Baked Alaska with Rum Raisin Ice Cream

                                                              Baked Alaska

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox and I will be celebrating a landmark anniversary next weekend. I'll not be cooking for the occasion but in anticipation of the event, he asked me to make a Baked Alaska for him. I was more than happy to oblige because it gave me an excuse to make one of my favorite ice creams, a smooth and rich rum raisin concoction that is made with the world's happiest raisins. You'd be happy, too, if you spent a day immersed in that amount of rum. Baked Alaska is an old dessert that is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. It sounds difficult to make but nothing could be farther from the truth. The dessert has three distinct stages and all but the final toasting can be done a day ahead of time. I made the ice cream and the sponge layer for the cake I'm featuring tonight, but both could have been purchased at the grocery store and used in the assembly of the baked Alaska. Time is the only trick to successfully making this dessert. I generally assemble the cake, including the unbaked meringue covering, the day before I plan to serve it. It goes into the freezer and stays there until 15 minutes before I plan to put it in the oven. It takes minutes to brown the meringue, and because this is such a festive dessert I go one step further and flame it at the table. Children, and the Silver Fox, love this dessert. It is amazingly versatile and any flavor cake or ice cream can be used to assemble it. If you are looking for something that is festive and a bit out of the ordinary, do give this recipe a try. The ice cream, which comes from Saveur magazine, is especially delicious. Here is how the Baked Alaska is made.

Rum Raisin Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Saveur magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
1 cup dark rum
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Place raisins and rum in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until raisins soften and absorb rum, at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons rum. Set raisins and rum aside.
2) Place sugar and yolks in a large saucepan and whisk until pale yellow and lightened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add milk, and stir until smooth. Place over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens and coats back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a large bowl. Whisk in drained raisins along with reserved rum, cream, and vanilla. Cover custard with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of custard, and refrigerate until chilled.
3) Pour custard into an ice cream maker, and process according to manufacturer's instructions until churned and thick. Line a 7″-diameter bowl with a 15″ piece of plastic wrap, allowing excess to hang over rim of bowl. Pack ice cream into bowl, smoothing top, and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. Yield: about 6 cups.

Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter, for pan
1/2 cup cake flour, plus more for pan
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8″ round cake pan; set aside.
2) Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3) Beat sugar and eggs in bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Stir in juice and zest and fold in flour. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely, invert onto a rack, and set aside. Yield: 1 layer.

Meringue

Ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
Place cream of tartar and egg whites in bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until stiff but not dry peaks form.

Final Assembly

To serve, place cake on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Invert ice cream onto cake and peel off plastic. Cover ice cream and cake with meringue. Bake until meringue begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Using 2 metal spatulas, transfer to a cake plate and serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.









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Mock Fried Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Serendipity. I love the word and the happy accidents that it defines. I've had more than my share of kitchen disasters, but they are outnumbered by mishaps that end happily and lead to something new or absolutely delicious. My recipe tonight is the result of a serendipitous kitchen mishap. Several years ago, I had planned to make a Nordic-type cookie. As I set to work, I had a vague recollection of the ingredients I'd need, but drew a blank when it came to their assembly. A search for the recipe was neither quick nor successful, but I was stubbornly determined to use the ingredients I'd set out and decided to create something new. For some reason, candy came to mind and I started to make an oatmeal brittle. I experimented a bit to get the proportions right, but within the hour I had an oatmeal brittle that was really tasty. There was, however, a problem. What do you do with oatmeal brittle? It may be delicious, but it doesn't exactly scream "eat me". I decided to break it into coarse crumbs and use it as a topping. I had some ice cream in the freezer and quickly shaped it into balls that I rolled in the brittle crumbs. I called the Silver Fox into the kitchen for a consultation and taste test. I was still actively participating in recipe contests at that time and he was my best and most honest critic. He was also use to being called into the kitchen at all hours of the day and night. He had several spoonfuls before opining that it tasted like fried ice cream to him. That's basically how oatmeal brittle morphed into mock fried ice cream.

