One of the hottest summer trends right now is artisanal ice cream. This treat is a throwback to earlier variations our grandparents and great-grandparents ate. .Not only are they pure and free of any preservatives, they take the best of the season's fruit as flavoring. The best part - they can be made at home with just a minimum of fuss.
The first question in homemade ice cream making is do you really need an ice cream maker. The answer is no. While having one facilitates the process you can use a simple ice water bath which is placing a bowl of just cooked cream mixture in a bigger bowl filled with ice water. The bowl is them placed isude the freezer part of the fridge. Another method is using the humble sandwich baggie, This is a fun activity for the kids.It's mixing all the ingredients in a small one, sealing it and them putting it into a gallon weight baggie. Fill the last with four cups and four tablespoons with ice cream salt and then wrap in a dish towel. Shake for five minutes to have a soft serve kind of treat. Another question is do you want to make it French or Philadelphia style? French style is thick and custardy, usually using three to four egg yolks. If you want a rich, creamy mouthfeel go this route. Philadelphia or American style ice cream is made with just sugar, milk and cream. Philadelphia style does have a tendency to crystilize quicker than the French, sometimes giving it a watery mouth feel.
Artisanal ice creams always use the best and the freshest get the best whole milk.If you want to have a richer. flavor add whole cream Raw cane sugar is used but you can also use honey or maple syrup too. What is fun about artisanal ice cream is that flavors, both savory and sweet can be blended. Instead of a plain chocolate, turn it into a sweet, peppery mole with the addition of chili powder.Sea salt is a much used ingredient. Try a home made caramel spiked with nuggets of Celtic sea salt. Artisans like to pair vanilla with lavender.Two tablespoons of the dried flowers should be used in the French style recipe.This would make an elegant end to an outdoor dinner party. Roses are another flower , this new generation of ice cream makers are using. Use the petals just for decoration. Flavor the ice cream mixture with rose water.Fruit is big with the artisan set. Definitely use the best of the harvest right now. One delightful pairing is strawberry and rhubarb. Use about a pound of cooked rhubarb to about eight ounces of strawberries. You can also just make it with just the rhubarb. Another cool and hip flavor is blackberry.It not only give the cream mixture a rich berry flavor but tints the cream a striking mauve hue.
Artisanal ice cream just isn;t for the trend makers.It can be a delicious part of anyone's summer diet. get creative with the variety of flavors and recipes.
Showing posts with label petals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label petals. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Friday, May 11, 2018
All Things Artichoke
One of the most pleasant tasting vegetables is the artichoke, Its' mild sweet flavor is addictive and can add to any dish, whether appetizer, or main meal. The verdant globes are a plus to any table.
What are artichokes? Plainly put thistles, those sharp edged pretty flowers that grow wild in gardens and woodlands.It's been cultivated for food since earliest times. and can grow as high as four feet.Homer has mentioned them as early as the Eight Century BCE The Greeks called them kaktos while the Romans named them carduus, hence their cousin's name cardoon.. Henry VII enjoyed them probably believing stories of them being aphrodisiacs. French colonists brought them to Louisiana while the Spanish introduced them to California. Artichokes have the highest amount of antioxidants of any vegetable. They also possess a chemical called Cynarine which inhibits taste receptors. That's why foods, drinks , and water taste sweet after eating the hearts and leaves. Since this is a thistle, the leaves do have to be trimmed.Melissa Clark gave a how to in her column A Good Appetite seen in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. The pointed leaves or "petals" have to be snipped using a kitchen scissor.(or regular one if you don;t have the first) Do not trim the stems. They are just as tasty as the artichoke hearts. Using a grapefruit knife, trim away any tough outer petals. If they're thicker than a newspaper and won;t bend between your fingers, then discard. Also scrape out any purplish spikes you see. These, too, are hard to eat along with the white choke.
