Cookistry

Let me be honest. I have a love-hate relationship with mangoes. When they're good, I love them. Totally love. But it seems like I also sometimes end up with mangoes that are mealy or that just taste ... weird.

I have a better track record with peaches, plums, and all their relatives.

Also, mangoes are not the most fun thing to peel. So I dragged out my mango splitter. I don't use it often, but it has its place in my drawer full of things that I don't use often, but I use enough.

That said, the little yellowish mangoes tend to be more successful for me, and when I saw them on sale, I grabbed a few of them. And then as I was browsing through a cookbook that just appeared from a publisher - Farm-to-Table Desserts by Lei Shishak - I found a recipe for mango mousse that looked pretty intriguing.

Most of the mousses I've made have been chocolate, and they've been rich and calorie-dense. This mousse is much lighter.

I figured I'd make it as written, and if it worked, I could certainly adapt it to other fruits. Like peaches. A peach mousse, in season, would be pretty awesome.

So anyway, the book's tagline is "80 seasonal organic recipes made from your local farmers' market." Well, mangoes don't grow here and it's only May as I write this. We had snow not that long ago, so there aren't a lot of local crops at all.

But that's why we have grocery stores. That carry in-season fruits and vegetables that are in season in other parts of the country. Otherwise, I'd be fruitless at this time of year, and still living on root vegetables and petrified winter squashes from last season.

So anyway, the mousse was really nice. Fruity and soft and silky and and just sweet enough without being overly sweet. I think it would make sense to make this in a larger quantity, for best blending in the blender and also to have more mousse for dessert.

I think my mangoes were a little smaller than what the author imagined, so what I ended up was probably not four servings. I didn't put it into individual ramekins, as suggested, because I thought one container in the fridge made more sense.

This is one of the easier recipes in the book, which has a nice range of recipes from simple all the way to ones that are a little more of a project. There are baking recipes, ice cream recipes, and some that are uncooked. And kettle corn, too. Lots of variety.

Mango Mousse
Adapted from Farm-to-Table Desserts by Lei Shishak

1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons water, divided
2 medium mangoes, ripe
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup yogurt (she suggested Fage, so use a Greek-style)

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon of water and set aside while you wrangle the mangoes.

Peel the mangoes, cut the fruit away from the pit, and cut the fruit into chunks. Or use a mango pitter, then use a spoon to slide the fruit out of the skin.

Put the mango pieces and the lemon juice in a blender, and blend until smooth.

Add the softened gelatin to a small pot and add the sugar and the remaining tablespoon of water. Heat on medium, stirring, until the sugar and gelatin have dissolved. At first, this will look like you don't have enough water, but it will be fine. Pour the gelatin into the blender and pulse to combine.

Strain the mango mixture into a small bowl. If you have a super-powered blender, you might not need to do this, but I found that it was even smoother after straining. So, your choice. Whisk in the yogurt.

Chill the mouse for at least 2 hours. You can divide it into individual servings before chilling, or put it into a storage container and scoop it out to serve.

YUM.

I received the book from the publisher at no cost to me.

I really love to bake, but it seems sort of ridiculous to make a whole layer cake just for me. Fortunately, I have wonderful neighbors who are always willing to take in homeless baked goods. Still, a whole layer cake is a lot of cake, even when I have help eating it.

I usually look for recipes that make a single layer, or I cut the recipe in half, which isn't all that much fun when it uses 3 eggs. So, when a publisher offered me a copy of 175 Best Small-Batch Baking Recipes, I knew I had to try it.

Cake for one or two? Count me in. Don't worry, neighbors ... I'll still have plenty of goodies for you!

The first recipe I decided to try was for brownies. I love brownies, and they have the distinct advantage over other baked goods in that I like them when they're chilled, unlike many cakes that are best at room temperature. Storing them in the fridge gives them a longer life, so I can take my time eating them.

I was quite pleased to see that I had six different brownie recipes to choose from, including a white chocolate brownie with cranberries and hazelnuts. I chose a somewhat classic recipe that had nuts. It called for walnuts - which is pretty typical - but I used macadamia nuts, since I recently got some from a friend in Hawaii.

It's good to have friends.