This is one of those stupid-simple recipes that somehow manages to produce a dish that can make your socks go up and down. It is made from readily available ingredients and it will take less than 30 minutes of your time to complete. Not much can go wrong here if you keep your eye on the oatmeal as it cooks. It takes a while to brown, but once it does you have to watch it carefully. It can go from golden to black in seconds and if it goes too dark or starts to smoke, you'll have to throw it out. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. It is perfect to serve at this time of year, and, yes, it really tastes like fried ice cream. If you'd like to add a more Mexican touch to it, feel free to add some cinnamon to the mix. Here's how the mock fried ice cream is made.

Mock Fried Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 quart vanilla (preferably French vanilla) ice cream
8 tablespoons (1 4-oz. stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light or golden brown sugar
2 cups uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light corn syrup

Directions:
1) Scoop ice cream into six balls. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze again until solid.
2) Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet. Stir in sugar and cook until mixture begins to bubble. Add oatmeal and salt; cook, stirring, over medium heat for ten minutes or until oatmeal is a deep golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in corn syrup. Rinse a cookie sheet with cold water; shake off excess water but do not dry pan. Scrape oat mixture onto pan and smooth into a thin layer with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool. Break into coarse crumbs and put in a 1-gallon zip lock bag.
3) When ready to serve, add ice cream balls, one at a time, to bag and shake to coat with oatmeal topping. Transfer to dessert plates or bowls. Garnish with mint if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

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Strawberry and Cream Cooler

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... This lovely soda-like treat will soon be retired from my kitchen. The Silver Fox is nearly back to fighting weight and once he's there, I won't be making this cooler for him on a regular basis. Till then, he gets to revel in its creamy goodness and forget about the caloric punch it packs. This is a delicious drink, but if you are watching your weight you'll have to make this a sometime treat. You can, of course, make it with less rich ingredients, but I really don't recommend it. There are certain treats that I place into an "all or nothing at all" category. This is one of them. I suspect those of you who try this will love it. Here's how it is made.

Strawberry and Cream Cooler...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cups softened strawberry or vanilla ice cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup strawberry syrup or melted, strained strawberry jam
2-3 ice cubes
Whipped Cream (optional)

Ingredients:
Combine milk, ice cream, syrup and ice cubes in jar of an electric blender. Whirl until blended. Pour into 2 tall glasses. Top with whipped cream if desired. Yield: 2 servings.


This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. Beverly is celebrating the 4th anniversary of her blog today.

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Elastic Ice Cream? Yup! It's Called Dondurma

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the unusual sights in the markets and bazaars of Turkey is the side show that accompanies the sale of salep dondurma, or orchid ice cream. The ice cream is made from milk, mastic resin and salep. The mastic comes from an evergreen tree that's a member of the pistachio family and salep is a powder made from wild orchid tubers that are believed to have aphrodisiac powers. Needless to say, that makes it a popular treat, but that popularity has also made it impossible to find the ice cream outside of Turkey. Mass production of dondurma has depleted the country's supply of wild orchids and caused the government to ban their export. The ice cream, which is served cold but not frozen, is dense and chewable and has amazing elastic powers. Its consistency is a bit like taffy and it bears bears no relationship to the ice cream we normally eat. The show that is used to drum up business is choreographed and resembles the vaudeville version of a shell game designed to prove the hand is quicker than the untrained eye. It begins with a rhythmic beating as the vendor bangs his 3 foot spatula against the ice cream bins. The ice cream in the vats is then stabbed, lifted from the bin in a solid mass and stretched like taffy or pizza dough. If there is an unwitting participant, the games begin. Ice cream is scraped into a cone in leaf-like layers and it is offered to the customer who suddenly finds his cone is empty. The vendor repeats the performance several times before the cone is surrendered and finally enjoyed. Fortunately, the ice cream is thick and will not melt and the show is funny, at least the first time you see it. Those of you who are interested can watch a version of the performance here. I am going to include a recipe for the classic version of the ice cream so you can see how it is made. The ingredients are difficult to come by, so that I suspect few of you will view the recipe as anything other than an interesting curiosity. Here's the recipe.

