Cinnamon Ice Cream

As promised in my last post, I worked on making a cinnamon ice cream for Christmas. For all those who celebrated, I hope your Christmas was as merry as mine. For my cinnamon ice cream, I borrowed a recipe from David Lebovitz. David Lebovitz is a former chef at Chez Panisse, a California based restaurant that was rated the best restaurant in America in Gourmet magazine in 2001. Mr. Lebovitz is known for his desserts, including pastries and ice cream. He currently resides in Paris, where he writes books and blogs. I have never read one of Mr. Lebovitz's books, but based off the titles, The Sweet Life in Paris, The Perfect Scoop and The Great Book of Chocolate, I think it is fair to say that Mr. Lebovitz and I share similar culinary interests. On Mr. Lebovitz's website, you can find several good ice cream recipes.

The recipe I borrowed from Mr. Lebovitz is shared below. It is important to note that I did not take all the steps recommended by Mr. Lebovitz, as I did not have the patience to do so. While patience is an important part of ice cream making, and I would not recommend starting an ice cream recipe if you are in a rush, I do think you can avoid some of the more time consuming steps, such as ice baths, to speed up the process. The version of Mr. Lebovitz's recipe that I have presented below follows the steps I took and not those recommended by Mr. Lebovitz. If you are interested in the original recipe, I would recommend reading Mr. Lebovitz's blog.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar as I did.

pinch of salt

10 cinnamon sticks

2 cups heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

 

Preparation:

Heat the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup of heavy cream together in a medium saucepan. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep for 1 hour.

 

Rewarm the mixture and remove the cinnamon sticks.

 

Whisk together the egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually add some of the warm cinnamon-infused milk to the yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the custard thickens and coats the spoon.

 

Remove from heat and pour through a strainer into a clean bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup of cream. Stir and chill overnight in the freezer.

 

Churn in your ice cream maker.

Texture: Smooth, creamy, and rich, just the way you would want an ice cream to be.

Flavor: Sweet and creamy with a hint of cinnamon. I was a little concerned that the cinnamon would be a little overwhelming. However, the cinnamon flavor ended up being very well balanced.

Overall: This ice cream is delicious! Of all the ice creams I have made, this is one of my favorites. It would taste great with a pumpkin or apple pie. On his blog, David Lebovitz recommends pairing cinnamon ice cream with peaches, plums or a fruit sorbet. Whether paired with another dessert or served on its own, cinnamon ice cream is delicious. Go out and make yourself some today!

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.

The Best Chocolate Milkshake Ever or the Best Post Workout Recovery Drink

For those of you who have read my blog before, you'll know that in addition to making and eating ice cream, running is a hobby of mine. This past November, I ran the New York City Marathon for the first time. It was also, coincidentally, my first marathon. Running a marathon has always been on my bucket list, but it was only in the past two years that I got serious enough about running that a marathon was within my reach. Nonetheless, I'd like to think that having the marathon on my bucket list slowly motivated me to get in shape and gradually increase my running over the years to the point where it is today.

In addition to being a runner, I am also a vegetarian. Over the summer, as I was training for the marathon, I was often running 15 to 17 miles in 80 degree weather. My body does not respond well to heat and these runs often left me feeling ill. My husband suggested that perhaps I was not getting enough protein, and I gradually began to incorporate fish back into my diet. In addition, I began to read online about ways to recover from a long run. I found tips such as: stretch immediately after a run; start rehydrating immediately; take a luke warm bath; eat a meal filled with proteins and carbohydrates and drink chocolate milk. I began to incorporate all these strategies into my post running routine. I found the most helpful tips to be the rehydrating and the luke warm bath.

My favorite tip though was drinking chocolate milk. Who doesn't love being able to drink chocolate milk with the excuse that it is good for them? One day, after coming back from a run, I realized that I had some homemade chocolate ice cream in the freezer. Rather than making chocolate milk, I decided to make a chocolate milkshake. The chocolate milkshake was among the best I've ever had and very simple to make.

Chocolate Milkshake

3 or 4 scoops of homemade chocolate ice cream

Milk, enough to fill the remainder of the blender cup

Blend together in a blender or smoothie maker

 

I highly recommend this milkshake whether you are a runner or not. To those of you who are wondering why a chocolate milkshake is a good recovery drink for runners, the answer is that it contains a good mix of carbohydrates and protein. In addition, chocolate milk contains nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D and helps to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. While it may be going too far to say that chocolate milk is healthy for you, it is comparable to drinking a sports drink such as Gatorade after working out. So go ahead, go to the gym and then make yourself a delicious chocolate milkshake. You've earned it!

 

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.



