Jeni, Jeni
You’re the girl for me
You don’t know me
But you make me so happy
How could Tommy Tutone have known, way back then? Courtesy of my new book, “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home”, I am now an ice cream maker. Well, I have an ice cream maker. And Jeni’s got the recipes.
This is what I’ve tried so far:
(Please forgive the lack of pictures. I'll do better next time.)
-Chocolate Peanut Butter (a combination of The Buckeye State Ice Cream & The Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World) This is the clear winner so far. Not so much because it is a superior ice cream, but because its chocolate and peanut butter. Few are immune. I chopped up some Reese’s PB Cups for a fun addition, but I don’t think it needed it. Pretty darn outstanding on its own.
-Cinnamon Ice Cream (a variation of Star Anise Ice Cream) My intention was to have a scoop of this cinnamon ice cream atop a slice of homemade peach pie. Unfortunately, the ice cream got a little too soft in transit, so it ended up being more like a soup. Not very picturesque, but pretty tasty. I think I like the simpler flavours. I’m looking forward to trying other spices, and a chai version.
-Gucci Muu Muu (chocolate & curry!). This was a special request from Rachel for Asian-Fusion Night. In case you are not able to break our super-secret code, this is a night on which we make and eat foods from Asia. It’s crazy! Not really. But the ice cream is. The texture is divine, but there is definitely a curry kick, and it’s kind of weird. Not good. Not bad. Just weird. The recipe called for toasted unsweetened coconut flakes. I used sweetened, and neglected to toast it. I think the toasting would really help the texture. I will definitely toast next time. And use unsweetened. But I’m not sure I need to make chocolate curry again. You can never be sure though…
-Bangkok Peanut Ice Cream. As I had my reservations about the above ice cream, I chose to make an alternate Asian-esque ice cream. This was delicious, though same coconut issues as above. It also had a pinch of cayenne, which gave just a little back of the throat burn. It was nice. Peanut is a good ice cream flavour.
-Cucumber, Honeydew & Cayenne Frozen Yogurt. The book recommended this as a pairing for the Bangkok Peanut. So why not? Thoughts: The yogurt tang is awesome! I love it, and am looking forward to the next frozen yogurt. The honeydew didn’t really come through, nor did the cayenne. It was mostly cucumber. Now the recipe called for an English Hothouse cuke, and I used a standard, so maybe that’s the reason. Though I enjoyed eating it, I think it was the idea of it more than the taste. All I could think was tzatziki. Which is good stuff, but not really what you’re looking for in ice cream. Worth a try though.
What other flavours are on the docket, you may be asking. Well… Scarlet & Earl Grey (black tea & cherries), Kona Stout (coffee & beer), Baked Apple Sorbet, Queen City Cayenne (bittersweet chocolate & cayenne), Black Coffee, and Grapefruit Hibiscus Frozen Yogurt (based on color alone).
I bought a tart pan a while ago. Not the most practical kitchen gadget – how much use is it going to get? How much precious storage space is it going to require? I can’t remember now what I bought it for, but it was for something specific, not just a random kitchen filler. So hopefully that went well. Because I forgot about it for a long time. Exactly how long I’m not sure. But long enough to not remember why I bought it.
But I digress. It’s back, and in heavy rotation. I’m churning out adorable tarts as often as I can. I’m up to 3 uses, but that’s all this week. I feel like it’s future will be busy. Check out the spinach pie with artfully arranged artichoke hearts. It’s just so adorable. Oh, and I’ve also blind-baked for the first time in this little guy. Pinto beans in a coffee filter. I did the first one, and then forgot to put the beans in for the second, and found out why you need the beans. Major shrinkage. By the third, I was back to beans.
To inaugurate a different pan, I made the balance of the tarts even tinier and more adorable, if it’s possible. There’s the Trudy (a Belize-inspired coconut tart) and the Zane (a district convention-inspired combination of lemony cream cheese and maple apples). (The Trudy was for nostalgia, the Zane is a work in progress for October’s visit.)
Oh, I almost forgot about the muffins. Lately I’ve been having gnat issues. I don’t know if they’re really gnats, but they’re tiny, and they fly. And they like food. Especially ripe fruit. To curb the tiny pests, I’ve been trying to keep as much as possible refrigerated. But you know how you forget about stuff in the fridge? Yeah, me too. So there’s 1 banana on my counter. It’s not black yet. But it’s a little too ripe for my tastes. If I don’t handle it now, it’ll go overripe and bring the bugs. If I put it in the fridge, I’ll forget about it. What do you do with 1 banana? You quarter a recipe. And hope for the best when you don’t have any baking soda or eggs. Stock of essentials seriously depleted. They didn’t hold together well, but they tasted amazing. Banana and walnut and vanilla and butter. Really good butter. I call it a win.
First of all, is it or is it not the most exciting thing ever when your plants grow? It is.
Second of all, is it or is it not the most exciting thing ever when you get to eat your growing plants? It is.
That’s two most exciting things ever. It is too good.
Also, can you see the green of this olive oil? That, my friends, is why they call it liquid gold.
This particular specimen is from Spain. I think you’ll appreciate the following excerpts from the container:
“Savor the exquisite fresh fruit aroma, the glowing rich green color and the distinctive flavor of Zoe as it magically enhances all that it touches.”
