Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

A few weeks ago I was searching for a dessert to make for Paul's birthday. He was insistent upon a strawberry cheesecake and I wasn't able to find a recipe I liked. My friend Palma sent me this one to see if it would fit the bill. I didn't end up using it but decided I'd have to try it prior to the end of strawberry season (and judging by the baskets at the market last week the end is near!)

I made this pie for dinner on Friday and it was great. Palma let me know that she prefers her pie 'unadorned' i.e. with the strawberry sauce on the side. I like it on top so a doubled the corn starch called for and spread it on top as a glaze.

I suspect that I will make this pie many times again because you could use any fruit with it - it is a pie for all seasons! A graham cracker crust filled with a chesecakelike filling, topped with a layer of vanilla flavoured sour cream and topped with fruit. WOW

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

Crust:
1 ¾ c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. melted butter
¼ c. sugar

Mix these ingredients and press into a 10 “ pyrex pie plate. Do NOT bake.

Filling:
2 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
½ t. fresh lemon juice

Beat above ingredients until smooth. Pour into crust and bake at 350 for 20 min. Cool five min. and reduce oven to 325.

Sour Cream Topping:
1 c. sour cream
3 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla.

Pour over pie and bake another 10-15 min at 325. Chill.

(Note, I baked this for about 25 minutes until the sour cream was almost set)

Garnish with fresh berries and mint or serve with the following Strawberry Sauce (may use any berry)

Strawberry Sauce:
1 1/2 c. chopped strawberries
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Place chopped strawberries and sugar in saucepan and puree. Place over low heat, remove a small amount of the sauce into a small bowl. Add cornstarch to the bowl, mix thoroughly. Add contents of the bowl back into the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Stir constantly until sauce is thick enough to cover the spoon. Allow the sauce to cook to room temperature.

Sunday Slow Baking # 15 - Citrus Glazed Polenta Cake

Another Sunday and another great recipe by Gina De Palma. This is the latest stage in the Sunday Slow Bakers' exploration of Dolce Italiano by Gina De Palma. Krista came up with the notion that it might be interesting to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. This week's recipe was selected by Ida.

Of course the biggest challenge for us all was to figure out what fine polenta was. I googled and discovered posts from folks who used regular polenta by mistake and were not happy at all with the texture. We debated whether or not fine polenta was the same as instant polenta was the same as fine corn meal . . . ARGH In the end we decided that fine corn meal = instant polenta and just went with it.

The texture was great - score one for the fine corn meal. However, the finished cake wasn't as cooked in the middle as I would have like - in fact the cake sunk a bit. Now my oven tends to be on the cool side so I baked the cake at a higher temperature and for longer than called for but I think another 5 or 10 minutes might have been helpful. It tasted fine but the centre wasn't completely cooked. Another thing that may have contributed to this . . . I used at 8 inch pan instead of a 10 inch - I never adjusted the baking time for that - opps

Instead of regular olive oil I used the tangerine olive oil we bought in Paso Robles in February - it sure helped make this cake a citrus delight. We ended up slicing into it at breakfast this morning - Paul gave it 2 thumbs up and didn't even noticed that it wasn't fully baked in the centre - bless his heart. The cake isn't sweet and is redolent of lovely citrus flavour. This really was a treat and at some point I will recover from the fact that I didn't bake it for as long as I should have.

I decorated the cake with simple candied peel. I used a special zester which takes long threads from the fruit. I tossed the threads of lime, orange, and lemon peel in granulated sugar, let it dry and tossed again. I repeated this about 5 times before the peel was nicely crusted with sugar. It made for a nice presentation (but not as nice as if I had baked the damn cake long enough - I will get over this at some time!)

