Mini pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting November 9, 2009
Posted by elly in pumpkin, sweets/desserts.10 comments
I don’t really know what the stats are on my saved items in Google Reader, but if I had to guess, I’d say nearly a quarter of them come from Smitten Kitchen. Everything Deb makes looks so delicious. But remember what I said about needing reminders for making things I’ve already saved? Well, thankfully, a year after I saved these David Leite pumpkin cupcakes from SK, Bridget at The Way the Cookie Crumbles blogged them, and I was reminded once again how much I wanted—no, needed—to make them. The fact that this recipe won out on the very esteemed Crumbly Cookie test kitchen only reiterated that fact.
Unfortunately, even after seeing the recipe two times, I still managed to read it wrong. I was thinking about halving the recipe since I had half a package of cream cheese in my fridge. Well, of course, the day I was going to make these I realized that the recipe called for 2 bricks of cream cheese, not just one, meaning I only had enough to quarter the recipe.
Rather than getting 4 or 5 cupcakes, I decided to make mini cupcakes from the quartered recipe. I got about 16 minis, every one of them fanfreakingtastically delicious. The cupcakes were nice and moist and spicy, without being overly sweet. The maple syrup was a great addition to your standard cream cheese frosting and complemented the cupcakes beautifully.
The only change I made to the recipe was not really quartering the cloves because it’s hard to quarter 1/8 of a tsp, and plus I really love cloves. I’d say I ended up using a little over 1/16 of a teaspoon. Also, for the mini cupcakes, I reduced the baking temperature by a little and baked these at about 325. It took about 11 or 12 minutes for these to cook through.
Rather than retype the recipe, I’ll just have you go to the original recipe here.
Guacamole November 6, 2009
Posted by elly in appetizers, mexican/tex-mex.7 comments
Ah, the avocado. Just one more of those foods I didn’t used to like. What was I thinking!? Smooth, buttery avocado goes on nearly everything from sandwiches to adorning your favorite enchiladas. But, for me, the best application of the avocado is the most famous–guacamole.
I re-tried avocados (well, guacamole) relatively recently. A few years back I was in Whole Foods and they had samples of chips and guacamole. So I tried some. And then I tried some more. I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. And for the record, I still think Whole Foods makes some delicious guacamole.
Guacamole is ridiculously easy & quick to make, as long as your avocado is ripe. (If you want your avocados to ripen a little more quickly, put them in a paper bag at room temp.) I personally prefer a chunky guacamole with tomatoes in it, but of course you can omit those from the recipe below if you are one of those crazy tomato-haters! :) This doesn’t make a huge batch of guacamole so if you’re trying to serve more than a few people, you should definitely double it. We used it to top some Tex-Mex burgers (in place of the chipotle ketchup) and it was a good amount for 4 burgers (or 2 burgers with a little left over for some tortilla chips).
Guacamole
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup minced onion (preferably red but use what you have)
1/2 – 1 jalapeño (depending how spicy you want it), seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit (I like to whap my knife against it and then pull it right out). Scoop the avocado out and into a bowl. Mash it with a fork and then add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic and mash a little more (to your desired consistency). Stir in the cilantro, tomatoes, lime, and salt and pepper to taste.
Red Chile Enchiladas with Chicken and Melted Cheese November 2, 2009
Posted by elly in chicken, mexican/tex-mex.17 comments
I know, I know. Rick Bayless recipes are becoming the new goat cheese recipes on my blog. But, what can I say? When every recipe I’ve tried has been so simple to make and so good, how can I not keep going back to Mexican Everyday?
I don’t make enchiladas very often because even though they’re not hard to make, they are fairly time-consuming to assemble. One thing this recipe definitely taught me is that heating the tortillas in the oven, especially since it’s already heating to bake the enchiladas, is much easier than frying or heating each individual tortilla over a burner. I didn’t cook my chicken the night before making this as I had initially planned, so I would say that, start to finish (cooking the chicken to actually sticking the enchiladas in the oven), was about an hour (then add to that the baking time).
