Category Archives: ice cream

Dinner Party: Southern Soirée

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So, I am moving at the end of October, which means it’s time to start eating through the goods that I’ve been keeping in my pantry and fridge. This includes the boiled peanuts that my father made and sent up at the beginning of the summer and that have been sitting in my freezer ever since until the right moment presented itself. And when it didn’t, I made up a reason to enjoy them, putting together a little Southern-inspired get-together last weekend for some friends.

I discussed the menu with my mother, and together we made sure to include all the basic classics of a cocktail party, as well as to throw in a few surprises. Cucumber sammies, the peanuts, oven-fried green tomatoes, and pimento cheese were the standards (I made the latter with jalapeños, in honor of the entire Tupperware container Ben once ate at Bonnaroo), while bacon-wrapped saltines were a total curve ball for my repertoire… apparently, they were a favorite of my grandmother’s when my mom was growing up? I hardly believe it, since she’s the tiniest woman I know, but then again, they were delicious. And the coup de grâce? A few different flavors of homemade ice cream.

Ready for guests to arrive.

 Cucumber sammies, pimento cheese,
thyme-dusted pecans, and boiled peanuts.

These nuts are always a party hit. 
So is the cheese spread until people ask what’s in it…

Here’s a curveball — bacon-wrapped saltines. 
Who knew they were a delicacy… and that teeny little Nena loves them?

Cocktail of the evening: Brown Derby, with Evan Williams single barrel bourbon,
Sourwood honey made by Terrie O’Neal, grapefruit juice, and a dash of agua.

Ended the evening with pre-batched, homemade ice creams:
Peach and Peanut Butter Honey (inspired by Camp DeSoto).

An almost recipe for pimento cheese:

  • Start with a block of sharp cheddar and grate it. The finer the grater, the less mayo you will need to bind it.
  • Get a small jar of pimentos and remove them from the oil or water they are preserved in – start with half the jar, then go from there, as you don’t want overkill on the peppers. You may want to rinse, depending. Chop into small chunks, and throw into the cheese. 
  • Get a jar of jalapenos and chop a few into really fine chunks – this will totally depend on how spicy you like it, so taste as you go BUT don’t forget the secret ingredient: jalapeno juice, which you’ll add after the next step
  • Add two spoonfuls of mayo to start with, then a little more at a time until it is no longer crumbly. I don’t like too much, just enough to make it a spread 
  • Add two teaspoons of jalapeno juice to start, mix in, then more to taste.
  • Add lots of ground pepper and ta da! (no salt needed)

Summertime: First Batch of Ice Cream

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The heat hit, and it hit hard. I crave ice cream all of the time, but when it’s hot, there is truly nothing than alleviates the melting pressure of humidity than delicious, ice-cold creamy goodness. The summer I lived in Rome, I straight up went on a gelato diet for my day-time meals… Nothing else even sounded good. Due to the purchase of a bag of lemons at Whole Foods more than a few weeks ago instead of my usual single lemons when needed, I had all of the inspiration I needed in the fridge. Add to that a no-cook, no-custard base, and I might have found my new best friend for the summer.

Disclaimer: make sure to let your ice cream maker cool sufficiently; if you’re like me and jump the gun, you’ll have to start all over because it won’t freeze.

Lemon Ice Cream

  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 skim milk
  • pinch of salt

Using a Microplane or other fine-grain rasp zester, zest the lemons directly into the bowl of a blender. Add sugar and blend until zest is fine, then add the lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Blend in the milk and cream until smooth. Chill for at least one hour, then freeze in the body of your ice cream makers. Place into freezer immediately to allow it to set.

Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop.

Dinner Party: Thanksgiving in New York

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This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for great wine, delicious food, and wonderful friends, both new and old. A group of nine New York City “orphans” spent all day cooking, sipping, and noshing, in preparation for the big feast, which consisted of sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, collard greens, brussel sprouts, stuffing, Wondra bread rolls, and the pièce de la résistance, the beautifully-brined 20-lb. turkey that graced our table.

