Homemade ice cream - my new favorite thing!

Back to school and community groups have started again. Birthdays are also in full swing (September and October are full of them!) I have noticed that people aren't branching out much with their choices. Hey, I guess if you like something you like it! So since my blog is a couple of years old now, I don't have as many new recipes to post. I end up making the same favorites over and over. In my Tuesday group, there are three birthdays in a row - Tyler, Marby, and Ryan. All three of them pick French Silk Pie. French Silk is pretty amazing, but three weeks in a row? That is a lot of chocolate. I emailed Tyler this week asking him if he wanted French Silk Pie this week or if he wanted to branch out. He replied by saying "No Branching". All right, fine. I will be boring.

In my Wednesday group, it is Trevor's birthday next week and he asked for Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake (again). I made that for him last year but this year I decided to take it up a notch and make homemade ice cream (which I have never done before). My friend, Darla, made me some amazing mint ice cream on my birthday so I got her recipe and decided to give it a try. The thing that was unique about this recipe is that it uses actual mint leaves rather than extract so it tastes organic and earthy. It is a little different upon the first bite but by the end of the bowl, I was sold. It was sooooo good. 

I got the ice cream maker attachement for my Kitchen Aid and I have decided that it is the greatest thing EVER! Making ice cream was soooooo easy. You just freeze the Kitchen Aid Bowl, follow any ice cream recipe then put it in the frozen bowl and let it mix for 20 minutes - voila! Delicious, homemade ice cream!!! I now have added a new skill to my repertoire. So if you want homemade ice cream for your birthday, don't hesitate to ask, I can accommodate :)

Here is the recipe for the ice cream cake I am making for Trevor's birthday this week:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

Brownie Bottom:

1 box Brownie Mix

Ice Cream:

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

pinch of salt

2 cups lightly packed mint leaves

5 large eggs

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

3/4 cup Andes mint candies, chopped into small pieces

Ganache:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix brownies as directed on the box and bake in a 10 inch spring form pan.

Ice Cream:

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of whipping cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Add the mint leaves and stir until they’re immersed in the liquid. Cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Strain the mint-infused mixture through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Press on the mint leaves to extract as much of the flavor as possible, then discard the mint leaves. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy whipping cream into a large bowl and set the strainer on top.

Rewarm the mint-infused mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mint liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you still, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, craping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. In the last five minutes of mixing, add in the chocolate and Andes pieces. 

Top brownie with a layer of ice cream, freeze until solid. 

Ganache:

In a small saucepan combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream and vanilla. Stir over medium heat until everything is combined. Keep stirring! Keep your eye on it! You will magically get an amazing ganache in a matter of minutes. Set it aside to cool down.

Once the ganache has cooled, pour over cake ice cream cake, freeze until solid. 

Is it Fall yet?

It is no secret that I LOVE fall. In fact, since moving to California, I have become rather obsessed with it. I think it is because I am denied a proper fall season. Don't get me wrong, I love living where I live, but the main downside to being in such a temperate climate is that there are not really distinct seasons. Winter is simply a slightly cooler version of Summer. September and October in San Diego don't bring beautiful colors of gold, amber, and rust. I don't get to hear the crunch of dry leaves under my feet as I walk through the crisp, cold air. I don't smell the scent burning leaves or of an impending snow fall (those are real smells). It is just... the same.

Consequently, I try to create fall as much as possible in the land of eternal summer. My house pretty much looks like fall all year round (proof) and I love baking pumpkin type of things (my favorite) and I make my annual pilgrimage to Bates Nut Farm to pick out a pumpkin. I do what I can to convince myself it is fall when it clearly isn't. Some people would call that delusional... but I don't listen to those people.

Last week I was so badly wanting it to be fall that crocheted a hat (when am I ever going to wear a hat?!?) and I made homemade chai tea mix. The chai turned out perfectly, which is awesome since shelling out $3.50 for the drink at Starbucks is just lame and I don't do it very often. Chai is fall in a cup, I LOVE it. In fact, after I finish posting this blog I am going to make a cup and turn the fan on me so I get really cold and have to wrap up in a blanket. It WILL be fall, darn it! (Don't even get me started on Christmas in So Cal!)

Chai Tea Mix

Ingredients:

1 cup dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

1 cup french vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer

2 1/2 cups vanilla sugar

1 1/2 cups instant black tea

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground cardamom

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.

To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons of chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.

Note:

To make vanilla sugar scrape the seeds out of a vanilla bean pod. Add the seeds and the scraped pod to 3-4 cups of sugar. Let sit for about a week, shaking mixture daily to infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar.

Oooooh my!

I made s'mores cupcakes last night and I have to tell you, these might just be the best thing I have ever made. Oh my gosh, they were sooooooo good! Make them. I promise your taste buds will thank me.

S’mores Cupcakes

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 cup chocolate chips
100 (or so) mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In food processor, pulse graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and mix until well combined. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of crumbs to the bottom of each liner. 

Use a small circle object (like a measuring cup or a shot glass) to press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of each liner. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from the oven. 

Add 6-7 chocolate chips and 5 mini marshmallows to each tin.

Cake:
1 cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (or use 1 cup milk mixed with 1 Tbs. vinegar)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Bring some water to boil and keep it simmering while you make the batter.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup boiling water and carefully stir until the water is mixed in; beat for 1 1/2 minutes.

Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. The marshmallows will float to the top but that's okay. 

Bake approximately 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

 (they look ugly, but don't worry, the frosting will cover that right up)

Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup milk

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave, or in the top of a double boiler. In a large bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture. Add remaining milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. Let stand until spreadable (frosting will thicken as it cools). Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting

Dip the top into the graham cracker crumbs.

Marshmallow Frosting:

8 egg whites, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. vanilla

In a clean stainless steel mixing bowl or double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk frequently, heating the mixture over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Transfer egg mixture to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin mixing at low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high speed as the mixture becomes thicker. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add in the vanilla and mix until just combined. Transfer frosting to a piping bag and pipe a large dollop on top of the cupcake.

Using a kitchen torch, brown the cupcakes lightly as desired. Keep the torch moving so you don't catch any spot on fire. Just like toasting marshmallows by a campfire, slow and steady is a better approach than sticking the marshmallow to close to the fire, you're going for lightly toasted frosting not black and bubbly marshmallow.

I ran out of the marshmallow frosting so on the last few cupcakes I put an actual marshmallow on top. It worked just fine (not as pretty) but if you don't want to make the marshmallow frosting you can do this as a shortcut. 

Wimpy me.

The last few weeks have been so hooooooot. When I say hot I mean 83 degrees. I know, I know. I am pathetic. I have experienced "real hot". I have lived through the sticky humid summers of Texas and Wisconsin, I have spent a summer in an old broken down school bus traveling up the East Coast in sweltering weather. It was so hot that your skin would meld with the hot pleather school bus seats and you would have to peel your sticky hot legs up one by one when the bus stopped. I spent one summer in Jamaica doing manual labor where the sweat was dripping off in buckets (attractive, I know) I don't think anything is hotter than Jamaica in July than perhaps hell itself. So yeah... I have experienced hot.

I moved to paradise (aka Southern California) eight years ago and I have completely wimped out over the years. When I first got here and I would hear people complaining about it being soooo cold in the winter (50 degrees) or soooo hot in the summer (80 degrees) I would smile that condescending smile of someone who knows better and think, "um, really? You think this is cold/hot? Have you ever left the beach and experienced the real world? Oh... Bless your poor wimpy heart."

Those words are coming back to haunt me now. I have totally acclimated to the beach life and "inland" is about three miles away which is a totally unacceptable place to live and anything over 75 degrees and under 55 degrees is just miserable. I now complain when paradise is not as paradis-ey as I want it to be. It is 83 degrees today and I am sitting on my couch with a box fan aimed directly on me and sipping ice cold green tea blogging about how hot it is. No need to say it, I know I am pathetic.

On the upside, a few days ago I made the perfect "hot summer" dessert. Strawberry pie! It is light and refreshing and so easy to make! Next to Key Lime Pie (which is my favorite) this is the best summer dessert. Here you have it!

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:

2 lbs. fresh strawberries

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 small pkg. strawberry Jello

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/8 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Crust:

Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into a 9” pie plate. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes. Cool and fill with pie filling.

Filling:

Boil sugar, water and cornstarch until thick. Add Jello and stir until completely dissolved. Cool for 15-20 minutes. Add strawberries that have been rinsed and sliced. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate overnight or until mixture is jelled.

Whipped Cream:

In a large bowl, whip cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Top chilled pie with whipped cream and serve.

Chocolate Overload!

Have you ever been to a chocolate party? 'What is a chocolate party' you ask?... It is the best. thing. ever... ever! My friend, Darla, has been hosting her annual chocolate party now for three years. Everyone brings some sort of chocolate treat and we all just sit around eating chocolate all night long. Of course, there were tons of homemade goodies but my favorite was this chocolate bar from Chuao - Earl Grey Chocolate. I never though of combining those two flavors but wow it was good!

I decided to make "Girl Scout Samoas" cupcakes. They turned out really yummy. I made miniature ones because at a party full of chocolate it's hard to commit to a whole, normal-sized cupcake. These were perfect little bites of gooey sweetness!

Girl Scout Samoas Cupcakes

Cake:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 stick butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 tsp. coconut extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

Caramel Frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Toppings:

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and coconut extract until fluffy and light, at least 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk beating just until combined.

Fill the cupcake papers 1/2 full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the caramel frosting mixture is lukewarm, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary. Pipe the frosting in a dollop on top of the cupcake.

Toppings:

To toast the coconut, spread the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven, stirring frequently, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes. Once cool, store in a small bowl. Dip the cupcake into the bowl of coconut.

Heat chocolate chips in microwave for about 30 seconds or until drizzling consistency.

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe stripes of chocolate onto the cupcakes.  

Now if that isn't enough chocolate for you, Friday night was Abby's birthday and she requested "something chocolatey". So I went through my recipes and found one that I haven't tried yet that looked pretty good. Chocolate candy pie. Woah, right? It is basically a chocolate brownie with crushed Oreos in it, topped with a chocolate mousse with more crushed Oreos, white chocolate and nuts. It is very rich, and definitely worth making!

Chocolate Candy Pie:

Cake:

1 box brownie mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup chopped Oreo cookies (1 sleeve)

Filling:

6 Tbs. water

1 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 oz. white chocolate chopped

1/2 cup toasted pecans

4 chopped Oreo cookies

Garnish:

Melted dark chocolate piped into designs

Whipped cream

Cake:

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10" spring form pan. In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, water, oil, and eggs. Beat 50 strokes by hand. Stir in 1 cup cookies. Spread in the pan. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool for 1 hour.

Filling:

Put 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Add gelatin and let stand 1 minute to soften. In a saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of water, sugar, and cocoa over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and add gelatin mixture. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add gelatin mixture and beat until blended. Fold in cookies, nuts, and white chocolate.

Spoon this mixture over brownie. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Remove sides of pan garnish with chocolate shapes and whipped cream. 

Doesn't this post make you want chocolate now? I am sorry! But I guess that is the price you pay for daring to read a blog with "dessert" in the title. :)