This recipe was quick and quite tasty, but I have a lot of notes about it, which I decided to put at the end rather than here. I don’t flatter myself – I know not everyone reads my really exciting and incredibly witty introductions. Don’t let the notes fool you. These were good enchiladas. Did I think there were a few problems with the amounts? Yes. Would I change a thing or two next time? Yes. But the point is, there will be a next time.
Red Chile Enchiladas with Chicken and Melted Cheese
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
4 medium (about 1 oz. total) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded & torn into flat pieces*
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil, plus extra for the tortillas
2 cups chicken broth
12 corn tortillas*
salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 generous cups (about 8 oz.) coarsely shredded cooked chicken*
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican melting cheese like Chihuahua, quesadilla, or asadero
1 small white onion, cut into rings, for garnish (optional)
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350. Set a small or medium skillet over medium heat and once it’s hot, toast the chile pieces a few at a time, pressing them against the hot surface with a spatula until aromatic and lightened in color underneath–about 10 seconds per side. Transfer the toasted chiles to a blender, and add the garlic, tomatoes and juices, cumin and black pepper. Blend to as smooth a consistency as possible.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Set a mesh strainer over the pan and pour in the sauce. Press through the strainer to remove bits of chile skin. Then cook, stirring until the sauce is reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, 5 to 7 minutes.* Pour in the broth, reduce the heat to medium low and summer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with sugar and salt (Bayless says about 1.5 tsp. but I used closer to .5 tsp).
Brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil and then stack in twos on a baking sheet. Bake just long enough to make them soft and pliable, about 3 minutes. Remove fro the oven and cover with a towel to keep warm.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish, and stir another 1/2 cup sauce into the chicken. Lay out a warm tortilla, top with a portion of the chicken and roll up. Lay seam side down in the baking dish. Continue filling and rolling the rest of the tortillas and ladle the remaining sauce over the enchiladas* and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro if desired.
*Recipe notes:
I used 5 guajillo chiles, and I’m glad I used an extra one. Next time I will use 6.
Typically, 4 oz. of raw chicken will yield about 3 oz. cooked. So, I made this recipe with roughly 12 oz. of raw chicken. However, I still did not have enough chicken to fill 12 enchiladas and only got 8. I would definitely recommend using at least pound of raw chicken, probably closer to 1.25 lbs., if you want to get 12 enchiladas.
I roasted my chicken and seasoned it with salt, pepper, a little cumin, and a little oregano.
Not sure if I have a weak blender, canned tomatoes that had less juice than the normal or what, but this sauce was hard to push through a strainer. Eventually I did get it all through there but it took some serious elbow grease on my part. Also, for me, the sauce needed to cook closer to about 10 or 11 minutes (not 5-7) before becoming the consistency of tomato paste.
I had extra enchilada sauce, but if I made 12 enchiladas, it would have been the right amount.
Apple Blondies with Maple Glaze October 29, 2009
Posted by elly in sweets/desserts.10 comments
For weeks I’d been needing to replace some herbs/spices and the list kept growing longer. Finally on Sunday, I made it to The Spice House. I’d been out of cinnamon for a couple weeks and as soon as I got home, I wanted to bake a fall dessert (which has to include cinnamon, of course). My original thought was to make pumpkin cupcakes, but I forgot I was out of a particular ingredient. My mind went to blondies–the easy, default dessert–but I didn’t have any chips or anything to stir in. Then, I remembered the apples I had, and became sold on making blondies with chopped apples and cinnamon.
I’ve made blondies quite a bit, and tend to use a few different recipes, including ones from Mark Bittman & Cook’s Illustrated. What I like about Mark Bittman’s blondie base (besides the fact that they produce delicious blondies, of course) is that it only makes an 8″ square pan–perfect for a small household–and the ingredients are easy to remember – 1 of everything. I end up making these on a whim often just because of the ease of the recipe and preparation. I did adapt the “1″ rule a bit below, though (adding a little baking soda and swapping out some of the vanilla extract for almond).
