Jun
22
Strawberry Oreo Ice Cream
Filed Under Recipe, Dessert, Vegetarian, Strawberries | 1 Comment
It’s strawberry season in Massachusetts! It’s also ice cream season and I’ve been slightly addicted to making ice cream lately. I came up with the idea of strawberry Oreo ice cream by combining a couple of ideas. My favorite ice creams of all time contain Oreo’s. Give me cookies ‘n cream — better yet, give me mint cookies ‘n cream — and I’m a very happy girl.
But lately, I’ve been craving strawberry especially combined with chocolate. Classic Neapolitan ice cream attempts to meet my berry and chocolate desires, but it’s always tricky getting the right amount of both in your bowl. Plus, then what do you do with the sad block of vanilla left over?
Strawberries, meet Oreos. What a perfect combination — strawberry and chocolate in every cold, creamy bite. I think I have a new favorite!
Strawberry Oreo Ice Cream
Makes 1 Pint
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup half & half
3/4 cup. sugar
1 egg yolk
8 oz. strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1 1/2 tbsp. Triple Sec
10 Oreo cookies
Combine strawberries, Triple Sec, and 2 tbsp. of sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well and let stand for 10-minutes. Then mash the strawberries with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
In a medium sauce pan, combine milk, half & half, and the rest of the sugar. Heat to a simmer.
Meanwhile, whisk egg yolk in a small bowl. When milk mixture comes to a simmer, slowly whisk in half a cup of warm milk to the egg. Once combined, slowly whisk the egg & milk mixture back into the sauce pan with the rest of the milk. Stirring constantly, warm the mixture back to a slow simmer and cook about 10 minutes until slightly thick (the mixture will coat the back of a spoon and when you run your finger through it, the mixture won’t run together.)
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and cool to room temperature.
Once the milk mixture is cooled, add the mashed strawberries — all the juices, too. Stir to combine. Refrigerate the mixture for at least three hours.
In a gallon-size Ziplock bag, smash the Oreos into bite-sized pieces.
Once the ice cream base is chilled, churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions — mine took about 15-20 minutes to get to soft-serve consistency. Once at soft-serve consistency, fold in the Oreo chunks.
Move to a plastic container and freeze until hardened.
Jun
8
Thai Tea Ice Cream
Filed Under Recipe, Dessert, Cuisine, Asian | Leave a Comment
Last year, my friend and co-worker, Steve, suggested making an ice cream that tasted like Thai iced tea. I thought it was a brilliant idea, but apparently not brilliant enough to create until a year later.
I finally made the ice cream this weekend. I found Thai tea bags at an Asian grocery store when I was in Seattle. I’m not super clear what makes Thai tea, Thai tea. The package says the tea bags contain Thai black tea and star anise, so I maybe it’s the star anise that makes Thai tea so magical.
This ice cream is sweet and creamy just like Thai iced tea you’d order from your favorite Thai restaurant, but possibly more refreshing on a hot, summer afternoon.
Thai Tea Ice Cream
Makes a pint of ice cream
1 cup whole milk
10 Thai tea bags
2 tbsp. brown sugar
6 oz. sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. evaporated milk
Heat the milk in a medium sized sauce pan until it comes to a simmer. Add the Thai tea bags and simmer for 10 minutes or until the milk takes on a light coffee color. Remove tea bags and squeeze each tea bag between two spoons to strain all of the liquid and flavor from each bag. Add the brown sugar, condensed milk, and evaporated milk.
Chill the ice cream base covered in the refrigerator for about 8 hours.
Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream machine. Churn according to the manufacturers directions — mine took about 30 minutes to get to soft-serve consistency. Serve as is or move it into a freezer-safe container and freeze until it hardens.
Jun
2
I had the incredibly good fortune to visit New Orleans twice this year. The first time, I carefully arranged it so that the family cruise left from the Port of New Orleans — we were there for New Year’s Eve. I was afraid the crowds were going to be unbearable, but the city knows how to host a party and the crowds were friendly and fun with plenty of security at every block to ensure a safe celebration. I was very impressed. It was amazing to ring in the new year with several drinks along Bourbon street and beignets from Cafe Du Monde.
