Ice Cream, Cold ,Creamy Goodness

 It's July and that means one thing - it's ice cream season.It's time to enjoy this treat a variety of ways There are sundaes and sodas, cakes and cupcakes made with it to savor and refresh. 

What is the best ice cream to use ? That actually depends on you. Some love Blue Bunny. It' is the most flavroful and creamiest. Other's prefer Breyer's which has a less dense texture and lighter taste. What about vegan ice cream. Surprisingly there's just as creamy as the dairy however they do need to thaw out a bit before scooping. Try Oatley and Ben and Jerry;s for the best flavor. You can get everything from plain vanilla and chocolate to chocolate chip mint and fudge brownie. Now onto the syrups, Homemade is the best . The taste is the purest and it even makes for a yummy egg cream.It's just taking unsweetened cocoa powder  and sugar whisked together in a cold saucepan. Just boiled water and  salt are added along with a teaspoon if vanilla extract. Keep whisking th e sauce as the heat is reduced  to a low flame. wait ten minutes before serving. You cna also use Hershey's which is the gold standard of syrups. Smuckers has a good varoety of sauces too, ranging from butterscotch to raspberry. You could also try their Hot Fudge one too. As for the whipped cream topping nothing beats Reddi-Whip. It's light and airy with that milky taste we all love. They also have coconut and almond milk versions too.

What can you make with these? Melissa Clark gave three recipes in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. You can try her banana split, ice cream soda or ice cream sandwich ones. Her hot fudge recipe is for a think gooey one that turns to taffy when it hit the ice cream's coldness. She also includes the recipe for a sundae staple wet walnuts , hers made with honey and maple syrup. You cna also make it like the Dairy Queen classic with strawberries and strawberry sauce. Her ice cream sodas are fruity with homemade fruit syrups made with fresh strawberries or blueberries. Of course nothing beats a chocolate one, with two or three scoops plopped in sletzer and topped with a good shoot of Reddi-Whip. Her ice cream sandwiches are made with a giant chocolate chip cookie layered with vanilla ice cream. Try something different by using vanilla wafers stuffed with a fruity ice cream like peach or strawberry for a kind of macaron. Ice cream cakes and ice cream cup cakes are snaps to make. The only hard part is the cookie layer. Take Nabisco chocolate wafers crush in either a blender or in a plastic baggie with a rolling pin. Mix with melted butter and press half of the cookie layer on the bottom of the mold. Add one layer of ice cream  and one layer of topping. Repeat and frreze for an hour. Serve topped with Reddi-whip. You cna do the same wiith ice cream cup cakes. Use a silicone muffin tin to make a mini version. Decorate with candy confetti or sprinkles.

It's ice cream season. Have fun creating a sweet cold treat. Pick an ice cream and have fun making your favorite recipe.

Planning The Holiday

 July Fourth is less than a week away and it's time to start planning your party. Do you want a full out barbecue or something more subtle? Think and plan about what you should buy .

Most people will go for hot dogs and hamburgers. This is classic and the easiest barbecue fare. You can change it up a bit by creating your own hamburgers. This is a simple mix of chopped beef and onions. This gives the patties a McDonald's vibe. You could add a drop of Worcester sauce for a more unami flavor. Keep in mind that these homemade burgers can be as thick or thin as you want. Vegan is another way to go. Beyond Burgers offers a tasty variation to the real thing. These are great grilled and guests can  have fun piling all sorts of fixings on them. Plant based hot dogs like the ones Field offers are another fun addition. These taste even better than the real thing. They're just good with a splash of barbecue sauce on a toasted bun. If you're going the traditional July 4th route remember to have both potato and macaroni salads. An easy potato salad can be made with canned potatoes , mayo and chopped celery. Add capers for taste and saltiness.Macaroni salads can be made with either mayo or a vinaigrette dressing. The last isn't as intense or as gloppy as the first. Use a  simple olive oil and red wine vinegar mix to let the pasta and veggies shine through. Finish the meal with slices of icy cold watermelon or s'mores.

