You are here: Home / Archives for vanilla ice cream

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

June 17, 2010 by 8 Comments

Hot days require cold things to eat.  That is the law in my house.  I decreed it.  And so it was written.

There is nothing quite like ice cream to relieve the heat from the inside out, but The Evil Genius is still on his crazy “I want to be healthy!” kick.  And so, loving wife that I am, I’m trying to mess with him.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not shooting down his healthy diet attempts, I’m just trying to make him think that I am.  It’s complex.  Let me explain.

I have finally found the holy grail of diet-friendly desserts; frozen yogurt.  Yes.  I knew frozen yogurt existed before, and I had even tried it and liked it.  But my problem was that every time I made it at home (with this notable exception) it tasted like, well, yogurt.  And while yogurt is a pleasant thing most times, when I’m biting into something that looks like ice cream, I want it to taste like ice cream, too.  When I made my Blueberry Frozen Yogurt last month, it was a revelation.  It was frozen yogurt that tasted so much like ice cream that it totally confused all the menfolk in my house.  The boys thought I was teasing them by calling it frozen yogurt.  The Evil Genius thought I was trying to secretly fatten him.  It took another round of blueberry frozen yogurt, with them watching me make it, to convince them that it was really that healthy for them.

But when they were really and truly convinced it created a new, more insidious problem.  They nagged me for it constantly.  They wanted more, more, more…  As much as I love food, I get a little fickle if I have to prepare the same thing three times a week. (Unless by ‘prepare the same thing three times a week’ you mean unwrapping individual bite-sized dark chocolate bars.) I had to move on from Blueberry Frozen Yogurt.  The next step was a natural.  My favorite ice cream flavor is Fill-in-the-blank* Cheesecake. Clearly that was the next candidate for health-i-fication.

*Fill-in-the-blank= strawberry or blueberry.  Either will do!

Happily, the first attempt at Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt was a grand slam home run.  Using 2% milk fat Greek yogurt and American-style Neufchâtel* cheese, I churned up a perfect creamy, healthy version of Cheesecake Ice Cream swirled with a fresh ruby strawberry coulis. Go on.  I know!  Seriously, it was cheesecakey.  It was fruity.  It was smooth.  And it didn’t taste even remotely healthy!  I call that a success!

*American-style Neufchâtel cheese is often sold next to cream cheese in the dairy section of grocery stores.  It is packaged identically to cream cheese, and usually says “1/3 less fat than Cream Cheese” or something like that on the label.  It is, in most cases, interchangeable with cream cheese in recipes.  This case is no exception!  You get the flavor and the creaminess imparted by cream cheese with less impact on the old rear.  And goodness knows I do enough to pad that area already.

And wait until you hear my secret ingredient; balsamic vinegar.  For those of you who have eaten a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over fresh strawberries this will not come as a shock, but if you’ve never had the combination before I should probably set your mind at ease.  It doesn’t taste like vinegar on strawberries.  Balsamic vinegar has an amazing ability, in small quantities, to make strawberries taste more like strawberries than ever before.  It transforms regular strawberries into the most intense tasting berries you’ve ever had.  It -in short- performs miracles.  But unlike  a stage mother, it fades into the background and doesn’t call attention to itself.

It’s hot out.  I think you need some frozen yogurt.  I think you deserve this.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

Yield: About 2 quarts of frozen yogurt

Ingredients for the cheesecake frozen yogurt:

  • 4 cups 2% milk fat Greek Yogurt
  • 8 ounces (1 brick) American-style Neufchâtel cheese (do not soften ahead of time)
  • 3/4 cup cold milk
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Strawberry Coulis:

  • 3 cups whole, hulled strawberries, frozen or fresh
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Add all of the ingredients for the coulis to your blender carafe.  After positioning the lid on the carafe, turn the blender on and process until smooth.  Pour into a measuring cup, jar or squeeze bottle with a tight fitting lid.  Refrigerate until needed.

Rinse and dry the blender carafe and lid.  Add all of the ingredients for the cheesecake frozen yogurt to the carafe.  Place the lid on top and process until smooth.  Pour into a bowl or container.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for one hour prior to churning.

Freeze the ice cream mixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions included with your ice cream maker. It takes about 25 minutes in my ice cream maker.

Something to keep in mind is that this frozen yogurt, unlike most ice creams, churns up fairly firm.  Listen for signs that your ice cream maker is struggling.  Turn it off immediately if it is.  If it is not quite as hard as you’d like it, you can always pop it in the freezer for a bit prior to serving.

