Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

OK - I guess since we've been eating salad all week we can do another ice cream recipe. This time cinnamon. As I've previously revealed, I am a cinnamon nut. This might be a little too much cinnamon for others so feel free to adjust. Just remember that the ice cream base needs to be a little stronger in flavor than you think it should be because once it is frozen the flavors will be muted. Cinnamon Ice Cream (Adapted again from the Cuisinart Ice Cream instruction booklet - I'm just going to stop saying that OK) 2 c heavy cream 3/4 c sugar 1 vanilla bean, split pinch of kosher salt 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1 c half and half 2 t cinnamon In a medium saucepan combine heavy cream, sugar, and split vanilla bean. Heat over medium low flame until about 160. Pour the half and half into a heat resistant bowl. Place a strainer over the bowl and then the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water. Set aside. Whisk eggs and yolk in a small bowl. Slowly whisk some of the warme...

Yup another salad on the menu this week. I told you it's been hot. This one uses barley and while it might take a while to cook the barley thereby heating up the kitchen until it feels like you're in the inner depths of hell, it is worth it. Barley Salad (Adapted from some book that I photocopied a recipe from - no clue) 1 c barley 2 c water 2 c corn removed from cob 1/2 c dried cranberries 4 green onions, chopped 1 apple, diced 1 carrot, diced 3 T lemon juice 4 T olive oil 2 T honey salt/pepper Rinse barley and cook in water until barley is tender about 20-25 minutes.  Set aside to cool. In a serving bowl toss corn, cranberries, onions, apple, and carrot. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper to make a vinaigrette. Pour over corn/apple mixture (this will prevent the apples from turning color). Toss in barley and mix well. The original recipe uses frozen corn - bleh! I really don't think that that would work well here at all. Whi...

Really? Irish oatmeal in a salad?? I thought that seemed very odd but I have to say it made a little bit of a change from using other grains in a salad. Irish oats (or steel-cut oats) have that little bit of nutty taste so they really added some flavor to the salad. The original recipe called this Waldorf Salad with Steel-Cut Oats, I'm thinking this is pushing it a bit. According to the web of knowledge (wikipedia), Waldorf Salad is usually made with apple, walnuts, celery, and has a mayonnaise dressing. So I'm thinking nice try but in my mind this has about as much in common with Waldorf Salad as a pasta salad. The original recipe only had 2 (walnuts and apple) of the 4 above mentioned ingredients. But it was good nonetheless. Irish Oatmeal Salad (Adapted from Cooking Light circa 2011) 1 c steel-cut oats 1-1 1/2 c water pinch of kosher salt 2/3 c walnuts (I used sliced almonds) 1T honey 3 T  olive oil 2 T white balsamic vinegar salt/pepper 1 1/2 c red lettuce...

How do I love my ice cream maker - let me count the ways. There's chocolate, and vanilla of course. And then there's blueberry , burnt cinnamon and anise? Really anise? I was thumbing through recipes looking for something different. I didn't want to make plain old vanilla or chocolate and I stumbled on this recipe from David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop . I changed it up a little because I did like  the whole egg version and thought I would give it a try again. Anise Ice Cream (Inspired by The Perfect Scoop & Cuisinart Ice Cream Instruction Booklet) 2 t anise seeds 2 c half and half* 1 c heavy cream* 3/4 c sugar pinch of salt 2 whole eggs 1 egg yolk 1 t vanilla. Toast the anise seeds in the bottom of a sauce pan for about 3 minutes.  Add the half and half. Add sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved. Shut off heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour. Pour the heavy cream into a heat resistant bowl. Place a strainer over the bowl and then the bow...

I know I've been slacking off with posts a bit lately. I've been busy (training a new dog) and haven't really been making too many new things - just sticking with old standbys. I did Sous Vide a wicked great steak last week, but I've already posted about doing that before .  I was going to just grill some chicken breasts but then I came upon this recipe and decided to heat up the kitchen - there was little fire involved. Shooting flames - OK maybe not shooting but flames  Chicken & Mango (Adapted from Cooking Pleasures) 1 lb chicken breasts 3 T heavy cream 1T fresh oregano salt/pepper 1 onion cut into 1" wedges 1 pepper cut into 1" wedges (totally optional) olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 lime - juice & zest 1 mango, cubed 1/4 c rum Pound chicken breasts thin (see basics page on how to prep them). Place them in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add oregano and pour heavy cream over them. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate ...

 VS Full on chocolate cake vs chocolate cake. I thought the top version's icing was a little too sweet. The Sous Chef preferred this one, but I preferred the bottom one. The Sous is not a fan of cream cheese so that might have been the problem with the bottom one for him. With that being said, I wouldn't turn either down. Sourdough Chocolate Cake (adapted from King Arthur Flour ) Cake 1/2 c sourdough starter 1/4 c water 1/2 c flour 1 c milk 1 c flour 1 1/2 c sugar 1 c canola oil 2 t vanilla 1 t chocolate extract (optional) 1 t salt 1 1/2 t baking soda 3/4 c cocoa 1 t espresso powder 2 eggs 1 1/2 c chocolate chips (optional) Icing (Option 1) 6 c confectioners' sugar 3/4 c butter 1/2 c buttermilk 1T espresso powder 1t cinnamon 1 t vanilla 1 t chocolate extract 3T cocoa 1 T hot water Icing (Option 2) 8 oz cream cheese 1 c confectioners' sugar 1/4 cocoa powder 2 t vanilla 1 t chocolate extract 2 c heavy cream Drizzle ...

So it's been hot and humid and disgusting. The perfect time for some ice cream. I was poking around looking for my usual vanilla recipe, which I still didn't find, and decided on chocolate instead. This was an interesting recipe because it used some whole eggs and you know how I hate having odd whites or yolks! Even though this had one left over yolk, I decided to give it a try. Sorry if it looks a little melty - it's been hot Double Chocolate Ice Cream (adapted from Cuisinart Ice Cream Instruction Booklet - yeah I know who would think??) 1 1/3 c half and half 1 1/3 c heavy cream 1 vanilla bean 3/4 c sugar 3/4 c cocoa 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1 t vanilla 1 t chocolate extract (optional) 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped In a medium saucepan combine half and half, heavy cream and split vanilla bean. Heat over medium low flame until about 160. Meanwhile combine sugar, cocoa, eggs and yolk in a mixer. Mix until combined (it will be thick). With the mixer on low,...

Why can't I spell Bulgur?  I always want to spell it bulgar - I don't know why? Well I guess you really don't need to know how to spell it as long as you know how to cook it. This is another salad that is great for those really hot days when you don't want to cook or eat. The hottest task is boiling the water. Bulgur with Dried Cranberries (Adapted from Cooking Light ) 1 c bulgur 2 c boiling water 2 c English Cucumber cubed 1 c dried cranberries large bunch of chives large bunch or parsley zest 1 lemon 1/3 c lemon juice 1/3 c olive oil salt/pepper Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Cover with plastic wrap until all the water is absorbed. About 20 minutes or so. Mix in the cucumbers, cranberries, parsley and lemon zest. Place the lemon juice in a small bowl. In a slow stream add the olive oil while whisking. Add salt and pepper. Stir the lemon juice and olive oil into the bulgur. Chill and serve. See that wasn't very diff...