Citrus Glazed Polenta Cake

1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
3/4 cup instant or fine polenta
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat over to 325 degrees and position a rack in the center. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray, dust the pan with flour, and tap to knock out the excess. Grate the zest from the lemon, lime, and orange, setting the zests aside for the cake batter and reserving the fruit for the glaze.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and granulated sugar together on med-high speed until they are pale yellow and have tripled in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in reserved citrus zests.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the olive oil to the egg mixture; begin with one third of the dry ingredients, then add half the oil, followed by another third of the dry ingredients, beating only until each addition is incorporated. Stop the mixer and briefly scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the remaining olive oil, followed by the last third of the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating it 180 degrees halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. The cake is down when it springs back lightly when touched and pulls away from the sides of the pan, and when a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 12 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove the sides of the pan and allow the cake to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze: Sift 2 cups confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from each of the reserved citrus fruits. Add the citrus juices to the bowl and whisk until smooth. If the glaze seems too thick, add a few drops and whisk until smooth. If the glaze seems too thick, add a few drops of water until it falls easily from a spoon. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and allow it to set until it is completely dry.

Carefully remove the bottom of the springform pan with an offset spatula and tranfer the cake to a serving plate. If desired, dust the cake with additional confectioner's sugar before serving. Any leftover cake may be wrapped in plastic and served the following the day.

Be sure and check in on the other sunday slow bakers to see how their cakes turned out:

Baked Alaska
Destination Anywhere
Happy Trails for Us: My Reluctant Blog
Keep your Feet in the Street
In and Out of the Garden
My Place in the Sun
Palmabella's Passions
Postcards From the Trail
Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

Last year we tried grilling lamb burgers for the first time - we were struck with what an amazing change they made from the normal beef variety. These burger roll-ups have the great Mediterranean tastes - oregano, garlic, lamb, olives, and humus. I think that Paul was actually purring when he dug in to his; he wanted a second but also wanted to preserve some leftovers for later.

This recipe was in the 2001 Better Homes and Gardens Simple Perfect Grillingmagazine. While you'll love the flavour of these you'll also love the fact that you can get them ready in 30 minutes - start to finish. This fact alone makes them perfect for a busy summer weeknight meal.

In my roll ups I used baby spinach. I also used low-fat tortillas (I don't even know what cracker bread is!) I also discovered that my olives had been eaten by a mad olive fiend - I debated popping out the store for the one ingredient but that seemed like such a waste of gas (when gas is $ 1.35 a litre) so I used roasted red peppers. YUM

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound lean ground lamb
2 14- to 15-inch soft cracker bread rounds or four 7- to 8-inch flour tortillas
1/3 cup prepared hummus (garbanzo bean spread)
4 cups torn spinach or red-tipped leaf lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced pitted kalamata or ripe olives

In a large bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Add lamb; mix well. Form into eight 4-inch-long logs.

Grill lamb on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 14 to 18 minutes or until lamb is no longer pink, turning once.

Meanwhile, spread the cracker bread or tortillas with hummus. Sprinkle with spinach or lettuce, feta cheese, and olives. If using cracker bread, place 4 lamb pieces, end to end, near an edge of each round. Roll up, beginning with edge closest to lamb. Slice each roll-up diagonally in fourths. (If using tortillas, place 2 lamb pieces, end to end, on each tortilla. Roll up. Slice each roll-up diagonally in half.) Makes 4 servings.

Fennel Orange Salad

First - photo contest update . . . (see Brad - I did promise I wouldn't do this with EVERY entry!)

Four of our photos were entered in the easycar.com photo contest of travel photos.

Currently Tuscany Poppies is third, The Chicago Bean is fourth, and the Torre del Mangia is fifth. If you haven't voted yet it only takes seconds, click though, vote 10 and you're done. You can also vote at work. This isn't a democratic contest - the concept of voting early and voting often rather applies.

Heck - go all out, send the links to friends and relatives so that they can vote as well! Why deny them the fun? *smile*

We submitted a fourth photo - Ballooning in Tuscanythat was disqualified for some reason. We went back and fourth and it was finally accepted. It is now languishing in twenty-second place.

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This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round up is being hosted by Archana's Kitchen- be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with.

There are those folks who are not enamored with fennel - not us. We like it braised, roasted, grilled, broiled . . heck, we even like it raw in a salad. When we were in Montisi Palma made the most amazing salad with fennel and orange. Everyone raved about it.