One thing I thought was complete genius in this book was the way they handled pan size. They didn't suggest going out and buying some weird-sized pan to make the small batch in brownies. Instead, they use loaf pans. Wow. I never thought of that! And heavens knows I have enough loaf pans around here.

The recipe I chose made brownies that were a bit soft and cake-like and also a bit fudgy, but I think they would be more dense at sea level.

These don't include any leavening except the air beaten into the batter when the eggs are whisked, and that sort of whipped-in air tends to expand more up here in the mountains than it would where most people live.

The recipe was easy to make - I didn't even need a hand mixer. The ingredients all include metric measurements as well as US, so you can use whichever you prefer, and it also makes it easier if you prefer to weigh your dry ingredients rather than measure.

The recipe includes frosting, but I didn't make that. I prefer my brownies unadorned.

Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Adapted from 175 Best Small-Batch Baking Recipes by Jill Snider

2 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (I used macadamia nuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper (I made a sling that covered the bottom and long sides) and spray with baking spray.

Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat on medium heat in 30-second increments, stirring after each heating, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until light and frothy (they might be easier to whisk in a larger bowl, but a medium bowl is all you need to hold the ingredients). Gradually add the sugar while whisking, until the mixture is thick. Whisk in the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add the flour and walnuts and stir them in.

Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees until just set, about 20-25 minutes (mine took a bit longer). Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing using the sling.

Did you ever see a recipe and know IMMEDIATELY that you'd love it? And then you wondered why you'd never even thought of it before?

That's how I felt when I saw the recipe for pickled radishes in The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. Yup, there's yet another version of the Ball canning book.

This one has a major difference compared to previous ones. This one looks more like a book than like a fat magazine.

I love it! It will be so much easier to see when I'm looking for it on my bookshelves. So much easier.

So I was pretty glad I said "yes" when the folks at Ball asked me if I wanted to promote their annual Can-It-Forward Day again. So I got the book and some fresh new Ball canning jars and lids.

But back to the radishes. They're refrigerator pickles rather than preserved pickles, which is fine with me. It gives me the option of making them when I want them, and changing up the flavors if I feel like it.

But the thing that really drew me to them was the lime juice. You see, I love lime-pickled onions. So I figured I'd love lime-pickled radishes just as much. Mmmmmm. Radishes.

I ran into one teeny glitch with this recipe. It says it makes 1 quart, but the liquid was only about half of what I needed after I filled a quart jar with radishes and onion. I think they meant to say it was enough for a pint, but since it said quart, I just kept slicing radishes until it was full.

But these are really good, so just make the quart. This is slightly adapted based on what I did. You'll need to check the book for the original. I promise mine is pretty close.

Lime Pickled Radishes
Adapted from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving
Makes 1 quart

1 cup fresh lime juice (I used a mix of regular limes and some key limes)
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup red onion slices (thin slices)
Radishes, with leaves and thin roots removed and cut into 1/8-inch slices - enough to fill the jar along with the onion
Note: you can alter the ratio of radishes and onion, if you like. But remember that this is supposed to be pickled radishes with some onion rather than half radishes and half onion.

Put the lime juice, water, sugar, salt, and coriander in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, put the cilantro in the bottom of a quart canning jar and fill the jar with the sliced onion and radishes. You're supposed to use a HOT jar, but since these are refrigerator pickles, I didn't boil or sterilize the jar - it was freshly washed and warm.

When the liquid has come to a boil, pour it over the vegetables in the jar. Place a lid on the jar, let it cool for 2 hours, then refrigerate. These are pretty good as soon as they're chilled, but they're even better the next day.

These are awesome on fish tacos.

Can-It-Forward Day

Friday, July 22, 2016 is the sixth annual Can-It-Forward Day, and this year Ball is hosting the entire event on Facebook Live on their Facebook page.

There will be demonstrations going on all day, and for each comment, like, or share on the videos, Ball will donate $1 to charity.

So go, watch, comment, and share, okay?

There is also a digital pledge page on the Freshly Preserved Tumblr page, where you can take the can-it-forward pledge. Go check that out, too, mkay?

Thanks to Ball for asking me to participate, and for supplying me with the book and jars for my use.

How could I turn down a book called The Make Ahead Kitchen? Obviously I like the concept, since I also wrote a book about making things ahead.

