![DSC_6039 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_6039-1600x1200.jpg)
Category Archives: Fun with Food
Friday Recipe Exchange: Frozen Sweet Treats
My house was the most popular house on the block this week. That’s because I decided to make a different batch of frozen treats everyday. All so you could have something fun for the holiday weekend. I toiled away in the kitchen and gave no thought whatsoever to my hips, freezing and taste-testing five batches of creamy, sweet, cold goodness. Each one got rave reviews, and while it was a close vote, in the end the Chocolate-Hazelnut won by a nut. Tonight’s featured recipe is the flavor that inspired the entire week.
While Gelato is by far my favorite, I played no favorites and included ice cream and sorbet in the selection. These recipes all make between 1 and 1-1/2 quarts. Here’s the lineup in order of appearance:
Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream (recipes here)
Blueberry Sorbet (recipe here)
Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato (recipe here)
Before we get to the featured recipe, what fun things do you have planned for this holiday weekend? What delicious things are you making for your cookout/picnic/get-togethers? I’ll probably take advantage of the predicted good weather to hike and cycle. Maybe even drive up to the mountains.
Now for the recipe that started this whole week of treats. A while back I was searching for gelato recipes and came across one for Key Lime Pie. It sounded awesome. I tucked it away, planning to try it someday. Someday finally came and I put my own twist on it:
Key Lime Pie Gelato
- Gelato Plain Base (recipe below)
- 1 graham cracker crust, broken into pieces and frozen (recipe below)
- 3 tbsps fresh lime juice, preferably Key lime*
- 2 tsp grated lime zest
Make the Gelato Plain Base and chill as directed. Make the graham cracker crust as directed and freeze.
To make Key Lime Gelato: Gently whisk the limejuice and zest into the base. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Just after churning quickly stir in the graham cracker crust pieces, reserving some for garnish. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
*after you mix in the lime and zest, give it a taste and add more limejuice as desired. If you’re prefer it a bit more tangy, you can add up to 2 more tbsp without worrying about consistency.
Graham Cracker Crust
Note: You can substitute graham cracker pieces if you don’t want to make an actual crust. I just like the buttery flavor and texture of the actual crust in the gelato.
For the graham cracker crust: Mix 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 tbsp sugar and 2 cups graham cracker crumbs together. Press firmly onto the bottom of a well buttered 8×8 glass baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool and remove from the baking dish, break into bite-size pieces and freeze in a covered container.
This recipe is the base for most gelatos, it’s also good frozen by itself:
Gelato di Crema (Gelato Plain Base)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup sugar
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.
Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper* the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.
*The best way to temper is to add a tablespoon at a time until you’ve added about 1/4 cup. Then you can add a full ladle at a time, slowly.
One final note. If you’re wondering what the difference is between Gelato, Sorbet and Ice Cream, click here for a pretty good explanation.
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Tidbits
![DSC_3780 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3780-1600x1200.jpg)
Katie is merging into daily doggie life here. She is still a bit jumpy with me but Mrs J’s campaign to endear herself to Kate is paying huge dividends. Katie actually will join her on the couch – she still wants to bail when I go to sit with her. The cats are not as wary of her, nor she of them. She seems very smart and is picking up commands and hand signs well.![DSC_6045 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_6045-1600x1200.jpg)
Here’s another view of the sausage and pepper sub I built yesterday. Kroger sells bone in chicken thighs in a nice “value pack” tray fairly cheap. I didn’t make note but there are around 10 pieces in there for 6 or 7 dollars. I’ve been cooking them all at once on the grill when I have it going for whatever else, wrapping them in foil for later quick meals. The sausages came in a similar pack of ten, I cooked all of those as well.![PICT1433 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/pict1433-1600x1200.jpg)
I’ve mentioned this before, we keep a trail camera active overlooking the spot where Mrs J spreads the corn and other seeds. The camera has infra-red LEDs to add illumination at night, and the camera itself has a light sensor that switches the mode from daylight color to night time IR. Often there is a transition period in the evening and in the morning when there is enough ambient light that the entire scene is lit well enough to see to the far edges of the frame. The resulting photos have what I would term “drama”.![PICT0582 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/pict0582-1600x1200.jpg)
Speaking of game cameras, we placed another one looking at the tomato garden this year, hoping to identify the culprits that destroyed some newly planted seedlings. We’ve seen rabbits and raccoons, deer and stray cats, but none of them have again bothered the steadily growing plants. It struck me as a fun project to save one photo a day from this camera to a new folder on a hard drive so daily progress can be noted. I have about ten frames saved so far. If I can figure out how I will make a movie out of the batch when I get enough of them.