A few weeks ago, when I was casting about for some dinner ideas, Paul said 'why don't you try and recreate that salad Palmabella made in Italy?'

Well now, I had been challenged.

Palma had not posted her recipe yet so I had to visit my old friend google. I found recipes with olives, mint, anchovies(!) but not the one I was looking for. Finally, at the Whole Foods web site I hit the motherload! This salad was incredible - a colorful and crunchy treat. The sweetness of the oranges is a tasty contrast to the sharp clean taste of the raw fennel.

Enjoy!

Fennel and Navel Orange Salad

3 large navel oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds, then placed in a small bowl
1 medium fennel bulb, top stalk removed
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups arugula, washed and dried
1/2 cup sliced almonds
4 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Drain off any juice from oranges to use for the dressing. Cut fennel bulb in half so it lies flat, and then very thinly slice into half moons. Toss with orange slices and red onion. Divide arugula on 4 salad plates and place mixture on top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice and olive oil. Season and pour over salads.

Of course, the primary ingredient in this recipe is the fennel, a vegetable that we have only discovered recently in our cooking journey . . .

Fennel seems to have an identity crisis, which may have to do with the family size (3000 species) to which it belongs, including parsley, caraway, cumin and coriander. Yet, under any of its gastronomic guises it’s an enormously pleasing food that fills the kitchen with sweetly licoriced aroma conjuring sunny Mediterranean landscapes.

Italians employ the stem and bulb as a vegetable, the French treat it as an herb, using leaves in salads and the little known fennel flower to impart additional flavour to pickled olives and capers.

In the San Francisco area, where the wild fennel grows in abundance, naturally sprigs are used to accent grilled shrimps, braised lamb shank infused with fennel and garlic tastes heavenly. You can also pound fennel, celery, olive oil, boiled potatoes and garlic to create a vegetarian brandade. You can use it lightly grilled in salads, even dice it and stuff fresh fish before pan-frying. Indians who have millennia’s worth experience with fennel claim it to be an aphrodisiac and digestive at the same time.

Toronto, being the largest “Italian city” outside of Italy, identifies with fennel. Supermarkets routinely carry finocchio, or Florence fennel. Italians bake or braise it as an accompaniment to fish, meat and pork dishes.  But the fennel tends to go best with fish. You can also use it diced in salads for an extra taste dimension.

Strawberry Shortcake

Here is a summertime classic that most of us have made at some time or another. My family’s favorite version includes a homemade biscuit shortcake that is covered in strawberries and topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

I suspect that many folks have only had the strawberry shortcakes made with those dessert shells picked up at the grocery store - you know, the ones with strange additives that never seem to expire. Until you have had the real deal you have no idea what you have been missing!

This recipe makes nine large biscuits, you could easily make them smaller. Because it makes so many I generally freeze the extra to pull out when I need a quick dessert.

Enjoy . . .

Strawberry Shortcake

For the biscuits:
13-1/2 oz. (about 3 cups) all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. granulated sugar; plus about 3 Tbs. for sprinkling
1-1/2 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. table salt
6 oz. (12 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-1/2 cups heavy cream; plus about 3 Tbs. for brushing
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the strawberries:
5 cups 1/8-inch-thick strawberry slices (from about 3 pints)
1 to 3 Tbs. granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries

For the whipped cream:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Make the biscuits:

Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Toss with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. Combine the cream and vanilla in a liquid measure. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just combined; it should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Gently knead by hand five or six times to pick up any dry ingredients remaining in the bottom of the bowl and to create a loose ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into an 8-inch square, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and trim about 1/4 inch from each side to create a neat, sharp edge (a bench knife or a pastry scraper works well, or use a large chef’s knife, being sure to cut straight down). Cut the dough into 9 even squares (about 2-1/2 inches square) and spread them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, brush each biscuit with a thin layer of cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown on top and the bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Prepare the berries:

Toss the berries with 1 Tbs. sugar and taste. If they’re still tart, sprinkle with another 1 to 2 Tbs. sugar. Let sit at room temperature until the sugar dissolves and the berries begin to release their juices, at least 30 minutes but no more than 3 hours.

