Fresh Peach Ice Cream with Ginger Liqueur and Crystallized Ginger

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Peaches ripen later on the north coast than in hotter-in-summer parts of the US, which makes July the start of the season for our truly local ones.  The peaches pictured below hail from Neukom Family Farm and may be found these days at local farmers markets; they're sweet, dribble-down-your-chin juicy, and they make a terrific ice cream.

Keeping an ice cream recipe simple is really not my style, and here, not being able to leave well-enough alone, I've added a French ginger liqueur and chopped crystallized ginger to mix things up a bit, making for a more, dare I say it, sophisticated dessert.  The liqueur also helps to keep the frozen ice cream from turning into a brick, making for easier scooping. That said, please feel free to leave out both of those extra ingredients if you prefer; their absence will not affect the finished product.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream with Ginger Liqueur and Crystallized Ginger

Ingredients:
4 ripe yellow peaches, medium-large, pitted, skins left on
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ginger liqueur (optional)
pinch salt
2/3 cup sugar, divided
4 egg yolks
1 cup 2% milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preparation:
Chop the peaches into chunks and put into a food processor along with the lemon juice, ginger liqueur (if using), 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the salt. Purée until all the peaches have liquefied and no chunks remain. Set aside.
Whisk (or use a hand mixer) the egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar until the yolks are pale and thickened.
Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, until small bubbles form around the edge of the pot. Do not let the milk boil.
Whisk about one-third of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, then whisk it all back into the hot milk pan on the stove. Heat on medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. Drawing your finger down the coated spoon should leave a track in the custard. Keep the heat on the conservative side of medium and take good care to not let the custard curdle.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard (through a strainer, or not) into a glass bowl or 8-cup glass measure.
Allow the custard to cool for about 15 minutes then stir in the heavy cream.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold; overnight is best for thorough chilling.
Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the chopped ginger when the ice cream is semi-frozen.
Pack into container that has a tight-fitting lid and place in the freezer for an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Cook's Notes:

My preference is to make fruit ice creams with their skins on.  I feel that the skins add to the texture and color of the finished product.  Please put your custard through a fine mesh strainer if you don't wish the tiny bits of skin to be present in your ice cream.

Copyright 2005-2014, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream With or Without Bourbon

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Spicy chocolate.  I love it.

In my kitchen it usually finds its way into a cafe mocha which I share with Mr CC.  But not this time.

This time I wanted to share the zingy chili-enhanced chocolaty taste of this stuff with you all, and it had to be ice cream.  It doesn't disappoint.

Chocolate ice cream base

Now I'm entirely aware that I have a penchant for putting booze in my ice cream.  I like the process of figuring out which small amount of alcohol might enhance a frozen dessert.  Makes me feel like a bit of a scientist.

But if alcohol in ice cream doesn't float your boat, please feel free to omit it.  It won't make the end result be any less delicious.  And, of course, do not add it if you're going to be serving this to children.

That said, if you've no aversion to booze in your ice cream, let me tell you that using a tablespoon or two of really good bourbon here deepens the chocolate flavor, rendering a mysterious smokiness to the spice notes.

This recipe, adapted from an ice cream I made here (and can one adapt their own recipes?), comes together very quickly.  It needs an overnight chill in the fridge so plan ahead.

Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream

Christine's Recipe for Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream
makes enough to densely pack a 32-ounce container
Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup Splenda-sugar blend)
• 1/2 cup sweetened cocoa powder (I used Dagoba's Xocolatl drinking chocolate)
• Pinch sea salt
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon good vanilla such as Bourbon-Madagascar
• 1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional), I used Maker's Mark)

Preparation:
Using a hand held mixer or stand mixer, blend together the egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder and salt until it is uniformly smooth and thickened.
Using a 2-quart saucepan, bring the milk to just under a simmer over medium-low heat. It will be hot enough when small bubbles form around the sides of the pan.
With the mixer running on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, blending thoroughly. Pour this back into the saucepan and heat gently on low, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and strain into a clean glass container.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before stirring in the cream, vanilla and bourbon (if using).
Refrigerate overnight or for at least 6-8 hours until well chilled.
Stir thoroughly to re-mix before adding the chilled custard to your ice cream maker.
Process according to the manufacturer's directions.  It will be soft set in about 25 minutes.
Pack into a 32-ounce container (large yogurt containers are perfect for this), cover with a piece of plastic wrap before snapping the lid on, and freeze for one to two hours before serving.