These were so good! Ooey gooey blondies that tasted like fall. Mmm.
As I tend to do with most glazes, I accidentally added too much milk & then didn’t feel like adding more sugar to make it drizzle better. :) So of course if you want to make these prettier, just keep adding sugar (and then if you’re like me, add too much and then have to add more milk and start the WHOLE thing over again.. ;).
Apple Blondies
Blondie base adapted from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything
Printer Friendly Recipe
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 medium apple, peeled and diced
2/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
milk or cream
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease an 8×8 pan.
Mix together the brown sugar and butter. Add the egg, vanilla and almond, whisking until just combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add that to the butter mixture, folding with a spatula at the end so as not to overmix. Fold in apples and walnuts. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and smooth the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle.
To make the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and maple syrup, and drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you want. Drizzle over slightly cooled blondies.
Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes, Bulgur, and Arugula October 26, 2009
Posted by elly in beans and legumes, healthy, italian, rice and grains, vegetarian.18 comments
I love Google Reader, but one of its biggest problems is the ease with which I can star/favorite posts. Since half the feeds I subscribe to (ok, maybe more like 2/3…) are food related, I wind up saving hundreds of recipes, 98% of which will never get made.
Sometimes, I just need a reminder, though. I had favorited this recipe from Mark Bittman back in the day, but when it came up again thanks to the post on Proceed with Caution, I took it as a sign that I needed to make this, and soon. No forgetting this time! I love bulgur, I love cannellini beans, and I love leafy greens so I was sure to love this. And I did. This was super simple to make, tasted great, and was really comforting. It makes a great vegetarian dish, or a side to a protein, and there is a good chance you have all the ingredients on hand (or if you don’t just be like me, and change the recipe).
I altered the recipe quite a bit, mostly to make it easier on myself. I used canned beans and some leftover diced tomatoes I had in the fridge, crushed red pepper instead of fresh, and spinach instead of arugula since that is what I had on hand. When I read the recipe ingredients, and then when I saw it in the bowl, I knew that it would benefit from some cheese so I shaved a few slices of Pecorino Romano onto it.
I’m glad to scratch off a recipe from the very large to-try pile, and glad it was a hit, too!
Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes, Bulgur, and Arugula (Spinach)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup coarse bulgur
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced rosemary
2 cups spinach
shaved parmesan or romano (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Put oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the beans, tomatoes, bulgur, broth, red pepper, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-low heat until tomatoes have broken up & flavors meld, adding more broth to make it as soupy as you like.
Add the spinach and continue to cook, just until it wilts. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, and then serve with some shaved parmesan on top of desired.
A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater: October’s Roast Eggplant with Tahini October 23, 2009
Posted by elly in nigel slater, vegetables, vegetarian.6 comments
Alright, I’ll admit right off the bat that this recipe was a bit of a cop-out for me. Normally when I cook from In the Kitchen I try to make something that I may not think about making myself. This is not one of those things. I use tahini yogurt dressing like other people use ketchup.
But having just gotten back from vacation and still easing my way back into cooking, this was a perfect recipe to try. At first, a ham and bean dish from the book caught my eye because it looked so comforting. Now, I am NOT a ham person. I mean, I will eat it if it’s there, but never on my own volition. And like I said, I like to make things I normally wouldn’t make, which is why that dish stuck out. But where does a person get not-a-lot of ham? I certainly wasn’t going to buy a whole ham and though I’m sure they sell large pieces somewhere, I didn’t know where. And I was too lazy to find out. So that recipe will have to wait for another time.