Bourbon Street on New Year’s Eve
After the cruise was planned, Gracie asked Sean and I if we’d be interested in a foodie trip to the Big Easy. We couldn’t turn that down, so in March, we met up with Gracie, Ku, Adrian, Mia, Kate, and John for a food frenzy. It also happened to be the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day means parades and parades mean beads! Gracie, Sean, and I braved the pouring rain to see the parade, kiss some Irish guys (Gracie and I), catch some cabbages (Sean), and rake in the beads (all of us!) We were lucky enough to have some local guides showing us around — Tiger and Patty, Gracie’s old family friends, helped make the trip extra-special by taxiing us around while giving us the background on the buildings and neighborhoods.
St. Charles Street Car to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Sean is the King of Cabbages and Beads!!!
Of course, I can’t talk about New Orleans without talking about the food. Here’s a long list of the amazing food we sampled along the way.
Lüke
Lüke is a John Besh restaurant. It’s more casual and less spendy than August. It’s basically an Alsatian brasserie that also serves local New Orleans favorites. We visited Lüke on both trips. The food was really good while the service was great during first visit and very friendly, if a little shaky, the second. But, Sean’s $13 choucroute maison — a saurkraut and pork fiesta (sausage, pork belly, cochon de lait, and pork knuckle) was and incredible value and worth the shaky service. It was so delicious, he got it both times we were there. We also greatly enjoyed the flamenkuche tart (bacon, onion, and cheese on a crispy flatbread) during both visits. The frites were delicious and the burgers were reportedly perfectly cooked (and HUGE.)
Mother’s
Mother’s is an institution in New Orleans and another restaurant we visited on both trips. I only ate breakfast at Mother’s, so I can’t speak to the lunch and dinner menu items, but I found Mother’s to be a mixed bag for breakfast. During my first visit, I got a basic breakfast with grits, ham, eggs, and a biscuit. The grits didn’t knock my socks off which was disappointing since I love them and you can really only get them cooked right in the south. The meal as a whole was fairly forgettable except for that biscuit! Mother’s biscuits amazing — they bake up tall and fluffy and pretty near perfect. Damn, I want one now! I’ll admit, the ham was delicious, too. On my second visit, I smartened up, stuck with biscuits, and was very happy.
Biscuits at Mother’s
Gumbo Shop
It’s funny, I rarely see the Gumbo Shop mentioned on foodie boards, but it’s one of my favorites. Possibly because it’s one of the places I ate during my first ever visit to New Orleans. But, I think it’s also because it serves up tasty, comforting New Orleans fare at reasonable prices. We ate at the Gumbo Shop on both visits — it was the only place I trusted without a reservation on New Year’s Eve. It’s one of Gracie’s favorites, too, so we had to go with her as well. I love that the Gumbo Shop serves warm french bread loaves at the table. All the food was great on both visits. I especially liked the oyster and andouille gumbo I had on the second visit.
New Year’s Eve at the Gumbo Shop
Cafe Du Monde
There’s probably no better place to grab a cup of chicory coffee, a warm, sugary beignet, and people watch than Cafe Du Monde in Jackson Square. We got to ring in the new year with little French donuts and cafe au lait — a great start to 2009. Though, I have to admit, on my second visit to NOLA, we stopped at Cafe Beignet and I actually thought the beignets there were some tough competition — bigger than Cafe Du Monde and a little more airy. When I suggested I might like those beignets better, though, my foodie friends couldn’t agree, so you should try both versions and decide for yourself if you’re ever in New Orleans.
Central Grocery
Yes, it’s touristy, but there’s no doubt that Central Grocery serves up a mean muffuletta. A whole sandwich loaded with Italian meats and olive salad is bigger than my head. Gracie, Sean, and I bought a whole one to share and we carried it out to the banks of the Mississippi River to chow down. Sean and I also tried the version at the Napoleon House, however, I didn’t like it as much. The Napoleon House’s olive salad was way too chock full of large pieces of celery and it was toasted. I prefer my muffuletta cold. I do recommend the Napoleon House for great ambiance and a classic New Orleans drink — they are known for their Sazeracs and Pimm’s Cups.
