Eggnog Ice Cream

A couple weeks ago, I went to a midday workweek lunch at Vidalia to take advantage of what was an excellent deal: $19.90 for app, main, and desserts -- a large selection that included their signature lemon chess pie and pecan pie, for which they're known. (By the way, the deal is no longer that good: $24 for lunch, and classic desserts aren't included. A real shame -- if they'd only keep offering that pecan pie I'd keep coming back.)

But I digress. The pecan pie at Vidalia truly is one of Washington's great desserts. Its texture was smooth and silky, not at all jiggly, and both the crust and the filling are perfumed with toasted pecan. And if the bar wasn't enough to please on its own, the clincher was a generous scoop of dark brown bourbon ice cream. My colleague and I couldn't stop eating it.

When the ice cream was still on my mind two weeks later, I decided I had to give it a go in my own kitchen. I poked around online for a good recipe, but all I found was one that called for sweetened condensed milk. Why anyone would ruin the best dairy treat with sweetened condensed milk is beyond me; back to the drawing board.

How hard could it be? I figured I'd follow my usual formula for adding alcohol to ice cream, 3 tablespoons per quart, which seems to be enough to improve the texture without preventing proper freezing. I'd make a straightforward vanilla custard base, chill it, add the bourbon, and chill it in the machine. Easy enough. But right before freezing the custard, I dunked a spoon in to taste and adjust the flavors, and it was only then that I realized what I'd made: eggnog.

oops.

Too late to start over, I thought. I froze the custard base, and now I've got a quart of perfectly tasty eggnog ice cream in the freezer. If you're a fan of 'nog, this is just the thing for you. It's creamy and smooth, with no shortage of vanilla and a nice burn from the bourbon. Highly recommended. As for the bourbon ice cream, I guess I'll be making that another time. I wonder if it would fare better as a gelato, made with just milk and cream and no egg yolks (to avoid the chances that it'll taste like eggnog again). I'm not a big fan of ice creams that contain cornstarch, and after conferring with a colleague, we both agreed that I should use a higher ratio of cream to milk than I usually do, to compensate for the loss of the fat in the egg yolks and aid the overall texture. Any other ideas about how to make this work? Leave them in the comments.

Eggnog Ice Cream using my go-to vanilla ice cream base recipe, from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

1 cup whole milk 2 cups heavy cream, divided 3/4 cup sugar 1 vanilla bean, seeds removed with tip of sharp knife, bean reserved 6 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons bourbon

Put one cup of cream in a large mixing bowl and set a strainer overtop.

In a small saucepan, combine milk, the other cup of cream, sugar, vanilla bean, and seeds. Heat over medium until hot to the touch; remove from heat, cover, and steep at least 30 minutes, until bean infuses milk.

Whisk together egg yolks until well mixed. Slowly add ladlefuls of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk, stirring all the while, to temper egg yolks. When you've added several ladlefuls of the milk and incorporated them into the eggs, pour the egg-milk mixture into the pan with the rest of the milk, and whisk rapidly to incorporate. Heat the mixture on low, stirring continuously with wooden spoon, until mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon. Pour mixture through strainer into reserved cream, and press on any solids to release as much of the custard as possible. Stir in vanilla extract and bourbon, and chill thoroughly. Freeze according to ice cream maker directions.

Chewy Toffee Blondies

Can I just say how touched I am? You all left the sweetest congratulatory messages on the last post, and I'm really just tickled. We're told this is a pretty exciting time in our lives, and if the last two weeks are any indication, exciting is quite an understatement. We're floating.

But I digress: this is a food blog, not a get-all-mushy-about-my-engagement blog, and I think it's about time I passed along some recipes! I was in Chicago on business for the past few days, and in New York with friends to celebrate before that, so the kitchen's been dark lately, but in the past few weeks, I've made some pretty tasty things, including one thing I probably haven't made in years...

When it's mid-July and summer's taken up residence here in Washington, the fruit are at their peak. With ripe peaches and juicy plums in abundance, there's no good reason to make anything but fruit desserts. That's why, for the past 10 years, I seem to have forgotten about blondies. They just fell of my radar entirely; when I think of dessert, I think of crostadas and pies and fruit crisps galore. Chocolate? Chocolate who?

The other day, I was moments away from making Dorie Greenspan's Brown Sugar Bundt Cake (from her book Baking From My Home to Yours). I had the bundt pan out and ready to go, the stand mixer fitted with the paddle, and then, suddenly, had a second thought. Didn't the recipe say that the bundt was better the next day? I wanted something sweet now. Maybe I should stick to something I know, something comfortingly chewy and chocolatey and altogether delicious, that'd be delicious in under 30 minutes. I flipped a couple of pages and there, staring back at me, were some thick, unctuous-looking blondies. I was sold.