To create the strawberry swirl:

Use a wooden spoon to transfer the churned frozen yogurt from the ice cream maker to a storage container.  Squirt, pour or dollop strawberry coulis by the tablespoonful over the frozen yogurt.  I use about 1/2 cup of the coulis.  Store the remaining coulis in the refrigerator.

Use two butterknives to cut and swirl the coulis into the frozen yogurt.

Smooth the surface of the swirled frozen yogurt with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.

Cover tightly and freeze for 10 minutes prior to serving.  If you freeze longer than 10 minutes, you may need to leave the container out on the counter top for some time prior to scooping.

Serve on cones or in a bowl topped with chocolate covered graham crackers and drizzled with more coulis.

And if you have a 12 year old who is art-directing the photography of your frozen yogurt, you can hang on a minute or two while he scours the yard for the perfect flower to decorate your dessert.  “Voilà!,” quoth Liam, “It’s perfect!”

Filed Under: Desserts, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Ze-bra-vo cake!

June 19, 2008 by 7 Comments

 

I was feeling mighty sorry for myself yesterday after a much anticipated trip to my old home turf, Michigan, fell victim to the astronomical gas prices.  After moping around I decided to do something constructive and distract myself.  Did I do what a self-respecting hausfrau should?  Did I clean the cupboards, scrub the floors, or even *gasp* fold the laundry that has been in baskets for more time than is decent?  Oh, heck no!  I decided to make a beautiful cake.

 

I had seen a zebra cake on RealEpicurean.com earlier in the day and it seemed the perfect candidate to take my mind off my top-of-the-mitt, Mackinac bridge, pine tree and sand loving troubles.  It was a gorgeous, stripey cake that, if Scott was being truthful, was as easy to make as it was stunning. 

 

My disappointment over the almost-trip was acute so I decided to up the ante a little and make it more complicated.  I had some leftover vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis from my bannock dessert (post and ingredients found here!) late last week.  What to do?  What to do?  I confabbed over the phone with my stepmom, Valerie.  I told her I was going to stuff the cake with ice cream and drizzle the coulis over it.  She said, “I’d do that and take it one step further.  Hot fudge sauce!”  She’s a genius, that Val!

 

Thankfully, I had Val’s killer hot fudge sauce recipe handy and even more thankfully, I had all the necessary ingredients on hand.  (It’s not easy to make last minute store runs when the trek to the nearest store is 5 miles round trip.) 

 

Here’s how it goes down! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Scots Bannock

June 14, 2008 by 1 Comment

Leif was really looking forward to dinner Wednesday night.  He loves ham (“the pink meat”), garlic bubble bread and homemade pasta.  But he adores ice cream and anything that goes with it.  I had planned this meal to please him particularly. 

 

” But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!”

Robert Burns, from “To A Mouse”

 

My schemes for a spectacular meal were laid last week and promptly tossed aside when my little Leify spiked a 104.9 temperature.  I turned off the oven that was baking the garlic bubble bread and abandoned the loaf to whatever fate would befall it while taking my baby viking to the urgent care department.

 

I stuffed the resting pasta dough into the freezer for a later meal.  I turned off the ice cream freezer and poured the base into a gladware container and crammed that in the freezer, too. 

 

The only part of the meal that was done, the Scots bannock for the dessert, was stuck on a plate in the microwave and we were off to the hospital. 

 

He had to go see the doctor AND miss his anticipated vittles.  The little Nordic conqueror was not pleased. 

 
Two days later, fever gone and appetite increased, Leif asked what happened to his bannock.  I brandished the bannock and he said he wanted dessert before dinner.  The bannock was wrapped in foil before it got a quick refreshing toast in a hot oven.

 

The ice cream base went back into the machine and churned away into creamy, sweet vanilla ice cream.

 

The raspberries that had macerated a bit too long in their sugar went into the blender with some lemon juice, were strained and became a beautiful fresh raspberry coulis.

 

Leif wanted chocolate on his plate as well, and since the desire for the presence of chocolate requires no explanation, on it went.

 

The recipes for the ice cream, coulis and bannock are below.  The bannock can also be made savory by omitting the topping sugar and adding any variety of ingredients; diced ham and cheddar, chives and bacon, assorted minced herbs, etc…  If you’ve never had a bannock it is best described as a cross between a biscuit and a scone.  It can stand in for any biscuit recipe.  When topped with sugar it makes a more than admirable shortcake. It is a failsafe, simple recipe and it makes so many meals and desserts special.  Big thanks to my dear friend Alison (McDougall) Santora for the bannock recipe!

