Blueberry Swirl Ice Cream

It's getting a little ridiculous in my freezer this summer. How much ice cream do two people really need? I can't stop myself though - it's like an ice cream making disease!

This time was blueberry; there were so many fresh great blueberries around that were screaming to be made into a cold creamy treat. Even thought Dave is a chocolate fan and kept asking for chocolate-I ignored him and listened to the berries. Chocolate will be around for a while, but the fresh, juicy berries needed to have their day today!

So the lessons learned this time: 1. Don't add full berries to the ice cream, the skin gets chewy and makes for odd eating. Better to either strain the berry mixture or puree it before adding it in.
That's really it. I wouldn't change much else- except I do think that adding lemon to the vanilla part would be really great - so I may do that next time and end up with Lemon Blueberry Swirl! Guess I'll just have to make another batch and be fat and happy!

Ice Cream

2 cups cream
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean
1 scant tsp almond extract
3/4 cup sugar
6 yolks

Add the cream, half and half, water, vanilla bean (scraped) and almond extract in a pot. Bring just to below a boil, turn off heat, place a cover on and let steep for about 15 minutes. Then whisk together the yolks and sugar until the yolks turn a fluffy pale yellow (this is going take about 5 or 6 minutes, just keep whisking! You're building muscle!) Now, temper the eggs by add a cup of the warm cream to the eggs, one at a time. This is bringing the eggs up the the temperature of the cream slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Once you've tempered the eggs, add them to the pot and turn the heat on to medium low. Stir until the the liquid starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon (if you run your finger across the back of a spoon you can see a line drawn through the custard.) Do not boil though.

Place the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and water to cool. If you need to make the ice cream immediately, start on the blueberry swirl while the cream mixture is cooling, then add the cream mixture to your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturers instructions. If you can wait a day, place the custard mixture in the refrigerator for the night, make your blueberry swirl just before continuing with the ice cream machine. Waiting a day and keeping the cream mixture in the refrigerator helps the ice cream to become slightly smoother and creamier! You will add the Blueberry Swirl after the cream is complete in the ice cream machine.

Blueberry Swirl

2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
pinch salt

Add all the ingredients to a pot on the stove and cook until thick. Then either mash the berries and strain (keeping just the liquid) or puree the mixture. Set aside and cool.

When your ice cream is finished in the ice cream maker, fold in the blueberry liquid (or puree) just until you have a nice swirl throughout. Depending on your ice cream maker, you can add the blueberry swirl directly into the ice cream and let the machine swirl it; mine is a cheapy so I really need to swirl by hand. Serve or freeze. I added fresh blueberries to the bowl for added antioxidants!

Corn Custard

I have this theory that there are no new ideas, just variations of old ideas. I say this with a grain of salt because clearly my blog is filled with recipes that are 95% percent originals - yet if you looked hard enough, you could find someone, somewhere who created something similar. It's inevitable. This was so true watching a cooking challenge the other night when a competitor was bragging about a potato-topped pizza she created...I ordered a potato pizza at a Lucky Strikes bowling alley over 3 years ago!

My point is that I'm giving you a recipe that is eerily similar to a quiche; really this could be named Crustless Corn Quiche. But somehow Corn Custard just seems a little bit sexier!
The fun thing with this recipe is you can add to it. A simple handful of chorizo takes this to a whole new level and can provide a heartier dinner; not to mention could pair with a simple wine! Or add a few grill roasted veggies and take this on a picnic! For a real fun flavor, try adding some crumbled blue cheese and caraway seeds- I use this combination with cabbage soup and boy does it work.

So call it what you will, it's simple, tasty and versatile. All the traits that keep us fat and happy!

Cook: (my preference is to grill the corn rather than boil it, much deeper flavor)
2 ears corn - cut the corn off the cob

Sautee:
1 Tbls butter
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
Set aside

Whisk in a bowl
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbls milk
4 eggs

Fresh parsley

Pour the whisked eggs into one (or two smaller) oven-friendly dishes. Add the corn and the onion/peppers. Place the dishes into the oven, bake until the middle is set.

