Crème Fraîche Ice Cream

May 2, 2012

in Indulgences

Waking up late on this cool spring morning left me with the dilemma of making breakfast or waiting for lunch; unsure of how to proceed, I remembered that I had a fresh batch of homemade ice cream tucked away in my freezer. It’s a recipe I have been refining over the past month, and this batch is my best. If you are wondering about the creme fraiche flavor, it is like a slightly tart, and somewhat complex vanilla ice cream; the texture is dense, smooth, and much richer than ice cream from the store. All this to say, I’m so glad I missed breakfast.

                                               Ingredients:                                        Equipment Needed:
                                               -2 Cups Creme Fraiche                            -Ice Cream Maker
                                               -1 Cup 1/2 Whole Milk                             -Small Pot
                                               -1 Cup Sugar                                          -Whisk
                                               -6 Egg Yolks                                           -2 Medium Bowls
                                               -1 tsp Vanilla Extract
                                               -Pinch of Salt

Prep/Cook Time: 1.5 Days
Yields: About 2 Quarts
Difficulty Rank:  Takes Some Work

Ice Cream Making Basics:
-Too much milk will make it icy and less rich although healthier.
-Heavy Cream provides a creamier flavor and won’t freeze as solid due to the higher fat content.
-Egg Yolks keep the ice cream from freezing too solid and help keep an even texture and also add a depth of flavor and give the ice cream a more luscious mouthfeel. I’ve done eggless ice creams and they didn’t scoop as easily, instead they tended to crumble into smaller bits that didn’t stick together. Also, I gather than gelato is primarily made with milk, not cream, and uses more egg yolks to counterbalance the milk’s tendency to get icy.
-Sugar prevents the mix from freezing too solid and makes it taste good. Also, as things get colder, they become less sweet than when they are at room temperature.
-Careful when making custard bases, do not overheat it or temper the eggs too quickly or else you will scramble them and the custard will not be smooth.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Heat milk up till it steams (not boils).
2. Beat egg yolks, vanilla, sugar and salt together.
3. Slowly pour hot milk into egg base.
4. Pour mix back into pot.
5. Put on low heat and stir until custard coats back of spoon.
6. Let custard cool.
7. Mix cooled custard base and creme fraiche in bowl and put in ice cream machine (according to manufacturer’s directions)
8. Place finished product in freezer and let chill till hard-serve consistency.

Detailed Directions:
1. Heat the whole milk up till it steams; you want it to be hot but not simmering because if it is too hot it will cook rather than temper the egg yolks.

2. Beat egg yolks, vanilla, sugar and salt together. You do not need to beat them a ton, so don’t stress about this part.

3. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg base. Do not go to quickly or else you could risk scrambling the eggs; you should be constantly stirring the egg base while the milk is pouring in. If you are worried, you could measure out the hot milk in 1/2 cup intervals while tempering the eggs.

4. Pour the egg base mixture back into the pot and on the stove top.

5. Put on low heat and watch carefully until custard coats back of spoon. You should stir frequently to keep the custard an even texture. Don’t get distracted while thickening the custard, it definitely follows Murphy’s Law (if something can go wrong, it will).

6. Let custard cool. I put it in a separate bowl in the fridge.

7. Mix cooled custard base and creme fraiche in bowl until they are evenly mixed and put the mixture in an ice cream machine. Then turn the machine on and follow the instructions that are for your mixer. The assumption here is that you have either bought or pre-made creme fraiche for the recipe. The prep time above includes the time it would take to make creme fraiche, if you already have some made or bought some it will be much quicker.

8. When it is done it typically is a soft-serve consistency; since I like hard-serve, I place finished product in the freezer and let it chill overnight.

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Crème Fraîche

April 16, 2012

in European Inspired

Crème Fraîche is one of those things that sounds super fancy and often leaves people with the impression that it would be to hard to make. It actually involves no work at all; all it takes is heavy cream, buttermilk, patience and a warm room. It is essentially a more sophisticated version of sour cream and can be used in place of sour cream in many recipes. One of the advantages of Crème Fraîche  is that it will not curdle; another, is that there are few words you can say that will make you sound that pretentious, that quickly. Just kidding about that last reason, but you should definitely give this recipe a try. It is a versatile ingredient that provides a more complex flavor in sauces, on fish or in place of whipped cream.