Turkish Orchid Ice Cream - Dondurma...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Nancy Gaifyllia

Ingredients:
3 cups of double cream or whipping cream
3 cups of full fat milk
1 1/8 cups of sugar
3 teaspoons of salep (level)
7/8 - 1 teaspoon of golden gum mastic, ground (see below)
Directions:
1) Grind the mastic: Mastic is usually sold in drops of resin which can stick to the mortar and pestle during grinding. To avoid, freeze mastic for 15 minutes before using and place it along with 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar in the mortar. Grind with the pestle.
2) In a mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup of the milk with the ground mastic (and sugar used to grind) until completely blended. Dissolve the salep in 1/2 cup of cold milk. Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan over low heat. Beating the mastic mixture at high speed, add the warm milk, then the dissolved salep. Add remaining sugar and cream.
3) Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and boil over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and clumping. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
4) When cooled, transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.








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Dondurma photos courtesy of Bambi Vincent

Crispy Butter Pecan Ice Cream Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This dessert is the adult version of an ice cream cake that I make often for my grandchildren. It is really easy to assemble and it is surprising good for something that requires so little effort. The original version of the cake came from Real Simple magazine and it can be seen here. If you glance through their recipe, you can see that this is an easy recipe to make your own. The flavor combinations are limited only by the imagination of the cook and the cake is a lovely finish to an informal summer meal. The Silver Fox and I like the butterscotch version but our little guys were really fond of a peanut butter and chocolate combination that I made for them. I hope you'll give this a try with favorite flavors of your own. Here are the directions for my favorite version of the cake.

Crispy Butter Pecan Ice Cream Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Real Simple Magazine

Ingredients:
8 ounces butterscotch chips, melted
4 cups crisped rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
2 pints butter pecan ice cream, slightly softened
2 cups whipped topping

Directions:
1) Combine melted butterscotch chips and cereal in a large bowl. Toss until cereal is completely coated. Set aside 1 cup of mixture for later use. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Lightly press 3 cups of coated cereal into bottom of pan. Do not pack. Freeze just until firm, about 10 minutes.
2) Spread ice cream in prepared crust and freeze, covered, until firm, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 day. Just before serving, spread top of cake with whipped topping and sprinkle with reserved
coated cereal. Yield: 8 servings.






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Lime Milk Shake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know times have changed, and that there is much to commend the conveniences that have come our way, but there is a part of me that mourns the demise of stores that were once part of our old neighborhoods. Bob and I grew up in an area that had a penny candy store and an ice cream parlor where weekly allowances could be spent. Holstein's, the ice cream parlor, had a distinctive smell, that is, to this day, unforgettable. No amount of scrubbing could rid the tiled walls and floor of the scent of chocolate and vanilla that permeated the shop. If you were led blindfolded into the store, you would still know exactly where you were. The "usual" was a scoop of ice cream, but on special occasions there would be a sundae or one of Holstein's special shakes. Bob remembers the shakes with fondness, and every so often I try to recreate one for him. I came across this recipe in an old issue of Taste of Home magazine and the first time I tried it, I knew it was a keeper. When it is made with limes, it will appeal to those who love tart-sweet desserts. When made with oranges, it will appeal to those who prefer sweeter treats. This mixture freezes well and makes wonderful Popsicles for children of all ages. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. I know you won't be disappointed. Here's how the shakes are made.

Lime Milk Shake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Crystal Gibson

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup thawed limeade concentrate
3 cups lime sherbet, softened

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.