Artichoke dishes are always special. Ms. Clark makes her with pasta and pancetta. Leeks, lemon and dry vermouth give it a brightness The recipe calls for four to five chokes which will give the ever salty pancetta a sweetness.Chives and mint along with parsley are also added. One of the best artichoke recipes is one for stuffed globes. This is a Southern Italian dish, rife with cheese and sausage. It's putting a breadcrumb and oregano based stuffing into the leaves and then oven steaming them with water and olive oil. Sausage is crumbled into the mix and and moistened with a few drops of olive oil. Pecorino-Rmano cheese is sprinkled on top of this stuffing and then the artichokes can be steamed on the stove top or in the microwave..A more elegant way of having them steamed and then dipping the leaves in a delicate vinaigrette using red wine vinegar or lemon juice. The artichoke hearts themselves are a tasty treat. They're marinated in a garlicky oil and come in either jars or cans. One of my favorite brands is Paesana. The flavor is delicate and not overpowered by too much garlic. They're good on their own as a lunchtime side or dipped in herbed cracker meal and then fried in a combo of butter and olive oil.
Artichokes and their hearts are a delicious addition to any table. Use them in pasta or just stuff them as a hearty appetizer . They bring a sweet greenness and Spring flavor to the meal.
What are artichokes? Plainly put thistles, those sharp edged pretty flowers that grow wild in gardens and woodlands.It's been cultivated for food since earliest times. and can grow as high as four feet.Homer has mentioned them as early as the Eight Century BCE The Greeks called them kaktos while the Romans named them carduus, hence their cousin's name cardoon.. Henry VII enjoyed them probably believing stories of them being aphrodisiacs. French colonists brought them to Louisiana while the Spanish introduced them to California. Artichokes have the highest amount of antioxidants of any vegetable. They also possess a chemical called Cynarine which inhibits taste receptors. That's why foods, drinks , and water taste sweet after eating the hearts and leaves. Since this is a thistle, the leaves do have to be trimmed.Melissa Clark gave a how to in her column A Good Appetite seen in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. The pointed leaves or "petals" have to be snipped using a kitchen scissor.(or regular one if you don;t have the first) Do not trim the stems. They are just as tasty as the artichoke hearts. Using a grapefruit knife, trim away any tough outer petals. If they're thicker than a newspaper and won;t bend between your fingers, then discard. Also scrape out any purplish spikes you see. These, too, are hard to eat along with the white choke.
Artichoke dishes are always special. Ms. Clark makes her with pasta and pancetta. Leeks, lemon and dry vermouth give it a brightness The recipe calls for four to five chokes which will give the ever salty pancetta a sweetness.Chives and mint along with parsley are also added. One of the best artichoke recipes is one for stuffed globes. This is a Southern Italian dish, rife with cheese and sausage. It's putting a breadcrumb and oregano based stuffing into the leaves and then oven steaming them with water and olive oil. Sausage is crumbled into the mix and and moistened with a few drops of olive oil. Pecorino-Rmano cheese is sprinkled on top of this stuffing and then the artichokes can be steamed on the stove top or in the microwave..A more elegant way of having them steamed and then dipping the leaves in a delicate vinaigrette using red wine vinegar or lemon juice. The artichoke hearts themselves are a tasty treat. They're marinated in a garlicky oil and come in either jars or cans. One of my favorite brands is Paesana. The flavor is delicate and not overpowered by too much garlic. They're good on their own as a lunchtime side or dipped in herbed cracker meal and then fried in a combo of butter and olive oil.
Artichokes and their hearts are a delicious addition to any table. Use them in pasta or just stuff them as a hearty appetizer . They bring a sweet greenness and Spring flavor to the meal.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Buttercream Basics A Baker's Dream Book
One of the most fun things about home baking is decorating one's cakes and cupcakes. There's nothing prettier than a shower cake festooned with roses or cupcakes livened up with squiggles and swirls. However, this art does have to be learned and luckily there is a brand new book to show us how.