The links within this post go to my Amazon Store (which I plug every now and then) where I list kitchen tools, gadgets, small appliances, herbs, spices and food products (as well as bourbon), cookbooks and my cameras, all of which you will find me using in my kitchen.  I do not list products that I haven't used or do not own.  Buying products from my Amazon store returns pennies to me so I can buy more kitchen stuff.

Also, Dagoba did not approach me to feature them here and I have not sought nor have I received remuneration for doing so.  I sometimes feature products that I use because I like them and feel them worthy of sharing.  That's all.

Copyright © 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Fennel Blossom and Lemon Balm Ice Cream with Absinthe

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Tucked into a corner of my vegetable garden you will find fennel and lemon balm growing in perfect harmony.

See them back there at the far end of the greenhouse?  Nice, huh?

Not long ago I was out picking the peas that reside next to this duo when the combined perfumes of the blooming fennel and sun-warmed lemon balm gave me a notion; I plucked a fennel blossom and chewed on it while holding a crushed lemon balm leaf to my nose.  Okay!  That works.

Tanna, this is for you!

Biting into tiny buds of fennel is like tasting sweetly floral licorice, one with which the lemon astringency of the balm plays nicely.  Ice cream was already a no brainer, I just had to find something to give it a little boost - you know, out of the garden so to speak.

Absinthe or, in its absence, Pernod (which you can buy in tiny bottles for just this occasion), - but really I don't want you to run out and buy absinthe for all of the several teaspoons you will use in this recipe, unless you really need to replenish your absinthe and if so, then go right ahead - was the kicker-upper I needed.

Ahhh, icy cold herbal perfume with a touch of hooch (thank you, Miles!).

Herewith is my notion:

Fennel Blossom and Lemon Balm Ice Cream with Absinthe

Using sharp kitchen scissors, snip the flower buds from their tiny stems.
Do this over a bowl as the buds tend to fly around when released.

Gently bruise the lemon balm leaves just before steeping them in the milk.

While the buds and balm are steeping, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt.

Strain the milk through a double-mesh sieve,
push on the herbs with the back of a spoon to extract all the flavors.

Mmmmm. Absinthe. But just a touch. (Thank you, Miles!!)

Eggs from my sweet hens have deep orange yolks.

Enjoy!

Fennel Blossom, Lemon Balm Ice Cream with Absinthe

Christine's original recipe

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fresh fennel flower blossoms, snipped from about 3 large umbels

1 cup tightly packed fresh lemon balm leaves, lightly bruised in a mortar and pestle

2 cups milk (can be whole or 2%)

1 cup heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1/2 - 2/3 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup, you might like it sweeter)

pinch sea salt

1/2 to 1 tablespoon absinthe or Pernod (depending on your taste; optional)

Preparation:

• Place fennel blossoms, bruised lemon balm leaves and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until milk forms small bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam begins to lift from the surface.
• Remove the pan from the heat source, cover and let sit for at least 20 minutes to steep the herbs and extract their flavors.
• While the herbs are steeping in the hot milk, whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt until well blended and the sugar begins to dissolve.  Set aside.
• Strain the milk through a double-mesh sieve to remove all remnants of the herbs, pushing on the herbs to extract all of the milk and good flavors.
• Rinse the saucepan and add the strained milk back into it.  Heat gently on low.
• Whisking constantly, pour about 1/4 of the milk into the eggs.  Now pour the tempered eggs back into the milk and heat gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon and you can leave a track through it with your finger.  Do not let the mixture boil or it will curdle.
• Pour the mixture into a glass or ceramic bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool slightly.
• Stir the absinthe and cream into the milk-egg custard, mix well.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, overnight is best, or until the mixture is very cold.
• Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

This ice cream may be soft served straight from the machine but will be better if placed in a lidded container (put a piece or wax paper or plastic wrap over the ice cream before placing the lid on) and frozen for at least an hour.