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Lime Sherbet and Lime Sorbet

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox and one of our grandsons share a love of green desserts. The little one adores mint and pistachio, while his grandfather is inordinately fond of the tart lime variety. The last two weeks have been packed with fun and laughter and lots of good food, but for one reason or another a lime dessert never made it to the table. Things are beginning to quiet down now, and I thought this would be a good time to make a treat or two specifically for the Silver Fox. He requested a lime milk shake, but in order to make one I needed lime sherbet. What we have in our stores is not worthy of the name, so the first step in making the milk shake was to make lime sherbet. Sherbet is like a sorbet to which milk or cream is added. Both are really easy to make, especially if you have an ice cream freezer. I'm including recipes for both of them today and tomorrow I plan to feature the milk shake that Bob so enjoys. I use fresh key lime juice to make both these ices, but that is only because I can buy it at the Hispanic grocery I frequent. I have, by the way, been known to use commercially bottled juice, and while it works well in these recipes, I do find it has a slightly more metallic taste than the fresh juice. Lovers of the not so sweet usually love these ices. I think some of you might too. Here's how they are made.

Lime Sherbet ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 teaspoons lime zest
3/4 cup lime juice
3 cups half and half
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1) Zest and juice limes.
2) Combine zest and juice with half and half, and sugar.
3) Pour mixture into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.
4) When frozen thick, serve right away or transfer to plastic container and place in freezer until ready to serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Lime Sorbet...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 Cups sugar
2 Cups water
1-1/2 cups lime juice (about 12 limes)
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest

Directions:
1) Mix water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer without stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cool completely.
2) While simple syrup is cooking, begin squeezing lime juice. Strain juice to remove pulp. Add zest to juice. Refrigerate until simple syrup cools.
3) Combine juice and syrup in ice cream maker and process, using manufacturers directions, until frozen. This can take up to an hour. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours to harden. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.







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Frozen Pudding Cream Cake with Candy Bar Crunch Topping

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an easy dessert that demands more time than talent from its cook. It is also one of those desserts that people either love or hate. As far as I've been able to determine, the recipe first appeared in Taste of Home Magazine where it was called Pistachio Cream Dessert. How simple is it? Instant pudding is mixed with softened ice cream and then poured into a crumb crust and refrozen. Once it's set, the cake is covered with whipped topping and sprinkled with crushed candy bars. Now, I must tell those of you who are inwardly groaning that it's not that bad a dessert. It may never be your favorite, but lots of people love it and, should you decide to make it, your reputation won't be tarnished. It's important to know that in addition to pistachio, coconut, banana or butterscotch pudding can also be used to make the dessert. Pistachio is my least favorite of the flavors, but its lovely green color is visually stunning and makes for a great presentation. I personally love to make this using banana pudding. You can also vary the type of crumbs used to make the cake base and any candy bar that has a bit of texture can be used for topping. I don't much care for whipped topping, but I found that when it's folded into an equal measure of lightly beaten cream my arguments against it tend to fade. This is a rich dessert that keeps well. I think those of you who try it will think it worth the time it took to make. Here's the original recipe.

Frozen Pudding Cream Cake with Candy Bar Crunch Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup cold 2% milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 packages (1.4 ounces each) Heath candy bars, crushed

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Combine cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in ice cream; pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
4) Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Yield: 9 servings.







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Butter Pecan Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Such a lovely word. Amarcord. I remember....two little girls, sans shoes, sitting cross legged on a porch watching cream and sugar miraculously transform from a liquid to solid state. It was our first test of the new machine their grandfather had bought for them. They had just packed it with rock salt and were waiting to see if it really could turn the ingredients they had mixed into soft ice cream. Convinced their presence was necessary to the success of the operation, they claimed their seats and planned to see the process through to its conclusion, sure in the knowledge that if watched pots never boil, they surely then must freeze. Fortunately, that first batch was perfect and, thereafter, every time their grandpa Andy would visit, they'd make ice cream together. It was usually plain vanilla, but every so often it was gussied up to please the gourmet tastes that ran rampant in the family at that time. Things like strawberries or cherries were added with wild abandon and, on special occasions, pecans and brown sugar, Andy's favorites, were thrown into the pot. I often wonder how he would react to the amazing cream combinations that are available today. He was a purist and treasured the old ways, so I suspect he'd mumble about letting things be and insist on making his favorite butter pecan ice cream the way he always had. Today's recipe is very similar to the one used all those years ago. Some of you are old enough to remember the large amount of cream used in the vintage recipes. Nowadays, the use of that much cream would be considered attempted murder, so, I've cut way back on the amount of it used in the mix. The other ingredients have pretty much remained constant. This is a lovely ice cream, and, if one of your favorite flavors is butter pecan, I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Farm Journal

