strawberry swirl ice cream!

this ice cream is fabulous! we have tones of milk around, but not so much cream - so it works perfectly! its actually an interesting recipe, normally for ice cream you use a cooked custard, but this one is egg free and doesn't require any cooking at all. you just put everything in the blender and add a little ricotta at the end, which replaces the cream and adds creamy wonderfulness! 

1 pint ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and roughly sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Ice Cream:
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum, or to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of kosher salt
1½ cups best-quality whole-milk ricotta

THE STRAWBERRY SWIRL: In a blender, combine the strawberries, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until smooth, and transfer to a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the strawberry puree to a low boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Chill completely.

THE ICE CREAM: In a blender, combine the milk, sugar, vanilla, rum, lemon zest, and pinch of salt. Add the ricotta last, in spoonfuls, to help it incorporate easily. Blend until smooth, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it’s done, layer the ice cream with generous spoonfuls of the strawberry swirl in a storage container, starting with a layer of strawberry. Freeze before scooping.

a busy day...

so for some reason today, i decided to all kinds of exciting things. you would think that i might want to spread them out over a couple of days, but no! lol today i made: chevre, mozzarella, pugliese sponge breads and texas two bean soup - its sort of like the texas two step, but different, and a little spicier then i ended. i also decided, for the heck of it, to smoke the mozzerella. which was even more exciting, it has little flecks of residual smoke particles, and tastes rather smoky, but really not that exciting. i was a little bit more excited about it then i was pleased with the end product, but travis likes it. i have no idea what i'm going to do with it now....but i'm sure we'll figure that out!

but, to the main reason of this post! pugliese sponge breads!!! i love making these breads because they are so different then regular bread. its just this mass of liquidy-wet dough, that you just glop onto the baking stone. but it tastes AMAZING! and has a fabulous texture, crumb & personality  - its just plain lovely! :)

pugliese sponge breads

for the biga:

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 cup all-purpose flour

dissolve the yeast in the water. add flour and stir to combine. knead briefly in a bowl until a soft dough has been formed. cover the bowl with cling-film, and let stand at room temperature for 12-24 hours (or for up to three days in the fridge).

for the bread:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups lukewarm water
biga, as above
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour (or whole-wheat pastry flour)

in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. cut biga into 5 pieces and stir into the water, breaking it up with a spoon, loosening it (practically to the extent of dissolving it, but this is not fully achievable).

stir in one cup of all-purpose flour and the salt. add whole-wheat flour, stirring to combine, then add three more cups of all-purpose, one cup at a time, and stirring all the while. stir the dough with a wet hand, maneuver it like a paddle and turn the dough around on itself, like a dough hook would do. add another cup of all-purpose flour with your dry hand. stir and mix with wet hand for 3-5 minutes, keeping an eye on the consistency, which should be wet but clinging together. if the dough is too liquid, add another 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and continue stirring. cover the bowl with cling-film and let the dough stand for at least 3 hours (even overnight). it will rise a bit but will not double in volume. 

preheat oven to 250 C/500 F and do not open oven door until 20 minutes after oven has reached this temperature. place a baking sheet or quarry tiles on the lower rack. open oven door. with wet hands, break dough in half, shape into a mound (tucking edges underneath to smooth out and tighten the surface), then drop onto baking sheet. decrease temperature to 225 C/450 F after ten minutes. bake for a further 20-25 minutes, until bread is well browned (it will also sound hollow when you tap the base). raise temperature to 250 C/500 F before baking other half of the dough. let cool for thirty minutes before slicing. (i try, but it never really works)

new york-style bagels

Dough:

1 ½ cup warm water (110 to 115*F)

1 T dry active yeast

1 T sugar

1 T vegetable oil

2 t malt syrup

2 t salt

5 cup unbleached bread flour

Kettle Water:

About 6 quarts water

2 T malt syrup or powder

1 t salt

Corn meal for sprinkling baking sheets (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in oil, malt and one cup of the flour. Add salt, then enough of remaining flour to make a stiff dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead for 10 to 12 minutes. Cover with a floured dish towel and allow dough to rest on a board for about 15 minutes. Divide dough into 8 sections and form each section into 10-inch long strips. Roll the ends together to seal and make a ring. Place on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let bagels rest 15 to 20 minutes, rising about halfway and becoming slightly puffy. Meanwhile, fill a large cooking pot or Dutch oven three quarters full with water. Add the malt syrup and salt. Bring water to a boil.

Preheat oven to 450F (230C). 

Take two large baking sheets sprinkle generously with corn meal. Set aside.

Line two other baking sheets with a kitchen towel, set near your stove.

Reduce boiling water to a simmer and cook 2 bagels at a time (do not crowd the pot). Simmer bagels for about 45 seconds on one side, then turn and cook other side for another 45 seconds and then drain bagels on the towel-lined baking sheet. Carefully place bagels on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake bagels plain or sprinkle with a topping of your choice. Place in the hot oven, immediately reduce heat to 425F (220C), and bake about 17 to 25 minutes. When almostbaked, turn bagels over (a pair of tongs do the job easily). If you have a baking stone, finish bagels on the stone directly. Transfer bagels to wire rack to cool. 