As for the eggplant, it’s no surprise I liked the eggplant this way since I like tahini-yogurt sauce. The thyme was a nice addition to the dressing, since I don’t normally use it. One issue I had with the eggplant was the peel. Whenever I make eggplant, I always peel about half of it (basically in a striped pattern) and I wish I would have done that here because there was a bit too much…chew? for me.
Roast Eggplant with Tahini
Adapted from Nigel Slater
1 eggplant
2.5 Tbsp. olive oil
ground cardamom
2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. tahini paste
1 tsp. fresh minced thyme
a couple of squeezes of fresh lemon juice
a drizzle of olive oil
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the leafy ends off the eggplant and then slice it in half lengthwise. Cut eat half into two pieces, and then cut each of those pieces into 3 short/fat lengths. Place in a baking dish and toss with the olive oil, some ground cardamom, salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the yogurt, tahini, thyme, lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant.
After the eggplant has roasted, plate and drizzle with the dressing and toasted pine nuts.
Onion Soup October 19, 2009
Posted by elly in soups and stews.12 comments
This is the kind of thing I wish I had to eat when we got back from Florida. We went from 90+ degree temps to 40 degree temps with hail in Chicago. Ahh, good times.
Unfortunately I made this quite a while before vacation and, since I am both behind on my blog and ever-forgetful, didn’t remember that I had specifically made this soup for the O-foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness event, until I saw it in my post drafts. Sigh. So, my apologies to not posting this entry in time for the great event!
This soup is really quite simple (except for the gallons of tears I shed cutting all the onions) and tastes great. A 1/2 cup of sherry or wine, or a 1/2 bottle of beer would certainly not be out of place in this soup, either. I wanted to make this a little creamy so I added some half and half. If you want to make it even thicker, you could make a roux with the half and half (or milk) before adding it to the soup.
You’ll have to excuse the pic. For Christmas this year, I’m hoping to receive the gift of photographing soup well.
Creamy Onion Soup
Serves 4-6
Printer Friendly Recipe
2 Tbsp. butter
1.5 – 2 lbs. yellow or vidalia onions, cut in half and then into slices
1 qt. beef broth/stock
salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper
1.25 cups half and half or cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your preference)
Heat the butter in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, coating with the butter and cook until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the beef broth, salt to taste and a good amount of black pepper (I used around a teaspoon). Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Add the half and half and cheese until heated through and the cheese melts. Re-season to taste, if necessary.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes October 8, 2009
Posted by elly in breakfast/brunch.28 comments
There’s a local brunch place in the city called Orange. I haven’t been there in forever (there’s always a huge line and, if I’m being honest, I think it’s sort of gone downhill) but I randomly was thinking about their cinnamon roll pancakes the other day. I thought about taking a (relatively long) walk there during lunch, but ultimately decided I would try to make my own over the weekend. I couldn’t remember exactly what’s in the pancakes (like I said, it’s been a while) so I looked at the description on the menu. I’m pretty sure they have candied pecans on them too, though…not that mine did. I don’t candy things at 8am on a Saturday.
At any rate, these were easy enough to whip up and tasted great. For the maple-pecan paste I literally just used toasted pecans and maple syrup (but don’t worry, no paste) and blended them in a food processor. I didn’t add a whole lot of syrup though because I knew these would be topped with glaze (and maybe more syrup) and didn’t want them to be TOO over the top.
The pancakes are nice and cinnamony and I’ve always loved pecans as a complement to both pancakes and waffles. My glaze was a little runny because I added too much milk and didn’t feel like adding more sugar to thicken it (since it tasted fine) but otherwise, these were a nice change of pace from my normally boring (and usually over-the-top healthy) breakfasts.
