resembles a chocolate pudding,(170 degrees). Transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 3 hours.
Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl and process until thickened, about 25-30 minutes and transfer to containers into the freezer to harden, about 2 hours.
This stuff is awesome!
Tim
Here is the recipe I came up with:
2 1/4 Cups whole milk
2 1/4 Cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/8 Cups granulated sugar
1 1/8 Cups Dutch process cocoa
2 Large eggs
2 Large egg yolks
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 oz. Cabernet Sauvignon wine
In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream over medium-low heat.
Add the vanilla and bring to a bare simmer and remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg yolks and beat until thickened similar to the consistency of mayonnaise. mix 1 cup of the milk/cream mixture into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream to temper the egg mixture.
Stir the chopped chocolate into the saucepan with the milk mixture and then the egg mixture into the milk mixture in a steady stream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the consistency resembles a chocolate pudding,(170 degrees). Transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 3 hours.
Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl and process until thickened, about 25-30 minutes and transfer to containers into the freezer to harden, about 2 hours.
This stuff is awesome!
Tim
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Bourbon Ice Cream
I have been searching lately for some interesting recipes for ice cream to hone my skills and technique at the ice cream machine. I have found some interesting ones and one of those has Bourbon in it. I like the flavor of Bourbon in cooking and sipping so I thought this one might be interesting. It was. Here's the deal:
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Cups Half & Half
1/2 Cup Nonfat dry milk powder
6 large Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 Cup (packed) Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
5 Tablespoons Bourbon
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Bring the first 3 ingredients to a simmer in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the milk powder dissolves completely. Remove from heat.
Combine egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar and kosher salt in a large bowl; whisk until thick and blended. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return mixture to to the same saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (175 to 178 degrees), about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Bourbon and Vanilla. Refrigerate the custard uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours. Process in an ice cream maker and transfer to containers and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Serve however you like!
I have heard that the longer you chill the custard before processing, the smoother the ice cream and this has proven true. This stuff is amazingly smooth. I hope you will try it and others I pass along here.
Tim
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Cups Half & Half
1/2 Cup Nonfat dry milk powder
6 large Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 Cup (packed) Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
5 Tablespoons Bourbon
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Bring the first 3 ingredients to a simmer in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the milk powder dissolves completely. Remove from heat.
Combine egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar and kosher salt in a large bowl; whisk until thick and blended. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return mixture to to the same saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (175 to 178 degrees), about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Bourbon and Vanilla. Refrigerate the custard uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours. Process in an ice cream maker and transfer to containers and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Serve however you like!
I have heard that the longer you chill the custard before processing, the smoother the ice cream and this has proven true. This stuff is amazingly smooth. I hope you will try it and others I pass along here.
Tim
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
New Ice Cream maker
My lovely wife brought me a new toy the other day in the form of a Cuisinart ICE-30BC ice cream maker. We have been talking about this for quite a while and I now have a little time on my hands so we decided to purchase one. I have been wanting to experiment with some unusual flavors of ice cream, like Dark Chocolate with Cayenne, maybe a Bacon version, Salted Caramel, things like that.
My first batch went in tonight and it was fairly innocuous but still interesting; I made a traditional Vanilla but added some Buttered and Salted Pistachios to the mix. I love that sweet-salt combination and I happened to have Pistachios on hand so I added 1 1/2 cups of chopped Pistachios to 2 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt.
The remainder of the recipe is pretty simple, including some cream, whole milk, sugar and Vanilla. That went into the machine and about 25 minutes in I added the Pistachios for the last 5 minutes. The machine produces a fairly soft ice cream so I saved a little to taste (quite nice, by the way) and put the remainder in containers in the freezer to harden up for tomorrow.
I was really pleased with the results in terms of taste; nice and creamy, and I am looking forward to seeing how well it freezes up and what that texture ends up like.
I look forward to reporting on the final results and how Teresa likes it as well!
Tim
My first batch went in tonight and it was fairly innocuous but still interesting; I made a traditional Vanilla but added some Buttered and Salted Pistachios to the mix. I love that sweet-salt combination and I happened to have Pistachios on hand so I added 1 1/2 cups of chopped Pistachios to 2 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt.
The remainder of the recipe is pretty simple, including some cream, whole milk, sugar and Vanilla. That went into the machine and about 25 minutes in I added the Pistachios for the last 5 minutes. The machine produces a fairly soft ice cream so I saved a little to taste (quite nice, by the way) and put the remainder in containers in the freezer to harden up for tomorrow.
I was really pleased with the results in terms of taste; nice and creamy, and I am looking forward to seeing how well it freezes up and what that texture ends up like.
I look forward to reporting on the final results and how Teresa likes it as well!
Tim
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