BAKED Sunday Morning: Coffee Ice Cream

I had to make this recipe twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and put in 1 teaspoon of salt per directions. I know. Silly me. I should have followed my instinct and just put in a pinch, but I didn't, so we ended up with salt ice cream. Not good. 

I made it again, though, and this time only added a pinch of salt. The result was a creamy delicious coffee ice cream which happens to be John's favorite. He has been happily eating it. I made a mark through the 1 teaspoon of salt in the recipe in the BAKED Explorations book and wrote in 'pinch', so I won't make the mistake of adding way too much salt when I make this again.

Served with a few coffee beans gave it a nice little crunch. Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I actually ate this for breakfast. As hot as it has been this week, it tasted so much better than drinking hot coffee.

French Friday with Dorie: Café Salle Pleyel Hamburger

After having eaten one of these hamburgers, I can certainly understand why there was a write-up about them in the New York Times.

I have never had a hamburger quite like this. All I can say is that it was one of the most delicious burgers I have ever eaten. It was definitely the first time in my life that I didn't put mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup on my hamburger. This one is packed with so much flavor that other condiments are not needed. I really like the onion marmalade on this so much better than the huge slice of red or white onions that are often served on your hamburgers in burger joints. I usually just remove those and leave them on my plate. The onion marmalade, however, is perfect and doesn't slide off because you spread it on the bottom bun, add a slice or two of thinly sliced dill pickle and then the hamburger, and parmesan cheese.

The tapenade-like mixture is made with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, cornichons, fresh tarragon leaves, and parsley leaves. This is mixed in with the beef (I used chuck) prior to cooking. With each bite of the burger you taste the parmesan cheese shaves, beef and tapanade, onion marmalade and dill pickle. Each bite is so flavorful. It is juicy and crunchy - just DE-LI-CIOUS. My daughter, who usually doesn't like pickles or onions of any kind on her hamburgers or sandwiches, loved her burger and said this was a keeper. I can't wait to see what the other FFwDorie group members thought about their café salle pleyel hamburgers.

Roasted Banana Paletas

I don't know about where you live, but we are still in the dog days of summer here and what better way to beat the heat than to make some fresh frozen treats.

I was first introduced to paletas when my husband and I were dating. One afternoon when we were on a date, I heard the tinkling of a bell and I remember looking around questioningly wondering where the sound was coming from and then I saw this man pushing a colorful cart and ringing a bell that was on one of the handles. John explained to me that he was the paleta man and the cart was filled with paletas which are Mexican popsicles made from fresh juice (paletas de agua) and cream (paletas de crema).

That day I tasted my first banana paleta and it has been one of my favorites ever since. I also really like the pineapple and coconut. When I heard that Fany Gerson was coming out with Paletas, I couldn't wait to buy her book and make paletas at home. Her book also includes recipes for shaved ice and aguas frescas. Paletas are so much tastier and healthier than the overly sweet artificial popsicles that you buy in the store. The base for the roasted banana paletas is so creamy and delicious. Roasting the bananas and plantains really bring out their sweetness. 

Roasted Banana Paletas by Fany Gerson
This recipe makes approx. 6 paletas made in conventional popsicle molds.

3 ripe bananas, or 2 plantains (I used plantains for mine. The blacker the plantain the sweeter it is)
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Mexican cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the bananas/plantains (don't peel them) individuallly in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast about 30 minutes for bananas and 40 minutes for plantains. They should be cooked through and soft. You can test their doneness with tongs.

Let them sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and put the banana flesh in a bowl. Discard the peels and mash the bananas with a fork. Add the sugars and stir until they are dissolved into the mixture. 

Put the mixture into a blender. Add the milk, cream, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and rum. Blend until smooth. Let the mixture cool at room temperature and then put in the refrigerator until completely chilled. 

Pour and divide the mixture in ice pop molds and freeze for 5 hours. If you are using glass or other containers for molds, freeze until they are just beginning to set, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, and place a stick in the center of each mold and put back in the freezer for about 4-5 hours until frozen solid.

If you have never eaten a paleta, I urge you to try this recipe. You will be hooked! And Fany's book is one that you will want to add to your collection. She gives a history of Mexican frozen treats and tells a wonderful story of how she opened her own paleteria in New York City and why she named it La Newyorkina. It is a small book, but it is packed with both simple paleta recipes like strawberry, raspberry, and cantaloupe; and also more adventurous paleta flavors like sour cream, tequila, and cherry paletas, or pecan, or rice pudding paletas. I think I am going to try the Mexican Eggnog (rompope) paletas next. Or maybe the Caramel (cajeta) paletas. Or...

French Friday with Dorie and Thomas Keller: Eggplant Caviar and Potato Blinis

When I started thinking about making this week's recipe, I wasn't really sure what I would serve it with, but coincidentally The Martha Show had a rerun this week featuring Thomas Keller making potato blinis with eggplant caviar. The combination looked so good to me and since we often eat potato pancakes, I thought they would be a perfect way to serve the eggplant caviar.

For Dorie's eggplant caviar recipe, you roast the eggplant whole for about 40 minutes. I tried her Bonne Idèe and made slits around the eggplant and inserted slivers of garlic before roasting. I really liked Thomas Keller's technique for extracting as much moisture as possible from the eggplant before making the caviar, but I wanted to stick with Dorie's recipe and try his another time. Once the eggplant cooled, I slit it open and scooped out the flesh and discarded the seeds. I wanted to keep it on the chunky side to make it more like a salsa than a dip, so I didn't mash the eggplant very much before adding the onion, herbs, and tomato.

The potato blinis were easy to make. They are made with crème fraîche rather than milk, so they have a wonderful flavor. You can watch a video of Thomas Keller making these with Martha here. I was worried that everyone wouldn't like the eggplant caviar because they don't like eggplant, but since I made it like a salsa I told them it was a salsa with a 'secret ingredient'. They didn't even realize that they were eating eggplant and really liked it with the blinis. The freshness of the herbs mixed with the eggplant and tomatoes was so good and the zest and lemon juice gave it such a fresh flavor. I added a little extra roasted cayenne pepper, so the little bit of extra heat brought out the flavor of all the ingredients. I put the caviar in the refrigerator while I made the blinis. The cool, chunky eggplant caviar served on top of the warm potato blini was so wonderful together.

You can see how the other FFwDorie members made their eggplant caviar at French Fridays with Dorie. Dorie's recipe is on p. 23 of Around My French Table.

Sew Simple Summer Craft

During the summer, after it cools down in the evenings, I often sit outside to catch up on some reading and to watch the birds at the feeders and bird bath. I usually have a refreshing drink on the table next to me, but sometimes a pesky wasp or fly stops by to check out what's in my glass. I usually cover the glass with a small dessert dish to keep them away from my drink, but I saw a much cuter and more personal way to solve this dilemma in the June British edition of Country Living magazine. A beaded pitcher cover, made from a vintage doily, keeps pitchers of drinks wasp- and fly-free. Beads sewn along the edges of the doily ensures that it stays put during summer breezes. I thought one of these would make a perfect drink cover. 

I found one of the doilies that my grandmother made and sewed some of her vintage buttons on for anchors. Now, when I am outside relaxing in the swing I have a bit of my grandmother there with me and can enjoy my drink without having to worry about those flying pests. I think she would be happy that I am using one of her doilies in a thoroughly modern way.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Grasshopper Bars

This week's BAKED recipe is a riff on the 1950s Grasshopper cocktail. Although I have never had a Grasshopper cocktail, I was excited about making these because I love chocolate and mint together. These bars take a little bit of effort and time, but they are so worth it. If you make these I would recommend that you leave them in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight if you can.  I cut them after the 1 hour that the recipe suggested, but they had a slight medicinal flavor to them because of the crème de menthe liqueur in the buttercream filling, but after sitting in the refrigerator overnight, the filling melded with the chocolate brownie base and chocolate ganache topping and turned into a delightful chocolate mint brownie.

These remind me so much of the After Eight Dinner Mints my mom used to put on our plates to eat after our holiday dinners. Those mints were always something I looked forward to eating and was a perfect ending to our holiday meals.

My only criticism of these grasshopper bars is that unless you are going to make these for a party, you might want to cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8 pan because these are so ADDICTING you will be tempted to eat them all!

Take a look at what the other BAKED members did with these bars over at BAKED Sunday Mornings. You can also find the recipe over there. If you like chocolate and mint together, you will want to make these.

French Friday with Dorie: Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar

Without a doubt, this week's recipe is one I would have glanced at in Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table, and then moved on. That's what I like, however, about being part of the French Fridays with Dorie cook along is that I make some of the recipes I would not try if left to my own devices.

I have never pickled anything before so when I told my family I was going to be pickling salmon this week they looked a little skeptical, but thought it would be good to try "at least once." 

There really wasn't much to prepare this dish. A little bit of kosher salt and sugar was all that was needed to cure the salmon and a little bit of time. You can't do this recipe in a rush. After it cures in the refrigerator for at least 18 hours (mine was at least 22 hours), you wash and dry it, and cut up a carrot, some onion, add some thyme, coriander seed, black peppercorns and then fill the jar with olive oil. And then put it back in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. 

You do the same thing with the potatoes except you add vinegar. I added white wine vinegar to mine and used small red and gold potatoes. I enjoyed the preparation of this so much and thought about my father and how he would have loved this. I remember when we would go visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania every summer, my grandmother would have pickled herring ready for my dad. And there is something so rewarding when you can food in jars. It just gave me a sense of accomplishment and made me feel like I had something ready for my family to eat and I loved just looking at the jars of salmon and potatoes sitting on the refrigerator shelf.

We all were filled with anticipation when I opened the jars. I served it with some lemon wedges and bread. I have been thinking about what adjectives would best describe this dish, all of us were, but we finally came to the conclusion that it is indescribable because it is unlike anything any of us have tasted before. The potatoes were cooked (you boil them a little before pickling them), but a little crunchy and you could taste a hint of wine vinegar. The carrots were crisp and crunchy and the salmon...the salmon is what is indescribable. Firm, a little salty, but with the lemon it has such a burst of flavor in your mouth. We kept trying to compare it with other foods that we have eaten and couldn't come up with any. This is just something you have to try for yourself.

I will definitely make this again. It is a perfect summer meal when you don't want to turn on the oven or stove for very long and I think it would be a great dish to serve to guests because the meal would be something everyone would talk about and remember. 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to read what the rest of the group thought about this dish. You can find the recipe on pp. 182-184 in Around My French Table. Next week's recipe is eggplant caviar. The reaction to this one should be interesting because I am the only one who likes eggplant.

French Friday with Dorie: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

What's so great about these slow-roasted tomatoes or tomates confites is that you put them in the oven at a low temperature of 225 degrees and you can pretty much forget about them for the next 3 hours. Only, you would never forget about them because your house fills with the wonderful smell of rosemary and garlic.

Some cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, a little bit of sea salt, some pepper and extra-virgin olive oil, along with the cloves of garlic and rosemary gives you a wonderful tomato preserve that tastes so good alone, but also can be put into salads, added to rice and pasta, spooned over meat and fish...the possibilities are endless.

John ate some straight out of the jar from the refrigerator and loved them that way. I also served some on fish tacos as a tomato salsa along with some chipotle crema. The smokiness of the chipotle combined with the sweet tanginess of the tomatoes were perfect with the fish.

I think I am going to be roasting a lot more tomatoes by the summer's end. 

You can see what the rest of the group did with their tomates confites over at French Fridays with Dorie and you can find the recipe on p. 342 of Dorie Greenspan's, Around My French Table.