Oh, also, this will be my last post for a while! The hubs and I are taking a vacation to Florida so it will probably be a week and a half or so before I’m back. Think happy no-rain thoughts for me, please.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Makes about 8 small pancakes or 5 large pancakes
Printer Friendly Recipe
1 egg
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup AP flour (I used half whole wheat, half white)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1.25 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2/3 cup pecans
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
drop of vanilla
milk
Preheat your griddle or pan and grease if necessary. Beat the egg and mix it with the milk, vanilla and brown sugar in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add the butter and mix lightly together with a spatula. Spoon out the batter in equal amounts onto the hot griddle. Cook until you start to see bubbles forming around the edges and a little on the top. Flip the pancakes and finish cooking on the other side.
Meanwhile, toast your pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant. Put them in a mini food processor with the maple syrup and pulse until well combined and paste-like (adding more syrup, if you wish).
To make the glaze, sift the confectioners sugar into a bowl. Then add the vanilla and a little milk until you get the proper consistency.
To plate, place a little bit of the pecan-maple paste in between each stacked pancake and drizzle with the glaze. Add more pecans and some powdered sugar on top, if desired.
Moussaka October 6, 2009
Posted by elly in beef, greek, lamb.18 comments
Moussaka was one of the only Greek foods I pretty much refused to eat as a kid. I just really, really did not like eggplant. At all.
A couple years back, I decided to give eggplant a try in some croquettes, and realized it was pretty good. Then I started using it in a few things here and there and realized that I actually like eggplant. This (and so many other things I’ve mentioned on this blog) is really a testament to how your tastes change over time.
Apparently some people make moussaka with potatoes and some don’t. My family has always made it with potatoes (not that I remembered that, since I never ate it…) and personally, I am all about sneaking a potato or two into a meal whenever possible. The potatoes add a little starchiness to an otherwise non-carby dish, and the best part is they soak up the drippings from the meatsauce and become so, so flavorful. For my first moussaka, this turned out fabulous. I made a few minor tweaks to my meatsauce and bechamel from the pastitsio (just to play around a little) and my only problem was that I made too much bechamel for the pan I was using (more on that below).
Sorry about the picture. In addition to the poor lighting and wanting to eat ASAP since I had already let the moussaka cool for 20 minutes, I built this in the wrong pan. I was thinking for the amounts I had 11×17 would be perfect, but it was too small–which I only realized after layering in about half the ingredients. As a result, I couldn’t fit all the bechamel on top of the moussaka, which is a real tragedy. I’ve modified the amounts below just a bit and asked you to cook this in a 9×13 (or even a 10×14 would work) pan, which should be perfect, and give you a nice thick layer of bechamel, just as god intended. :)
This recipe does have a lot of steps, but most of them can happen simultaneously so you aren’t spending forever in the kitchen. You should still leave yourself some time to make this, though, because the moussaka has to cook for about 40 minutes and you need to let it sit for about 20 before slicing into it.
Moussaka
Serves about 8-10
Printer Friendly Recipe
2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise
2 large russet/baking potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise
olive oil
1 batch meatsauce (recipe follows)
1 batch bechamel (recipe follows)
Meatsauce
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1.5 lbs. ground beef or lamb
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp. (just over half a small can) tomato paste
1.25 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 heaping tsp. ground allspice or cloves
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or about 1.5 Tbsp. dried
salt and pepper
Bechamel
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk (at least 2%)–kept warm
nutmeg (I grate maybe 1/4 of a nutmeg into it)
salt and pepper
1 cup kefalotyri (or Romano) cheese
4 eggs
a little extra cheese
Whether (or how) you peel the eggplants is up to you. I usually peel about half of it, leaving what appear to be strips on the eggplant. Then, slice the eggplants into about 1/3″ thick lengthwise slices. Layer them in a colander, sprinkling them with salt as you go, and then put that colander over a bowl. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes. Then rinse the eggplant slices and pat them dry well.
Start your meatsauce. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion and let it sweat for a little bit before adding the beef or lamb. Brown the meat completely and drain if necessary. Then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook it off a little before adding the water. Stir to combine the water and paste well, and add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, parsley, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 35-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, roast your prepared eggplant slices. Heat your oven to 375. Lightly brush a baking pan or two with olive oil, place the eggplant slices on the pan, and brush the tops with a little more oil. Season the eggplant with pepper and roast about 20 minutes or until tender, but not mushy. Leave the oven on.