Instructions:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Melt butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. Add pecans and toast until lightly brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool.
2) Heat half-and-half in a large heavy saucepan set over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of 175 degrees F. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
3) Whisk a small amount of hot cream mixture into eggs. Add egg mixture to pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches at least 160 degrees F and coats a metal spoon. Remove from heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir in toasted pecans.
4) Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in the refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: 1 quart.









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Strawberry Shortcake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I should be ashamed to admit it, but this homely, pedestrian dessert is one of my personal favorites. In fairness to myself, I must tell you that this is not the shortcake of childhood memory. The base of this dessert is a berry laced cream scone that is topped with fruit that's been macerated in orange liqueur and then covered with a small scoop of soft ice cream. The ice cream I make comes from a recipe developed by David Liebovitz and you can see that recipe here. I make the ice cream to his specifications just before serving to keep it soft. If you don't want to make ice cream, you can achieve a similar affect by placing a commercial ice cream in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. You can also replace the ice cream with whipped cream. Most of you are familiar with my recipe for cream scones. I've altered it slightly to use for shortcake, adding a bit of almond extract and strawberries to the original recipe. In order to finish the shortcakes, I top them with additional berries, a drizzle of warm strawberry jam and a top hat of whipped cream. This really is a lovely recipe. I hope you will enjoy it.

Strawberry Shortcake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Strawberries
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 cup granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
Whipped Cream 1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Shortcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced strawberries
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
Ice Cream
2 small scoops per serving

Directions:
1) To make strawberries: Wash, drain and slice strawberries. Sprinkle with sugar and toss to coat. Sprinkle with orange liqueur and lightly toss again. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2) To make whipped cream: Combine ingredients in stainless steel bowl. Whip to stiff peaks. Refrigerate.
3) To make shortcakes: Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking power, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients. Stir in strawberries. Add heavy cream and almond extract and stir by hand just until dough forms. Dough will be soft and sticky. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough just holds together. Press dough into a 8 to 9-inch circle, 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 3-inch rounds. Place scones on baking sheet and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees or until scones are a light golden brown on top.
4) To serve: Cut shortbread in half horizontally, separating top from bottom half. Place bottom half of biscuit in a medium bowl. Cover biscuit bottom with 1/2 cup of strawberry mixture. Place two small scoops of vanilla ice cream in center of biscuit bottom. Place remaining biscuit half on top of ice cream. Spoon additional berry mixture over biscuit top to moisten it. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.








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Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've made a slight change to the dessert menu for Super Bowl Sunday. Rather than serve sundaes, I've decided to make ice cream sandwiches using dulce de leche ice cream and chocolate wafer cookies. I think they'll make for easier clean-up and might actually be a better fit for our extremely casual menu. This is, hands down, one of the easiest and best ice creams I've ever made. It uses no sugar or eggs, and its sweetness comes from dulce de leche, a thick, caramel flavored sauce that is popular in Latin America. The canned sauce can be found in most large grocery stores, but it can also be made quite easily at home. Homemade versions of the sauce are the only available option for folks living in areas where dulce de leche is not available or is too expensive for them to purchase. The classic sauce is a mix of milk and sugar that is cooked and stirred for hours on end. The sauce that I use is much easier and can be made in one of two ways. Both begin with cans of sweetened condensed milk that are stripped of their paper labels. To make the stovetop version, you'll need to poke two small holes in the lid of a condensed milk can and place it, upright, in a heavy bottomed pot that's been filled with water that comes about a quarter of an inch below the top of the can. The milk is simmered in the can for 3 hours and during that time the water level is kept constant. The method I use is simpler still. I place the cans on their sides in a 5 quart crock-pot, cover them with hot water by at least an inch and cook them, covered, on HIGH power for eight hours. Whichever method you use, be careful when removing the cans from water. They are screeching hot and can cause severe burns. When the cans come to room temperature the sauce, which will be quite thick, is ready to use. It is dissolved in a mixture of milk and heavy cream and quick-chilled before being poured into an ice cream maker. I think you'll like this ice cream. It is delicious and nearly effortless to make. The recipe was originally developed by Mariana Crespo for Gourmet magazine. Here's how the ice cream is made.