Whip the cream:

Pour the cream into a cold mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and, using a whisk, continue to beat by hand until the cream is softly whipped or until the whisk leaves distinct marks in the cream; it should be soft and billowy but still hold its shape.

Assemble the shortcakes:

While the biscuits are still warm, split them in half horizontally with a serrated knife. For each serving, set the bottom half of a biscuit on a plate. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the berries and their juices over the biscuit. Add a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover with the top half of the biscuit. Top with a few berries and a small dollop of cream.

From Fine Cooking 58, pp. 50

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

This was another of those quick, light meals that seems perfect for the summertime. The recipe (originally from Southern Living Magazine- July 2002) suggests that the wraps can be made ahead of time, wrapped in parchment paper, refrigerated and later served cold. Conversely, you can make them and serve them warm.  In the interest of blog-related research we enjoyed them both hot and cold - they were wonderful either way!

Be careful not to over-marinade the shrimp. Shrimp does not need to marinade for long at all or the taste of the marinade completely overwhelms the sweet tasting shrimp.

I 'lightened' up the recipe by using low-fat yoghurt, other than that there is little that needed to be changed to make this 'diet' ready.

Wondering about the origin of the word gyro?

Almost every culture has its own version of 'fast food', and in Greece that honor goes to the gyro sandwich. A gyro sandwich (pronounced YEER-oh) consists of various rotisseried meats, salad vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce and onions, along with a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce. These ingredients are placed on a hearty form of grilled pita bread and served as a wrap sandwich.

Traditionally a gyro would not be made with shrimp but this 'tweak' works as far as we were concerned!

Enjoy . . . .

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 (12-inch) wooden skewers
4 (8-inch) pita rounds or gyro rounds
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Yoghurt Sauce

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients; chill until ready to serve or up to 6 hours.

Peel and clean the shrimp.

Combine greek seasoning and olive oil in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add shrimp. Seal and chill 30 minutes.

Soak skewers in water 30 minutes while shrimp marinates; thread shrimp onto skewers.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) about 5 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.

Wrap each pita round in a damp cloth; microwave at HIGH 10 to 15 seconds or until soft. Spread 1 side of each pita round with Herbed Yogurt Spread. Top evenly with shrimp, cheese, tomato, and cucumber; roll up.

 

SSB # 14 - Sweet Apple Omlette

Another Sunday and another great recipe by Gina De Palma. This is the latest stage in the Sunday Slow Bakers' exploration of Dolce Italiano by Gina De Palma. Krista came up with the notion that it might be interesting to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. This week's recipe was selected by Maria.

We had this for brunch today. I admit I was apprehensive - I'm not a huge fan of sweet things in the am unless the sweetness comes from maple syrup drizzled over somehting. Had Maria not selected it for the sunday slow bakers to make I doubt that I would have ever made this. The concept is unusual for our North American palattes (such as they are) - we're used to our omlettes full of cheese, herbs, and savoury things like that. One blogger has called this apple pie for breakfast and I agree that the similarities are there.

To be honest I was taken aback at how good it was! I didn't find it overly sweet which surprised me given the amount of sugar and honey. Paul's comment - 'it tastes like something you could get at Cora's' - a fancy breakfast restaurant nearby. That was quite a compliment to Angie!

In the book Angie explains that this type of omlette is common in the northernmost regions of Italy. Here at the base of the alps the local cuisines have bene influenced by the Slavic, Austrian, and Swiss neighbours.

Sweet Apple Omlette

omlet con mele

2 medium Golden Delicious, Rome, or Empire apples
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon grappa
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
4-5 large eggs
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Peel and core the apples, cut them into quarters, then cut the quarters into slices. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, followed by the apples. Saute the apples until they just begin to turn soft, translucent, and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the cinnamon to the pan, shaking to coat the apples. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the grappa, then return the pan to low heat and let the apple mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook off the alcohol and tenderize the apples.

