Sunday, May 18, 2014

Hunter's Ice Cream


Today I am sharing my husband's favorite ice cream recipe (just go ahead and consider him an ice cream connoisseur). I was shocked when I noticed this recipe was not on my blog! I'll go ahead and admit, baked goods rank higher on my guilty pleasures list.  But not his...

This recipe comes from a good friend of ours, Ashley Cole-Tyson.  She made ice cream a couple summers ago in different flavors for a cookout at her house.  I went out and bought an ice cream maker like hers the very next day.  No regrets...no rock salt and it takes minutes to freeze.  This recipe makes a great ice cream base.  I love to add mint and chocolate chips but most commonly I add cookie dough.


Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (I use skim)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 dash salt
2 tsp vanilla


These are the simple ingredients.  I bet you have everything you need but the cream. I was shocked to find corn syrup listed as the  4th ingredient in the ice cream most commonly purchased at our house.


Combine cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  (Notice our great, new AllClad pan!?)  If you don't remember anything else, remember to watch this mixture carefully.  Once it starts to boil you must IMMEDIATELY take it off the heat or it will boil over and make a fluffy, tremendous mess.



While the mixture above is heating, combine eggs, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy.  



Temper the eggs; pour in about a cup of the hot cream into the eggs (verrrry slowly) while the mixer is running on low speed.  Repeat with another cup of hot cream. 



After it is all mixed together, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot cream.  Crank up the heat until the temp reaches 170 (usually is a minute for me).  

Turn the heat off, stir in the vanilla, and stick the mixture in the frig overnight or in the freezer for a couple hours.  

After the mixture is cold, mix it in the ice cream maker for 20ish minutes, adding in cookie cough or other topings last minute once the ice cream is pretty much set.  




I like to keep cookie dough in the freezer (make twice the batch I need).  I will slice some for cookies (350 degrees for 14 minutes) and some for the ice cream! 





Store in tupperware in the freezer.  The mixture will be very creamy!  If given the choice, this is how I
 prefer my ice cream!




"Almost Palmetto" Pimento Cheese


"Almost Palmetto" Pimento Cheese

Remember when I mentioned Palmetto Pimento Cheese in my engagement post?  I knew I would have pimento cheese withdrawals and they have certainly set in. This past week I set out to make a pimento cheese that would be my Idaho substitute!

And I think I have found it.

I started out with the highly rated Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe on allrecipes.com.  It has 171 reviews and almost 5 stars...always a great sign it's a recipe worth your time.  The first batch I made was wonderful but I altered the recipe this time to get more of a palmetto-like pimento cheese.

Ingredients:

1 lb block extra sharp cheddar cheese (will make about 4 cups)
4 oz cream cheese, softened  (half a block and I used fat free)
1 heaping tablespoon of mayo  (low-fat works fine)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
salt and pepper to taste

Boise has many options for cheeses.  I've had fun experimenting.  I no longer buy the pre-shredded cheeses.  They often have additives and powder that takes away the natural moisture of cheese.  I love my cheese to be spreadable.  Thankfully my new food processor makes shredding amazingly easy.


See how amazing this looks?


I always chop the pimentos smaller than what they appear in the jar so they go further in the spread.  I certainly used more than most people would in this last recipe but Hunter and I both LOVE pimentos!


Beat the cream cheese, mayo and spices in the mixer first. Then add shredded cheese and lastly the pimentos so they are not completely obliterated.



This is my method of choice for eating my pimento cheese...wheat thins!


Enjoy!

Love my new Lenox French Perle Bead Plates!


Boise Update

Hello from our new kitchen...


.....in our adorable rental house...


...filled with amazing new wedding gifts and kitchen gadgets.  I have taken a break from blogging but rest assured...I have done plenty of baking and cooking.  More to come shortly!