Spring Fun: Sorbetto

Mashing the grapes for grape-mint-lime sorbetto (last summer).
Sorbetto is best the day it is made, but I'll eat it anytime.

Last summer, I borrowed a friend's ice cream maker for a few weeks. The result was a series of sorbetto experiments. Our favorites, the aforementioned grape-mint-lime and nectarine-apple with maple syrup. With the help of our juicer the possibilities are endless.

I'm still fiddling with the sugar substitutes/concentrations to make something low sugar - maybe this summer I'll be more successful. The grape-mint-lime was made with 1/2 the amount of sugar that the recipe called but the texture was more granada-like and there would have been no way it would form "scoops."

I used this Lottie + Doof Framboise Lambic Beer Sorbetto recipe, which was adapted from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto by Pearce and Zecchin, for the proportions.

• ~4 cups fresh fruit juice of your choice
• 1 lemon (juice only)
• Simple Syrup (1:1 water and sugar)

Over medium heat combine water and sugar. Whisk often and simmer until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

This is where things get a bit tricky - how to add sugar syrup while taking into account the sugar content of the fruit you used. I am no expert but will point you to this technique over at Fresh Sliced Fruit Daily. Look toward the bottom of their Tangerine and Grapfruit Sorbetto recipe, hint: it involves a raw egg.

photo credit: Cayenne 07.19.10

Washington, DC: Georgetown Cupcakes

The cupcake craze is still going strong in DC - I had to stop by Georgetown Cupcake for a little break from shopping. After I long wait in line, I tried my favorite flavor - carrot cake. As I was contemplating the frosting to cake ratio (too much frosting I decided), I wondered, why much frosting on top when layered in the middle would be much better? So you cupcake people, make me a cake with layers of frosting between layers of cake! GO.

Georgetown Cupcake Yelp Review
3301 M Street NW
(between N 33rd St & N Bank St)
Washington, DC 20007

photo credit: Cayenne 03.05.10

Los Angeles: Diddy Riese Cookies (Westwood)

Diddy Riese in the Westwood area of LA is one of those craving-filling-must-stops if you are ever in the area. LMD and I have stopped there a number of times after a delicious dinner at Native Foods a few blocks away. Why not have a tasty vegan meal and then go get the real dairy - good thing San Diego is only a 3 hour drive away.

I had my first Diddy Riese ice cream cookie sandwich some 10 years ago, though the establishment has been round since 1983. I hear their specialty was just 50 cents back then. Inflation has the cost at about 2$ but still a great deal and well worth a visit.
Congrats to EM who will be moving to LA in the summer! I cannot wait to come visit and of course go get one of these cookie/ice cream monstrosities in Westwood.

Check out the yelp reviews for Diddy Riese and Native Foods.

photo credit: Cayenne 07.08.09

Sunday Supper: Nevermind, just COOKIES!

Apple and Carrot Shortbread Cookies:

Apple and carrot shortbread recipe was adapted by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks and was originally from Good Tempered Food by Tamasin Day-Lewis. I am not going to copy the recipe here to encourage you to head over to one of my favorite online recipes sources.

I followed the recipe exactly, unusual for me, I know. I speak from experience that this dough keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. My house was sans rolling pin prior to the making of the Apple and Carrot Shortbread cookies.

Next up are the Everything Oatmeal Cookies from Susan of Food Blogga. When I was in Alaska last month my sister said to me, "I want to make some cookies with oatmeal, chocolate, fruit, coconut, etc." Sounds like she is craving the everything-and-anything-you-got-oatmeal-cookies. So we got to mixing and cupboard hunting. Turns out we pretty much had everything on the list for Everything Oatmeal Cookies. They sure were good!