You could  also have a more sublime celebration. Think a summer picnic in the backyard. A cold roasted chicken is always a nice touch , especially if it's served with a simple salad. This last could be a mixed greens and cherry tomatoes or sliced beefsteaks and red onions. Extras can be a sliced baguette to make a sandwich with the chicken along with a bowl of green and black olives. A simple ice box cake would be the perfect dessert. Think a pound cake layered with blackberries and whipped cream served with iced coffee. Grilled London Broil is another idea that would work well.It cooks up well on the grill and is even good cold. The perfect side is tomato salad, with different kind of tomatoes dressed in a spicy oil and vinegar mix.  You could also serve a green bean salad with this along with a chickpea one. These two can also be blended together  for a tasty new combo.As for dessert think a chocolate wafer log. This is taking Nabisco's classic wafers and mortaring them with Cool Whip or if you're ambitious homemade whipped cream. Decorate with shaved dark chocolate.

It's your party . Decide what you want. It could be an exuberant celebration or a sublime gathering. Just make it tasty and fun.

Sweet Cold Desserts

There's something about ending a summer meal with a cold dessert. A slice of ice cream cake or pie tops off a supper or late lunch of spicy ribs or chicken. It's a cool way to finish, especially on a hot , humid day.

One of the coolest treats is the simple icebox cakes. These came about in the 1930s' when iceboxes became a fixture in American kitchens. Often these are a mix of cookies , pudding, sometimes fruit and whipped cream. One of the easiest is the famed Nabisco chocolate wafer log. This is also known as the zebra cake for the fun black and white stripes. It's just lining up chocolate wafers and mortaring them together with Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. This forms a log which can be left alone or dressed up for birthdays and parties. A simple decoration of shaved chocolate is fine  but you can also sub in colored sprinkles for a more festive cake. A more elegant decoration is a scattering of strawberries and blueberries on the plate. The cake can also be made Magnolia Bakery style. New York's most famed bakery creates a cake shaped one with four layers of the chocolate wafers sandwiched between whipped cream. Nilla wafer cake is another icy treat that's easy to make. Layer the cookies in any kind of pan - glass or foil - and then layer with vanilla pudding, peaches, strawberries or blueberries and a layer of whipped cream.

Ice cream cakes are another frosty way to end a summer meal. They're easy to make at home, thanks to silicon cake and bread pans. I bought a silicon loaf pan which works perfectly in creating a two layer cake. I also have a smaller one that makes a cute mini cake. Again the Nabisco chocolate wafers are the perfect cake layer. DO NOT sandwich cookies. The creme filling will make for an over sugary , lumpy layer. Pulse the wafers in a food chopper and mix with melted butter or margarine to create a cake like layer. The first layer can be this or Hershey's hard shell which gives the top a nice crunchy, ganache look. Before you add the ice cream and crumbs ,brush a thick layer of it first onto the bottom of the mold. Then layer with your favorite ice creams. Add a second layer alone or with caramel  or the seasonal fruit. I recently made a vanilla and sea salt caramel loaf, using Soy Delicious vanilla coconut ice cream and Smucker's Salted Caramel. Keep in mind that the caramel does get the texture of salt water taffy when frozen. You can sub in pureed or chopped strawberries or raspberries for the caramel. Ice cream pie is another cool ,sweet dessert . Get a pre made pie shell and then fill it with whatever you want. Decorate it with puffs of whipped cream, hard shell or even candy. It's a nice alternative to a birthday cake for something different.

A summer meal deserves a sweet, cold ending A  slice of ice box cake or ice  cream cake or pie is the perfect dessert. It cools you off while you enjoy the end of a delicious warm weather, lunch , supper or dinner.

Rum Balls With Zing

One of the most classic holiday treats is the rum ball. This is a no brainer for seasoned home bakers - an experiment in fun for novices. Yet the original recipe can be fusty -  a throwback to holiday parties of mid 20th Century America. It's time to liven it up with exciting twists and flavors.

