Crunchy Ice Cream Sandwiches
It’s National Ice Cream Sandwich Day- these rice krispy ice cream treats look extra Yummly!
Posts Tagged ‘Dairy’
Honey Lemon Lavender Ice Cream
Happy first day of July! Today is Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day- what is the most creative ice cream flavor you have tried or made? If you haven’t, try this recipe of the day:
I’ve never really met a cheese I didn’t like. I’ll even cop to the occasional burger with American cheese and have been known to eat the stuff from the squirty cans (a long time ago!)
My love of cheese made the prospect of a “cheese social” with 60 other like-minded people, a whole lot of Point Reyes Blue and Redhawk plus wine too hard to pass up. But what to serve alongside that would be unique and stand out? Sigh. The decisions I must make!
I felt like the occasion called for a recipe I’d clipped from a past issue of Gourmet magazine. Chardonnay Gelee (“no, it’s NOT jello”) sounded odd but interesting. The blend of reduced Chardonnay, sugar and star anise turned into a beautiful presentation which paired well with the more assertive types of cheese on display.
Chardonnay gelee.
Chardonnay Gelee
- 1 cup Chardonnay
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 segment star anise (not whole star anise)
- Scant teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz envelope)
- 2 tablespoons water
Lightly oil a 1 cup ramekin or bowl. Bring chardonnay, sugar, and star anise to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in a small cup and let soften 1 minute. Stir gelatin into hot Chardonnay mixture until dissolved, then discard star anise. Cool slightly, then pour Chardonnay mixture into ramekin and chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours.
Dip bottom two thirds of ramekin in a bowl of hot water 20 seconds. Run a sharp paring knife around edge of gelee, then invert ramekin onto a serving plate and, holding ramekin and plate together, firmly shake to unmold gelee.
Pairs well with rich, strong cheese such as aged chevre or Stilton on a thinly sliced baguette.
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet. Adapted from Bistro Le Crillon.
Good selections for pairing.
Who can resist these?
Buttermilk cupcakes
Last week as I was looking through my semi-empty refrigerator I spotted a rather large, unopened container of buttermilk I purchased some time ago. With the expiration date looming I realized I was in a race against the clock before I would be forced to throw it out. The challenge? Find recipes using one ingredient – buttermilk – but NOT introduce new ones into the mix. It was a challenge I accepted (although only the cat was around to witness and she’s keeping quiet for now.)
After scouring recipes, sites and my cupboards I found a few options, one being a Devil’s food buttermilk cake recipe printed on the side of an unopened box of cake flour. A friend recently mentioned that the recipes on boxes of products (eg., cake flour, chocolate chips) are somewhat foolproof because they’ve been thoroughly tested by the manufacturer to ensure a quality outcome.
The outcome of my leftovers was a tasty batch of cupcakes and the satisfactory feeling that something so good isn’t all that bad (except for the buttercream frosting piled on top.) Despite it’s name, buttermilk is lower in fat and calories than regular milk and high in potassium, vitamin B12 and calcium. It’s also more easily digestible than whole milk and contains more lactic acid than skim milk.
All good news given the amount still left in the rather large carton in the fridge. If I’ve learned anything here it’s to buy the smaller carton next time or give the cat a treat!
Deluxe Devil’s Food Cake/Cupcakes
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 t clear vanilla
- ¾ t almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups Pillsbury softasilk cake flour
- 1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (valrhona)
- 2 t baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk
Heat oven to 350 F. Place paper cupcake fillers in a pan (approx. 24-30)
Beat sugar, 1 cup butter, 1 t clear vanilla and ¾ teaspoon almond extract in a large bowl with electric mixed on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat eggs on at a time. Mix cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; beat into creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk on medium speed. Beat 1 minute longer. Pour into cupcake liners.
Bake 18 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely.
Makes approx. 24 – 28 cupcakes.
Recipe courtesy of Pillsbury.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces unsalted butter (1 cup) cut into cubes, room temperature
- 2 pounds powdered sugar (8 cups)
- ½ cup milk (start with ¼ cup, add more until desired consistency)
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 oz. melted bittersweet chocolate, cooled
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and milk, alternately then add vanilla and salt. Mix on low speed until fluffy and smooth. Melt chocolate until smooth. Cool. Add to the buttercream.