Homemade Creme Fraiche

                                Ingredients:                                   Equipment Needed:
                                       -1 Quart of Heavy Cream                   -Large Mixing Bowl
                                       -1/4 cup Buttermilk                               -Whisk

Preparation/Cook Time: 24 Hours
Yields: 2 Mason Jars
Difficulty Rank:  Easy Peasy

Make sure that you get heavy cream or whipping cream, half and half will be too thin to get a successful result. The room you place the bowl in must be warm; if it is too drafty then the Crème Fraîche will not thicken properly. When I made it, I placed the bowl on a window sill that was over a radiator and in the sun. You don’t need to worry about the cream spoiling from being left out so long, the natural bacteria in the buttermilk protects the cream from molds and other potentially harmful bacteria. When the mixture is finished you can do a variety of things with it; adding some citrus and fresh herbs would create a nice topping for fish, whereas whipping it with sugar and vanilla would make a tasty topping for berries or cobbler.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Place heavy cream in bowl.
2. Add 1/4 cup buttermilk to cream.
3. Place bowl in warm place.
4. Let sit for 24 hours.
5. Place finished mix in fridge to further thicken.

Detailed Directions:  
1. Place the entire quart of heavy cream in a large mixing bowl. If you want you can gently heat the cream before this process to help the bacteria in the buttermilk thicken faster. If you heat the cream make sure you only heat it until it is slightly warm, otherwise you risk killing the bacteria in the buttermilk and the mix will not thicken.

2. Add 1/4 cup buttermilk into the bowl with the cream.

3. Place the bowl in a warm area that isn’t drafty, such as on a window sill in the sun or near a radiator. If the location is too cool the mixture will just take longer to thicken.

4. Let the bowl sit there for 24 hours. Even though this seems like a long time, the cream will not spoil due to the good bacteria present in the buttermilk. The end texture should be thick like in the photo.

5. After it is done setting, you should jar the mixture and put it in the fridge so that it can thicken into an even more dense product. At this point you can use the creme fraîche for whatever you want; you can sweeten it for dessert or add lemon and herbs to dollop it on fish.

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Strawberry Tarragon Salad

March 7, 2012

in Vegan Dishes

I successfully have moved into my very first post-college apartment here in the Berkshires; it’s decently big for one person and best of all, for the first time ever, I have my own kitchen. This salad is the first new dish I have worked on in this kitchen, and with spring tentatively making appearances (and then vanishing back to 6 degree weather), I decided to make a salad that captures how refreshing and light spring is after a cold winter. I hope you enjoy this sans-dressing salad.

This is a dressing-free salad for two reasons; one being that dressings are often where the brunt of “unhealthy” calories come from (although I do not believe a high caloric content by itself makes something unhealthy). The second reason, is that dressings often are the dominant flavor of the salad and the lettuce serves more as a conduit through which to consume it. For this dish, the tarragon gives off a heady licorice flavor that is reminiscent of something meaty. The lime zest give a bright floral scent while the juice gives some tang. As for the miso-mirin onions, they give a sweet and  light spicy kick to the salad which is cooled off by the avocados. I picked each ingredient with the hope that the flavors are well balanced and delicious enough to stand alone without dressing.


                                           Ingredients:                                            Equipment Needed:
                                                      -Lettuce and Greens Mix                             -Cutting Board + Knife
                                                      -Couple Tarragon Sprigs                            -Citrus Zester
                                                      -2 Avocados                                              -Frying Pan + Spatula
                                                      -Several Strawberries                                 -Small Mixing Bowl
                                                      -2-3 Limes (about 1/2 lime zested/plate)
                                                      -Miso-Mirin Caramelized Onions

                                                      Miso-Mirin Onion Ingredients: 
                                                      -1/2 Vidalia Onion
                                                      -1 tsp Miso
                                                      -A Splash of Mirin
                                                      -Black Pepper                              CLICK HERE for Onion Recipe Guide