Along with the turkey (and more), Stevie and Josiah provided a fantastic celebratory Jeroboam: a 2009 Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive, which we let evolve in the bottle and a decanter throughout the day. In addition to the Jeroboam, Bryan and Kelly provided the extensive wine selection for the day. Some of my favorites included the crisp N.V. François Pinon Vouvray Brut (2006), a delicious 2007 Weingut Hirsch Riesling Gaisberg (perfect with pumpkin bread), and a 1993 red from the Jura, an Overnoy Poulsard Arbois Pupillin.

We finished off the meal with three kinds of pumpkin pies, an apple tart, and some nutmeg ice cream. Alexxa provided a beautiful bourbon, as well as the photos of the day, featured below. A lovely day all around!

Snacks to start the day

 A roster of wine, including a Jeroboam of 2009 Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
The 20 lb. turkey, fresh out of the oven

Serving and carving.

 A toast.

Desserts to end the night.

Dinner Party: Lamb, Pinot, and a Summer Breeze

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Cookouts are a novelty in New York City.  Growing up in Atlanta, I completely took it for granted that we had a grill and private outdoor space, where we could gather together to eat, drink, and laugh to our hearts’ content. Here, however, I can count the number of people who have the luxury of a patio or backyard on one hand. My friends Emily and Mike are some of the lucky few — in fact, they not only have a terrace but also a killer view of the Hudson River from their place on Riverside Drive. And fortunately for me (who is starting to go a little stir-crazy in this hot city), they invited a group of us over for dinner last night.

I was too busy enjoying the breeze and the view to snap a photo,
but Toni managed to get one of the table. 

After some wonderful strawberry-lemonade cocktails that Emily made, we sat down to a meal of lime-cumin-and-coriander marinated lamb chops that I brought from my stash, an herb-and-balsamic couscous filled with fresh parsley and basil from Emily and Mike’s flower pots, and some yummy sea salt kettle chips. We’d decided upon a pinot noir pairing: Bo brought a bottle of Au Bon Climat, while Alexxa and I both brought a Mark West from Sonoma County.

Ours was an ’08.

To shake things up, we decided to chill one of the West’s. The wine professed to have lots of bright cherry and raspberry notes, which were present in the chilled wine, but it wasn’t until we drank the other bottle that we noticed its spicy, dry, and dusty qualities (fairly common characteristics of Sonoma wines, I’ve found, especially their syrahs): in both cases, the wine’s high acidity went beautifully with the meat. Then, when we popped the Au Bon Climat, we experienced the real treat of wine themes – it was a totally different wine, light, fruit-forward, and with this beautiful black pepper finish.

I talk big, but this is what I actually look like when I drink wine…

As the sun was setting, we dug into Mike’s homemade ice cream sandwiches (apparently a theme this summer): M&M and chocolate chip cookies, with coffee ice cream in between. We sat around the table a bit longer, savoring the warm summer breeze and watching the red moon as it rose, before we all headed home to our stuffy apartments for the night. These moments make me love New York — this city reminds me how much joy the little pleasures bring, when you take the time to notice them.

Lime-Cumin-and-Coriander Lamp Chops

  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 2+ Tbsp olive oil
  • 21 (1/2- to 3/4-inch thick) lamb chops

Whisk together garlic, cumin, coriander, lime juice, salt, pepper, and oil and transfer to a sealable plastic bag large enough to hold the lamb (or to several individual bags). Add lamb and seal bag, then make sure the lamb is evenly coated. Marinate at room temperature, turning bag occasionally, for about 45 minutes.

Heat charcoal grill and cook lamb in batches about 3 minutes each side for medium-rare. Transfer cooked lamb to a plate and let sit, covered with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest about five minutes then serve.

Recipe adapted from Gourmet.

Party Favors: A Freezer Full of Lamb

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This past Tuesday, SAVEUR hosted its first annual Summer BBQ at Pier 66 in New York for the magazine’s chef and foodie friends. I spent much of the day running around in search of things like passion fruit puree for specialty cocktails for one of our advertisers, greeting chefs and their teams,  making sure the bar stayed stocked, and trying to find someone to pull town tarps when it started to rain… All in all, I had a blast and officially love my new job.