Open Sesame

With the holidays once again approaching, I wanted to make a special ice cream that I could bring over as a holiday treat to wow everyone. Unfortunately, many of the traditional holiday ice cream flavors, such as pumpkin pie, peppermint and coquito, I already made last year. Since I wanted to try something new, I decided to look at Bon Appetit for inspiration. I have always had good luck with their ice creams in the past, including some of their more unusual sounding flavors, such as honey and thyme, which has quickly grown to be a favorite in my house. This year I decided to make Sesame Ice Cream with Orange Blossom Caramel Sauce.

Sesame Ice Cream with Orange Blossom Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

Orange Blossom Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon orange-flower water (note: I did not have orange-flower water, so I substituted orange blossom honey instead)

 

Sesame Ice Cream

3/4 cup sesame seeds

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sugar

Pinch of Salt

8 egg yolks

 

Preparation:

Orange-Blossom Caramel Sauce

Stir sugar, honey, salt and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and cook without stirring until mixture turns amber in color. Remove from heat; carefully stir in cream, then orange-flower water. Let cool. Cover and chill.

 

Sesame Ice Cream

Toast sesame seeds in a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add cream, half-and-half, and milk. Bring barely to a simmer, stirring often, over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.

 

Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl. Return cream mixture to same pan; add 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Bring barely to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

 

Whisk egg yolks with remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl. While whisking constantly, gradually add hot cream mixture to yolks, then return mixture to pan. Cook over medium-low-heat, stirring constantly, until custard is thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon, 3-5 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

 

Process in a an ice cream maker.

 

Texture: The texture on this came out pretty well. It is smooth and creamy and scoops nicely. It almost has the texture of store bought ice cream. I think it may be because of all the egg yolks.

Flavor: The flavor is definitely an unusual one and I think requires an acquired taste. The sesame can leave a slightly bitter after taste in your mouth, though I think the caramel blossom syrup helps to cut through that. I thought this flavor was weird at first, but it has slowly grown on me. Now, I am craving a bowl of sesame ice cream with orange blossom caramel syrup every night.

Overall: Sesame ice cream is definitely an acquired taste. If you are an adventurous eater, this is a good flavor for you. Otherwise, stick to more traditional flavors.

Unfortunately, my husband has been sick this week, so he has been unable to try the ice cream. I am uncertain whether it is the best flavor to bring to Christmas dinner, as I am not sure the flavor has mass appeal. As my Mom usually makes the world's best chocolate cake for dessert on Christmas, I am thinking about making a cinnamon ice cream to accompany it.

Share your favorite holiday ice cream flavors.

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.

Eating My Way Through Paris: Croissants & Ice Cream

This summer, my husband and I took a brief jaunt to Paris. We did all the typical tourist things, including an incredible 10 hour tour-de-force of the Louvre. I loved Paris' art museums, especially the Musee Rodin. If you are ever in Paris, I highly recommend adding the Musee Rodin to your list of must see places. I never knew it was possible to capture such depths of emotion in stone, until seeing Rodin's works in person.

By far, however, one of the real delights of Paris for me were the croissants. Anybody who knows me knows I love croissants almost as much as I love ice cream. The croissants in Paris were nothing short of incredible; not a single one was bad. My favorite croissant was at a little Parisian café we just stumbled into one morning on the Ile Saint Louis, which is adjacent to the Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame is located. The Ile Saint Louis is described as one of the most romantic and charming parts of Paris. I must say I agree. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the café. It was the only place we went to in Paris where they did not speak English. Our entire conversation with the owner consisted of "croissant, oui, café au lait and eau (water). That pretty much exhausts all the French I know. Another one of my favorite places to go for a croissant was a little shop called Paul across the street from the restaurant we stayed in. I did not realize this at first, but it turns out that Paul is a chain in France. Perhaps a bit like Starbucks, only with much better coffee and infinitely better food.

Along with exquisite croissants, we of course also had ice cream at Berthillon. In lonely planet's guide to Paris, Berthillon is described as serving "some of the best ice cream in Paris, in all sorts of unusual flavors - salted butter caramel is a highlight." It was only natural then that I would want to visit Berthillon. Unfortunately, Berthillon did not quite live up to my expectations. I ordered the salted butter caramel ice cream, which I found to be a little too salty for my liking. My husband, however, loved it. Long story short, if you are in Paris, and pass by Berthillon ice cream, try some, but do not go out of your way for it.

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.

A is for Autumn and Apple and Almost

The other weekend I went apple picking with my husband, my sister, my mother and our two dogs (a golden lab and a pug). If it sounds picturesque, it was. It was one of those perfect fall days - cool enough for a sweater, but not so cold that it is undesirable to be outdoors. The sun was shinning, the leaves were golden and the apples were ripe. I love apple picking in large part because I think apples picked from a tree taste infinitely better than the apples bought in a supermarket. Apples picked from a tree are crisper, sweeter and juicier.