Melissa Clark did just this n her recipe for them in  yesterday's New York Times Food section. Her A Good Appetite  centers around the recipe, marrying another Christmas flavor, gingerbread. Hers was a happy accident, thanks to the scraps left over from a gingerbread house. She was left with weeks of nibbles and still had more remaining. As with any frugal home baker, she pulverized  the pieces.
,using the crumbs for both the balls and a few cheesecake crusts subbing them in for graham crackers. The first were a big hit.People like their heady, boozy buzz  and the gently spiced bites. This year she deiced to make them again, using packaged gingersnaps.along with pecans and amber rum. You can also use bourbon or brandy too, just to vary them.Ms.Clark also uses cocoa powder to give the rum balls an earthy mellowness along with freshly ground ginger, and freshly ground cardamon along with ground cardamon and more ginger. this time ground. Get rid of the usual corn syrup and put in maple for a warmer, deeper flavor. The cookies can be coated in either confectioner's sugar for a moist exterior or granulated sugar for a nice crunchy crust.

The recipe is simple and a no bake one. What brand of gingersnaps should you use? Ms Clark doesn't have any favorites. You could use Nabisco's new and improved recipe which features real ginger and molasses. For a buttery flavor then go to the cream of the crop - Tate's gingersnaps which have the lovely addition of butter flavor too. She does specify what kind of rum to use. The amber  variety has
 a mellower flavor than the white but she recommends using the one you like. It starts off with pulsing the cookie crumbs and pecans in a food processor until coarsely ground. Do not over process. The nuts have to have some texture. Alternately finely chop reserved nuts  and add them to the crumbs. In a separate bowl stir together 3/4 ths of a cup of confectioner's sugar , rum.maple syrup and the cocoa powder. Also add the spices. Stir in the crumb mixture, adding more ginger if you want more fire. Squeeze everything together in a mass. Roll the dough into one inch balls, finishing in a roll of either confectioner's or granulated sugar -your choice. Store them in an airtight container where they'll last up to two weeks (although they'll probably go in a day) Drizzle more rum onto the older ones to keep them moist.

Make these zingy balls to add to a cookie swap or end a holiday dinner. They're easy and fun. Bestof all they're delicious and boozy - the perfect Christmas bite?

Summer Baking

Even baking affectionadoes do not like to be stuck in the kitchen during a hot day. It's no fun to have the kitchen turn into a sauna as cakes or cookies bake in a hot oven. It's time to turn to summer goodies that only need the fridge and microwave.

One of the easiest, fun and delicious summer cakes is one made out of ice cream. Some, like myself, were daunted by it. Would it be as good as a DairyQueen or Friendly' s? There's no need to worry. The hardest part is crushing the crumbs and microwaving the butter to make the crust and middle.
.Start with a good hard cookie or snap. Many go for Oreos, mostly for the flavor. I prefer Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers, They're a rich dark chocolate that have the perfect crumble. As for ice cream, here's where you can customize it to suit tastes. Try one layer of s fruit ice cream  like cherry ,or strawberry and the second  layer can be chocolate. Or go with vanilla. Coffee ice cream works well with both chocolate and vanilla.As for icing use a chocolate hard shell. Pour on top and let drip down the sides. Fancier decorations  come from a can of whipped cream and a spoonful of sprinkles.You can also make ice cream  cup cakes but when doing this , use a silicon mold. You could use a regular cupcake tin and papers, however the last may be hard to peel away when you want to eat them.

Layered  trifles, usually reserved for fall and winter can be interpreted for summer. This is the season  for a variety of fruits . Take advantage of the bounty. a fruit trifle is an easy make, Use store bought lady fingers for the base layer, and alternate the fruit with Cool Whip. If you're ambitious you can make your own whipped cream using whole cream, with either granulated or confectioner's sugar and a tiny splash of vanilla extract. As for fruit - go wild! Try strawberries and peaches or nectarines and blackberries. You can also create an all berry one using strawberries, blackberries , and blueberries. Ice box cakes are another hot weather favorite.One is the famed zebra cake made with Nabisco's chocolate wafers and Cool Whip.A variation of this is making a triangle shaped one ,instead of where you line up the wafers.There is also the graham cracker icebox variation where the crackers are layered in a cake pan with fruit, pudding and whipped cream.Vanilla pudding is the usual filler but to liven  it up - sub in pistachio or butterscotch pudding.If choosing the last, add a layer of salted caramel topping on top of the graham crackers for decadence.