 

McDougall Scots Bannock

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 8 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1&3/4 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Optional ingredients: fine diced ham, shredded cheese, bacon, minced herbs, sugar, etc…

 

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Preheat oven to 425°. Turn bannock dough onto floured surface, knead lightly for a dozen turns and separate into two balls.

 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Flatten dough balls to about one inch thick and put at least three inches apart on prepared pan. If preparing a sweet bannock, sprinkle the top of each round of dough generously with granulated sugar.  Bake in 425° oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Below is a picture of how the Scots bannock looks before going into the oven and how it looks dressed and ready to eat. 

 

Here is the beautiful bannock ready to be sliced into wedges and devoured.  For size reference purposes, that is a pie plate in which the bannock sits.

 

 

Raspberry Coulis

  • 1 lb frozen or fresh raspberries.  If using frozen, thaw prior to preparation
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (white or demerara)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 

Macerate the raspberries in the sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl for an hour.  When the hour is up, pour the contents of the bowl into the blender.  Cover and blend on high for 1 minute.  If desired, you can strain out the seeds by pouring the coulis through a fine mesh sieve.  This gives it a more finished texture.  Pour coulis into a clean squeeze bottle or a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

 

…Because sometimes simple is best!    This recipe appeared in my Record-Eagle column last Monday.

 

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Makes about 7 cups

  • 1- 1/2 cups cold milk
  • 1 -1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 cups heavy (whipping) cream
  • 1 -1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Pour milk into a blender and add sugar. Put the cover on the blender and blend on low until the sugar is dissolved. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract to the blender and pulse 5 times on low speed.

Freeze according to instructions from your machine’s manufacturer. Mine requires about 25 minutes of freezing.

The ice cream will be soft-set when done. You may transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer for about 2 hours if you desire a firmer consistency. Remove from the freezer and allow to soften for about 5 minutes before serving.

 

 

How to put together the dessert? 

 

Cut the bannock into 8 equal wedges.  Squirt a little raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce on the plate.  Split a wedge in half lengthwise.  Place the bottom half of the bannock wedge on the plate and place a large scoop of ice cream on top of the bannock.  Drizzle some raspberry coulis over the ice cream.  Top with the sugary half of the bannock.  Garnish with something pretty, green and edible from your garden.  For extra bling you can use sugared mint leaves or violets.

 

Leif’s pneumonia blues cure.

 

 

Here’s the happy boy (sadly he had already wiped his mouth!)  As you can see he’s not fond of wearing shirts.

 

 

Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast Foods, Desserts, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Food! It’s what’s for dinner! Wednesday, June 11, 2008.

June 11, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Has anyone else noticed that I’ve botched the dates on every single one of the ‘Food!  It’s what’s for dinner!’ posts?  Of course, I’ve gone back through and fixed them.  I may be the only one who noticed them but my Grandmama taught me it was better to be honest and good than to not.  That was a Steve Martin line.  I’m not thattrustworthy.  I quit Girl Scouts my first year.  All we did was make sit-upons.  Sit-upon my rear.  But I run on…

 

In case anyone is wondering why there was no quinoa salad on the plate last night I have an explanation.  The Big XY came home from work and was ‘famished’.  He needed something to eat ‘quickly’ and the quinoa salad was the first thing he could grab from the fridge.  Eh bien.  There was plenty on the plate anyway!

 

Tonight’s menu:

Grilled Ham Carbonara on Homemade Linguine (or with boxed rotini if I am having too much fun outside with the kids to tear away and make pasta!  Look at me- 3 meals in and already copping out!)

Steamed Broccoli with Garlic

Garlic and Italian Herb Bubble Bread

Blueberry Shortcake with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (The blueberry fulfills the fruit category, you see!)

 

 

~I was just ready to post this and my 6 year old, Ty, walked up to me with tears in his eyes.  “Mom,” whined he, “The guys think my Bionicle is their least favorite.  Can I make cookies with you tonight?”

 

*For those of you without kids let me break this down for you.  He is annoyed by his brothers dissing his Bionicle.  However, he is not so annoyed that he missed recognizing an opportunity to manipulate his mother into making cookies and letting him crack the eggs.   I informed him that I already had plans for tonight’s dessert (see above).  He whined, “Then what can I do?”

 

Mom:  “Well, you can quit whining, for one.”

 

Ty:  “For one dollar?”

 

You see what I’m dealing with? 

Filed Under: Rebecca Tagged With: , ,