While my book was all about bread, this book, by Annalise Thomas, is about making all sorts of things ahead. Sure, there's bread, but there are breakfasts, desserts, main dishes, and even a few drinks.

When I browsed through the book, the first thing I wanted to make was the Maple Bacon Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. Mmmm. Rolls. Cinnamon. Maple. Bacon.

But then the weather turned crazy hot and I decided that I didn't really need to be baking buns when it's nearing 100 degrees.

So I turned to something cooler. Like salad. The Best Homemade Greek Salad sounded good, but I've made tons of different Greek Salads, and I've posted a bunch of them, too. I've got that recipe set aside to make later. For me. Probably not for the blog.

But then I saw the Teriyaki-Shop-Style Salad, which is essentially a recipe for the salad dressing. I had all the ingredients, and I had lettuce.

This is quite a tasty dressing. I'm sure I'll be making it again. As far as the rest of the book, I'm going to spend some more time browsing through it.

Teriyaki-Shop-Style Salad (Creamy Sesame Salad Dressing)
From The Make Ahead Kitchen by Annalise Thomas. All rights reserved.

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove finely minced garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
Lots of black pepper

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well until completely blended. Taste for seasoning (adding a bit of salt or pepper if needed!) and serve over a simple green salad.

This dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to two weeks. Shake well before serving.

Note: I stirred instead of shaking. It worked just fine.

I received a digital copy of the book for my use.

Spiralizers are pretty trendy these days, and not there are whole cookbooks devoted to them.

I have to be honest and say that I was totally skeptical about zucchini "noodles" being as good as people said they were. I love pasta. I really do. I didn't think zucchini noodles could possibly make me happy.

But I really loved this recipe.

Okay, it's not the lightest recipe in the book since it's loaded with heavy cream and cheese, but it really does show of the potential of zucchini noodles.

I didn't really miss the pasta.

Okay, I'm not going to totally give up pasta now. But I'm going to be making more zucchini noodle pasta recipes, particularly in summer, when there are so many zucchini that need to be used.

Now, don't get me wrong. The book isn't all about zucchini noodles. It's just that I thought this recipe was pretty great, and I wanted to keep it handy for myself, right here on the blog. There are recipes with spiralized carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, apples, kohlrabi, squash, and more.

Vegetable Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas
Adapted from 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes By Marilyn Haugen and Jennifer Williams

4 zucchini, ends cut flat
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 ounces prosciutto, chopped
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup butter
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground white or black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Using a spiralizer, cut the zucchini into thin strands. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and prosciutto. Cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes until the mushrooms are softened and the prosciutto is slightly crisp.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and butter to gentle boil over medium-high heat. reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Whisk in 1/3 cup of the cheese and keep simmering and stirring until it's smooth.

Remove it from the heat and add another 2 tablespoons of cheese along with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add the zucchini, peas, and cream sauce to the skillet with the mushrooms and prosciutto. Put the skillet on low heat and simmer, stirring, until the zucchini is cooked to your desired doneness.

Serve the vegetable pasta garnished with additional cheese.

I almost said "no" when I was offered a copy of The Six O'Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb. The book is from The American Diabetes Association, which is a fine organization. But I don't review a lot of books based on special diets.

But I knew someone who was a recipe tester for this book (small world!) and she absolutely raved about it. I asked if it had any weird ingredients like fake sugars or .... just odd stuff. And she said no, it's normal food that's okay for diabetics.

So I decided to give it a try.

She was right. The recipes were normal.

The book is arranged by season, but I have to say that the ingredients for the majority of the recipes are probably available all year long. And if not, there are options. For example, in a recipe that calls for corn kernels, its says that fresh, canned, or frozen would be fine.

Still, there are some recipes that make sense for serving at specific times of the year. Hearty soups and stews are great for winter, for example.

The Cuban-spiced chicken that I made was in the summer section, but it would work at any time of the year. There are instructions for baking (which I did) and an option for slow-cooking, which is nice in warm weather.

The spices should also be great on chicken that you put on the grill. Or other a pork roast. Or steak.

Cuban-Spiced Chicken
Adapted from The Six O'Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I didn't do this - I made a bean and pepper salad instead)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees unless you're going to marinate the chicken first. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, oregano, and salt.