Fennel and lemon balm grow fast and tall in my coastal northern California garden once temperatures warm and days get longer. My garden soil is amended with a mixture of well-composted, organic horse and chicken manure and composted vegetable matter.  It drains well which is a must for these herbs.

Want to grow fennel and lemon balm in your garden? Try these links for growing tips and seed information:
For fennel - http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingfennel.html
For lemon balm - http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowinglemonbalm.html

Copyright © 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Coconut Cranberry Frozen Yogurt

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[12-31-10: See Cook's Notes below for another, more coconutty, version made on a whim over Christmas.]

My intention was to get this on the table (read blog) in plenty of time for Christmas.

I don't consider this to be plenty of time, but that's my rather disorganized life at the moment (year actually).

Just now I was about to say that maybe 2011 will find me a more organized cook and blogger, but who am I kidding?  I've always been this way and will offer no more excuses. Hmmm ...  I feel a New Year's resolution coming on:  No more excuses; Iyam who Iyam.

I do love to make frozen concoctions and this one is as easy as pie (why do they say that? Pie is not necessarily easy). Let's just say that this can be made up in no time at all and doesn't require much organization.

Except, you do have to remember to drain the yogurt before hand.

Make this full-fat, low-fat or non-, according to your own dictates.  If you prefer to leave out the cream, substitute a little more milk.  And because the recipe is not made with an ice cream custard base, you can use whatever sweetener you prefer and the texture will not be affected.  I prefer my ice creams and frozen yogurts to be less sweet than the commercial standard, but feel free to kick up the sugar if that floats your boat.

Coconut Cranberry Frozen Yogurt
Christine's orignial recipe
print recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt, preferrably orgainc, drained
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/4 cup cream
1/3 cup sugar or 1/4 cup (scant) Splenda Sugar Blend, or 7-8 packets Splenda
2/3 cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut, preferrably organic
1/2 tsp coconut flavoring (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preparation:
Drain the yogurt by placing it in a damp cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl, set in the fridge for about 3 hours.  Use the drained liquid in another recipe or discard.  Use the drained yogurt in this recipe.
Combine the yogurt, milk, cream, sugar and extract and stir well.  Taste and adjust at will.
Stir in the shredded coconut.
Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.  When the yogurt mixture is semi-frozen, add the cranberries into the machine while it is running to mix them into the yogurt.
When the yogurt has finished processing, it can be soft-served directly from the mixer or spooned into an aritight container and frozen for about 1 hour before serving.

Scoop this into your prettiest holiday dishes and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:
This is best served the same day.  If kept frozen, you will have to let it thaw for at least a half hour in order for it to be scoopable.

Editor's note on 12-31-10
Josh, Kelly and Jackson visited over the holidays and one night I made a different version of the recipe above using only coconut milk.  We liked it very much so here it is:
Using the measurements above, drain the yogurt for 24 hours so it's very thick.
To the yogurt add one can of whole or lite coconut milk, the sugar, shredded coconut and flavoring. Stir or whisk well to blend.
Process as above, adding the cranberries last.
Serve soft immediately after processing or pack in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 2 hours before serving.

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Plum Cardamom Ice Cream

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I love cardamom.

I especially love using whole seeds that have been extracted from their cute green pods.

When I bought plums last week, I made a gluten-free plum and cardamom galette, which turned out fabulously, thank you very much.