Frozen Treats: Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato
My friend LFern and I are not able to get together frequently. Family, work and other daily obligations, plus the fact we now live about 25 minutes apart, make it difficult to plan a lunch or coffee time. But this week I sent her an email that said this:
If you decide to come visit me this week I’ll make chocolate-hazelnut gelato (ok, I’m making it anyway, but why miss out?)
T.
That seemed to be incentive enough. Remember she’s my coffee and chocolate friend. I sweetened the deal with the promise of Lavazza coffee, too. When she arrived the ice cream maker was busy humming away. Fifteen minutes later, we had coffee and Gelato ready for a well-deserved girls’ afternoon.
I served up bowls and then proceeded to put the rest in the freezer. LFern mentioned I really didn’t need to do that, she’d be happy to finish it for me. I reminded her I still needed to take photos. She suggested this would be the only photo I would need:
Needless to say, the recipe was a success. I had to agree with her, it was difficult to put enough away to photograph later. But luckily, once the photos were done, someone had to eat the bowl of goodness. Since I was the only one around at the time, I didn’t have to share.
So here is the next recipe in the Frozen Treats series. (A reminder, the first recipe is here and the second one is here. )
Hazelnut-Chocolate Gelato
- Gelato plain base (recipe below)
- 1 tbsp dark cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 13 oz chunky chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella style spread)
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
bowl with cover, ice cream freezer
ETA: Two things I forgot to mention. I reduced the sugar in the plain base because the hazelnut spread has lots of sugar in it and I was afraid it would be overly sweet. When I tasted the mixture after the spread was added, it was still a little too sweet, so I decided to add the tablespoon of dark cocoa powder. That did it and gave the finished product a nice rich chocolate flavor.
Make gelato plain base. Remove mixture from the heat and sift dark cocoa into the mixture and then add vanilla and hazelnut spread, stirring until the spread has dissolved completely. Remove to bowl, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Before covering with lid, I also cover with plastic wrap, pressed down onto the mixture to keep it from forming a ‘skin’. Next add to the ice cream freezer and freeze according to the machine’s directions. It will be a soft serve consistency when done, freeze for at least an hour before serving. (Okay, we didn’t wait that long and it was yummy anyway). You can stir the chopped hazelnuts in before freezing or you can use as a garnish for each bowl.
This recipe is the base for most gelatos, it’s also good frozen by itself:
Gelato di Crema (Gelato Plain Base)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup sugar (for the Hazelnut Gelato, reduce to 1/2 cup)
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.
Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper* the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.
*The best way to temper is to add a tablespoon at a time until you’ve added about 1/4 cup. Then you can add a full ladle at a time, slowly.
Recipe makes 1 to 1-1/2 quarts.
Side note: While I was typing this entry, late (last) night, I kept hearing this repetitive sound. It took a moment for it to register. It was our neighborhood Great Horned Owl, making quite the ruckus, hoot-hooting away in the rain. That was a pretty perfect moment.
I’ll conclude this series with the Friday Recipe Exchange, featuring the recipe idea that started the whole thing off. Until then…
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Breakfast Pr0n – American Fries with Smoked Brisket
![DSC_6019 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_6019-1600x1200.jpg)
I am fast becoming a big fan of smoked brisket. The last few times I’ve gone on to braise the slab until it pulls apart easily with two forks. The braising liquids, reduced, make excellent sauce that adds a nice flavor layer to the meat that doesn’t cover up the smokiness. Here the brisket was warmed with minced jalapeno and paired with the fried potatoes under a pair of sunny side up eggs. The hot sauce is Cholula’s regular style. It’s not a scorching hot sauce but it is full of flavor.![DSC_6022 [1600x1200]](http://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_6022-1600x1200.jpg)
Those potatoes that I cut with the fry cutter and then cooked once at a relatively low oil temperature (325) and then froze make excellent American fries with an additional chop.