Toss the chicken with the lime juice, then coat with the spices. you can continue cooking from here, or let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through in the center of the largest piece.

When the chicken is almost done, warm the beans. Serve immediately.

Okay, okay, I know that "bahn mi" actually refers to the rolls, so the Bahn Mi Rolls is redundant.

I know that. But this recipe was named by Andrea Nguyen, the author of The Bahn Mi Handbook.

Ah yes, we Americans have co-opted another word and made it our own. That's what we do.

While the intent is to use these rolls to make bahn mi sandwiches, they're good for so much more. Like sub sandwiches, hoagies, grinders, muffalettas, Italian beef sandwiches, or pretty much anything else you want to put on a crusty roll.

Leftovers, after a few days, could be sliced into rounds and toasted for bruschetta or crostini. Or cut up for croutons or turned into panzanella. Yup, these are versatile. If you like baking bread, I suggest you give these a try.

The recipe in the book is quite a bit longer that what I've adapted, with much more detail, including photos that show how to shape the buns. So if you're not super-comfortable with making bread, go check out the book for more instructions.

The book suggests using a Vitamin C capsule or tablet, but I used sour salt. It's the came thing, but less trouble. You can find sour salt at some supermarkets and for sure online. It's handy to have on hand if you want to add a little tartness to foods, but you don't want actual lemon or lime flavor. My mom used it for her tomato soup if the tomatoes weren't tart enough.

You can knead this by hand, of course, but a stand mixer is sooooo much easier.

Bahn Mi Rolls
Adapted from The Bahn Mi Handbook by Andrea Nguyen

1/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (one envelope) instant or rapid rise yeast
2 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 pound unbleached all purpose flour (3 cups plus 3 1/2 tablespoons), plus more as needed
1 1/2 tablespoons shortening at room temperature
1 1/4 cups very warm water (110 degrees)

Put the sour salt, salt, sugar, yeast, gluten, and flour in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low to combine. Add the shortening and mix until it disappears into the flour. Stop the mixer and add the water. Mix for a minute, or until the dough forms a shaggy ball around the paddle. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Pull the dough off the paddle and attach the dough hook to the mixer. Knead on medium-low speed (2 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) for about 2 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and somewhat firm.

Transfer the dough to your work surface. No flour is needed unless the dough feels soft and moist. Knead the dough briefly. When you're done, it should be barely tacky ad not sticky at all. When you press it, it should immediately bounce back, but leave a little indent.

Drizzle a little oil on the dough, put it back in the stand mixer bowl, turn it around a few times so it's evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot for 45 minutes, or until doubled.

When the dough has risen, uncover the bowl and turn out the dough onto your work surface. Divide it into 6 equal pieces, then form each into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let the rest for 10 minutes, then form the balls into torpedo shapes. (The book goes into great detail about how to make this shape, but you can use any method you're comfortable with.) The torpedoes should be 6 1/2 inches long and 1 3/4 inches wide at the plump center.

Place the finished rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. I opted to just use a second baking sheet as a lid. Let them rise until more than double. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Set up the oven for steaming with a broiler pan or heavy pan on the bottom of the oven (or on a bottom rack, if your oven had exposed heating elements.)  Place a baking stone on a rack above the pan.

When the rolls have nearly doubled, remove the plastic wrap and let the surface of the rolls dry for the final 10 or 15 minutes.

Bring about a cup of water to a boil and keep it warm. Have a spray bottle filled with water standing by.

When the rolls are porpoise-like (my favorite description!) slash each each one with a sharp knife, nearly horizontal to the roll at the midline. It should be a very shallow cut.

Mist the rolls with the spray bottle and put the baking sheet in the oven on top of the stone. Carefully pour about 1/2 cup of water into the pan, then close the oven door. Lower the heat to 425 and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown.

At this point, my oven malfunctioned, the door locked shut with the oven turned off and cooling down. I had to rescue the rolls using a coat hanger to unlock the oven. So I didn't finish the rolls according to instructions. Instead, I took the par-baked and cooled buns to a neighbor's house to finish baking. Fortunately, it worked just fine.

If you're not dealing with a dead oven, turn off the oven when the rolls are done, leaving the rolls inside for another 8 to 10 minutes to brown and crisp a little more.