These freeze well, which helps to retain a just-baked taste, if they aren't all eaten on the first day. To freeze, slice cooled bagels first, place a small strip of plastic between the bagel halves and place in a plastic self-sealing freezer bag. When you're ready for a bagel, they'll come apart easily, ready to pop into the toaster/oven and enjoy.

old fashioned butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 capful bourbon or whiskey
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp cornstarch

measure out the cream and have it close by. 

melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pot. stir in brown sugar and salt, and cook until completely melted and bubbling. it should look very smooth and start to have a slightly burned smell. this take awhile, so be patient. 

gradually stir in cream, which will sputter and cause butterscotch to seize into candy. don't worry, just keep stirring until its dissolved. add milk and whiskey and stir until blended remove from heat. 

measure out water and cornstarch, and mix to two together with your fingers until the paste is smooth and free of lumps. stir into milk mixture, then cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until it begins to thicken. reduce heat to a low simmer and stir vigorously for 1 minute or more, until it thickly coats the back of the spoon. 

pour into a bowl and cool, or just eat hot!

basic pasta dough

makes 1 pound, enough pasta for two, for two meals (or one meal for four!) 

3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 extra large eggs
1 extra large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. as you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. the dough will come together when half the flour is incorporated. kneed for 6 or so minutes then let the dough stand for about a half hour. roll or shape as desired. 

note: do not skip the kneading or resting portions for the dough. they are essential for light pasta.

flour tortillas

it's so exciting to be in my own kitchen again, to put on my local cbc, to move at my own pace to get covered in flour, to be able to use my baking stone....and to just be home!

we got back night before last, 154 days since we left at the beginning of may, to a food free house. a blank canvas. so i picked up some flour yesterday morning and started bread last night, "large batch whole wheat loaves". its a recipe from jeffery alford and naomi duguid's "home baking" book. its a three day bread, so i made the poolish last night, i'll add more water and flour this afternoon, let it sit again over night and then finish off thes loaves tomorrow. in the mean time we needed some sort of bread to get us through. i had fully intended to make pitas, i'm going to make a hearty bean soup for dinner and thought pitas would be the perfect companion. but, for some reason i opened my cookbook and made tortillas! i was listening to the morning news on cbc, having a great conversation over a hot coffee while mixing my ingredients. i guess i was just too excited about being home! maybe i'll have to make burritos in the next few days!

flour tortillas

 

6 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup vegetable shortening cut into small pieces

2 1/2 cups warm water

mix dry. add shortening. turn mixer on low and add the water slowly, mix for 90 seconds. cut in 2 and let set for 20 minutes. cut each piece into 8 equal portions. roll into 8-inch rounds. stack with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes. heat cast iron pan over medium heat and coat with vegetable oil. cook for 1 minute each or until light brown spots appear.

a summer away...

carob balls

the perfect snack: they are full of energy and taste fabulous! also the perfect "on the road" snack. 

carob balls:
1 part carob
1 part peanut butter
1 part milk powder
1 part honey
shape into balls. they keep forever in the fridge, but won't last that long!

peanut butter balls:
same as above, but since these have no carob in them, substitute the 1 part carob for milk powder.

banana smoothie!!

today was spent checkin' off the list and i'm feeling pretty good with what i've accomplished! i cleaned and vacuumed out the car and i've got a full list of what needs to go into it for our trip. things are packed and theres not much left to do. we're on track!

i woke up this morning and went for an early morning, sunny bike ride with schooner, that was entirely beautiful! not much after we got home it started to hail and has done so on and off for most of the day. it makes my sunny more ride even more lovely! 

i had't really eaten a thing all day except for my morning oatmeal & coffee. so i was starving after all that list checkin' and this totally hit the spot! :) 

fill blender with frozen bananas 
add enough milk to puree
1/2 or more yogurt
2 T honey
2 t vanilla

travis' dog biscuits

boil a pot full of meat, once fully cooked, puree, broth and all
add a bunch of fresh chopped parsley
a few cloves of garlic
olive oil
and enough whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough

roll out and cut into small shapes and bake until fully dried out. 

pizza

i got home from work today, tired, just wanting to relax, maybe in the sunshine even, if the skies permitted. i had no idea what to make for dinner and time was a'tickin'. but when i got home travis had it all on the go - dinner, dessert, cold beer in the fridge. i wasn't even aloud to help! what a fabulous feeling that is. :) so i took schooner for a bike ride down to the lake and sat on the shore and soaked up the sun for a few then biked home. to hot pizza, cold beer. and the best man in the world

quiche

yesterday was one of those energy-less days. last weekend was pretty busy as we did a quick trip up to mum and dad's and so this weekend i vowed to do "nothing" and sleep in. which for me results in me feeling shity and like i've accomplished nothing (which was sort of my goal in the first place), even if i only wake up at 10! but the time before i got out of bed was soooo lovely!!!! i just lay there, the sun streaming in, reading my book (fall on you knees by anne marie macdonald, my #2 out of 5 canada reads!!) we spent the rainy day searching for geocaches and by the time dinner came around, i really didn't feel like putting on a big production. so we made up our minds. we were going to buy perogies. that WAS the plan, until i started feeling like i was coping out, taking the easy road, . so i made quiche. which was lovely. and totally worth a few minutes it took to through it together. (why do i always forget about quiche????) we were going to eat it for leftovers tonight, but travis finished if for lunch, all three pieces!!! which worked great for me 'cause he's bbqin' toooonight! :)

plantains...

walking through the grocery store when i'm tired and hungry can lead to interesting purchases. plantains for instance. what i was going to do with them - i had NO idea. but i love fried bananas. so i thought what the heck. upon returning home, i realize, in my daze, that i picked out the most unripe of the bunch. so i looked up recipes for fried GREEN plantains. just makes you hungry doesn't it. (it's okay i understand.) i found a few recipes and all of them said to fry slices in oil, dip in water, and then fry in oil again. much to my surprise the plantains absorb all the water that remains on their surface after dipping, and they don't splatter at all! interesting. but next time i think i'll wait until they've ripened and sweetened up a little, cause they didn't really taste that great at all.