I saved some of the sliced plums from that recipe to make ice cream and when it came to deciding on a recipe, cardamom, this time using whole seeds, just seemed like the right flavor combination.

Plums are in season right now so get them at their peak. If you can, source them organically and locally.

I think you will like this.

Plum Cardamom Ice Cream
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups (heaping) sliced fresh plums*
2 packets Splenda or 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste), depending on how sweet the plums are
2 1/3 cups 2% milk
seeds from 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2-inch piece vanilla pod, split
3 large or 4 medium egg yolks
1/4 cup Splenda/sugar blend*** or 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream


Preparation:
Combine the sliced plums with the first measurement of Splenda or sugar and let sit for 15 minutes to juice.
Using a large saucepan, simmer plums over medium heat until they have cooked for at least 5 minutes.** Remove from the heat, cool 5 minutes then purée in a food processor. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the milk, cardamom seeds and vanilla in a large saucepan until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. Remove the vanilla pod and strain the milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Put the milk back into the saucepan. You can scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk at this point if desired.
Beat the egg yolks with the remaining Splenda/sugar blend or 1/2 cup sugar until the yolks are a pale yellow and have thickened so the mixture falls in ribbons from the beaters.
Gently whisk 1/3 of the warm milk into the eggs until combined then whisk the egg mixture back into the milk and heat over medium low, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon and your finger leaves a mark when run across it.  Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes.
Gently whisk the puréed plums into the custard****, pour into a large glass dish or pitcher and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until thoroughly chilled (overnight is best).
Just before processing, stir the cream into the custard until blended, then process according to the  manufacturer's instructions of your ice cream maker.

* I used a combination of red and yellow plums that I had leftover from this recipe. They were sweetly tart, which I like. The amount of sugar you use for the ice cream will depend on the tartness or sweetness of the plums you use.

** I learned the hard way that some fruits must be cooked to reduce their acid affect on dairy.  I didn't do this with the first batch I made which resulted in a curdled custard. So, please, stew your plums.

*** I have also learned through trial and error that the addition of sugar to the beating of the egg yolks is pretty much paramount to ice cream success.  I'm not liking that this is true but I'm afraid it is.  So I use the least amount of Splenda-sugar blend that I can get away with.  It works for me and adds just a small amount of sugar per serving. As always, if you are not a Splenda user like I am, go for the sugar rush. I will not judge you.

**** Alternatively, you can add the plum purée to the ice cream while it is processing, resulting in a more ribboned effect.

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Sugar Free Blackberry Cabernet Ice Cream

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In order to make this, you will first have to make this.  Yes, the sauce that was made for the duck that inspired the ice cream.  Sure, I could have saved the sauce for seared salmon, or chicken cutlets like Sophie may do, or pork chops.  But ice cream ...  it just screamed for ice cream.  (I know, I can see your eyes rolling.)

Not a lot of talk here.  You'll want to get started on that sauce.  Think deep, rich red wine and blackberry reduction with heady notes of fresh ginger, rosemary, cracked black peppercorns, all wrapped up in a cold, palate-pleasing post prandial scoop.  And please, use a good cabernet.  It will make all the difference between a so-so sauce and a knock your socks off sauce.

Sugar Free Blackberry Cabernet Ice Cream
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups 2% milk
3 egg yolks
9 packets Splenda (6 tablespoons sugar for you non-Splenda users), more if you want it sweeter
1 cup Christine's Blackberry Cabernet sauce, strained
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Bring the milk to a simmer on low heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Romove from heat.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until the yolks begin to turn pale yellow.

Add in the Splenda or sugar and continue beating until the yolks are thickened and form ribbons when dripping from the beaters.

Using a whisk, mix one-third of the hot milk into the egg yolks then gently whisk this back into the remaining milk in the saucepan.

Heat gently over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Do not allow mixture to boil.  It is ready when the custard coats the back of the wooden spoon and you can run a track through it with your finger that won't disappear.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Gently whisk the strained blackberry cabernet sauce into the custard, mixing thoroughly.

Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Gently whisk in the cream just before processing. See Cook's Notes.

Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instruction.

Cook's Notes:

The reason the ice cream in the photos above are sporting ice crystals is because I, um, forgot to add the cream. This particular batch resulting in ice milk.  And while Mr CC and I like the lower calorie properties of ice milk, you might just want to add the cream ... like I tell you to do in the recipe.  One of those do as I say, not as I do things. I'm just sayin'.

I have a negative thing about overly sweetened ice cream and sorbet.  In my opinion, commercially processed products have far too much sugar in them, even the ones that use Splenda.  That said, I will also admit that my frozen desserts may not be sweet enough to the average bear, so add more Splenda, sugar, whatever to result in the sugar rush you desire. Just the right amount will bring out the flavors of your ingredients; too much and you will have a cloying sugar taste - something I obviously strive not to achieve. 

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Ginger Green Tea Ice Cream - Sugar Free or Not

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[8/16/2010: ed. note. Saveur picked this ice cream for Sites We Love this August! Thanks, Saveur!]

[10/7/2010: ed note. A kind commenter pointed out an error that I have now corrected. Then I noticed a few more things...]

When Mr CC and I took a trip along the south-east Atlantic seaboard recently, one of the cities we stayed in was beautiful, historic Savannah, Georgia.  And one of the first things we do when in a new area is ferret out a really great place to get really good coffee and tea.

Preferrably locally owned and operated.  With really tasty, homemade food.  [The reallys are on purpose.  Really]

A little pre-flight online sleuthing brought me to a promising website for Gallery Espresso in downtown Savannah: ostensibly a comfy, homey, artsy, laid back coffee house - just what we would be wanting.

Apropos of nothing Savannah, I had discovered Mariage Frères tea (only THE BEST tea in the world) not too long ago and, being a tea junkie and a snobby one at that, had been going about trying to find an outlet on the west coast. The only one my search brought up was in New York City and it was très expensive.  Well, so is Mariage Frères tea, but I still wanted it.

As dumb luck, divine providence, or whimsy would have it, after walking all over historic Savannah our first morning there, we tiredly headed over to my website find to refresh ourselves with a soothing cup of tea and I practically swooned when I saw the extensive display of, you guessed it, Mariage Frères tea.

Be still my heart.

You may well ask what all this has to do with ice cream.  Patience, grasshopper.

Not only does Gallery Espresso carry all manner of Mariage Frères teas, you can even buy a cup of it! Imagine that.  Or 5 cups if you wish, which is about how many I had during our 3-day stay.  Served to you by very friendly and knowledgeable waitstaff, who will also sell you your choice of this lovely tea in either a small sampler tin or a large, très expensive, canister.

And not only that, you can contact Jules, who is in charge of all things tea, on line, put in an order and she will mail it to you post haste, and it isn't near as expensive as ordering it from NYC.

And not only that, Gallery Espresso is everything we could have asked for in a coffee house and I highly recommend it.  This is not a pinkies in the air kind of place; students pack the overstuffed couches and easy chairs, laptops cover tables, steaming cups of coffee and tea accompany plates of rustic, home made pastries, soups and salads while monthly student art shows hang from the walls.

I was in tea heaven then and still am now, as I brought home four sampler tins of the elixir of my heart and have been sipping tea since.

OK, on to the ice cream.  My little tin of Mariage Frères Japan Green Sencha was the inspiration for this frozen offering.  The ginger was simply a no brainer.  Think about it.  Use fresh and organic from Hawaii if you can get it.

And if you ever come to my kitchen, I will share my little stash of tea.  And feed you ice cream.  Promise.

