Make it Yourself: Green Tea Ice Cream

July 13, 2009 | Posted as Make it Yourself at 3:04 pm | (5) Comments »

Green tea is consistently named one of the best health foods of all time- it’s said to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, burn fat, prevent diabetes and strokes… the list goes on and on. But while I do enjoy the occasional cup of green tea (with a fondness for nutty Japanese blends), one of my favorite ways to have green tea is in ice cream.

Okay, so maybe green tea ice cream isn’t the same as green tea. Maybe I’m cancelling out all the nutritional benefits by mixing it with a ton of heavy cream and sugar… but this is one of those times I like to fool myself. Haagen-Dazs makes a particularly delicious Green Tea ice cream, but why buy when you can make it yourself? It isn’t that hard, I promise you.

Homemade Green Tea Ice Cream
Based on a recipe by Gale Gand

Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
1 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
9 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons green tea powder (also known as “matcha”!)

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and vanilla bean, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t scorch on the bottom. When the cream mixture reaches a fast simmer (do not let it boil), set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the still-hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. At 160 degrees, the mixture will give off a puff of steam. When the mixture reaches 180 degrees it will be thickened and creamy, like eggnog. If you don’t have a thermometer, test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture. Run your finger down the back of the spoon. If the stripe remains clear, the mixture is ready; if the edges blur, the mixture is not quite thick enough yet. When it is ready, quickly remove it from the heat and whisk in the green tea. Meanwhile, half-fill a large bowl with ice water. Strain the mixture into a smaller bowl to smooth it and remove the vanilla bean. Rest the smaller bowl in the ice water and let the mixture cool, stirring often, then continue according to the directions of your ice cream maker.

This makes really awesome green tea ice cream. Creamy and not too sweet.

Ya Gotta Eat Yer Spinach

July 10, 2009 | Posted as Vegetable Recipes at 8:17 am | Comments »

I never understood the aversion to spinach that so many people have. Spinach has always been one of my favorite vegetables- perhaps my very favorite leafy green ever- and I’ve only ever looked upon a large bag of fresh spinach with much anticipation of deliciousness to come. I love how affordable and versatile it is as well: chop some up and throw it in a frittata, add it to your stir-fries, bake it in a souffle, sprinkle with lemon juice and seasoning for a salad- there’s so much to do with spinach.

But this, this simplest of ways to prepare the leafy green, is in my humble opinion the perfect way to enjoy spinach:

Perfect Spinach

Ingredients:
5 cups fresh spinach
4 cloves fresh garlic, sliced thinly*
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Prepare your spinach by removing any thick, hard stems. Discard these, or hand them to your family dogs in exchange for many puppy kisses. In a large saucepan, heat around 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the garlic in this lightly, until just very lightly browned. Add the spinach, tossing it to make sure it’s properly coated with olive oil and garlic. Cover. Lower heat, and let this cook for around four to five minutes… after which time, you’ll wonder where all the spinach went. It’s wilted, and that’s fine- that’s what you want. Season with salt and pepper, and maybe a little more olive oil.

And that’s it. When I’m feeling veggie, I’ll have this for dinner with a nice hunk of bread, or maybe over some plain pasta with olive oil- but it’s great as a side dish to any meaty entree as well.

* Ever since I saw Mario Batali prepare his garlic by slicing it thinly, this has been my favorite way to cook with garlic. It cooks more evenly, and looks better than regularly-bruised garlic.

Brandy your Cherries

July 8, 2009 | Posted as Dessert Recipes at 3:27 pm | Comments »

Cherry Brandy was one of those things that sounded absolutely delicious to me as a child. I was determined to drink it when I grew up. Now that I’m all grown up, though, I’ve discovered something I like much better than Cherry Brandy- Brandied Cherries!

There’s just something about brandying my own fresh cherries that make me feel all fifties housewife with fire engine red lipstick and a pink apron. Here’s how to do it:

Homemade Brandied Cherries

Ingredients:
5 pounds fresh, dark cherries (the sweeter, the better!)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup good brandy

Method:
Wash and pit your cherries. To a large pan, add sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Add the pitted cherries, and let simmer for around five minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the brandy. Et voila! The most delicious Brandied Cherries ever.

What to do with these? My favorite way is atop a generous slice of chocolate cake. It’s also killer over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or- if you really want to be wicked- with a scoop of Cherry Garcia and a good dousing of chocolate syrup.

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Delicious Links this week

June 30, 2009 | Posted as Delicious Links at 12:10 pm | Comments »

When you’re watching your carb intake, suddenly carbs are everywhere! Well, they are anyway in this week’s picks of delicious links:

1. The Daring Bakers took on Bakewell tarts this week, and among all of the resulting mouthwateringness, I happened upon alpineberry’s Macadamia Mango version. What I would give for a slice of that right now…

2. Moving on to something a little healthier, these are Kayotic Kitchen’s Pineapple Tequila Kabobs, which are grilled and sprinkled with coconut. Can you say burst of flavor?

3. And because I love corn (and miss it dearly), I can’t take my eyes off the delightfully named Half Assed Kitchen’s Grilled Corn on the Cob. Slathered with lots of sweet butter, sprinkled with some fleur de sel.

4. My favorite Pioneer Woman is on a Fourth of July kick, and her Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad is one of her offerings. And because I just so happen to have a pack of sundried tomatoes in the pantry, and we’re expecting some friends and family over for Saturday dinner, this one’s definitely going on the menu.

5. And finally- frozen yogurt! Sometimes I think I like frozen yogurt better than ice cream. Sometimes. seven spoons’ Bumbleberry Frozen Yogurt uses Greek yogurt, mixed with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries- and she warns us to eat it the day it’s made. No problem.

Stack o’ Pancakes

June 29, 2009 | Posted as Breakfast Foods at 3:33 pm | Comments »

My husband and I have been low-carbing it lately, but because we don’t want to feel deprived, have designated two days a week when we can have a healthy amount (not too much, not like a pint of ice cream, ok) of carb-laden food. Yesterday was such a day, and guess what we had?

Yes, pancakes have always been one of my favorite comfort foods. I like my pancakes fluffy, but not too thick, because I have to stack them. The higher the better. Then I slather them with good, salted butter, and pour on the maple syrup.

And I must have real maple syrup. No substitutes, no maple-flavoured syrups, thank you very much.

Sigh. What a day yesterday was. I can still taste the buttery, sweet, salty pancakes… and I share the recipe with you here:

Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (try to get aluminum-free, it makes a huge diff)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or- regular milk with a tablespoon of vinegar mixed in!)
1 large egg
3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add in your liquids (buttermilk, egg, melted butter). Mix very lightly. Do not overmix.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium high heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter on for each pancake, keeping in mind that your first pancake will probably be imperfect. This is ok. Snack on it while you make all the rest. Pile hot pancakes on a plate, and serve.