While the eggplant is in the oven and your meatsauce is simmering, make the bechamel. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and then add the flour. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon until your roux is golden and the flour is cooked off. Slowly add the warm milk, switching to a whisk if necessary to get rid of any clumps. Heat the mixture until it thickens and can coat the back of the wooden spoon. Then, stir in the nutmeg and off the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and the cheese. Then, mix in the eggs well. Be SURE to taste your bechamel and add any more seasonings to taste. A batch of bechamel this big will require quite a bit of salt and pepper. If you don’t want to eat raw eggs, just taste it before the eggs go in, as eggs will not really alter the taste much.
In a nonstick pan, heat some olive oil. Sprinkle the potato slices with salt and pepper and pan-fry in the oil until they are almost, but not completely, cooked through. Place the fried potatoes in a 9×13″ baking dish. After the eggplant has roasted, layer half of it on top of the potatoes. Then, pour the meatsauce on top, followed by another layer of eggplant. Layer the eggplant as closely together as possible, trying to not leave any holes where the bechamel would slip through. Finally, pour the bechamel on top and sprinkle a little bit of extra cheese on top. Bake the moussaka for about 40 minutes or until the bechamel has firmed up and is golden on top. Let the moussaka set for 20 minutes before slicing into it.
Cheesecake Ice Cream with Candied Cherries September 30, 2009
Posted by elly in sweets/desserts.17 comments
First, thank you so much to everyone for the kind thoughts and wishes in my last post. It basically seals the deal that bloggers are the nicest group of folks around!
Now, onto something almost as exciting as babies—a really good ice cream. I’ve eaten a lot of desserts in my lifetime. A LOT. I come from a family where everyone has a sweet tooth and the apple certainly didn’t fall far from the tree. When I eat out at a restaurant, I get dessert as often as humanly possible. And still, despite all the really delicious desserts I’ve had, I really think my favorite of all time might be cheesecake with cherry topping. Nothing over the top or fancy. Just a nice graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake layer, and then some sweet cherries in syrup, or, hell, even cherry pie filling, on top. The cherry pie filling variety was the kind I had when I was little and it’s so nostalgic to me and still so good. I don’t eat canned foods much, but I’d be lying if I told you I couldn’t polish off an entire can of cherry pie filling, spoonful by spoonful.
So it’s no surprise that when I was deciding which ice cream would be my first from The Perfect Scoop
This ice cream was delicious. Oh, so good. The sour cream made it nice and tangy. Though not quite as rich as custard-based ice cream, it’s still a decadent treat. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Cheesecake Ice Cream with Candied Cherries
Adapted from David Lebovitz/The Perfect Scoop
8 ounces cream cheese (I used lowfat)
1 lemon, preferably unsprayed
1 cup sour cream (I used lowfat)
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
candied cherries (recipe follows)
Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and add to a blender/food processor. Zest the lemon into the food processor, and then add the sour cream, half-and-half, sugar and salt. Puree until smooth.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker. Before transferring the ice cream to a container to freeze, stir in the candied cherries.
Candied Cherries
1/2 lb. cherries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
a drop of almond extract.
Remove the stems and pit the cherries. Heat the cherries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a large, nonreactive saucepan until the liquid starts to boil. Turn down the heat to a low boil and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently during the last 10 to make sure they are cooking evenly and not sticking.
When the syrup is reduced to the consistency of maple syrup, remove the pan from the heat, add the almond extract, and let the cherries cool in their syrup.
Drain the cherries in a strainer for about an hour (reserve the syrup for drizzling on top of the ice cream, or something else). Coarsely chop the drained cherries and fold them into the ice cream as you remove it from the machine.