Look for me and my gray hat.
Image courtesy of newyork.metromix.com

Once everyone had left and things were mostly cleaned up, we were instructed to take as much home as you can. Really? Yes. This meant bottles of wine and rum that were left over, goodie bags, freshly squeezed lime juice, you name it. People gathered what they could carry (which was nowhere near everything), but no one went toward a lonely little cooler full of lamb left to us by chef Victor Casanova. I feared the worst: that all of that beautiful lamb would be left to rot on the pier with no refrigeration. Sufficiently upset, I grabbed the whole thing on the way out, added a few bottles of wine and some cage-free eggs that another chef had left behind, and carried my heavy load out to the West Side Highway to grab a cab home.

The loot. It looked like I was hiding a 
dead person in my fridge.
I was too tired when I got home to do anything but stick the meat in the fridge. So last night, I rolled up my sleeves, pulled out the boning knife, and got ready to remove the fell and french these suckers when something glorious happened — I opened the bags and they were already beautifully cut into individual servings. All I had to do was separate them into single-person portions to freeze, readying them for easy thawing for the thousands of yummy lamb dishes I will be trying over the coming weeks.
Toni’s freezer, full of meat (mine’s already full).
I kept a few out for dinner last night at Toni’s. Ana came over and I put the two of them to work on dessert (two Croatians + mistranslation of tsp/Tbsp + makeshift measuring utensils = a brand-new recipe for chocolate chip cookies). In the meantime, I steamed some rice and threw green beans into a pan with butter and almonds, a quick and easy stir-fry-and-steam method that I love when I need to quickly cook some veggies. 
Looking tasty.
I heated up the grill pan, added some salt, pepper, and fresh thyme to the chops, and let them cook, about 3-5 minutes a side (I like medium rare, but everyone else likes their meat cooked more thoroughly). Since the oven was heating up for the cookies, I put the lamb in a pan to finish in the oven for a few minutes.
A square meal.
We sat down to eat our very well-balanced meal (Mom taught me well: meat, starch, green) and poured ourselves a glass of South African Sauvignon Blanc… not a traditional pairing, but it went nicely with the meal, as well as with the humidity. While we were eating, we put the cookies into the oven for about ten minutes. I went to check on them and at first thought they hadn’t cooked at all. Then, I realized the bottoms were brown – the extra teaspoons of baking powder had created spongy cakes rather than a crispy cookies. Which was fine, as the plan was to make homemade ice cream sandwiches: their sponginess absorbed the melting ice cream and prevented the cookie from cracking as we bit into them. 
Really wishing I had another one of these, right now…
And Toni made me promise not to make him fat…

Dinner Party: Moroccan-Inspired Meal

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I recently read an article all about olive oil, describing the breadth of aromas, flavors, and places of origin. It included several recipes for sauces, dips, and other miscellaneous condiments from around the world. I was especially struck by a recipe for a pistachio chutney and ended up using the recipe as the foundation for last week’s dinner party.

pistachio chutney, just out of the food processor

The chutney had a Moroccan vibe to it and called for a pairing with game birds. Since I always end up deciding what to cook at the last minute, I wasn’t able to call ahead to pre-order my pheasant, as every butcher in town suggested. So I went with the next best thing and bought a 4 lb. cockerel from Dickson’s Farmstand Meats at Chelsea Market. I spent a fair amount of time discussing preparation methods with the butcher.

spice blend

We settled on a spice rub to complement the chutney – equal parts coriander, cinnamon, cumin, and curry, with some salt thrown in for good measure – then cooked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound (although I blasted it up to 425 for the last 10 minutes so the skin would get nice and crispy).

crispy little booger, resting

For the rest of the meal, I settled on a hummus with crudites as an hors d’oeuvres (made with a rich, spicy olive oil that Toni had given me from one of his neighbors in Croatia), fingerling potatoes boiled with butter and thyme as a contorno, and a strawberry rhubarb crumble with vanilla bourbon ice cream.

les ingredients

We noshed on the homemade hummus while the cockerel was cooking, sipping on my favorite summer rose, a Touraine from the Loire Valley. During dinner we moved from white to red – I’d paired a Vermentino and a Gamay (Beaujolais-Villages) with the meal, and both accented the slightly spicy dish without overpowering any of the flavors. And the fruitiness of the Beaujolais provided an excellent transition to my slightly-too-sweet-so-thank-goodness-there’s-ice-cream dessert. I shouldn’t have used a recipe that called for rhubarb only – didn’t adjust for the sugar in the strawberries!
 
still delicious.