Ginger Green Tea Ice Cream
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups 2% milk
3 tea bags good green tea or 2 tablespoons loose leaf green tea
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated, more if desired
8 packets Splenda or 1/3 cup sugar
3 extra-large or 4 large egg yolks
2 packets Splenda or 4 teaspoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
green paste icing coloring just a little bit on the tip of a toothpick (optional)
2 tablespoons candied ginger, cut into small dice (optional)
Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, tea, grated ginger and 8 pkts of Splenda or 1/3 cup sugar.  Heat to just under boiling. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for at least 20 minutes.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pushing on the solids to extract all the good flavors. Return the milk to the saucepan.

If you wish your ice cream to be green, and it won't be unless you do this, pick up a tiny bit of the coloring paste on the end of a toothpick and swirl it into the warm milk until you attain the color you want.

Heat the milk mixture gently until bubbles form around the edge.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks on high speed of an electric mixer, adding the remaining Splenda or sugar, until the yolks have thickened and become a pale yellow.

Whisk 1/4 of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, blending thoroughly, then whisk the egg mixture back into the milk remaining in the saucepan.

Heat this mixture gently on low, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens slightly, coats the back of the spoon, and leaves a track on the back of the spoon when you run your finger across.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Pour into a glass container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
Stir in the cold cream prior to processing in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.  Add the candied ginger to the mix during the last 5 minutes of processing.

Life's short ... eat dessert first!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

How to Peel and Purée Chestnuts Plus Christine's Recipe for Sugar-Free Fresh Chestnut Ice Cream with Armagnac

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I eagerly await the arrival each fall at the farmers market of McIntosh Farms' Willow Creek grown chestnuts. Fresh-picked from trees just 25 miles (as the crow flies) from my kitchen, they are displayed in a line of deep cardboard boxes, the scent of roasting chestnuts wafting from the Weber kettle situated at one end, enticing customers to come take a look.

In previous years, I've snipped the ends of the nuts in an X, then roasted them in a chestnut pan. Sometimes the peeling was easy, sometimes not. The not part can be very frustrating so this year, in the interest of searching for an easier peeling process, I decided to try another method - boiling.

While this method is not nearly as romantic as chestnuts roasting on a open fire, boiling chestnuts makes them way easier to peel, in my experience. An added bonus being that the nut meat tastes sweeter.

And that sweetness fairly screams ice cream.

Certainly not the prettiest starlet in the lineup, with her rather beige coloring, nonetheless this ice cream imparts a mysteriously sweet-nutty taste and mouth feel, followed by a smokey Armagnac undertone; a perfect finish to an evening meal with friends and family on a fall-into-winter's night, and not at all a bad idea to compliment the end of a Thanksgiving dinner, if you'll excuse my pumpkin pie blasphemy.

The combination of chestnuts and Armagnac came to me as I was musing about how to prepare the purée for ice cream. Adding water or just cream seemed too blah.

Well, chestnuts remind me of the south-west of France and the south-west of France reminds me of Armagnac. So there you have it. Divine provenance.

Instructions for Peeling and Puréeing Chestnuts

I began with 13-ounces by weight of fresh chestnuts.

To prepare the chestnuts for peeling, snip an X into the flat base of each nut and put them into a saucepan. Fill with water to cover by one to two inches.

Bring to a boil and continuing boiling for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat, leaving the chestnuts in the hot water.

I used surgical gloves (available at Costco) for the next step.

Retrieving a nut from the saucepan with a pair of tongs, and using a sharp knife, peel the shells and skin from each chestnut, dropping the naked nut into a bowl. Repeat until all the chestnuts are peeled. If peeling becomes difficult, reheat the water briefly to warm up the skins and continue peeling.

When you are finished, you should have about 2 cups of peeled chestnuts.

Now comes the fun part:

Place the chestnuts in a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the nuts.

While continuing to pulse, add 3 tablespoons heavy cream and 2-3 tablespoons Armagnac through the feed tube puréeing until finely ground. The puree will be moist and hold together when pinched between your fingers. It should not be wet or gooey.

Yields about 2 and 1/2 cups of purée.