Pomegranate Basil Jello Shot

Yes. This is my second post on Jello shots, er, I mean gelatin shots. But come on, these are just fun! And so much simpler that anyone thinks they are. Call me crazy but I think making them from scratch is easier than from a box; or at least more interesting!

This time we had a barbecue party to attend, and along with a simple side salad, we wanted to bring something extra. Sometimes this means a dessert and sometimes it means liquor. Jello shots just can't be beat. They have a bad rap of being having too much liquor - but there is less than a tablespoon in every shot, if that!

I'm just having fun with flavors and gelatin. I literally came up with Pomegranate Basil because I had pomegranate juice in the fridge and fresh basil growing outside. These are quite fun and tasty and while I liked the flavor from the start, I do think the flavor grows on you the more you have. Some might say thats the alcohol. You decide. Make up a batch of jello shots today, share them with some friends and be fat and happy!

Have ready in a glass bowl:
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup basil
couple of mint leaves
juice of 1 lime

In a pan over medium heat add:
1/2 cup water
1/2 sugar
heat until dissolved
sprinkle one envelope of gelatin
once the gelatin is dissolved, pour into the glass bowl with the basil and pomegranate; steep for 15 minutes.

Then add 1/2 cup rum, stir.
pour into cups (or if you don't have the little plastic cups, pour into a pan and you can cut this into squares after it sets.)

Chill for 3 hours. Enjoy!

Bean and Barley Salad

My brother called the other day to say he was stopping for dinner with some colleagues and they were bringing fresh Salmon and Halibut - caught just 48 hours earlier in Alaska! Oh yum! There is nothing better than fresh caught fish (even if it was flash frozen two days ago). When you're land locked - that's as fresh as it gets.

I needed to throw some side dishes together quickly. This bean salad is a nice quick option (if you have the barley already made) and I can imagine it with more than just fish. It's hearty enough to stand up to a grilled burger or steak even! Get fresh green beans from the farmers market for the best taste. The mustard in the dressing and tart apples are a fun mix. You can cook the barley the day before to save time putting it all together or simply mix the whole salad together and let the flavors do their thing. The flavors meld quite nicely overnight as I found this salad extra tasty as left overs. This is one of those salads that I think grows on you, or at least it did with me. I just thought it kept tasting better the more I ate it.

Fabulous fish, great company and a bean apple salad. It's a healthy, high fiber salad that will make you fat and happy!

1/2 cup dry barley
Cook according to directions; cool.

Place the barley in a bowl, add:

1 can black beans, drained
2 cups green beans, sliced into roughly 2" sections
1 apple, chopped (squeeze a little lemon on this after you chop to keep from turning brown)
handful of walnuts- I prefer them toasted, but it's not necessary.

Mix up the dressing next by whisking together:
1/2 cup mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
fresh black pepper to taste
Olive oil- add enough to emulsify together, about 1/2 cup
(adjust according to taste - you may like a more lemony taste so add more lemon. Use your favorite mustard- I used a grainy mustard). I'm not big on salt either, so you may want to add a little salt.

Pour the dressing half the dressing onto the salad and toss. If needed, add the rest of the dressing and top with fresh chopped parsley.

Cucumber Fennel Salad

My grandfather was a crazy gardener. I remember going to his house for Christmas and the whole basement being filled wall to wall with starter plants and the long grow lights hanging above. It was December in Minnesota, we typically hadn't seen green since October and definitely hadn't felt temperatures above 40 degrees since then either - but he had this little haven right below our feet.

Come summertime there was always an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Seemed no matter when we visited, there was a basket of veggies for us to take home and a cucumber salad in the fridge. My affection for cucumber salad lives on. With the basics in hand, I make many variations and love them all. I have also discovered my fondness for fennel over the past year; so it just seemed natural to combine the crunchiness of the two subtle flavors.

This is great as a side dish to almost any meal, particularly grilled meats, and it keeps well too! I miss having an actual garden to pick my fresh cucumbers from, but have found many great farmers markets in the city. As always just have fun with it, enjoy the summer harvest and be fat and happy.