Let the rolls cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes.

About the book:
I have to admit that I've never actually eaten a bahn mi sandwich, so I can't really say if these buns are right or not. But they are really good.

I have a pate recipe bookmarked, as well as pickles. Both are traditional on bahn mi. When those are done, I can make a sandwich.

But to be honest, the pickles and pate and bread all look like I'd find other uses for them aside from sandwiches.

And this bread? Yes, I'll make it again. Well, I will when I have an oven.

Considering the narrow subject matter of this book, there's a good variety of recipes. There are sandwich ingredients, like the bread, pickles, and pate, but also mayonnaise, sauces, sausages, and terrines. Then there are sandwiches. And finally, non-traditional bahn-mi-like foods, including a bahn mi salad.

So even if you don't want to make a lot of bahn mi, there are recipes you can use for other purposes.

Photo from From Cupcakes to Caviar.

It seems impossible that we're approaching the three-year anniversary of when my husband went into the hospital ... and didn't come home for a long time.

Sometimes it seems like just yesterday, and sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. So much has happened since then.

If you haven't been reading this blog for that long, the short story is that he drove himself to the clinic, they sent him to the ER and shortly afterwards he was in the ICU awaiting surgery. Things went wrong, they told me there was no hope - pick a time to pull the plug - and the next day he woke up and his condition started improving. Slowly.

Meanwhile our money situation was dire, and hospitals aren't cheap. Although I hated the idea, I wrote a blog post and asked for donations. I was overwhelmed with the generosity of strangers. And grateful to friends. And astonished at how my life could go from worrying about whether Bob would have a home to come home to ... to being comfortable spending time with him, knowing that the bills would be paid for a short while. I could breathe for a while.

It was the worst time of my life, and also the most amazingly wonderful time, when I realised how wonderful people really are. I felt very loved and very comforted at a time when I needed it most. And it wasn't even the money, but it was the fact that so many people were so caring.

I promised the universe that when I was in a position to give back, I would. I'm a big believer in karma, and in doing good without expectations of payback. Paying it forward, so to speak. And paying back when good things have come your way.

Have a cookie. Photo from From Cupcakes to Caviar.

For me, that payback time is now. And I'm asking you to help me with that payback. Please.

My friend Janet Brand - you might know her from the blog From Cupcakes to Caviar - just asked online for prayers and good wishes, and when I pressed her for details, she reluctantly told me.

Janet's husband's company recently stopped providing health insurance for spouses, and the family can't afford to pay for private health insurance to cover Janet. They're one of the many families who make too much money to get free insurance, but who struggle every month over paying monthly bills, food, and other expenses, and there's not enough left for that big insurance bill every single month.

I know exactly what that's like. I was there, too. So, like me, she crossed her fingers and hoped that everything would be fine. And ... she's not. She's experiencing symptoms of a very treatable type of cancer. She knows it well because it runs in the family. She knows what the future looks like, but she can't afford to pay for treatment, and she can't afford medical insurance.

She was asking for prayers and good thoughts, but what I want for her is medical help.

So, here's the plan. I twisted her arm really really hard, and she set up a GoFundMe campaign to collect money to pay for her insurance and her deductible. She's not asking for money for a blogger trip, or a new dishwasher. She's not asking for money to buy shoes. She needs money for basic healthcare to save her life.

Janet has two children who need her a lot (besides the ones who are grown) - one in grade school, and the other is special needs. It's not like she can run out and get a job, because childcare would cost more than she could earn. She's a hardworking gal who takes care of her kids, her house, her husband, and her blog. Now she needs some help taking care of herself.

Can you help?

Janet is one of the funniest people I know, and I absolutely refuse to lose another friend because they delayed medical treatment.

If you have some spare money, consider sending some to her GoFundMe campaign. She's only asking for enough to cover insurance and the deductible for a year, but I'd love to see her get a cushion to cover food and maybe some childcare, because there may be some days when she's not going to have a whole lot of energy for daily tasks. And she will need insurance next year, too.

You don't need to donate a lot. Even $5 will help her reach her goal. Even $1, if that's what you've got to give. It adds up.

If you don't have money, then consider sharing this blog post, or directly share a link to the GoFundMe campaign.