It's summer. Don't heat up the kitchen by baking. Create tasty sweets that only require your fridge and microwave .

A Birthday Treat

It being my brother's birthday today,I decided to do the sisterly thing and make him a cake. (No, not the cookie above, that,s from the splendid Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg New Jersey) I had no desire of firing up the oven on a hot summer's day, so I went for the alternative a homemade ice cream cake.

I first bought a small silicone cake mold from Amazon. As for the ice cream my brother is a vegan so I bought Soy Good coconut milk ice cream in chocolate and mocha almond.

Non dairy ice cream doesn't melt as fast as regular dairy base so they were left out for twenty minues.The first layer was mocha. Then was the crunchy chocolate middle.

IT was grinding up Nabisco chocolate wafers

Then add in  a tablespoon of melted margarine e or butter.I went for I Can't Believe It's N not Butter.Mix quickly and spoon over the first layer.I should have given the crumb mix time to cool down.I didn,t.

Next came the chocolate layer and another layer of the crumbs.Again I used about ten crumbled wafers and more spread.It was then placed in the fridge overnight. 

 

The next day it was unmolded.

Hershey Hard Shell was poured over it to give it a glossy icing, then a crown of whipped cream.

This is the cross section.You can see the layers.

The chocolate was harder to work with yet both together worked.

Will I do this again. Yes. This was my recipe.It has to be adjusted and tweaked.

As for the taste - amazingly good!

Nilla Wafers That Great American Classic

What makes the perfect cookie? Crunch , snap and flavor. Nilla  Wafers, everyone's favorite cookie fits this bill. They are not only fun to eat with a big glass of milk but also neat to turn into a variety of yummy desserts.These vanilla snaps are not only a kitchen classic but a kitchen staple as well.

Nilla Wafers have been made by Nabisco for only fifty years but their story goes back to over a century to Staten Island, New York. German inventor Gustave A. Mayer, a 19th Century inventor moved his family and confectionery business to Stapleton in the northeastern corner of the island , This German neighborhood appreciated baked cakes and cookies and it was here that Mayer created molds for the sugar wafers that would eventually be known as Nillas. He was also an inventor , designing one of the world's first humidifiers along with preformed sigh letters and sparkling reflectors used as Christmas tree  ornaments. Yet it was the biscuit molds that made him famous. and even was awarded a medal from the American Institute of New York for his many contributions and inventions to the industry.  How Nabisco acquired the recipe is a mystery.Had they been sitting on it for half a century or did Mayer,s daughters finally relent and gave the recipe away in the mid Sixties? Strangely enough the cookies have always been made with synthetic vanilla or vanillin and not the real deal.  Nabisco also makes a low calorie version that taste the same as the original recipe.  One is only twenty calories . A small bag of them make a nice snack whether for work or for school.

The cookies are great on their own however they 're also a wonderful ingredient in many desserts. Banana pudding is a popular one , especially in the South. The recipe is an easy one.It's basically a trifle with layers of Nillas vanilla pudding or custard and sliced bananas. It's then topped off with whipped cream and crushed cookies.What I  love about Nilla Wafers is that they make great crusts. They're easily crushed in a food processor and can be blended with nuts and melted butter for a shortbread inspired kind of crust for cheesecakes.The cookies also make great mini desserts along the lines of hors d'ouervres . Put puffs of coffee laced marscapone cheese on them or sweetened cream cheese and berries for a fun after dinner bite. Nillas make excellent cookie balls. Again these riffs on cake pops are a snap to whip up. It's just mixing the crumbs with cream cheese and then rolling the mixture into balls. Afterwards they're dipped in chocolate and then chilled for an hour. You can add in some fun morsels such as ripe mashed bananas, nuts,or chocolate chips. Try a tiramisu one with some coffee mixed into the recipe. These are great for a kid's party,Turn them into cookie pops, with dyed white chocolate.and a coating of gold and silver sanded sugar.

Nilla Wafers are not only a nice side to a cup of tea or a glass of milk , but they're a great ingredient to fun desserts. Enjoy their sweet crispness any way whether as a cookie or part of a sweet treat.