In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat; do not allow it to bubble. Add the honey and swirl the pan to combine the butter and honey thouroughly (I did this in the microwave). Set the pan aside, off the heat. Have ready a serving plate dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk them until the yolks and whites are combined. In a nonstick 10" omelet pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over med heat, swirling it around to coat the bottom completely. When the butter begins to bubble, add the eggs. Use a spatula to pull the cooked egg toward the center of the pan while tilting the pan to move uncooked egg to the edges. Continue moving the eggs around gently until all the eggs are cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Very quickly, spoon some of the cooked apples into the center of the omelette in a straight line spanning the diameter of the omelette. Shake the pan to loosen the omelette completely, then fold one side of the omelette over the apples.

Quickly slide the omelette onto the sugar-dusted serving plate, folding it over on top of itself with the edge of the pan or spatula. Immediately drizzle the warm honey-butter mixture evenly over the surface of the omelet, then dust it with confectioner's sugar.

Serve immediately, cutting the omelette into 2 large halves or 4 smaller quarters.

You can check out what the other Sunday slow baker bloggers have been up to by clicking through to their blogs (although some are traveling this week and not in the kitchen (lucky them!):

Destination Anywhere
In and Out of the Garden
My Place in the Sun
Palmabella's Passions
Postcards From the Trail
Whistlestop Cafe Cooking
Baked Alaska

Chicken Blueberry Salad

With all of that has been going on here lately dinner has had to be quick and easy. This salad seemed to fit the bill. The asian inspired dessing comes together quickly, most is used to marinade the chicken but some is set aside to serve as the salad dressing.

I was curious to see what the addition of the blueberries would do to the salad. For some reason the thought of blueberries mixed in with the veggies and chicken with the asian marinade/dressing just seemed odd. Odd no, it worked quite nicely. Next time I make this I think I would add some crumbled goat cheese to add a bit of texture contrast.

We served the salad with some toasted pita bread cut into points.

Chicken Blueberry Salad

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced  fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped 
1 cup shredded carrot
4 cups mixed salad greens
1 cups fresh blueberries, washed and picked through

In a medium bowl mix together the oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag, pour half of the vinegar mixture over the chicken breasts. Press the air out of the bag and seal. Turn the bag over several times to distribute the marinade, Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat grill to 450 degrees.

Remove chicken from marinade-discard used marinade. Grill chicken for 4 - 5 minutes on each side, checking to make sure chicken is done and no pink is remaining inside deepest part of meat. Cut into thin slices.

Mix together the greens, celery, onion, peppers, carrots and blueberries. Toss together with the reserved vinegar mixture. Divide amongst four plates, arrange the sliced chicken on top.

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round up will be hosted this week by Simona from Briciole- be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with.

Things have been somewhat hectic here lately, on Monday our cat Victor took ill. That event has set off a torrent of vet visits and emotions when we were told that he was going to die far sooner than we had expected. He's back at the vet right now and we are bringing him home 'to keep him comfortable' later tonight. I'm not sure just what that means but I am sure it is not nice at all.

I the midst of all of this I have found it difficult to focus on anything. Yesterday, after I dropped him off at the vets for an ultrasound, I decided to make some ice cream - when emotionally stretched to the breaking point puttering about in the kitchen is just the thing. Well, that or a bottle of rum but heck, it was only 8 am and even I have limits (if you find them somewhere, please inform me!)

My cookbook of choice for all things ice cream is the Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. Published last year, I can assure you that there are few ice cream books that you will use as much as this one. In fact, before I started exploring Dolce Italiano with the Sunday Slow Bakers, this was the cookbook I had used the most. It is fitting the the slow bakers have transformed themselves into the Sunday Slow Scoopers and are shortly going to be working their way through David's cookbook. It will be nice to make ice cream and leave the oven off in this heat.

The cookbook is well reviewed for the ease of the recipes that he has written. There are recipes for everything from ice cream, sorbets, to every type of mix-in and sauce you can imagine. The book also has a wonderful in-depth, step-by-step section on how to make a perfect ice cream custard, which is a helpful thing to read before attempting your first batch. I was challenged by the custard making at first (even to the point that I scrambled the first one - happily he provides some instructions as to how you can correct that crisis) but his step by step instructions soon put me on the right path.