If you are a blogger and you'd like to write a blog post that mentions this campaign, email or message me on Facebook. I might be able to offer a little extra bonus giveaway for your readers as a thank-you from me.

If you're a blogger and you have a vast (or small) audience on social media, but you don't want to write a blog post, please just share a link. Please?

Janet is a real sweetheart, snarky and humble and funny. I nearly had to hit her over the head to allow me to do this for her.

She didn't want to ask for money, and she only agreed when I pointed out that her children really need her. And then she thought about it. If she wasn't there, her husband couldn't take care of both children and still work. Her special needs child would probably end up in a home ... and that's when she finally agreed to let me do this. Not for herself, but to make sure her family is okay.

She truly needs your help. Please do what you can for her.

And now for the GIVEAWAY

I have ONE copy of my cookbook, Make Ahead Bread to give to one lucky winner.

You do NOT need to make a donation to enter the giveaway, but there will be bonus entries for sharing links on social media. See, you can help without opening your wallet!

I may be offering extra books if donations entries and/or donations exceed my expectations.

Yes, I do make a lot of ice cream. So you'd think I wouldn't be needing any more ice cream books.

But here's the thing. I seldom make the same ice cream twice. Oh, I make chocolate a lot - but I try different recipes. And I make vanilla pretty often too. Again, using different recipes.

And every time I get a new ice cream cookbook, I learn something new. If not a new recipe, then it's a new method.

The book, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, has a lot of recipes for making all sorts of ice cream, sorbets, and even vegan ice cream, along with a few recipes for toppings, add-ins and other things.

There are even a few recipes for using the egg white that you'll end up with after using yolks for ice cream.

I decided to make Butterscotch Ice Cream. Well, actually, the recipe in the book was for butterscotch ice cream with chunks of brownies mixed in.

While that sounded really good, I opted not to add the brownies. It was too hot to bake, and I really didn't want a tray of brownies sitting around. I figured the ice cream would be plenty of dessert for us.

Besides omitting the brownies, I also made quite a few changes to the method for making the ice cream. The original recipe calls for much of the cooking to be done in a double boiler, but I decided to cook mine on the stove.

A double boiler is a much safer method - almost no chance of the yolks curdling. But ... I make a lot of ice cream and I always cook it on the stovetop, so I figured I'd take the risk.

However, if any whites cling to the yolks (and they always do) those are likely to curdle with the stovetop method. They might not curdle with the double-boiler method. But it's not a big deal - I always strain my custards after cooking and there are never very many bits, anyway.

If you're new at making ice cream or custard, you might want to get a copy of the book and use the recipe as-is and use a double boiler.

The book also suggested having adding the hot butterscotch mixture to the milk and cream, but after thinking about it, I realised that was because the rest of the cooking was going to happen in the double boiler. So I added the milk and cream to the butterscotch.

This was a really tasty ice cream, and I can see how it would work well with brownie chunks mixed in. I'll certainly keep that in mind next time I have spare brownies hanging around. It was really good with another chocolate topping, though.

Butterscotch Ice Cream
Adapted from Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream 
by Laura O'Neill, Ben Van Leeuwen and Pete Van Leeuwen with Olga Massov

3 1/2 tablespoons (about 50 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (227 grams) dark brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 large egg yolks

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the cream and stir until smooth.

Take the pot off the heat and add the rest of the cream, along with the milk, vanilla bean and scraped seeds, and salt. Place the pot back on the heat and cook, stirring as needed, until you see steam rising from the pan.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

One ladle at a time, pouring slowly, add the cream mixture to the eggs, while stirring the eggs constantly. Keep adding cream mixture until you've added about half of it to the yolks, then pour the yolk mixture into the pot with the remaining cream mixture.

Cook, stirring constantly on low or medium-low heat until you see steam rising from the pan and the custard coats the back of a spoon.

To hasten the chilling, place the pot in an icebath or in your sink filled with several inches of cold water, making sure the water isn't deep enough to slosh into the pot. Stir to help the custard cool faster. I don't always do this but it's often recommended in ice cream recipes.

Remove the vanilla bean. You can discard it or use it to made vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.

