Fresh ricotta and fig ice cream

One of my favorite gelato flavors beside Happy Hippo, is Alice. Alice (ah-lee-chey) is a mildly sweet, light and airy ricotta gelato that is refreshing and awesome. This is my take on the wonderful gelato. This recipe is delicious but be careful - I had trouble keeping myself from om-nom-noming it all up even BEFORE I put it in the ice cream maker. Seriously.

This recipe makes about one and a half quarts of ice cream.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta (ricotta recipe to follow this)

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

zest of one lemon

pinch of kosher salt

1 tablespoon Strega liqueur or vanilla vodka, to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped, dried mission figs

Place fresh ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add cream and blend. Taste for the important balance of salt. Add Strega or vodka to taste. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream machine. Add the chopped  figs. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer container, top with a piece of plastic wrap pressed into the surface and freeze until firm.

** If you can find Strega, I highly recommend using it rather than another kind of alcohol. I brought a bottle back from Italy to use as a sipping liqueur and in recipes. I'm sure it's a bit pricey here in the states but believe me, it's absolutely worth it.**

** Putting a few tablespoons of alcohol into ice cream not only adds a hint of flavor (if the alcohol is flavored) but, it also keeps the ice cream from becoming rock solid in the freezer.**

Fresh Ricotta

2 quarts whole milk
1 C heavy cream
1/2 t salt
3 T fresh lemon juice

cheesecloth

Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and place it in your sink.

Over moderate heat in a large 6-quart pot, slowly bring milk, cream and salt to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. When it reaches a boil, add the lemon juice, then reduce heat to low. Stirring constantly, simmer until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes.

Carefully and slowly pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colander and let it drain for 1 hour. Discard the liquid. Cover and chill the ricotta. 

Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

This is also known as the "I believe in Harvey Dent" cake, or the "Two-Face" cake. Why, you may ask? The particular cake I made is known as the Two-Face because I only covered half of it with toasted coconut (see picture). If and when you decide to make this cake, you may cover the whole cake with coconut, or just leave it off altogether. It's your choice, kids! 


This isn't your average cake... it's dense! I'm talking Miss-Teen-USA-2007-South Carolina-dense. If you don't get the reference, click here and have a good chuckle.

Cake

4 ¼ cups flour

2 ¼ cups sugar

1 Tbl. Plus 1 ½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups coconut milk

¼ cup water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 egg whites

Topping

2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

2 cups heavy cream

2 ½ Tbl. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with Pam.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in butter, coconut milk, water, and vanilla until combined. Beat at high speed until very smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold half of the egg whites into the batter until incorporated then fold in the rest. Bake for 45 minutes.
4. Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes then invert them and let them cool completely about 2 hours.
5. Spread lemon curd on one cake top and place the other cake on top. You can also cut the cakes in half and layer curd that way, too.
6. Beat cream with sugar until medium-firm peaks form. Frost the cake and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. 

Green Tea Ice Cream

I know you're all chomping at the bit to read the rest of my camping saga, but I'm posting a delicious ice cream recipe first. Deal with it. 
I'm eating this ice cream as I post this... it is so smooth and creamy and refreshing. You're going to love it. If you don't, well, there's something wrong with you.


3/4 cup milk (I used Lactaid 2% because that's what I drink, but you can use whatever kind of milk you prefer.)
2 egg yolks
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon green tea powder (this can be found at any Asian market. It's kind of expensive, but the powder keeps for a while, so it all works out.)
3 tablespoons hot water


Mix hot water and green tea powder in a bowl and set aside. Lightly whisk egg yolks in a pan. Add sugar and mix well. Gradually add milk and mix. Put the pan on low heat and stir constantly until the mixture is thick (coats the back of a spoon). Remove the pan from heat and soak the bottom of the pan in ice water to cool the mixture. Add the green tea to the custard mixture and mix well, cooling the mixture.  Add the cream and stir gently. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze.


Serves 4 to 6 people.

Rice Crispy Treats

This recipe isn't anything special and quite frankly, it'll probably be the only thing on this blog that I've never actually made. The recipe is on here more for the story behind it than for the treat itself. 


A few years ago, while I was living in Colorado, I got a phone call from my mother... it went exactly like this:


Mom: Bailey, I have to apologize for something really serious.


Me: ... Ok. What did you do?


Mom: I've been talking to a lot of people in the office about how you and I would always cook and bake together. Well, apparently I made you miss out on an integral part of your childhood, and I'm sorry.


Me: What are you talking about?


Mom: We never made Rice Crispy Treats together!


Me: Well Mom, that's why I'm gay.


Mom: ...(dead silence)... Ahahahahahahahaahaha! **I think there was even a snort in there**


So, whenever I come home now, my Mom has a giant block of rice crispy treat waiting for me in the kitchen. I tell her it's too late, and that the damage is done, and BUYING rice crispy treat isn't the same as MAKING them. Oh well, at least she tried. :)
 Thank you, Mom! I love you. 


Here's the recipe, in case you've NEVER made this thing before (like me).


1 1/2 bags of miniature marshmallows
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups rice crispy cereal


Melt butter in a saucepan. Add marshmallows.


Stir until mixture thickens and becomes too difficult to stir. Mix in the cereal and stir until hot.


Butter a pan and spread marshmallow-y goodness into pan evenly. Allow to cool and cut into squares.


**DISCLAIMER**  This treat may not prevent gay-ness... or it may. One thing is for certain: it's too late for me. :)

Mom's Fruit Tart

This recipe, like many of the others I'll be posting on this blog, is from my Mom! This is a great dessert for summer - just make sure your fruit is fresh! The recipe is a little involved, but the end result it totally worth it.


Crust
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, butter, and confectioners' sugar. Process until mixture forms a ball. With your fingers (hands-on fun!), press the dough into an 11'' or 12'' tart pan with removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides of the pan. Pat until the crust is even. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.


Filling
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla (with a mixer, not a processor) until smooth - about two minutes. Spread over the cooled crust, almost to the ruffled edge.


Topping
1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
blueberries
1 container red raspberries


Cut the strawberries into 1/4 inch slices, using slices that are similarly sized (not outside slices) and arrange around the edge of the crust (points inward). For the next circle, use kiwi slices. Fill spaces with blueberries and cluster raspberries in the center.


Glaze
1 (6 oz.) can frozen limeade, thawed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar


Combine limeade, cornstarch, lime juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick and kind of clear - about two minutes. Let cool. With a pastry brush, gently paint the entire tart (except crust edge). You won't use all of the glaze.


Keep the tart in the refrigerator. Remove about fifteen minutes before serving and cut into wedges.

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

This winter was incredibly harsh on Florida's strawberry crop. The local farms absolutely felt the decrease in sales this season, but local consumers, like myself, were able to purchase perfectly delicious strawberries for ridiculously cheap prices because the majority of local crop could not be shipped out of state. I took advantage of this situation and stocked up on strawbabies!! I'd been missing Bologna, Italy a lot and decided to recreate one of my favorite daily indulgences while living in Bologna - gelato! Now, this isn't the same thing, obviously, but with the fresh strawberries and the amazing balsamic vinegar I brought home, it's as close as anyone can get without actually going. 


I know what you're thinking... balsamic vinegar and ice cream?! Yeah, deal with it. The sweeter, older (aged), thicker balsamic is the kind of vinegar you want to use for this recipe. I recommend at 10-12 year aged bottle, or even Saba, which is a dessert vinegar made from the Saba grape of Reggio Emilia-Romagna.


This recipe makes about two quarts.


Ingredients 


1 1/4 pounds fresh strawberries - hulled, rinsed, and sliced.
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vodka (this keeps the ice cream from turning rock hard (that's what she said!) in the freezer)
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1 1/2 cup heavy cream


Combine the strawberries with the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and vodka in a large bowl. Cover and let stand a room temperature for an hour or so.


Pour strawberry mixture into a food processor. Add the creme fraiche and heavy cream and process until just combined. Chill the mixture and then freeze in the ice cream maker.


Mi piace molto!

Chocolate Lavender Cupcakes

Spring has sprung, which means it's time to incorporate flowers and fruit into food! What could be better than chocolate and lavender?!


Ingredients 


4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt 
1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms, finely ground in spice mill
4 large eggs


Preheat that oven to 350 degrees! Line muffin tins with cupcake cups. Chop chocolate and melt in 30 second intervals in the microwave, until smooth when stirred with a butter knife. Let cool.


Sift flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Whisk milk and yogurt together in a small bowl. Using a stand mixer, cream together brown sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, then add ground lavender. Pour in melted chocolate and continue to beat until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk mixture.


Spoon batter into cupcake cups. Bake 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese icing once cupcakes cool. 


Icing


1 stick butter
2 packages (total 16 oz.) of cream cheese
1 teaspoon of lime and orange zest
2 teaspoons of lime and orange juice
4 cups confectioners' sugar
6-8 drops purple food coloring


Soften the butter with a mixer on high speed. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Add about half of the confectioners' sugar and zest/juice mixture and beat until combined. Add remaining confectioners' sugar until desired consistency and sweetness is achieved. Add food coloring and mix until consistent color is achieved. Enjoy those babies!