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Mariana Crespo

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1-2/3 cups dulce de leche (store bought or homemade)
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans (2 1/2 to 3 oz), toasted

Directions:
1) Bring milk and cream just to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then remove from heat and whisk in dulce de leche until dissolved. Whisk in vanilla and transfer to a metal bowl. Quick-chill by putting bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally until cold, 15 to 20 minutes.
2) Freeze mixture in ice cream maker until almost firm, then fold in pecans.
3) Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 1 hour. Yield: 1-1/2 quarts.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Dulce de Leche - David Lebovitz
Dulce de Leche - Cooking for Engineers
Mexican Chocolate Brownies - One Perfect Bite
Mexican Wedding Cookies - Stylish Cuisine
Mexican Hot Chocolate - Elana's Pantry
Dulce de Leche Liqueur Bundt Cake - The Daily Dish
Mexican Milk Chocolate Cake - Sugar Plum
Mexican Chocolate Cake - Bless Us O Lord
Simply Amazing Fried Ice Cream - $The Thrifty Couple in the Kitchen

Assorted Creams and Ices - Pink Saturday

We've had an unexpected return to warmer weather here in Oregon. Rather than roast beets or make borscht, I thought it might be fun to reprise some of the pink ices we've featured here this past year. You can link to the recipes to find out how they were made and what we were thinking when they were originally featured. I hope you'll enjoy them.

I've a bit of housekeeping to share with you as well. I've added a print feature to the blog that allows printing of all or portions of each post. I've temporarily placed it at the top of each entry where it can be better seen. I'll move it to a less conspicuous area once folks are aware the function has been added.





Peppermint Ice Cream












Cranberry Chambord Sorbet











Pink Grapefruit Sorbet











Sour Cherry Gelato










Pink Lemonade Granita







This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a fondness for good ice cream that was acquired late in life. It was not something I had regularly as a child. It had nothing to do with money. The freezer compartments of old refrigerators were small cubical affairs designed to make ice cubes and hold very little else. Options for ice cream lovers were limited. A very few had ice cream freezers and could make their own. Most families, however, would send their fastest runner to the deli to pick up a pint that was brought home to be sliced and shared by all. Half gallons of ice cream weren't generally available until the 1950's when larger refrigerators made their storage possible. Among the group who relied on runners, Neapolitan was, by far, the most popular flavor because of its three cream appeal. Some of us were even more fortunate and could count on the Good Humor man to supplement the deli runs. He came through our neighborhood three times a week and, urchins that we were, a neighborhood watch was formed to spot him and spread the word he was on his way. Only Santa Claus was treated with more reverence and affection than the Good Humor man. Allowances rarely covered the cost of ice cream, but Popsicles were only a dime and you could tell who had what flavor by the color of the mustache around their lips. I know that in later years he became persona non grata, but for those of us who stood ready at the curb with pennies in our hands, his chimes were a symphony. As the ice cream man fades into history so, too, does Gourmet magazine. This lovely recipe is a reminder of why so many of us regret its passing. Here's how Gourmet's strawberry cheesecake ice cream is made.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
1 pint (12-oz.) strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) Combine strawberries, cream cheese, sugar, milk, lemon juice and salt in a blender jar. Puree just until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cream. Chill until very cold.
2) Freeze mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze to harden. Yield: 1 quart.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Fresh Mint Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Ice Cream Crunch Cake - One Perfect Bite
Sweet Corn Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
VVanilla Ice Cream - David Lebovitz
Bailey's Ice Cream with Chocolate Shavings - The Pioneer Woman
Raspberry Semifreddo - Chocolate Shavings
Coconut Ice Cream - Baking Bites