I've been wanting to try this recipe for fresh mint ice cream for awhile - I liked that it is make with mint infused cream and doesn't have any artificial flavourings. Mind you - my plan was to throw that all to hell by adding in some miniature York Peppermint Patties at the end - so much for no artificial flavourings! Anyway, I had the mint, cream, and eggs so I put this together yesterday. The ice cream was a beautiful pale mint colour with a distinctive flavour - mint ice cream will never be the same for me now.

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves
5 large egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Add the mint leaves, and stir until they’re immersed in the liquid. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Strain the mint-infused mixture through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Press on the mint leaves to extract as much of the flavor as possible, then discard the mint leaves. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl, and set the strainer on top.

Rewarm the mint-infused mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mint liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly; then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. [You can test it by running your finger across the spatula coated with custard. It’s done when your finger leaves a definite trail that doesn’t flow back together.]

Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

I've been using mint a lot in my cooking lately . . .perhaps it is because I have a nice big pot of it growing by the front door. I posted previously about it here.

Some more mint information that I found:

NAME: Mint (Mentha spp)

DESCRIPTION: There are many species of mint. They are typically characterised by a creeping habit and highly aromatic fresh-tasting foliage. Popular species include Spearmint (Menta spicata or M. crispa); Peppermint (M. piperita officinalis), Pennyroyal (M. pulegium); Applemint (M. sauveolens), Eau-de-Cologne Mint (M. piperata citrata; Basil Mint (M. x spicata), but there are many others. There is also a native Australian mint M. australis.

ORIGIN:

Most of the popular species originated in the Mediterranean.

CULTIVATION:

Mint generally likes semi-shaded positions where the soil is moist but not waterlogged. It can become invasive as it spreads aggressively via underground stems. Propagation can be achieved by division or by cuttings struck in spring. Seed can also be sown in spring.

USES:

Spearmint is a popular flavouring for sauces and dressings and mint jelly is a traditional accompaniment to lamb. Peas and potato dishes are often flavoured with mint. Spearmint also gives a lift to punch and mint tea is said to aid digestion. Applemint is a pleasant addition to fruit salads and desserts. Pennyroyal is not generally used for cooking but it makes a good lawn substitute in low-traffic areas and is said to repel fleas. Eau-de-Cologne has a delightfully fresh aroma & is used in pot pourri and cosmetics.

Spicy Shrimp and Chorizo Kebabs

When I saw this recipe (delivered to my e-mail box via Food and Wine Magazine) I thought that it looked interesting. The combinations of flavours intrigued me. The mixture of the sweet shrimp and spicy chorizo was a ying yang sort of combination. I decided to give it a whirl - all I had to do was to find some fresh chorizo sausage which wasn't easy here in Canada without the Latin American influence that our friends to the south have.

The superfast, supertasty marinade for the shrimp, flavored with caraway seeds and ancho powder, would also be delicious with chicken, pork tenderloin and any kind of steak. I was a little concerned about the caraway seeds - this seemed like an odd addition, but it worked. Now these are entitled spicy shrimp and chorizo kebabs and spicy they are. If you like you food less spicy you might want to cut back a bit on the chili althogh we loved them as they were!

I have served these for a dinner main course and also as an appetizer to start off a dinner of food, drink, and laughter. Everyone seems to love them. I like making this recipe because it is so fast - making it great for a weeknight dinner.

Spicy Shrimp and Chorizo Kebabs

2 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons pure chile powder, such as ancho
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 small chorizo (about 1/2 pound total), sliced 1/2 inch thick

On a cutting board, using the flat side of a chef's knife, mash the garlic and salt to a coarse paste. Add the caraway seeds and finely chop them. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the chile powder and olive oil. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the chorizo and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Let cool slightly.

Tuck a chorizo slice in the crook of a shrimp and thread onto a skewer; the shrimp should be attached at both ends. Push it to the end of the skewer and repeat with 2 more shrimp and chorizo slices. Using more skewers, repeat with the remaining shrimp and chorizo.

Grill the kebabs over a hot fire, turning once or twice, until charred and the shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately