Week Eight - Bourbon Pecan Pie

This week's post is inspired by one of my very favorite people in the world: my baby brother. Please join me, friends, in wishing the "baby" of the family a happy 26th birthday! Since his birthday fell during this week (Monday, to be exact) I decided I'd choose a flavor that I thought he'd enjoy. And that bottle of Maker's Mark was just speaking to me...

My husband and I went to visit my younger brother this past December, along with my sister. We had a super fun trip, filled with lots of good food, good drinks, and good laughs. One night, while out to dinner, my brother posed a challenge to the rest of us: he asked us to rate our favorite types of desserts; ice cream, cookies, dessert bars (brownies and the like), cakes, and pies. (I think that was it, right brother? Am I missing one?) What a fun challenge, right?! I immediately began a mental taste test of every dessert I could imagine, pitting one favorite up against another in my mind. Was apple pie better than red velvet cake? Would I rather snack on chocolate chip cookies or salted caramel ice cream? My word, this was going to be difficult!

Eventually, we all weighed in. I believe I ranked cookies at the top, followed closely by ice cream. Pies were probably my third choice. And come to think of it, I don't think pies were my brother's first choice, either. But I know he likes pie! And I am certain that he loves bourbon! I am confident that if he were here in my apartment right now, he'd gladly eat the ice cream in my freezer. And so, with him in mind, I give you this week's flavor...

Bourbon Pecan Pie (adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
1 tbs plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs light corn starch
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup glazed pecans (Melt 2 tbs butter, 2 tbs maple syrup and 2 tbs brown sugar and coat 2 cups pecans. Bake the pecans at 350 for 6 minutes. Enjoy the leftovers, they're delicious!)

1. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbs of milk with the cornstarch and stir until combined. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the rest of the milk, cream, sugar,  and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for a few minutes.

3. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and boil for another minute or so, stirring all the while.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter, cream cheese, and salt until smooth. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture in, whisking to combine.

5. Mix in the bourbon, and take a sip or two yourself to be absolutely sure it's the right stuff. Pour through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down directly on top of the mixture. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

6. Transfer cooled mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and churn. Upon completion, mix in the glazed pecans then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze.

7. Enjoy!

But wait, there's more! I want to pose my brother's dessert challenge to all of you! Post in the comments with your rankings, from least favorite to most favorite. I'm interested to see what your favorites are...and what I should avoid bringing to your house for a dinner party. Have fun!

Week Seven - Valentine's Day Takeout

Happy belated Valentine's Day, friends! I hope you all enjoyed your day on Tuesday, whether you spent it with your significant other, your closest friends, or your favorite bottle of tequila. I spent the day seeing a movie by myself (one of the best ways to spend an afternoon, in my opinion), then shopping with my best friend, then eating tacos and watching crappy television with my husband. It was bliss.

I've never been super big on Valentine's Day. It seems really silly to me: one day a year to get all romantic and lovey dovey. Bah Humbug. I'd rather be romantic and lovey dovey all the other days of the year and then save my money on February 14th. The price of roses jumps up to crazy talk. And any restaurant I would like to eat at (read: not Applebee's) is likely hosting some sort of expensive prix fixe wine-and-dine deal which will likely contain one, if any, vegetarian options. So again, Bah Humbug.

Early on in my relationship with my husband, however, I must have been a lot less cynical about February 14th. For our first Valentine's Day, we celebrated for an entire weekend. On Friday night, I cooked us a fancy college meal of penne vodka and some sort of weird chocolate custard-like things that I made in a blender. We exchanged gifts: I remember being really excited about giving him the new Final Fantasy game along with the DVD's of a show called Upright Citizens Brigade, a sketch comedy show that he was really into. To kick the gift up a notch (something I take pride in) I got tickets for us to go to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, an improv theater in Manhattan started by the original members of UCB. (It should be noted that this turned out to be an even-more-awesome gift than I had anticipated when, among the many stars taking part, Mike Myers joined the troupe for the evening. My husband is a HUGE Wayne's World fan so I scored big points that night!) After exchanging gifts, we went to this adorable little Thai restaurant a couple towns from my school. It was candlelit and romantic and, as I recall, pretty friggin' delicious. Ya can't ask for more than that out of a Valentine's Day dinner!