Overall verdict: success. Everyone ate at least 3 helpings and walked away stuffed!

Food Memories: Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream, or “Milk Punch”

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I have spent the past few days planning for a dinner party that will be taking place chez moi this evening. Well, mainly planning the dessert part. I wanted to make ice cream, which means deciding on flavor combinations and executing it a few days in advance. Since rhubarb is at its peak right now, I thought a strawberry-rhubarb crumble would be good, paired with a deliciously simple vanilla ice cream. 

Then my simple idea, as usual, became more complex. I thought bourbon would be an excellent addition, and that led me to nutmeg. Suddenly I realized I was making a family favorite: every Christmas, when my mom’s side of the family gathers together, we start the celebrations with what my grandfather dubbed “milk punch.” Which basically means we begin drinking bourbon milkshakes at 11am. Nothing better.

“Milk Punch” Ice Cream

1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 cups skim milk
1/2 cup light cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup bourbon (I used Evan Williams)
1. Combine creams and milk in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the vanilla to the cream mixture and bring to just under a boil over medium heat. Remove the cream from the heat and steep, covered, for 20 minutes.
3. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk until the color lightens. Slowly whisk 1/4 cup of the hot cream into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk the egg mixture back into the cream mixture. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon without running.
4. Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the vanilla extract and the bourbon.
5. Chill completely (at least 4 hours, or overnight) in the refrigerator, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. 
– makes about 1 quart –
Adapted from Serious Eats

Food Trends: Pulino’s

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Today I experienced one of those fabulous New York moments in which one feels totally on top of the latest trends and in-the-know about the most fabulous food in town. I opened the New York Times Restaurant Review and bam! Pulino’s was featured. A few minutes later, the New York Tasting Table arrived in my inbox. Pulino’s again. Guess where I happened to eat dinner last night? I was wondering what all of those photographers were doing there.

The interior of Pulino’s, before it got crowded

I was on my way to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and decided that it was early enough that I might be able to get a table. Looks like 6:30 is the perfect time to go – I wasn’t even with my whole party of two and they let me grab a table. My waiter was wonderful, bringing me a taste of each of the roses on the menu when he wasn’t sure which would be more similar to a Provencal style (the wine list is predominantly Italian). I ended up ordering the lighter Nebbiolo and sipped it while I waited. I eventually got hungry and decided to go ahead and order a few appetizers to snack on, hoping that they’d come out about when Toni would arrive.

Roasted Asparagus with Ramps and Rhubarb

First, I ordered what is possibly the most seasonal dish I have ever laid eyes on – roasted asparagus with ramps and rhubarb, served over black pepper mascarpone. Um, delicious. The asparagus and ramps were slightly warm and oily. Rhubarb added a tart kick, as did the black pepper in the mascarpone cheese. All of the flavors complemented each other well, and it continued to taste extremely good as it cooled down to room temp. (At this point, Toni had arrived and got to eat some too).

Baked Ricotta with Black Pepper and Orange Agrumato

Unlike Sam Sifton, I liked the baked ricotta, served hot in a mini cast-iron skillet. The cheese was slightly charred on top and sprinkled with olive oil and black pepper. I also enjoyed the orange agrumato that pervaded the flavor of the dish, giving it a faint but distinct citric profile. That being said, I love most cheeses and anything baked in an oven. Which brings me to the pizza. Pulino’s centerpiece is a large, wood-fired oven which produces delicious flatbread pizzas. We ordered the basil pesto with stracchino and pine nuts to split, just the right amount after the bowl of cheese I had just polished off.