Next week we are skipping supper again for my favorite cookie recipe. You are going to want to give them to everyone you know, I promise!

photo credit: Cayenne 11.03.09 and 11.05.09

Beaver Lodges: Dessert by Mia

Beaver Lodges
by Mia and Grandma
adapted from Your Big Backyard magazine (National Wildlife Federation, July 2008)

1/2 cup carob chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
~1/4 cup peanut butter
smallest pretzel sticks you can find or chow mien
coconut or melty marshmallow cream

1. Dump carob chips and butterscotch chips into a glass microwave safe bowl - heat until melty>2. Stir and then add peanut butter, stir some more (you might need to heat again for 20 seconds)>3. Add pretzel sticks (you might need to break them in half depending on the size you find) and fold them into the melted sauce>4. Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper>5. sprinkle with coconut flakes or drizzle with slightly heated marshmallow cream for a snowy beaver lodge>5. Let cool for 1 hour in the fridge (keeps for ~ 1 week in fridge, 1 month if frozen). Lick spoon and bowl!>6. enjoy as a snack with your favorite little person

photo credit: Cayenne 05.25.09

Winter Fruit Salad by Smitten Kitchen

Smitten Kitchen posted this beautifully simple Winter Fruit Salad recipe a few weeks ago and I knew that it was something for us to try while in Alaska. It is hard to get fresh ripe fruit up in the AK during the winter so the combination of dried ingredients and fresh pears makes this salad perfect for the frozen north. I confess that I did bring with me the dried figs, dried apricots, star anise, and vanilla bean but I think the only thing that might be harder to find is the dried figs.

We tried to follow the recipe but of course made some changes (click above to see the entire recipe on the Smitten Kitchen website):

1. I doubled the amount of figs and also quartered the apricots

2. I used a regular lemon and a honeycrisp apple (my current favorite apple that I brought with me from San Diego)

3. We did not peel the apples or the pears and I was happy with that but I also buy organic so do what you are comfortable with

4. We made the salad about 11 am and then served it about 6:30p and it was fine so if you forget to marinate the salad overnight don't worry about it

I also notice that there were a few comments on the Smitten Kitchen post regarding the anise. Now I actually did not know what star anise was nor did I know that it was licorice-flavored, which is a flavor that I usually avoid. We went ahead with using the star anise because a lot of people like it. It turns out that the licorice flavor is extremely mild, so much so that you could barely tell it was there. I would would definitely make this again. The salad was a hit at my family's potluck-style thanksgiving dinner which says a lot because they tend to shy away from new dishes.

photo credit: winter fruit salad by smitten kitchen

Blueberry Crumb Bars by Smitten Kitchen

Smitten Kitchen strikes again! It is blueberry season, so go make yourself some blueberry crumb bars. I think TEB busted these lovelies out the very day they were posted. They are delicious and better fresh, as opposed to frozen and then defrosted. The defrost made them soggy but there were still none left after a group picnic the other week.

Baked Figs

Figs are in season here in southern California. I recently got the courage to buy a package at my local Trader Joe's. A fortuitous posting that same week by Adam, from The Amateur Gourmet, will keep me a fig buyer for years to come. We made these tasty treats with TEB’s parents last weekend and they were a hit. I adjusted the recipe a bit to account for the fact that we were only baking 4 figs. I try to eat lactose free so we had our figs with Soy Delicious Vanilla “ice cream.” Click over to The Amateur Gourmet to see the full recipe and a gorgeous photo of what your baked figs will look like.

photo credit: Matka_wariatka

Mint Carob Chip Cookies

Today I am celebrating the first, but not the last, time I will turn 29. When I was growing up my sister and I always got to choose what kind of cake my mother would make us. My favorites were peach upside down cake decorated with edible flowers from our garden or carrot cake. I am short on time so this year I will be making myself Mint Carob Chip Cookies.

Mom's Yummy Mint Carob Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter (~ 2 sticks) soften on counter overnight or defrost ~ 2 min in microwave
2 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp mint extract
(?) Carob Chips (Sunspire brand or from the Whole Foods Bulk aisle)

1. Cream butter and maple syrup, add vanilla and mint
2. Beat eggs then add to the liquid mixture
3. Mix flour and baking soda in separate bowl, slowly incorporate into the mix
4. Add carob chips to taste
5. Use a teaspoon to drop dollops onto an ungreased cookie sheet
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes
7. Set out to cool on wire rack or paper bags
*cookies will keep up to a month in the freezer or ~1.5 weeks in the fridge

photo credit: TEB 09.27.07