Use 1 and 1/2 cups for the ice cream and put the rest into a lidded glass jar and refrigerate until inspiration strikes you.

If it strikes me, I'll let you know.

I'm already thinking about stuffing dates.

And I like Simona's suggestion to make a wheatless pie crust.

All in good time, Grasshopper.

Sugar-Free Chestnut Ice Cream with Armagnac
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups chestnut purée
6 medium egg yolks (4 if large)
8 packets Splenda, divided (see Cook's Notes)
2 cups 2% milk
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
Preparation:

Heat the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan just until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat, set aside.

Beat the egg yolks with 2 packets of Splenda until the yolks are thick and pale yellow. Set aside. (I will tell you here that my eggs come from my backyard chickens and the yolks are a deep orange. They never become pale yellow no matter how long I beat them.)

Pour the milk-cream mixture into a food processor, add the chestnut purée and 4 packets Splenda and process until creamy smooth. Place all but 1 cup of the milk-chestnut mixture into a medium saucepan and set over low heat

Whisk the remaining cup of milk-chestnut purée into the eggs then pour it into the saucepan, whisking constantly.

Heat gently until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil or it will curdle.

Taste and adjust for sweetness, keeping in mind that the freezing process diminishes sweet on the tongue. At this point I added 2 more packets of Splenda for a total of eight.

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Pour into a large glass measuring cup or pitcher and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

When ready to process, gently whisk the mixture (see Cook's Notes about straining), pour into the ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.

May be served directly from the ice cream maker, or packed into sealed containers and frozen for several hours.

Cook's Notes:

If you don't have access to fresh chestnuts, you could use jarred whole chestnuts and proceed from there.

I no longer add any kind of sugar to my recipes, relying mostly on the natural sweetness of fresh fruits and vegetables.When I want a sweeter dessert however, I use Splenda packets because they are sweeter than the granular Splenda, the product is not bulky nor does it impart a chemical taste, and I can control the amount of sweetness. One packet contains 1/4 teaspoon of Splenda and is equal to about 2 teaspoons of sugar in sweetness. So, 8 packets of Splenda will yield about 2 teaspoons which will equal approx 16 teaspoons or 5 and 1/3 tablespoons of sugar. If you want to use sugar in this recipe instead of Splenda, take notes because I doubt I'll repeat that again.

To strain or not to strain - that is the question. I didn't strain the mixture prior to pouring it into the ice cream machine because my tongue likes playing with its food. That said, Mr CC, who liked this ice cream very much, warned me that some people would like it and others would not and that it might depend entirely on the texture. If you have eaters who like their ice cream purely creamy and devoid of interesting content with which a curious tongue can play, by all means strain the mixture just before pouring it into the machine. It will still taste good, though not as interesting - in my humble opinion.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Vanilla Yogurt Ice Cream With Sherry-Soaked Bing Cherries

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. . . But first:

I could just jump right into the recipe, sidestepping the obvious fact that I haven't been around for, oh, more than a month, giving no explanation for my absence, but you all know I won't be able to leave that alone.

So here's my story. Thus far.

Way back at the beginning of July, I quit eating wheat, along with its related grains (oats, barley, etc.), and cut out all forms of added sugar, including agave and honey. Turns out it wasn't a hardship for me at all. I experienced no sugar withdrawal and no cravings for bread and pasta in the middle of the night. I ate loads of fresh fruits and vegetables along with eggs, small amounts of cheese and even smaller amounts of meat - mostly seafood.

I didn't do this because I wanted to be on a diet. Quite by accident I'd stumbled upon some information about the role that wheat and sugars may play in causing inflammation not only in the bowel, but also in the arteries, brain, heart and joints. (Of course we have the South Beach Diet that combats just those things, but it never really worked for me - I never got over those cravings for what I wasn't allowed to eat - as after Phase 2 I got to add wheat back into my regimen, putting me right back where I started.)