Preparation/Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Serves: 4
Difficulty Rank:  Takes Some Work

The only reason I ranked it as “Takes Some Work” is because trying to caramelize the onions in four batches and prepare the salad at the same time definitely takes some multi-tasking. For the ingredients, the tarragon must be fresh, seriously who wants dried tarragon on a salad? The avocados need to be somewhat ripe; the way you can tell is by lightly pressing the avocados, if there is a slight cushioning feeling, they are perfect, if they are don’t have any give, they will take a few days to ripen and if it gives without even trying to press, they are bad. You can use any kind of berry you like, I just had strawberries in my fridge. The Miso is probably going to be found in a specialty food store or Chinatown; if you are vegan avoid miso that has fish in it (darker miso is likelier to have fish in it). The Mirin should just be in the regular Asian section of any store. If you really cannot get Miso, you could lightly salt the onions and add a dash-of-spice of your choice such as curry powder or smoked paprika; this will definitely take the salad a different direction but the strong flavors of the spices will go well with the tarragon and avocados. Also, if you want you could use lemons instead of limes and I’m sure that would taste great. Other than finding some of the ingredients, its simple to make, the only thing that needs cooking are the onions.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Heat pan at medium-high with oil.
2. Slice onions thinly.
3. Mix Miso with mirin till cloudy.
4. Begin searing onions with pepper in 4 batches. Wipe pan clean between each batch.

CLICK HERE for detailed searing directions.

5. Pour a little Miso-Mirin mix at the end of each batch to caramelize.
6. Prepare berries and avocados as wished.
7. Prepare salad plates with all the ingredients, zest lime on and give a quick squeeze of lime juice. Done.

Detailed Directions:
1. Start heating the pan at a medium to high heat depending on your stove. The goal is to have it hot enough to sear the onions on contact without causing them to burn or smoke. Add in a thin coating of oil to the bottom of the pan.

2. Slice the onions thinly so that they cook quickly and get slightly crisp and browned edges  during the searing. For an in-depth photo guided recipe for making the onions CLICK HERE.

3. Prepare the Miso-Mirin mix ahead of time since once the onion get going you won’t have time. Put 1 tsp or so of Miso with a bit of Mirin. I use around 1/8 cup  but seriously, don’t get all technical measuring it out, this is cooking, not Chem Lab; just put in about 6 times more Mirin than Miso. Mix the two till the Miso dissolves and the mix is cloudy.

4. Begin searing the onions now. Do them in 4 batches; if you try to do the whole half onion at once, the pan will get crowded and all the moisture from the vegetables will cause the onions to steam rather than get a nice sear. Instead spread out the smaller batches as much as you can so that the moisture evaporates and the onions get browned edges. Make sure you stir the onions occasionally to prevent one side from searing while the other is left white.

5. At the end of each batch of onions, pour in an equivalent amount of the Miso-Mirin mix so that the onions caramelize from the sugar in the Mirin. The mixture will thicken about 15 seconds after putting it in the pan; once that happens, take the onions out of the pan, give the pan a quick  wipe with a paper towel so that you can start fresh on the next batch.

6. While searing you can slice the avocados and berries as you like. Just don’t lose track of the onions while doing this.

7. Once everything is done, you can mix the greens with the berries, avocados and onions; then pick tarragon leaves off of the sprigs and garnish the salad with them, go easy on the tarragon since it is strong. For reference look at the top photo above, the tarragon leaves are the thin blades laid across the salad. After doing this, you can zest half a lime onto each serving of salad and give a quick squeeze of lime juice over the top of each plate.

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Miso-Mirin Caramelized Onions

March 7, 2012

in Asian Inspired

This is a quick and delicious way to prepare onions. I created this recipe while playing around with Japanese ingredients and it tastes amazing. They are fairly sweet and go great in sandwiches, on soba noodles, pizza, mac n’ cheese, salads… the list goes on and on, so give it a try and see what you can pair it with.