Fast forward to today, as I scorn the foolish holiday but gladly stock up on the 40% off conversation hearts at Target. Though we may not celebrate like we did that first year, I do look back on that weekend and smile. And so, with that feeling in mind, I chose this week's flavor: Valentine's Day Takeout. (The name needs some work, I'll admit.) I went back to my favorite ice cream book for this one as the recipe so perfectly, and yet so oddly, represents the holiday in my mind. The flavor is basically a combination of coconut and peanut, a base for many Thai curries. There is a small amount of heat in this and not a ton of sweetness...it is subtle and tasty. A success, in my book!

Here you have it, folks...

Valentine's Day Takeout Ice Cream (adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbs plus 2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbs light corn syrup
2 tbs honey
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbs of milk with the cornstarch and stir until combined. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the rest of the milk, cream, coconut milk, sugar, corn syrup, and honey. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for a few minutes.

3. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and boil for another minute or so, stirring all the while.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter, cream cheese, and salt until smooth. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture in, whisking to combine.

5. Add the toasted coconut and cayenne pepper. Pour through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down directly on top of the mixture. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

6. Transfer cooled mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and churn. Upon completion, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze.

7. Add some chopped peanuts and enjoy!

Week Six - Chocolate and Wine

Sorry, folks...I'm a day late! Yesterday saw me quite busy: lunch date with an old friend; dinner/movie date with my lovely husband; and the sad news about Queen of the Night, Whitney Houston. By the end of the night, I was too tired to form proper sentences so here we are today...with chocolate and wine.

Are there any two things in life that go together better than chocolate and wine? Chocolate and caramel, maybe. Wine and cheese. Cheese and crackers. Okay, so the answer is, probably, yes. But for my money, when I want to be spoiled, it's going to be a bottle of delicious red wine and some quality dark chocolate. Mmm...

As Valentine's Day approached, I thought this combination was perfectly appropriate. (And I already have a special flavor planned for the actual holiday.) Thinking back to Week Two's flavor, and how deliciously chocolate-y it was, I decided to go back to that recipe and tweek it a bit for this week's creation. I was also quite excited to showcase the box of wine we bought from Trader Joe's in this batch. You read it correctly, I used boxed wine this week! Don't fret, it's not Franzia. (I know my college friends were having ugly flashbacks...) My husband recently decided he wanted to buy a somewhat-classier (Classy boxed wine?) box of wine so that if he wanted to have a glass a few nights it week, it wouldn't oxidize and go bad after a few days if he didn't drink it all. (I feel like I need to point out that we are currently dieting so drinking more than a glass a night is temporarily forbidden. Under normal circumstances, that one bottle would be gone in one night. And it would probably have another empty bottle next to it to keep it company.) On a trip to Trader Joe's, we found a $10 box of Australian Shiraz and decided to take the plunge. While it's certainly not the best wine I've ever had, it is certainly drinkable. Score for us! Boxed wine on the kitchen counter...nice.

This ice cream turned out to be just as chocolate-y delicious as the Chocolate with Cinnamon and Cayenne, but the wine flavor is extremely faint. I think it is a combination of things: first, perhaps I should have used something more robust than a Shiraz; and second, next time I will add more than a half cup of wine to the recipe. That being said, we ate a great deal of this last night. I hope enough remains that I'm able to share it with others because it is pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. (And I do.) But for now, I shall present you with some photographs...

Chocolate and Wine Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 tbs plus 1 tsp corn starch
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tbs light corn syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt

1. In a saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, 1/3 cup sugar and the wine. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about three minutes.