Place in a bowl:
1 Cucumber, sliced crosswise about 1'4 " thick (slice thinner if you like a more delicate salad)
1 Fennel, sliced the same width of your cucumber (treat the fennel similar to how you would cut celery- taking off the outer edges if they are damaged. Slice up to the green ends, save the fronds for topping the salad)
1 Red pepper, sliced the same width of your cucumber
1 Red onion, sliced very thin (larger hunks of red onion are difficult to eat and will overpower other flavors)

In a smaller bowl, whisk together:
1/4 cup Red wine vinegar
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar (white balsamic if you have it)
black pepper (to taste)
2 tbls fresh thyme, chopped

now drizzle in the olive oil while whisking:
roughly 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil. Drizzle this slowly while whisking until the dressing has come together.

Pour dressing over salad and toss. Allows flavors meld for about 15 minutes if you have the time. I like to serve at more of a room temperature to allow all the flavors to really burst through! Garnish with the fennel fronds for a pretty presentation.

Mascarpone Custard

Do you ever get the craving for comfort food in the summer? There are times when flavored ice is just not enough. There are times that call for something creamier, denser and more filling that a typical ice cream. That's when it's time to pull out the big guns and make custard.

I admit that I do try to be somewhat cognizant of the types of foods I'm eating, the amount of fat in the meals and how much exercise I get. But look at it this way, this is a summer comfort food. In winter we get chili and pastas and stews- nice hearty foods. But those don't play nice with 90 degree heat. Custard, however, does!



Make a statement today and make custard! You will truly be fat and happy!

Mascarpone Custard

2 cups cream
2 cups half and half
1 cup mascarpone
9 egg yolks
3/4 sugar
1 vanilla bean
pinch of salt

Add the cream, vanilla bean, milk and pinch of salt in a pot. For the vanilla bean, you will need to split the bean in half and scrape out the paste-like inside. Add this to the milk along with the bean casings. Bring just to below a boil and whisk in the mascarpone. Turn off heat, place a cover on and let steep for about 15 minutes. Then whisk together the yolks and sugar until the yolks turn a fluffy pale yellow (this is going take about 5 or 6 minutes, just keep whisking! Remember your're building muscle!) Now, temper the eggs by add a cup of the warm cream to the eggs, one at a time. You're bringing the eggs up the the temperature of the cream slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs.

Once you've tempered the eggs, add them to the pot and turn the heat on to medium low. Stir until the the liquid starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon (if you run your finger across the back of a spoon you can see a line drawn through the custard.) Do not boil though. Remove the vanilla bean casing and either discard or save to use for other purposes.

Place the cream in bowl or simply use the pan its in and and then place that in a larger bowl of ice and water to cool. If you need to make the ice cream immediately, add it to your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturers instructions. If you can wait a day, place the custard mixture in the refrigerator for the night, and then continue with your ice cream machine after that, using the manufacturers directions. Allowing the cream mixture to sit overnight helps the ice cream to become slightly smoother and creamier! Enjoy!

Prosciutto Appetizer

There are times when you just want a little snack. Nothing heavy or filling, but something with good flavor. Appetizer tend to be so heavy and fattening; which is why I really like this option. This appetizer is so simple, light and tasty you'll love it and it won't ruin your dinner!

I'm already thinking of variations on this as well- like strips of an aged cheese in place if the pear. Perhaps thin slices of cantaloupe (as a play on the classic cantaloupe slice with cold prosciutto draped over it.) Or maybe apple with a hint of peanut butter! Mmmh!

I'll play around with those options, and if you come up with variation on this - do let me know! These could be easy to take with you to a party - just pre-bake the prosciutto, then a cut your pear when you arrive at the party and assemble. Call me crazy- but I can even see these as a dessert or accompanying a dessert too! These will disappear in seconds and everyone will still have room for dinner- nothing left to do but be fat and happy!

thin slices of prosciutto
1 ripe pear; slice thin, cut the same size and shape of the prosciutto
honey
pepper

Cut the prosciutto into either rounds or strips (say 2" by 4"). Place a foiled baking sheet and bake until crispy. (I used 400 degrees for about 8 minutes.) Remove from oven. Layer with a strip of pear. Drizzle with honey and fresh ground pepper.