Now, some of the things I've made from Baking have been less than stellar. Dorie's chocolate chip cookies really didn't hit the spot for me, and I was a little worried about her blondies, since they're so similar in flavor to chocolate chip cookies. But the worrying was for nothing. These blondies were, without a doubt, the best I've ever had. They were perfectly chewy without being undercooked; the balance of salty to sweet and the undercurrent of vanilla running throughout were just right, and the generous addition of heath bar chips pushed them over the top. And no, they definitely weren't too sweet: the bitterness of the walnuts balanced out the sugar. I wish I'd made a double batch!

Chewy Toffee Blondie adapted from Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits (I used Heath) 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (I omitted these)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts and coconut, if using. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars.

Sugar High Friday: Toasted Edition, the Roundup!

It always takes me a while to get over the end of summer's abundance; I spend a good part of September missing peak tomatoes and fretting about corn's impending end. But once October comes around, I'm fully ready for fall, which brings pleasure of a different sort.

Once I've left summer behind, I'm ready for the reds, oranges, and deep golden yellows of the leaves in Rock Creek Park. I'm ready to put on one of those big, chunky sweaters, a pair of my favorite jeans, and my steadfastly loyal black riding boots, and take a walk through the park. I love the crunch of those leaves beneath my feet. the crisp chill of the air that sneaks between my scarf and the neck of my sweater, the smell of my favorite lip balm that makes its annual debut this time of year. It's fall, people.

When the air is as crisp as the leaves, I often find myself standing over the stove, watching walnuts toast and inhaling that intoxicating smell, and occasionally sneaking my hands out of my sweater sleeves for a quick toasting of their own over the hot pan.

Fall is the perfect time for all things toasted. Toasting can intensify the flavors of nuts and spices, caramelize the natural sugars in fruits and even some vegetables (like onions), and bring out rich, nutty undertones that might otherwise remain dormant in the food we eat.

With yours truly playing hostess, Sugar High Friday's Toasted Edition is finally here. Several wonderful bloggers cooked up some scrumptious-looking desserts, all of which incorporated at least one toasted element, and I've made something toasted of my own -- something fairly unconventional, which I hope you'll enjoy.

But without further ado, the round-up:

First, we have Dhanggit of Dhanggit's Kitchen, who made a Pineapple, Toasted Almond and Rum Cupcake. Bright flavors, but the toasted almond lands this dessert squarely in fall territory. Looks delicious!

Next, we have Graziana from Erbe in cucina (Cooking with herbs), who made Cinnamon Basil Pancakes. I'd never heard of cinnamon basil before, but it sounds fascinating! Graziana says you can substitute regular basil and a bit of cinnamon if you don't have access to a cinnamon basil plant.

Up next is Rocquie from Sage Trifle, who baked up some delicious-looking Cinnamon Toast Bread Pudding for all of us to drool over. It's hard to imagine what could be better than layer upon layer of cinnamon toast sandwiching pecans and raisins and topped with whipped cream. 'Scuse me for drooling!

Then there's Kitty from Fahrenheit 350°, who made something she calls Pear Eclipse: call it what you will; it's got homemade puff pastry, pears, and mascarpone cream. Say no more.

And last but not least, Cathy from Aficionado made a Toasted PB and Choco-Banana Sandwich, a recipe that comes complete with its own warning label: Do not make this at home, says Cathy! Seriously. It's dangerously unhealthy and, if I had to guess, dangerously tasty.

There you have it -- our Sugar High Friday Toasted Edition Round-up! Thanks to all who contributed, and I look forward to trying my hand at some of these sweet treats.

My submission to this month's event is the shy girl-next-door to the queen bees listed above. It's ingredients are more simple, and its toasted flavor is more subtle, though plenty complex. I was inspired by Clotilde's post on Chocolate and Zucchini a while back about re-imagining her favorite sable recipe using a technique from Pierre Gagnaire: Clotilde remade her mother's sables, but subbed toasted flour for the regular raw flour called for in the recipe. The resulting dough may have been hard to shape, but she just swooned over the "grilled" flavor that came through in the finished product. I simply had to try my hand at this.

Clotilde explains that the concept of toasting flour is similar to roasting coffee beans, the goal being to partially carbonize the beans and make them more fragrant. Toasting flour isn't hard: you spread it in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and pop it in a 320-degree oven for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until flour smells nutty and fragrant. The flour won't take on much if any color, so let your nose guide you.

One thing to note about toasted flour is that, not surprisingly, its chemical structure is different from that of regular flour, and weakens the gluten molecules, which makes toasted-flour dough less elastic than its traditional counterpart. While it wouldn't be ideal for bread-making, toasted flour is perfect for sables or sand cookies, which are meant to have a more crumbly consistency.

In deciding which sable recipe to make, I considered several possibilities. Poilane, the famed boulangerie in Paris, has a most delectable sable they call "punitions" (punishment cookies, though eating them is exactly the opposite). The sable comprises just wheat flour, sugar, butter, and eggs -- nothing else -- and achieves both flavorful simplicity and textural perfection. I agreed with Clotilde that vanilla and other flavorings should be withheld to let the flavor of the toasted flour shine through on its own, so Poilane was certainly a possibility. I was intrigued, however, by Clotilde's sable recipe, which calls for milk. I suspected that the milk might lend the cookies a smooth, velvety quality, and was curious to try it out. In researching sable recipes, I also found that some bakers prefer a mix of granulated and powdered sugar, which is said to act more like a liquid and make the sables softer. I knew I wanted a crisp, crunchy cookie, so powdered sugar was out.