Did you catch that? Magical enhancement!
“As light is harmful to the quality and life of olive oil, Zoe comes to you in an attractive tin which not only protects and preserves the oil, but may also be used as a decorative vase when empty.”
It does come in an attractive tin. And I will use it as a decorative vase when empty. Best olive oil ever.
How could this be made any better? Homegrown tomatoes and homemade mozzarella. Something to shoot for.
The other day I made some puff pastry beds for a pea-tarragon spread (more on this later). But it relates to this post in that I had a little extra puff pastry left over – the strips that are left after biscuit-cutting out the circles for the appetizers. So I put it to good use and made an empanada of sorts.
You’ll notice that it’s organically shaped – no matter, it was delicious!
A smear of goat cheese, a sprinkling of sliced strawberries, a splash of maple syrup. Fold package as best as possible. Bake until golden. Wait a minute or two before sampling to avoid dreaded scalded-tongue syndrome. Carry on.
If Wikipedia is to be trusted (and I think it should), ‘…two-thirds of the British population pronounce it /'sgɔn/, rhyming with “con” and “John”, with the preference rising to 99% in the Scottish population. The rest pronounce it /'sgəʊn/, rhyming with “cone” and “Joan”.’
“Yeah, can I have one o’ dem der straaawberry scones.”
It’s hard to mesh the Chicaaago and the Scottish. But that’s my burden to bear, not yours. Of course, now that I am a master scone baker (I do not profess to be an expert, but my friends say that I am) why would I ever need to order a scone from Starbucks again?
the recipe: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2004/08/i-took-deep-breaths.html
notes: i made these once before, and no kidding, the strawberries make the dough messy! (i’ve made a couple versions of the scones with dry ingredients, and the dough is so easy to work with.) but it’s my opinion that the strawberry versions are superior to all the others i’ve tried. i just sliced up a couple strawberries and processed them into the dough. (this worked better than trying to incorporate them solely by kneading.) and i kind of like their knobby-ness. i sprinkled a little turbinado sugar on their tops after glazing too, to brilliant effect (if i do say so myself).
this has become a rather immodest post. sorry.
its hard to fight stinky fish stereo-types. but fight them i must. i bought a tin and had it on the table next to a pound of spaghetti in preparation for cooking when my italian from italy friend rosa came over and said “i'm making the same thing for dinner”. this is good news. great news. i feel so authentic. and the results? outstanding. look out stereo-types, here i come.
the breadcrumbs add a really cool texture to the pasta, even reheated over the next few days, and coming from a leftover snob, that’s saying something. when i make this again, i will go heavier on the anchovies – i think i will use the whole tin.
spaghetti w/ anchovied breadcrumbs (adapted from bon appétit)
1lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 anchovy fillets, mashed to paste w/ 1 tsp oil from the can
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
1lb cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup thinly sliced basil
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
cook spaghetti to al dente. drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. heat 1½ Tbsp olive oil in skillet over med heat. add anchovies and half of the garlic, then breadcrumbs. cook breadcrumbs until golden, tossing to distribute evenly, about 5min. scrape crumbs onto plate and cool. heat remaining 1½ Tbsp olive oil in same skillet over med heat. add tomatoes and remaining garlic. cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 3 to 4min. add pasta, basil, cheese and reserved cooking liquid. toss, mix in half of breadcrumbs. season with salt and pepper. transfer to pasta bowl. top with remaining breadcrumbs. serve.
nathan goes so far as to say that these could easily replace potatoes as a side. bold talk. but he might be right. the crunchy breadcrumb topping makes these a little more substantial than your average vegetable, and my mom says that artichokes are higher in starch than many other veggies. a brief wikipedia read tells me that there is such a thing as artichoke tea and artichoke liqueur. i had no idea these guys had such a wide range.
artichoke heart gratinata (adapted from giada, food network)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1lb frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp butter, melted
½ cup plain bread crumbs
½ cup grated parmesan
preheat oven to 450F. warm olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. add garlic, cook 1min. add artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, and peppers. cook until artichoke hearts start to brown, about 3min. add wine, simmer about 3min. transfer to 2qt baking dish. combine melted butter, bread crumbs and parmesan. sprinkle on top of artichokes. bake until golden, about 10min.
in reviewing my stand on steak, i’m pretty sure i feel strongly that naked is best. well, not completely, there can be salt and pepper. a decent cut of cow is pretty good without a lot of hoopla. at least that’s what i thought last week. this week is a whole new beef ballgame. the tang of the vinegar, the bite of the capers, the creamy goodness of the gorgonzola all work together to take these steaks to the h.n.l.
formal rib-eyes (adapted from bon appétit)
vinaigrette
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup minced shallots
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp dried crushed red pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 Tbsp drained capers
¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola
simmer vinegar in small pan over med heat until reduced to ¼ cups, about 6min. add shallots, olive oil, and crushed red pepper. return to simmer. remove from heat. whisk in parsley and capers. season with salt and pepper.
steaks
olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 boneless rib-eyes
4 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp coarse sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
rub both sides of steaks with oil and garlic. mix paprika, salt and pepper. sprinkle on both sides of steaks. let stand 1hr. grill over med-high heat to desired doneness. plate: bed of mache, steak, vinaigrette, cheese. enjoy!