Duck with Fruit Ravioli and Red Wine Reduction

My friend Catherine wrote me with a strange ingredient; her and her mother love duck and needed a recipe. They had previously made a whole duck and were disappointed at how much it shrunk during cooking. So they thought they would try duck breast this time.

I'm excited to make a recipe for them, I love duck as well and haven't worked with it in a while. One of the keys to cooking duck breast is is to cook it slowly, skin side down so that you render the fat....essentially you are cooking down that layer of fatty skin and then turning it crispy. If you cook this too fast you'll end up with that chewy or slimy-like texture that keeps many people from eating duck. As with any meat, always remember to let it rest for at least 5 minutes after taking it off the heat before you cut into it. This will help all the juices redistribute and stay within the meat and keep it moist.

The other part of this meal is the fruit ravioli. Cherries go so well with duck and with it being summertime, I didn't want a heavy side dish, which ravioli tends to be. So I created a fruit compote filling which is fun, light and real tasty with the duck! The use of Wanton wrappers instead of pasta dough makes it really easy to put these raviolis together - so you have no excuse not to try these! You can make these ahead of time too, so the timing is easier. Cat -I hope you like this dinner - let me know how it works out! Treat yourself to a special dinner tonight - you're worth it and deserve to be fat and happy!

Duck with red wine reduction
2 duck breast
salt
pepper

Season the skin side of the duck with salt and pepper, then place in a pan over medium low heat, skin side down. This is going to cook for around 15 minutes, periodically pour off the fat as it starts to gather in the pan. The skin should be looking dark and crispy. Then you will flip the breast over and cook them with skin side up for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on your taste. I like my meat more on the rare side so I only cooked them for about 2 minutes at this point. Season with salt and pepper. Leave them in longer if you like your more done. Don't cook too long or the will get dry!

Take the breasts out of the pan and set aside, loosely cover with tin foil. Empty any grease in the pan. Now add 1/2 to 1 cup of red wine to the pan and place over medium high heat. Let that simmer until it begins to thicken. (if you're making the ravioli - add them to boiling water at this point, they only take a second to cook) Whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter and your sauce is complete- it's that easy! Pour over the duck and enjoy! If you want to make the sauce more cherry -like, you can substitute port for the wine, which will give you a deeper, richer sauce, or add some chopped cherries to your wine while it's reducing.


Cherry Ravioli
Toast 1/4 cup pine nuts

Sautee in a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of butter until slightly tender:
1/2 cup white sweet onion (chopped small)
1/2 cup celery (chopped small)
2 thin slices of prosciutto (chopped)
1/2 cup of raddichio lettuce (chopped small)

add in and continue to sautee for 6 minutes:
1 cup of chopped cherries
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
black pepper (just a few turns on the pepper grinder)
sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley

Take off the heat, add in:
1/2 cup chopped pear (skin off)

Have ready:
1/4 cup of grated or chopped squares of Manchego cheese

That's the filling. Now we just need to assemble the ravioli. And there are two options here - make open ravioli or closed. The pictures above show each version; the difference is the closed ravioli you can make ahead of time. The open is assembled moments before serving. While many people think the closed ravioli is daunting, I think it's easier because with the open version you need to work with hot noodles. But I think the open is a pretty presentation.

Open ravioli:
Add wanton squares to boiling water, they only need a minute to cook and will float when done. Drain. Place one square on your plate, add a scoop of the cherry filling, top with another wanton square. Top with toasted pine nuts and Manchego cheese, and a drizzle of the red wine reduction.

Closed ravioli:
Layout the wanton squares, one for the bottom and one for the top. Place a scoop of cherry filling on one square, top the filling with Manchego cheese. Dip your fingers in water, and run them along the outside of the square - now place the top square on the bottom and press all the edges together. I like to also fork all the edges to ensure they are sealed. Simply take a fork and press along all the edges with the end of the fork. Place these in boiling water - again they only take a minute to cook and will float when done. Drain, place on your plate and top with toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of the red wine reduction.