Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Rum Butterscotch Swirl Ice Cream

Rum Butterscotch Swirl Ice Cream

It's February, but the temperatures have gotten near 70 degrees here in the Midwest. Cardinals are singing and finches are showing splashes of red and purple on their drab winter brown feathers. A high pressure system, pruning apple trees and sunshine makes me want real, honest-to-goodness ice cream.

I don't have an ice cream maker. But I do have a simple recipe for ice cream that uses a standard electric or stand mixer to make:

Basic Ice Cream
1 pint heavy cream
1 can (12 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chill mixing bowl and whip attachment or beaters for 1 hour prior to making this recipe. Pour cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Whip at medium speed until slightly thickened, add vanilla extract and then increase mixer speed to high to create peaks. Lower mixer speed to fold in sweetened condensed milk.

Line a standard loaf pan with aluminum foil. Pour ice cream mixture into pan. Cover with cling wrap and chill in freezer for at least one hour before adding in the butterscotch mixture.

The tricky part of this recipe is in creating a ganache that becomes semi-solid when ice cream is frozen. That's where the alcohol comes in. It dilutes the melted butterscotch chips into a creamy paste and also acts as an antifreeze. The result is a lovely swirled goo that embellishes what was plain vanilla ice cream.

Ganache
1 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. condensed milk
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. light rum

Place the butterscotch chips into a large microwave-safe measuring cup. Melt on high power using 1 minute intervals, stirring between each. When melted, stir in milk, corn syrup and rum. Allow to cool slightly. Pour slowly onto ice cream, using a knife or spatula to swirl into the thickened cream. Replace cling wrap and freeze overnight. Makes 1 quart.

NOTE: You can modify this recipe using any combination of flavored baking chips and alcohol. For example, pair semisweet chips with bourbon or Kahluah, dark chocolate chips with Guinness stout, mint chocolate chips with creme de menthe, or white chocolate chips with orange liqueur. Blogging Fusion Blog Directory

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Soft and Chocolaty Peanut Butter Cookies





Peanut butter is a universal language. Combine it with milk chocolate and you have an irresistible flavor combination that begs you to eat. Traditional peanut butter cookies can be a little dry and crumbly, but these peanut butter cup inspired cookies are large, soft, chewy and swimming with flavor. They are excellent for dunking in milk or coffee, and the extra large size turns a single cookie into a satisfying between meal snack or dessert.


To shape these cookies, use an ice cream scoop. Level off the dough, and then deposit the cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet using the lever that is attached to the scoop. Your cookies will be uniform in size and thickness.


These cookies freeze nicely. Make them in large quantities and then store them in recloseable plastic bags in the freezer for future cookie emergencies.



Soft and Chocolaty Peanut Butter Cookies
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. milk chocolate chips


In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Place peanut butter, softened butter and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Cream together at medium speed. Beat in brown sugar and eggs. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients just until the dough comes together. Fold in milk chocolate chips.


Using plastic wrap, cover dough and chill at least an hour, preferably overnight.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough onto prepared baking sheets using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop.  Bake for 10 -  12 minutes using middle racks, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from sheet. Makes 2 - 3 dozen, depending on size of scoop used.



Saturday, February 4, 2017

Sunday dinner: Wine braised duck



I love duck, but the local stores only stock it around Christmas. Which is why on my last trip to Gordon Food Service, I snagged as many of the remaining frozen ducks as I could.

Duck is a bit challenging to cook well. Because ducks are waterfowl, they develop a thick layer of fat under the skin that helps keep them well insulated. Unfortunately, this all comes spilling out during cooking, creating a greasy pool in which the roast swims. One of the ways this recipe helps to combat a fatty or greasy taste and texture is its addition of wine to the braising liquid. Wine adds an acidic touch and helps to cut through the richness.

This recipe also cooks the duck in three stages, offering you the chance to drain off the excess fat during cooking and produce a nicely browned duck with crisp skin and moist meat. The root vegetables absorb the flavor and offer some enhancements of their own.

Wine Braised Duck
1 5-8 pound duckling, giblets removed
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. chicken stock
2 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
4 parsnips, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
dried parsley
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place duck, breast side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Tuck wings under. Slide a wooden spoon underneath the skin, lifting the skin away from the meat gently. Using a gloved hand, rub the flesh under the skin with a fine layer of kosher salt.  Roast uncovered for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, melt 2 tbsp. butter in saucepan or skillet. Add diced root vegetables and saute until onion is tender and other vegetables are browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove duck from oven and lower heat to 350 degrees. Pour wine over duck, and use a wooden spoon to lift and stir any brown bits that may be attached to the bottom of the roasting pan. Add chicken stock. Place sauteed vegetables evenly around the duck. Tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil, and return to oven for 1 hour.

After braising for 1 hour, remove roasting pan from oven and increase heat to 400 degrees. Drain away all liquid in the pan (this can be used as a gravy base, if desired). Return root vegetables to the roaster and place duck on top of the vegetables. Return to oven uncovered for 20 minutes. This final high heat roast ensures your duck will be browned and crispy. Serves 4 - 6.

NOTE: If you use a roasting rack, be sure the root vegetables are cut into large pieces so they don't fall through the grate openings.