2. Chop the chocolate and put in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the wine mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth.

3. Add the cream cheese to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.

4. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and a little milk. Set aside.

5. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the cream, and the corn syrup and cook over medium heat until mixture reaches a boil, allowing it to boil for a minute or so, stirring all the while. Remove from heat.

6. Add cornstarch mixture to the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to heat, stirring with a spoon or spatula, and cook until mixture thickens, about three or four minutes. Remove from heat.

7. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the milk mixture until completely smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down directly on top of the mixture. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

8. Transfer cooled mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and churn. Upon completion, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze.

Week Five - Bananas Foster

I did it, folks! I have officially made my first ice cream using MY OWN RECIPE! That is not to say I created a flawless recipe, but I'm pretty excited nonetheless, as you can see. (Capital letters always equal excitement!) It's taking me a while, but I'm slowly getting the hang of this. So stay tuned for more 52 Scoops Originals...

As for this week's flavor, I present to you: Bananas Foster. A New Orleans favorite, the dish consists of bananas (obviously) that have been cooked in a sauce of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum. (I think traditionally it also contains banana liqueur but I chose to omit that.) The sauce is cooked, so as to remove the alcohol, and then served, most often, with vanilla ice cream. Often times, cooks will choose to flambé, or ignite, the dessert once the liquor is added. I also chose to omit this option, mostly because my cabinets are too close to the stove. But also because I've only flambéed once before (with a fire extinguisher close at hand!) and I was scared I'd singe my eyebrows this time.

I have had a couple delightful encounters with Bananas Foster over the past few years, most recently at a friend's wedding (touché, friend!)...but my favorite memory of the dish dates back to an Easter brunch I shared with my husband at a tiny little café near our old apartment. We had never eaten there before and chose Easter morning, of all mornings, to attempt to waltz in at noon and procure a window table for a leisurely brunch. What fools were we! As it turns out, the only seating available in the (again, TINY!) establishment were at a counter outside the kitchen. We happily, and hungrily, claimed two of the three stools at the counter and perused the menu. While my husband settled on some sort of potato pancake dish, if memory serves, I had been dazzled by the thought of Bananas Foster French Toast. Yes, friends. Bananas, brown sugar, rum, and french bread. Good god. Upon the plate's arrival, I was instantly smitten and the dish, to this day, remains one of the most delicious I've ever consumed.

Ahh, but I digress. You have not come to my humble blog to read about my brunching endeavors; you have come for ice cream! And ice cream you shall now receive. Or at least, instructions on how to create ice cream. Without further adieu, I give you...

Bananas Foster Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
2 tbs butter
1/8 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dark rum
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Peel the bananas and cut in half, then into quarters.

2. Melt the butter in a pan and add the cinnamon and allspice. Once combined, add the bananas.

3. After a minute or two, when you notice the bananas are starting to cook (or mush) add the rum. Allow it to cook for at least three or four minutes to burn off the alcohol.

4. Remove the mixture from heat and allow to cool completely. Upon cooling, purée in a food processor. Keep to the side.

5. In a pot over medium heat, combine the heavy cream, milk and sugars. Stir until the sugar is encorporated and heat until tiny bubbles appear around the sides - don't allow it to boil!

6. Remove from heat and slowly pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour egg mixture into the cream mixture and return to medium heat until mixture thickens, stirring all the while. You'll know you've mixed it enough when the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon.

7. Pour the banana mixture into the custard and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled.

8. Transfer cooled mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and churn. Upon completion, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze.

...I just wanted to add a note at the end regarding the final results of this recipe. I'm not sure if I just need to tweak it or what the issue was but I had trouble freezing the mixture in my ice cream maker. As I poured it in, it began to freeze instantly along the bottom, forming a base of hard ice cream which kept the machine from being able to turn. Boo.

So for now, I'll just enjoy as is. But I'll be back, Bananas Foster. And when I do return, I shall perfect you!