Buttercream Basics: Learn The Art Of Buttercream Decorating (Robert Rose Publishers 2017) , a phenomenal how to was written by Carey Madden and shows how to create amazing decorations for cakes and cupcakes.Ms. Madden is known for her cake decorating books, She has previously written one just for cupcakes and small cakes. I love this book. One of the best things about it is that she eases novice decorators like myself from the very simple to the very elaborate. The book doesn't start off with elaborate roses and curlicues. That's for later. Another big plus is the pictorial on the different decorating tools and their use. The book also shows the difference between the tips' openings and how to employ them to create lines, leaves, and petals. Another aspect I 'm impressed with is her advice to left handers like myself. So often we just can't decorate properly because the decorations are for righties. Ms. Madden tells us to go counterclockwise when the directions say clockwise. There is also a chapter on how to mix colors and pair them up for the best color schemes along with chapters on not only icing the cake but also filling it too.Home bakers will likely follow her how to have a smooth surface as well as how to clean tips.
Of course, there is the buttercream recipe but it's the Swiss kind made with egg whites and cooked.She does offer the American kind, but it's sweeter , denser and stiffer than the other. The Swiss meringue is not sugary sweet and it's the perfect foil for the triple chocolate and yellow butter cake recipes that she also includes. All the cakes featured look amazing. Beginner icers will love recreating the vintage look of coiled rustic or the swoopy homestyle iced cakes. My favorites are the simple swirl and twine decorated ones where only a spatula is needed to create circles on the top and sides.Ms. Madden also has a chapter on adding sashes to cakes, making them look like elegant hats . There's an interesting one on decorating with crystallized fruits such as figs, blueberries, and blackberries. This would be not only perfect for a birthday but also for a wedding too. The more adventurous will undoubtedly like to attempt the dusting technique which involves stenciling. The cupcake section is adorably cute, especially with the caterpillar birthday cake, made with a line of cupcakes.I love the rosette swirls and definitely will be trying that one soon enough. There's also the bunch of balloons cupcakes that 's just so sweet and just the right thing for a kid's birthday cake.
Buttercream Basics :Learn The Art of Buttercream Decorating is the best book for home bakers wanting to create professional looking cakes and cupcakes. It's informative and fun. Learning all the techniques and tips is even better than having your cake and eating it too.
Buttercream Basics: Learn The Art Of Buttercream Decorating (Robert Rose Publishers 2017) , a phenomenal how to was written by Carey Madden and shows how to create amazing decorations for cakes and cupcakes.Ms. Madden is known for her cake decorating books, She has previously written one just for cupcakes and small cakes. I love this book. One of the best things about it is that she eases novice decorators like myself from the very simple to the very elaborate. The book doesn't start off with elaborate roses and curlicues. That's for later. Another big plus is the pictorial on the different decorating tools and their use. The book also shows the difference between the tips' openings and how to employ them to create lines, leaves, and petals. Another aspect I 'm impressed with is her advice to left handers like myself. So often we just can't decorate properly because the decorations are for righties. Ms. Madden tells us to go counterclockwise when the directions say clockwise. There is also a chapter on how to mix colors and pair them up for the best color schemes along with chapters on not only icing the cake but also filling it too.Home bakers will likely follow her how to have a smooth surface as well as how to clean tips.
Of course, there is the buttercream recipe but it's the Swiss kind made with egg whites and cooked.She does offer the American kind, but it's sweeter , denser and stiffer than the other. The Swiss meringue is not sugary sweet and it's the perfect foil for the triple chocolate and yellow butter cake recipes that she also includes. All the cakes featured look amazing. Beginner icers will love recreating the vintage look of coiled rustic or the swoopy homestyle iced cakes. My favorites are the simple swirl and twine decorated ones where only a spatula is needed to create circles on the top and sides.Ms. Madden also has a chapter on adding sashes to cakes, making them look like elegant hats . There's an interesting one on decorating with crystallized fruits such as figs, blueberries, and blackberries. This would be not only perfect for a birthday but also for a wedding too. The more adventurous will undoubtedly like to attempt the dusting technique which involves stenciling. The cupcake section is adorably cute, especially with the caterpillar birthday cake, made with a line of cupcakes.I love the rosette swirls and definitely will be trying that one soon enough. There's also the bunch of balloons cupcakes that 's just so sweet and just the right thing for a kid's birthday cake.
Buttercream Basics :Learn The Art of Buttercream Decorating is the best book for home bakers wanting to create professional looking cakes and cupcakes. It's informative and fun. Learning all the techniques and tips is even better than having your cake and eating it too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