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...An unintended consequence of a search for meatless meals led me to Rick Bayless' Frontera website. I, of course, found my way to his desserts, where I stumbled on this remarkable recipe for sweet corn ice cream. This is not a bait and switch. The ice cream is actually made with sweet corn that is given a flavor boost with an injection of orange liqueur, cinnamon and fresh lime juice. My curiosity got the best of me and I had to give it a try. To my amazement, this actually works and the finished ice cream does have a faint, barely perceptible, but pleasant, corn flavor. I'm told this ice cream is common in many parts of Mexico. What makes this version a bit different from the others, is that the corn is pureed and the custard strained so there are no small irritating bits of corn in the finished ice cream. While I tried this as a curiosity, I will make it again. I used thawed frozen, shoe peg corn to make this batch of ice cream. I'd like to try this with fresh corn to see if it affects flavor in a major way. We have family members and friends who would enjoy its taste and the novelty of sweet corn ice cream. You might, too. Here's the recipe.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Rick Baylis

Ingredients:
2 to 3 ears fresh sweet corn
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup evaporated milk
A scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican cinnamon
2 tablespoon orange liqueur, preferably Gran Torres
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:
1) Set up a double boiler: Set up a 4-quart saucepan, filled halfway with water, into which you can nestle a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat while you're preparing the custard base.
2) Cook base: Husk corn and pull off all the silk. Cut kernels from ears and measure 2 cups. Scoop into a blender and add half-and-half. Blend until smooth. In a 3-quart stainless steel bowl, stir together egg yolks and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add corn mixture and whisk to combine thoroughly. Reduce temperature under the pot of boiling water to maintain a gentle simmer. Set bowl of custard base over the simmering water and whisk frequently, until the mixture thickens noticeably, about 20 minutes. Custard is sufficiently cooked when it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. (You can also test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the custard, then running your finger through the custard: if the line holds clearly, the custard has thickened sufficiently.) Pour the base through a medium-mesh strainer into another bowl (preferably stainless steel for quick cooling).
3) Cool base: Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Nestle custard bowl into ice and whisk regularly until completely cool. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
4) Finish base, freeze ice cream: Stir heavy cream, evaporated milk, cinnamon, orange liqueur and lime juice into base. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. Scrape into a freezer container and freeze for several hours to firm. Yield: 1-1/2 quarts.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Leche Asada - One Perfect Bite
Flan - Rasa Maylasia
Julia Child's Creme Caramel - Gratinee

(Almost) Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Had the gods of mythology sampled this Ben and Jerry favorite, there would have been no talk of ambrosia and an ice cream parlor would have, instead, been opened on the top of Mount Olympus. It is remarkably good and it's Bob's ice cream of choice. It's hard to find Cherry Garcia ice cream in many parts of the world, so, each year before we leave, Bob has his fill of it while we are still in DEFCON 1. It is remarkably easy to prepare and I have only one caution should you decide to make it. It's important not to overwork the chocolate and cherry mixture when folding it into the cream. It's also important to keep the chocolate shavings thick enough to retain their shape during the process. Now to the real question. Does it actually taste like Cherry Garcia ice cream? Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. A lot depends on the flavor of the Bing cherries you use. That can vary from one pint to another, so I've started using a tablespoon of kirsch to assure that wonderful cherry flavor. The recipe is Tom and Jerry's own, so I have not included kirsch in the ingredient list. Here's how they do it.

Cherry Garcia Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shaved plain chocolate (we prefer Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate candy bars)
1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted (you may use canned cherries, but be sure to drain the syrup)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk

Directions:
1) Place shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate.
2) Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
3) Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
4) After ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add chocolate and cherries, then continue freezing until ice cream is ready. Yield: 1 quart.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Ice Cream Crunch Cake - One Perfect Bite
Fresh Mint Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips - Simply Recipes
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream - The Recipe Girl
Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream - David Lebovitz