 

                                          Ingredients:                                    Equipment Needed: 
                                                     -1/4 Vidalia Onion                              -Cutting Board + Knife
                                                     -Mirin                                                -Frying Pan + Spatula
                                                     -Miso                                                 -Small Mixing Bowl
                                                     -Black Pepper
                                                     -Canola Oil

Preparation/Cook Time: 12 Minutes
Serving Ratio:  1/4 an onion is plenty for a sandwich.
Difficulty Rank:  Easy Peasy

So a few things about the indgredients: first, Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine that has sugar in it, this helps the caramelization process, and if you use a different wine it will not caramelize as well, or have the same depth of flavor. Miso, is basically soybean paste that has a lighter and more delicate flavor than soy sauce. There are several types of Miso so you will have to decide which one you want; I believe that the darker, redder Misos have fish in them, while the lighter ones don’t. You can check for Miso at an Asian supermarket. Also use canola oil since the flavor is mild and it won’t smoke at high-heat like olive will. By the way, I have noticed the quality of the oil I use does affect the taste of the onions; when I use cheap vegetable oil I can definitely taste it and it isn’t good, so I guess that “brand-name” oil does have something to it.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Slice onion quite thin.
2. Mix a little Miso with a bit more Mirin .
3. Heat pan at a medium-high heat and add pepper.
4. Put onions in pan when pan is sizzling hot.
5. Let one side sear till slightly brown at edges then stir.
6. When done searing, pour Miso-Mirin mix onto onions.
7. Let simmer until the liquid turns thick and lightly syrupy (approx: 15 seconds).

Detailed Directions:

1. Begin by slicing the onions thinly. Make sure to slide the knife forward rather than press down when slicing. Pressing will make it harder to get even and thin slices. Slicing thinly also allows the onions to cook faster.

2. Mix about 1 part Miso paste to 5-6 parts Mirin. This mix is very adjustable to your personal taste, so do not sweat getting the measurements exact. Also do not make so much mixture that the onions drown in it.

3. Heat the pan at a medium-high heat. You want the pan hot enough to sear on contact without burning the onions. Put a thin coating of oil in the pan; too much and the onions will be greasy and too little the onions will not sear well. Crack some fresh black pepper into the pan to give the onions a little kick.

4. Test the heat by touching an onion slice to the pan; if it sizzles the pan is ready and you can put about 1/8 of an onion into the pan. This isn’t an exact measurement, the goal is to have the onions spread out enough that they sear well; if there are too many onions in the pan, they will steam and rather than brown at the edges.

5. Let the onions rest on one side till the edges start to brown then stir around to help them sear evenly on all sides.

6. When they are done searing. put enough of the Miso-Mirin mix directly onto them so that the mix spread out a bit without soaking the onions in liquid.

7.Let the Miso-Mirin mix bubble briefly for 15 seconds or so, it is done when the liquid turns to a light syrupy consistency. Once done remove the onions from the pan to prevent further caramelization.

 

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Brie Cheesecake with Bitter Chocolate

November 12, 2011

in European Inspired

I’m not a baker, I hate teaspoons, I hate waiting, and my cookies are apt to turn into biscuits; because of this, rather than try to work from the “baking basics” upward, I decided to go after the top-of-the-line desserts, the big cheeses so to speak.

After learning an excellent plain cheesecake recipe though, I wasn’t content; it just wasn’t interesting enough. Then one day it occurred to me that Brie is a dessert cheese, so I set upon putting it in a cheesecake! After checking to see if anyone else had done this, I was impressed with this recipe, and then adapted it. I took out the white chocolate because I personally find it cloying and I decided to garnish with dark chocolate to contrast the cake and simplify the flavor palate. I also added more Brie because I wanted it to take the spotlight. Last, this recipe is crustless, which I think is pretty brilliant idea. Also, I don’t add berries to the cake because one: they tend to dominate the flavor and two: everyone does berries. So know that you know all that, I hope you love this unconventional and elegant cheesecake recipe!