Eating a Central Grocery Muffuletta on the Banks of the Mississippi
Acme Oyster House
Acme was my first choice for New Year’s Eve dinner — I really wanted some oysters and crawfish! But by the time we were able to meet for dinner, it was closed (early for the holiday!) I had to wait until our foodie trip to get inside the door, but it was worth it. Our group devoured raw and grilled oysters, spicy boiled crawfish, and crawfish fritters along with cold Abita beer. Nothing fancy about Acme, but who needs fancy when you’re getting crawfish seasoning all over your fingers?
Jacque-Imo’s
Everytime I’ve been to New Orleans, I read restaurant reviews and message boards that extol Jacque-Imo’s — yet I never seemed to actually make it there. Lucky for me, Kate decided to make reservations during our foodie trip. I am grateful for this because, woah, what delicious food! The menu was huge and it was tough to decide what to order. But, amazingly, everyone in our group of 7 order something different so we played pass the plate and we all got a taste of the other dishes. Not a bad dish in the bunch — Jacques-Imo’s is known for seafood and there was plenty of it all fresh and tasty. Of course, I knew it was going to be good when we passed through the kitchen on the way to our seats and I saw one of the cooks liberally brushing butter on freshly baked corn muffins.
Camellia Grill
“If I get into heaven and I don’t wind up here, I’ll be mad.” That’s a quote I heard while sitting in the Camellia Grill waiting for my pecan pie to be warmed up on the griddle. It was from what I assumed was a Tulane student — he was sitting with friends opposite Sean and I at the old-school counter that serves as the only place to eat at the diner. I think I might have to agree with him and I’ve only ever ordered the pecan pie ala mode. Great service, obscenely delicious pie. I never miss going to the Camellia Grill when I visit New Orleans.
Johnny’s Po-boys
Tucked into a small shop on a side street in the French Quarter, Johnny’s Po-boys was a delicious stop. Friendly counter service and a huge po-boy stuffed with crispy fried oysters won my seal of approval.
I am Queen of the Beads!!!
Apr
30
Smile!
Filed Under Misc., Fun | Leave a Comment
Not really an original recipe, but I made these smiley face cupcake pops for my cousin Megan’s wedding this month. She had a candy buffet and wanted to add these to the table. I won’t lie…trying to make 100 of these was tedious. If I try cake pops again, I’ll stick to making a more sane number.
They are a very cute concept — many more ideas at Bakerella’s blog.
Apr
30
Ginger Orange Chicken with Green Beans
Filed Under Recipe, Main Dish, Cuisine, Meat, Chicken, Asian, Healthy, Vegetables, Carrots, Fruit, Green Beans, Quick & Easy, Oranges | Leave a Comment
Sean and I just joined Boston Organics. It’s a really great deal for organic fruits and vegetables — and they deliver, to boot! I was pretty excited about it because they send a basically random box every week. I figured it would help me be creative every week in what I make for dinner.
This week, we got green beans and some organic oranges. I’ve noticed those two items go bad fast, so I wanted to use them. We also received 5 pounds of carrots last week and a huge bulb of ginger. Since one of our favorite Chinese take-out dishes is spicy string beans, I decided to try and make something similar with all of these ingredients we need to use up.
Ginger Orange Chicken with Green Beans
Serves 4
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
2 large carrots, sliced on the bias
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger, divided
1 tbsp. rice wine vineger
4 tbsp. soy sauce, divided
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce or siracha
2 tbsp. honey
Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes. Put into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce to season the chicken. Toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Mix together half of the ginger, orange juice, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, the rest of the soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and honey. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add the chicken and cook until it’s cooked through — about 7-10 minutes. Remove from skillet. Set aside.
Once you remove the chicken, make sure the pan is still very hot, and add the onions, rest of the ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and carrots. Stir fry until the carrots and green beans are al dente, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken back to the pan and pour in the sauce. Cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is mixed into the chicken and vegetables well and starts to thicken. At this point, if you need to cook the vegetables a little more, cover for a couple of minutes to let the vegetables steam.
Serve over rice.
Apr
26
Java Chip Cookies
Filed Under Recipe, Dessert, Vegetarian, Books | 1 Comment
Almost every year at Christmas, I try to make some homemade treats to send to my friends and family who don’t live near me. This year, I decided to put together some little boxes with all kinds of cookies and sweets (including pecan-bacon brittle — recipe to come, soon.) My favorite cookie in the box was this java chip cookie.
I’d had the idea of a java chip cookie in my mind for a while. I wanted to incorporate espresso and cocoa nibs and chocolate. I used a base chocolate chip cookie recipe from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
The cocoa nibs work so well in this recipe because they’re crunchy and a little bitter like a coffee bean.
Java Chip Cookies
Makes 3 Dozen Cookies
12 tbsp. butter
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup cocoa nibs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Beat the butter, espresso powder, brown sugar, and corn syrup together until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, and then mix in the egg. Beat well.
Beat in the flour and cocoa powder. Then stir in the chocolate chips and cocoa nibs.
Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoons on to a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, just until lightly browned at the edges. The cookies will look slightly underdone in the middle, but will set up as they cool.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container once cooled.
Apr
26
Corn and Poblano Chowder
Filed Under Recipe, Main Dish, Appetizer, Cuisine, Mexican, Vegetarian, Healthy, Vegetables, Corn, Soup, Leeks, Peppers | 2 Comments
Poblano peppers are my favorite type of peppers. They add heat, but that heat doesn’t get into the way of their great slightly-smokey flavor. I thought that they would work well in a vegetarian corn chowder since I was losing the smokey flavor from bacon that I’d normally use. A touch of cumin also helps create a smoky flavor. The sweetness of the corn plays well with the heat from the poblano.
The secret, I found, is steeping the corn cobs in the milk. I was really amazed at the intense corn flavor the cobs brought to the chowder! I also didn’t use a ton of butter or cream in this chowder. The creaminess came from reducing the liquid by simmering the soup and by blending the peppers with some of the corn kernels to give the chowder a thick, creamy texture without cream or a roux.
It would be awesome with some chopped avocados for garnish — but I didn’t think of that until it was too late this time!
Corn and Poblano Chowder
Serves 4
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 cup leeks, cleaned thoroughly and chopped
2 poblano peppers, sliced into ½ strips
4 ears of corn
1 quart whole milk
½ tsp. cumin
salt, to taste
Heat olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the leeks, and poblano peppers. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the leeks and peppers are soft.
Meanwhile, take the husk and silk off the corn cobs. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and reserve. Cut the cobs each into three pieces. Add to pot once the leeks and peppers are soft.
Add milk. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the corn cobs and discard. Add 3/4 of the corn kernels and simmer for about 10 minutes uncovered.
Then, use a stick blender to blend the corn, peppers, and leeks until smooth.
Add the remaining corn kernels, cumin, and salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes uncovered. Serve and garnish with chopped avocado.
Apr
26
Sundried Tomato and Olive Tappenade
Filed Under Recipe, Appetizer, Cuisine, Vegetarian, French | 2 Comments
My friend Christine makes this amazing tappenade that I always make her bring to parties. Unfortunately, I can’t have her make it for me every time I want it, so I came up with this proximity — though, I still think hers is better!
This is a simple recipe that you can easily whiz up in a food processor (or one of my favorite appliances, mini food processor
Sundried Tomato and Olive Tappenade
¾ pint mixed olives and roasted red peppers from olive bar*
3-4 sundried tomatoes packed in oil
½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. dried rosemary
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ shallot
Toss all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Whiz until the ingredients make a smooth paste. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or crostini.
* I used a combination of kalamata olives, green olives, and a whole roasted red pepper. No pits in the olives, of course!
Apr
18
Red Bean and Rice Cakes
Filed Under Recipe, Main Dish, Appetizer, Cuisine, Vegetarian, Healthy, Comfort Food, Cajun, Starch, Rice | Leave a Comment
It’s been awhile. I know. I get so behind with blog posts. There have been lots of dishes cooked and places visited since my last post. But for now, here’s a recipe that I created for a dinner that I cooked for our friends Josh and Melissa. They watched our dog when we went to New Orleans in March and asked us only to repay them in food. Great deal for us!
Since we were in the Big Easy, I was inspired to create these red bean and rice cakes. They combine everything good about red beans and rice in a compact little package. Because Melissa is vegetarian, I used a soy sausage, but meat eaters can certainly substitute a good andouille sausage.
Red Bean and Rice Cakes
Serves 4
3 tbsp. olive oil
½ large onion, chopped small
1 large green pepper, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning*
6 oz. soy smoked sausage (andouille preferable, but I could only find soy chorizo), crumbled
1 can, red beans, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup bread crumbes
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook on medium to medium-low heat until soft, but don’t let the mixture get brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, and sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Add red beans to the pan and stir to combine.
Put half of this mixture into a food processor and process until it’s a smooth paste. Return to pan and stir to combine with the remained, unprocessed mixture.
Stir in brown rice and bread crumbs.
Let this mixture cool in the refrigerator for about an hour. Portion into 8 servings and create round cakes out of each portion
Set up a breading station with flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. Cover each cake in a thin layer of flour then egg then bread crumbs.
Add about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to a deep sided pan. Heat to about 350 degrees. Shallow fry each cake by cooking to golden brown on each side. Drain on a rack with paper towels below. Serve with remoulade sauce.
* I like Joe’s Stuff cajun seasoning mix, but there are tons of different mixes out there. Just use your favorite. Joe’s Stuff has less salt than other cajun seasoning mixes, so if you have a salty one, use half of the seasoning listed in the recipe and add more to taste if needed.
Remoulade Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
Whiz all of this up in a food processor or whisk together in a bowl (make sure you chop the parsley fine if you use this method.)
Dec
17
Wine Country with Great Friends
Filed Under Travels | 4 Comments
Part of our San Francisco trip was spent in wine country (duh!) We were lucky to be traveling with a rock star — Gracie. Between her industry discount and St. Michele contacts, we got discounts galore. All hail Gracie!
We started the day off getting breakfast at the Oakville Grocery. I had a delicious berry scone.
We sat outside enjoying the sunny weather and looking at the Opus One vineyards. Soon after, we made a quick stop at Opus One so that the Diva could pick up some wine — we did not have any interest in a $30 tasting, however.
While driving, we saw a sign for a chocolate and wine tasting at Rutherford Hill Winery – needless to say, I quickly turned into the parking lot. The “chocolate tasting” wasn’t the best (a nibble of chocolate with one of the reds), but Sean and I did enjoy the muscato enough to buy a couple of bottles.
Next up, Conn Creek Winery where Gracie knew the pourers in the tasting room. Amy was really good and knew her stuff — plus she extended the employee discount to all of us. We bought some really delicious reds and learned a ton about the immediate growing region in Napa.
We could have stayed at Conn Creek all day, I think, but we had to get on the road to El Dorado…Kitchen. El Dorado Kitchen is in Sonoma and we had a very enjoyable lunch that included truffle fries and, for me, mussels in a beurre blanc sauce. No dessert though because we had to go cheese tasting at the Sonoma Jack store!
From there, we headed to Gloria Ferrer for a fabulous bottle of bubbly on the terrace, Cline where we got a great deal on some rose, and Domaine Carneros for a sparkling wine flight which was fantastic. Oh yeah, in between there somewhere we *had* to make a pit stop at Angelos for beef jerky.
Finally, our VIP was lucky enough to get us a table at Chez Storms where we enjoyed pizza, conversation, and, of course, more wine. Our day in wine country was full but still relaxing and enjoyable. I might never take a trip to wine country without Gracie ever again!