While we were munching and enjoying the saltiness, I eyed my neighbors’ pizza and finally asked what they had ordered. The quattro formaggio with caramelized onions, they replied, want to swap a piece for a piece? After pretending to politely decline, I happily traded. The flavor was a little thin, but the sweetness of the onion was nice. It could have held up to a bit more cheese. Checking my watch, I asked for the bill and we hustled our way down to the Sunshine Theater… only stopping for ice cream on the way. Couldn’t resist the Van Leeuwen truck. I even stuffed it into my purse so we wouldn’t be late for the previews.

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

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What’s an amazing way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon? A walk over the Williamsburg Bridge to grab some ice cream at Lulu & Mooky’s. I’d read about this hidden gem last year, but never made it that far south to try it. Now that Bowery has become my new transportation hub since moving across the river, I had no excuse.

Lulu & Mooky’s brightly colored store front…
“over 10,000 flavors”

Within the industrial space, customers are greeted by a large list of various fruit purees and flavor essences, rather than the traditional vats of ice cream or gelato that one expects to see when walking into an ice cream store. Two pink standing mixers sit on the short, steel countertop, fitted with bowls of water. And here’s why it gets so entertaining – once you choose your flavor combination, the ice cream man becomes a scientist. He adds an eyedrop of your chosen essence (lemon) and a precisely-measured squirt of puree (coconut) that he pulls out of his refigeration unit. Once combined, he adds a cup of liquid (I assume the actual cream mixture) to the bowl.

Yes, it does say liquid nitrogen ice cream

And then (the suspense is building), he sets the bowl over the water bowl in the mixer and turns it on. Once everything appears scientifically combined – or perhaps just when the ingredients are well-integrated – he whips out a giant measuring cup, which he proceeds to fill with a certain amount of liquid nitrogen… I could not see how much because liquid nitrogen is obviously so cold that it creates a fog around it.

If you can’t tell already, I am extremely excited at this point. The liquid nitrogen was added to the mixer, and suddenly everthing was surrounded by steam. As it subsided, I saw that the liquid in the bowl had solidfied. The scientist returned to his role of ice cream man, scooping out the freshly-made deliciousness, filling my cup with two giant scoops of lemon-coconut ice cream. Now, I need to go back for the chocolate…

It’s the same consistency as Dippin’ Dots – dream come true!

Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

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I think I have mentioned this before, but I could live on ice cream alone. And ever since I was a little kid, I have wanted to make my own, so last summer I invested in an ice cream maker. Best. Decision. Ever.

There is a serious element of patience and forethought involved in making ice cream. I have to know that I will want it a day before I can eat it, which is both a good and bad thing. It is certainly an exercise in restraint – at lease until its time to reap the rewards. Then, it’s no holds barred.

I’ve enjoyed following many recipes that have led me to some amazing flavor combinations – from Greek frozen yogurt to salted caramel – but I am getting ever more confident in my ability to forge my own personal creations. Inspired by the same August 2009 Gourmet issue, I decided I wanted to try to make my own version of a chocolate hazelnut ice cream.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups hazelnuts (8 ounces), toasted, cooled, and skins rubbed off
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 2 cup skim milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 bar 60%+ dark chocolate, such as Green & Black’s, finely chopped

equipment: ice cream maker!

Toast hazelnuts and let them cool. Once you can handle them without roasting your fingertips, rub off the skins as much as possible and place into a food processor. Pulse hazelnuts with 3/4 c sugar and salt until finely ground. Transfer to a heavy medium saucepan with 1 c skim milk and  1 1/2 c heavy cream and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes or more, depending on how deep you want the hazelnut flavor to be. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then return to cleaned saucepan.

Return to saucepan, then boil over medium heat 2 minutes, whisking often (mixture will be thick). Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until melted and incorporated.

Meanwhile, bring remaining milk, cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally. Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard almost coats back of spoon. Do not let it boil, or your eggs will cook through.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled chocolate-hazelnut mixture. Chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker for 20 minutes. Make sure to scrape any of the hardened chocolate into the machine, as it will form little chocolate chip nugglets as the cream is churned. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up.

 Then, DIG IN!

Adapted from the August 2009 Gourmet recipes for Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Gianduia Gelato