In the end, I settled on a mix of Clotilde's and Poilane's recipes, including salt and milk (which Poilane doesn't) in my dough. I found, as Clotilde did, that the toasted flour made for a very crumbly dough that fought my efforts to make it adhere; undeterred, I pulled out my trusty melon baller, using it to compress little half-spheres of dough and rapping it a few times against my baking sheet to release the mounds. So I had button cookies instead of the flat, cylindrical wafers I'm used to; I guarantee, they tasted no less delicious. The sables were just as pure and simple as they always are, only their flavor was more intensified. No vanilla was needed, and I'm glad I didn't include it; once toasted, the flour became a flavoring agent strong enough to stand on its own. I'm glad I included the salt, though, because it added another dimension in which to taste that nuttiness of the toasted flour. And the texture was just so interesting: more crumbly than traditional sables, perhaps less sandy. Needless to elaborate, I really, really liked them.

I'll provide the recipe I used, but definitely feel free to experiment: try your favorite sable recipe, or even a chocolate cookie. Who knows? Toasted flour could be the next big thing. I might try it next in linzer cookies, which I made this week and quickly devoured. But definitely do try toasting flour; its flavor is unlike anything I've ever had before, and I can't wait to explore its many possible uses.

Toasted Flour Sables adapted from Clotilde and Poilane Bakery

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, toasted according to instructions above (in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes); if you've ever considered splurging on fancy farmers' market flour, this would be the time 1 stick butter, cut into chunks 1/3 cup sugar 1 egg yolk 2-3 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon salt flakes, the best you've got

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a couple times to combine. Add butter, and process until dough forms fine crumbs. Add egg yolk and pulse a few more times to incorporate. Then add milk, one tablespoon at a time, and pulse until dough is moist enough that when you squeeze it, it sticks together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a melon baller or two teaspoons if you prefer, gather clumps of the dough right from the processor bowl and press against the side of the bowl to ensure that dough holds together. Turn the melon baller upside so that the cookie inside can fall onto the cookie sheet, and rap the melon baller against the sheet until the cookie falls out. Organize cookies on the baking sheet and refrigerate 1 hour to harden. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, watching them carefully all the while, until they're golden at the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Sugar High Friday...Toasted!

Now that NDP is a whopping two years old, I think it's time she and I finally hosted a blogging event. I've been a sporadic participant in these sorts of things, mostly because between keeping up with my day job, getting bloggable food on the table, and taking decent pictures of said food, I can't find much time to keep up with the various blogging events out there. But one of my resolutions for this third year of blogging is to dip my foot into new networks of eaters, cooks, and bloggers. I'd like to be more in touch with folks who do what I do on this site. So here's my first attempt: I'm hosting October's Sugar High Friday.

Sugar High Friday (SHF) is a blogging event to satisfy the mother of all sweet-tooths (sweet teeth?). SHF was created by Jennifer Hamilton, i.e. The Domestic Goddess, and every month, SHF participants cook, photograph, and submit desserts on a theme. Past themes include desserts from your childhood, sweets containing alcohol, chilled desserts, and last month's edition, "locavore treats."

For the October 2009 edition of SHF, we'll be making desserts in which something (or everything) is toasted. Toasted almonds and toasted coconut come to mind, but it doesn't stop there: toasted spices can really perk up an ordinary recipe, toasted oats in fruit crisp add a lovely nutty flavor...I could go on. I've got something pretty unique planned for my entry, and I know you'll all submit some really interesting things as well. (Ahem, I mean you!)

Speaking of submissions, here are the guidelines for submitting an entry:

1. Cook and photograph something toasty!
2. If you have a blog, post about your toasted dessert. (If you don't have a blog, see below.
3. Email me at Rivka [at] Not Derby Pie [dot] com with "SHF-toasted" as the subject. Please include:
   • your name
   • the name of your blog
   • a link to the post about your submission
   • the name of your submission
   • any other info about why you made what you made
   • a thumbnail image of your creation. It should be no wider than 100 pixels, in jpg format, and should be named the same as your blog. For example, my image would be named notderbypie.jpg.
4. If you do not have a blog, please post your recipe, and a link to a photo if you'd like, in the comments section either here or in the round-up post.
5. Submissions must be in by midnight (EDT) on Monday, October 26th, or they will not be included in the round-up!

I’ll post the roundup on Friday of that week, so please do check back here to see everyone’s delicious creations!

Looking for inspiration? Check out these recipes, all of which rely on toasted ingredients:

• Cherry Almond Biscotti
• Granola with Tahini
• Awesome Almond Cookies

As always, thanks to Jennifer, the Domestic Goddess, who created the whole Sugar High Friday concept back in 2004. Now get cookin'!