                                      Ingredients:                       Equipment Needed:
                                                       -24 oz Cream Cheese                  -2 Mixing Bowls
                                                       -About 16 oz Brie                        -Large Baking Pan
                                                       -1 Cup Sugar                              -Electric Mixer
                                                       -2 tsp Vanilla Extract                  -Aluminum Foil (optional)
                                                       -Pinch of Salt                              -Paring Knife
                                                       -5 Eggs
                                                       -Quality Dark Chocolate + Crushed Espresso Beans(optional)

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Serves: 8-12
Difficulty Rank: Takes Some Work

So all of the ingredients are fairly easy to find. Basically 24 oz of cream cheese is 3 of the little boxes, or about 1 and 1/2 pounds. You will need about a pound of Brie, which was 2 wedges for me; the rind/skin needs to be removed from the Brie before mixing it. As for the chocolate, I got a bar of it at Trader Joe’s. The primary thing to keep in mind is to make sure all the ingredients are room temperature before starting; I even had to heat the Brie up slightly to get it to mix smoothly. The most important step is to mix the two cheeses separately before blending them together. This is because they have different consistencies that won’t blend right out of the box. The espresso beans is an afterthought I had that I thought would go well, though it didn’t occur to me until after I had made the cake; for these I would have either rolled the chocolate shavings it them so that the shavings would have crunch or I would garnish the top of the cake with the crushed beans.

Tips to Prevent Cracking:
-Let the cake cool for at least 2 hours at room temperature before putting it in the fridge; this prevents it from contracting too fast and cracking.
-Once the eggs are in the batter, do not over-beat it because too much air in the batter will cause the cake to crack as the air expands from the oven heat.
-Butter the sides of the pan generously so that the cake can separate easily.
-Use a water bath if you can, this helps the temperature stay even around the cake.
-Bake at a low temperature so that the cake cooks evenly; think of how grilling chicken too hot causes the outside to burn while the inside stay raw, this is the same case with baking too hot.
-I have not tried this method yet, but if you can’t use a water bath, I have heard adding a spoon of cornstarch into the batter will  help prevent cracking.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C.
2. Blend Brie(de-rinded) and Cream Cheese separately until smooth, then blend together.
3. Add sugar, vanilla, salt then blend.
4. Blend while adding eggs one at a time.
5. Butter springform pan and wrap in foil.
6. Pour in mixture.
7. Place in “water bath”.
8. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
9. When done, let cool for 2 hours then chill in fridge overnight.
10. Garnish cake with chocolate shavings.

Detailed Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 Fahrenheit or 150 Celsius.

2. Take the room temperature cheeses and blend each one in its own bowl until smooth; then mix the two together. This is because if you try placing them together at first, the Brie will stay in chunks. Make sure the white skin is removed from the Brie.

3. Add 3/4 to 1 cup sugar based on how sweet you like it; then add 1-2 tsp of vanilla based on your preference. Last throw in a pinch of salt and blend together.

4. While blending at a low speed, at 5 eggs one at a time so that they mix evenly.

5. Once the mixture is done, butter or oil the inside of your springform pan. Mine is not very good so I crammed butter in the cracks to help repel water that might leak in. I also wrapped foil around my pan to help keep water out, although if you have a good quality pan you won’t need to do this.

6. Once the pan is prepared, pour in the cheesecake mixture, don’t worry that there is no crust, it will taste better without it.

7. Place the pan into a larger baking dish and fill that dish with hot water about halfway up the springform pan. This “water bath” will help the cheesecake cook evenly and prevent it from cracking, basically find any larger pan that has depth to create the water bath.

8. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, the cake should be slightly jiggly in the center but mostly set.

9. Once you take the cake out remove it from the water bath and let it cool for 2 hours before chilling it in the fridge overnight.

10. The next day, garnish it with chocolate shavings and sea salt. You can make chocolate shavings by taking a paring knife and pulling it against the bar (just be careful not to cut yourself!). If you want longer shavings, place the bar in a warm oven for 10 seconds or so and then try again. If you want to add espresso beans, which I wish I did, your should crush some and roll warmed chocolate shavings in them to give the shavings a nice crunch; or you could just sprinkle the espresso onto the top of the cake.

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