Of course, if you live anywhere close to New York City, like I do, apples picked from a tree are also infinitely more expensive than apples bought in a store. A genius marketing ploy and a nice little tax on the disposable income of yuppies, who want to feel like they are getting in touch with their "rustic" side. C'est la vie (you may enjoy this stroll down memory lane, if you are like me and this expression reminds you of the 90s song by the Irish girl group B*Witched.)

In any event, my husband and I arrived home with half a bushel of apples. We made apple sauce, ate apples to our hearts content and still I want more freshly picked apples. I, of course, also decided to try to make apple ice cream. I thought it would be a good fall flavor and a nice break from pumpkin spiced lattes, which I made last fall.

Apple Ice Cream

 

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

I granny smith apple sliced, peeled and cored

Dash of lemon juice

1 cup sugar

5 egg yolks

 

Preparation:

Combine the first four ingredients in a pot and bring them to a slight boil over medium heat.

Cool and allow the apple to steep in the cream mixture for two hours.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together.

Pour the cream mixture through a strainer and combine with the egg mixture.

Whisk the two mixtures together for two minutes.

Transfer the mixture back to a pot and cook on medium heat for four minutes, stirring constantly.

Strain the mixture once again and place in a clean bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow the mixture to chill for a minimum of two hours and up to one day. Churn in your ice cream maker.

 

Texture: The texture was pretty solid. I have used egg yolks as a stabilizer before (click the links if you are interested in learning more about food stabilizers and the role of egg yolks as a natural ice cream stabilizer), and have been happy with the results. For my regular readers, you may realize that this is the same base I used to make the honey and thyme ice cream recommended by Bon Appetit Magazine, I just changed the ingredients and quantity of sugar.

 

Flavor: This gets an almost. The flavor is not bad, but it does not taste like apple. I was hoping that by using a granny smith apple, I would create a somewhat tart ice cream. Perhaps I used too much sugar or not enough apples, but the apple flavor is negligible. I wonder if the flavor would benefit from the use of  apple sauce, though I fear what this would do to the texture of the ice cream. If anyone tries this recipe with apple sauce, share how it turned out by leaving a comment in the comment box.

 

Overall: The texture of this ice cream is fine and so is the taste, but it is not an apple ice cream.

 

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.



 

 

 

Strawberries & Cream

The other weekend I went out to Long Island for a wine tour to celebrate my 30th birthday. Yes, I am THAT bougie. If you are as bougie as me and ever looking to do a wine tour, I highly recommend http://www.elegantwinetoursli.com/. They did an outstanding job.

As often happens, when you travel in large groups, we bought a lot of food and then did not finish it. Part of what we had left over was blueberries and strawberries, which were slightly tart. Rather than throwing them away, I decided they would be perfect for making desserts. I made a fruit crisp with the blueberries and an ice cream with the strawberries.

Strawberries & Cream

Ingredients:

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and washed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preparation:

Combine strawberries, lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and set in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Beat the egg yolks for 2-3 minutes.

Gradually add the remaining sugar, as well as the milk and vanilla.

Add strawberries with their juice and mix well.

Gently stir in the whip cream until just integrated.

Pour into an ice cream maker and churn.
 





This ice creams tastes like a sweet cream ice cream with hints of strawberry. Hidden throughout, are chunks of delicious frozen strawberries. Coupled with the blueberry tart it is berry delicious!

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on!

Goat Milk Ice Cream

Sometimes the best things in life are things you just stumble upon. This is exactly what happened last weekend. My husband and I went into Lower Manhattan to check out the biannual Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit. Normally on the weekends, we just putz around the house. Last weekend, however, the weather was gorgeous and it seemed like a good break from our usual routine to go into the city, look at some art and soak up the last few remaining rays of the summer sun. Having just returned from a recent trip to Paris, France, where we spent a good portion of the trip in the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit was extra enjoyable because we could see the influence and inspirations of past generations on current works.

 

 

After walking through the Art Exhibit, we found ourselves aimlessly strolling through the West Village. We stumbled upon Ramen Takumi, where we were served surprisingly tasty and reasonably priced, cold Ramen noodles. Next up was Victory Garden, which serves goat milk ice cream. I had never heard of goat milk ice cream before, but I love goat cheese; even though I was shockingly not in the mood for ice cream, I thought it was too precious of an opportunity to pass up. I am glad I did not, as the ice cream was smooth, creamy and deliciously tangy. Although the price tag is a bit hefty, the "artisan" ice cream was one of the few I have had that deserve both the name and the price. Victory Garden claims that goat milk ice cream is the best ice cream and I may just be inclined to agree. If you are interested in checking out Victory Garden, they are located at: 31 Carmine Street (between Bleecker and Bedford).

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on.