What I read made enough sense to me to give it a try. That was back in July. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and weighed more than I wanted to. Giving my doctor fits as I refused to take statins or blood pressure meds, I kept telling him I could just eat better and exercise more and I would be fine. But my numbers never changed.

Now at least two of them have. Blood pressure is normal, I've lost 20 pounds, twenty! without trying, I actually think with more clarity, and this week I'm finally going to have my cholesterol checked. If that has dropped as well, I will have hit a triple header and will be a very happy, person indeed.

This may be a bit too much sharing for many of you - as in get to the recipe, Christine - but trust me, it had to come out so I can move forward on this business of blogging. I mean, how can I just stop cooking the way I've been cooking without telling you why?

Which brings me back to why I haven't been blogging: The food we've been eating for the past fours months has been fresh, organic, local, all those good things, and . . .

Very Plain.

Very Simple.

Barely blogworthy in my estimation, compared to what I have done in the past.

Recently though I've made a few dishes that have more pizazz, more oompf, and found that they haven't had any adverse affects on me. Of course, I wouldn't pig out on the ice cream I'm about to show you, and, on the whole, I still eat mostly fruits and vegetables, occasionally brown rice or a potato, but I'm finally settling into a comfortable niche and am ready to offer up my repertoire.

If you have an aversion to Splenda, you can always use sugar, but you won't see sugar here. I use so little sweetening for anything these days, preferring the sweet taste that fruits and vegetables can impart, that the amount of Splenda I do use is minimal.

Thank you for indulging me. Now you can have dessert.

There are so many things to like about this recipe: Organic dried Bing cherries; no added sugar, just five small packets of Splenda, allowing the tang of the yogurt to shine through; and possibly best of all, no cooking (no custard making) which allows it to be ready to serve in just a few hours and allows you to adjust for the sweetness at any time.

One more thing: this ice cream is best when served right out of the machine. It can be placed in the freezer, but loses its creamy texture in the process.

Before you begin making the ice cream, you must drain the excess liquid from the yogurt and soak the cherries for several hours. Here's how.

Dampen and wring out a piece of cheesecloth large enough to hang over the sides of a large strainer.

Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and set it over a large measuring cup or bowl.

Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth and place the whole thing into the fridge for several hours.

When the liquid has drained from the yogurt, you should have about half the amount of yogurt you started with. Keep cold until ready to use.

Place the dried Bing cherries in a medium bowl and pour the sherry over, stir the cherries a bit to settle the sherry. You want just enough sherry so that the cherries are barely covered.

Let sit at room temperature until most of the sherry has been absorbed and the cherries and plump and very drunk. This took several hours. Strain the remaining very delicious Bing Cherry Sherry into a small glass and save it for making sauces, or give it to your significant other to sip while watching you cook.

Christine's Vanilla Yogurt Ice Cream with Sherry-Soaked Bing Cherries (and you thought we'd never get here)

Ingredients:

2 cups non or low fat plain, organic yogurt, drained of liquid

3/4 cup organic, non-sweetened dried Bing cherries soaked in 1/2 cup dry Sherry

4-5 packets Splenda, adjust to your taste

3/4 cup 1% or 2% milk

3/4 cup cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preparation:

Place drained yogurt in a large bowl and stir in Splenda until fully blended.

Stir in the milk, cream and vanilla and mix well.

Adjust for sweetness, remembering that the cherries will impart their own natural sweetness.

Place the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.

When the mixture is softly frozen, slowly drop the strained cherries into the ice cream and finish processing.

Serve directly from the machine, or pack into a container with a tight-fitting lid and put in your freezer for one hour.

Cook's Notes:

I suppose I could have called this Drunken Bing Cherry Yogurt Ice Cream, as the lovely dried Bing cherries are indeed soused by the time it's their turn to be churned, but I think folks might have a hard time doing a Google search for it.

In the interest of explaining what may seem to be a contradicion, remember that banana strawberry galette I made back in August? I didn't eat it, although others did. No, honestly. I didn't.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved