HERE'S THE SCOOP

I'm slacking off in the ice cream department. It's nearing the end of August and I haven't even gotten started on my ice cream making. So far only blueberry, banana chocolate chunk (aka chunky monkey), pineapple and the latest attempt at toasted marshmallow. I have to say at first I was not sure if the flavor represented its name but the more you eat it, the more you think you should grab some graham crackers and chocolate and eat some more! It's creamy and decadent and worth a try. 

Marshmallow Ice Cream

• 1  16 oz bag of marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Spread the marshmallows on a baking sheet and toss in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned, turning them a few times to brown on all sides. 

In a large saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla and heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot but not boiling. 

Transfer the milk mixture to a blender, add the marshmallows, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Submerge the bowl in a larger bowl filled with cold water and ice and transfer 
both to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours and up to 12 overnight.

Transfer the chilled mixture to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions. When frozen, transfer to a container and freeze until firm.

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Review: "Fans know Richard Blais best as the winner of Bravo's Top Chef All-Stars, the first competitor to be invited back as a permanent judge on Top Chef, and now as a Food Network regular as well. On television, Blais is famous for his daring cooking, making use of science (think liquid nitrogen) to dazzle and impress. But how does he cook at home when the cameras are off? That's what this book will answer, with elevated homestyle recipes and personal stories which invite you behind the scenes and into his own kitchen for the first time. Some recipes might look familiar, like spaghetti and meatballs, but have a secret, flavor-boosting ingredient, and others feature clever but unexpected techniques, like his fried chicken which is first marinated in pickle juice. These are creative recipes that anyone can make and are sure to excite, from Seabass with Ginger Beer and Bok Choy to Jerked Spatchcock Chicken and Plantains, making this this the book Blais fans have been waiting for."

ICE CREAM HOARDER

I have a confession to make. I'm obsessed with making ice cream. I think it all started when my oven broke and my baking came to a halt. It was summer and the ice cream maker had come off the shelf already but hadn't been used yet. I had added some new ice cream making books to our collection and I wanted to test them out. I also had some friends requesting that I make them peanut butter ice cream; one of my specialties and also one of my favorites. So, I started with the peanut butter, moved on to french vanilla and then never stopped! I tried coconut, heath bar, cookies and cream, banana chocolate chunk, blueberry, cherry chocolate chunk. I even made a rhubarb raspberry swirl with my leftover rhubarb from pie season. Seems like I have been making and hoarding ice cream for about two months now. Since then, my oven miraculously started working again. I'm really not sure why. I can get back to my baking now but at least I have an arsenal of ice cream flavors to get me through the winter.

All the ice cream flavors I made started out with a custard base. You can build a flavor by adding fruit, vanilla flavor or other flavorings, coconut, cookies or candy to the mixture.   First you have to whisk 6 egg yolks with sugar until it is light and fluffy. Yup...six egg yolks! I have even seen recipes for richer ice creams that call for 9 or even a dozen. Now with the price of eggs on the rise due to the Avian Flu, making home made ice cream is not easy on the pocketbook. But once you taste it, you will know why you can splurge on occasion. Or as for me...... quite often. Luckily, I have a friend that gives me fresh eggs from his farm. Using fresh eggs makes the ice cream extra scrumptious.

After heating the cream mixture, you temper the eggs by drizzling  in 1/2 the warm cream mixture and whisking. Then you return it to the original pot with cream and heat it until it gets a bit thicker and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. I pretty much have it memorized. That's what repetition can do to the brain! The following recipe will give you full details.

Vanilla Ice Cream

About 1 quart

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop 

For a richer custard, you can add up to 3 more egg yolks. For a less-rich custard, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream, realizing that the final texture won’t be as rich or as smooth as if using cream.

• 1 cup (250ml) whole milk
• A pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour.

2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

6. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: Used vanilla beans can be rinsed and dried, then stored in a bin of sugar. That sugar can be used for baking and, of course, for future ice cream making.

NOTE: I did not have a vanilla bean on hand and substituted pure vanilla extract - ( about a tablespoon.) I omit the vanilla flavor if I am adding fruit to the creamed mixture to make blueberry, raspberry, etc. 

I decided to order pint sized ice cream containers and labeled them with my flavor creation.

Here are the labels I bought. I think next time I will make personal labels on the computer and print them myself!

This recipe and others can be found in

 The Perfect Scoop 

by David Lebovitz

After you get the hang of it, you can experiment with flavors

like I do. My latest flavor inspiration came to me not only when I realized that summer is actually over and fall is in full swing but also when a friend gave me a bushel of organic apples. Apple Pie Ice Cream ! Maybe it will become a new fall favorite?

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ONE LAST TASTE OF SUMMER

Autumn is creeping up on us. Where did the summer go? It always seems to fly by so fast. Summer to me, means a lot of things; sun, beach, a healthy tan, long days and warm nights and ICE CREAM!
I eat ice cream all year round because I love it so much, but once summer ends my ice cream maker goes on the shelf for a while. It is getting cooler out but not autumn weather by any means. Why does everyone rush the seasons?  Look around you....all of the Halloween decorations are out in the stores and everywhere you look, new flavors at coffee retailers or restaurants include an item on the menu with a pumpkin flavoring;  a flavor typical of fall. Summer is not over - officially. September 22nd will be the first day of autumn. So, savor every last bit of summer. Enjoy........ Don't rush it!

I decided to make some last batches of ice cream before I put away the ice cream maker and take out the crock pot. Coconut ice cream is the perfect summer flavor for one last hurrah! The first time I tried it, I was on vacation at a restaurant overlooking the Caribbean. I could picture the clear turquoise waters and feel the warm breeze and taste the fresh coconut.

Looking for that tropical coconut ice cream recipe, I decided to try the WILLIAMS SONOMA ICE CREAM book by Mary Goodbody. It has more than 40 recipes for ice cream, gelato and sorbet. You can start out with vanilla,  move on to chocolate hazelnut and if you get really daring, you can try the avocado, pumpkin or ginger ice cream.

This recipe calls for sweetened coconut you find in the baking aisle. You don't have to hack into a coconut and scrape out the white flesh. So much easier.



TOASTED COCONUT ICE CREAM:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs cream of coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract  (or coconut extract)

* After trying this recipe I would substitute coconut extract for the vanilla. Needs a tad more coconut flavor!

In a heavy saucepan combine the milk, 1 cup of the cream and 3/4 cup of the coconut. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan...about 5 min. Set aside for 20 min and then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing into the coconut. Return the milk mixture to the pan and place over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, - about 5 min.

Meanwhile combine the egg yolks, sugar and remaining 1/2 cup cream in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon at a low simmer, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not let the custard boil. Remove it from the heat and stir in the cream of coconut. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla.

Place the bowl in a larger bowl with ice cubes to cool custard mixture and then put plastic wrap over custard, pressing it directly on the surface. Refrigerate over night.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and when it looks like thick whipped cream, add 1/2 of the toasted coconut.Transfer to a freezer container and freeze for 3 hours or up to 3 days. When serving, garnish with the leftover toasted coconut.

How to toast Coconut: Set a small frying pan over medium heat and add 3/4 cup coconut. Stir occasionally until lightly browned - about 1-2 minutes and transfer to a plate to cool. I stored mine in a plastic freezer bag so its air tight.

ENJOY!

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