Pour the custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a storage container. The sieve will catch any tiny curdled bits. You shouldn't have many, but if any bits of whites were clinging to the yolks, they tend to curdle and you don't want that in your ice cream. Refrigerate the mixture until fully chilled - I usually make the base the day before I want to churn, but 4-6 hours may be enough.

Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, then transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm.

You know that chocolate sauce that you buy at stores and pour on ice cream and it turns into hard shell? It's magical, right?

And now, I have the magic!

When I got my paws on the new cookbook, Big Gay Ice Cream by Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint, I thought I was going to end up making ice cream, but I stopped at the chapter with the toppings, and got stuck there for a while.

First, I made the Whisky Walnuts, then I made the Magical Shell. I've seen recipes for Magic Shell clones online, but they all seem to use coconut oil, but I don't like coconut, so I've never been tempted to try them. this one uses olive oil, but it tastes like all chocolate.

Here's the thing, though. The recipe for Magical Shell in the book calls for THREE pounds of chocolate. It makes a LOT of syrup. If you're making it for a party, maybe you need that much. But if you're making it for home use, maybe you want to back off a bit and make a more sane amount.

I cut the recipe waaaaay back, and then re-thought it and upped the recipe by a little bit, which is what you have here. This adaptation is still a fairly small amount, but it's enough to let you decide if you want to make more, and then you can double or triple or quadruple the amounts.

According to the book, this keeps at room temperature for up to 6 weeks, but it's so simple to make, I'd rather make a smaller amount rather than have a jug of it sitting around.

Magical Shell
Adapted from Big Gay Ice Cream by Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint

3 3/4 ounces (by volume) olive oil
6 ounces (by weight) bittersweet chocolate (chips or a bar cut into chunks)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the olive oil and chocolate in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cook on low heat, stirring, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Add the salt and continue stirring until the salt is completely incorporated.

Remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before pouring or drizzling onto ice cream.

If you want to make a large quantity, the original amounts were 3 3/4 cups olive oil, 3 pounds bittersweet chocolate, and 4 teaspoons salt.

Storage:
This can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks. If it becomes too hard to pour, you can gently warm it by putting the container in warm water and stirring until it's pourable again.

And just to tease you a bit, here are the Whisky Walnuts. They're fantastic on ice cream, and I can just imagine how wonderful they'd be on top of cheesecake. Oh, yum!


For more about the book, check out my review on Munching on Books.

A while back I reviewed Christina Tosi's book, Milk Bar Life on my book blog. Shortly after that, I wrote about the ranch dip mix in the book.

But that ranch dip is something served at the Milk Bar restaurant, rather than one of Tosi's at-home recipes ... so I felt that the dip might not be the best example of the sorts of recipes in Milk Bar Life.

This recipe for lemon bars might give you a better feel for the book.

I liked these bars, but I think that bars with lemon curd have a slight edge over these, just because lemon curd is so danged good.

On the other hand, I'm thinking of toying with the recipe a bit. I don't normally start my recipes with cake mixes, but sometimes a shortcut is a good thing, and this could be the perfect thing to make if you've got an office potluck and no time for anything more complicated.

For more reading, check out my review of Milk Bar Life and the recipe for Ranch Dip Mix.

Lemon Bars
Adapted from Milk Bar Life by Christina Tosi

For the crust:
1 (15-ounce) box lemon cake mix
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/3 cup crust mix
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Zest and juice from 2 lemons

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray.

To make the crust:
Mix the cake mix, butter and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it is well mixed. It will be dense.

Scoop out and reserve 1/3 cup of this mixture and dump the rest of it into the 9x13 pan. Press it firmly and evenly onto the bottom of the pan. You can use your fingers, or the bottom of a measuring cup, or a pastry roller, which is what I used.

To make the filling:
Return the 1/3 cup of crust mix to the stand mixer bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix with the paddle attachment until it is well combined. Add the powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix until well combined and smooth.

Transfer the filling to the pan and use a spatula (an offset pastry spatula works well) to make a smooth, even layer.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top has puffed slightly and is golden brown and beginning to crack. (Mine took a bit longer to get any brown at all, and it never cracked. Use your judgement.)

Let the pan cool completely on a rack. You can cut the bars in the pan, or remove the whole thing and cut on a board - your choice.

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.