Summer in the Midwest is in full bloom. Gardens explode with green leaves and ripening produce, afternoon thunderstorms rumble across the plains, and warm evenings cooled by a bowl of homemade ice cream abound.

Our summer weekends have been packed with activity- camping, fishing, visiting relatives, and tackling outdoor projects. However each summer I still fight to carve out time for a few lazy afternoons where we float in a river, nap on the deck, or take a long bike ride through the woods. (more…)

Before moving to the Dakotas I didn’t know what the words ‘snow storm’ really meant. I had seen snow. As a kid I recall pressing my nose against the cold glass window, watching big wet flakes fall from the sky and dissolve into green grass. My parents were ski instructors. Winter weekend mornings would start dark and early as we pulled on long underwear and tumbled bleary-eyed into the car for a long drive to the mountains. I experienced snow speeding down icy runs and feeling the sting of falling flakes hit my cheeks as I skied past. Yet, despite this, my understanding of snow storms remained limited.

Now, with a mere four Midwest winters under my belt, I think I am getting a clue. I have learned that blizzards come in two forms: Blizzards- where snow pours fiercely down from dark clouds while forty mph winds shriek sideways creating a battle of vertical and horizontal sky. And ground blizzards- where sunlight illuminates the air with glaring precision as strong arctic winds whip snow upwards from the ground creating a world lost in the glowing blur of white. I have learned that snow really can drift up to your roofline, bury your mailbox, and make the bbq disappear on the deck. I have learned to hold my breath, grip the steering wheel tightly, and press the gas pedal in wide-eyed terror as I plow through snow drifts to get out of the driveway. Mr. B says that I’m building character and that winters in the Midwest will ‘toughen me up’. I usually tell him to shove it. There is one last thing that I have learned about snow storms, and if you were around last year you may recall this too. Whenever the winds blow and the snow flies, Mr. B dreams of ice cream.

This time when the craving struck I handed Mr. B the book, and suggested he find something interesting. I glanced over a few minutes later he had his finger on the page and a big grin on his face. “Let’s make tea ice cream!” he said. Intrigued, I agreed and we read through the recipe together, deciding to make a simple riff which required only four ingredients. Blackberry Sage tea, cream, milk, sugar- the ingredients were innocent enough. Yet when steeped together and churned into a cold creamy mix, the result was pure alchemy. Subtle dark notes of dried berry and tea mingled with the sweet cream base while hints of sage added complexity. Like a fine wine, the flavors unfolded in waves across my tongue. It was intoxicating. I declare with utmost sincerity that it was the best ice cream ever to cross my lips. From now on, in blizzards, ground blizzards, or mere snow storms, Mr. B won’t be the only one dreaming of ice cream.

Blackberry Sage Tea Ice Cream (Printable Recipe)

Makes 1 Quart

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

Note: Blackberry Sage Tea is rather expensive ($11), however the unused tea leaves are (of course) excellent on their own, and will last a long time in your cupboard.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Blackberry Sage Tea

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Place a small pot with lid over medium heat. Warm up the milk, 1 cup of cream, sugar, and tea leaves, until the liquid is steaming but not bubbling. Stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a lid. Let the mixture steep at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the remaining 1 cup of cream in a medium bowl, with a fine mesh strainer on top. Pour the steeped liquid through the strainer into the bowl with the cream. Discard the tea leaves in the strainer. Stir the liquid mixture until well combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then chill for 4 hours or overnight. After the liquid is chilled through, freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

As the air turns crisp, mornings darken, and the sun starts to take on an amber glow, my thoughts invariably turn to the flavors of fall. Our local farmer’s market is still active, but flip flops and sun glasses are quickly being replaced by sneakers and stocking caps. I find myself clinging to the last bits of summer, resisting the urge to pull on a sweater and trying to devour as much produce as a person can eat.

Fresh grapes are one of summer’s final gifts. Fruity and sweet, they carry the brightness of summer while also gently bringing the cold refreshing side of fall. Last summer on the final day of our farmer’s market I purchased a basket of concord grapes. The deep purple color and heady fragrance were irresistible. With far too many seeds to eat straight up, I knew that the grapes would require special treatment. In typical fashion we decided that dessert was in order and used the grapes to make a sorbet.

The simple mixture of water, sugar and grapes was a revelation. Almost magically, making sorbet concentrated the grape flavor to a level I had never before experienced. Each spoonful had a fluffy, almost snowcone-like texture that dissolved instantly in my mouth leaving behind the intense taste of juicy, floral grapes. I was hooked.

This year as soon as I spotted grapes at the market I jumped on them! We rushed home and immediately made sorbet. The grapes were a mix of varieties, and as a result had a slightly less intense flavor than concord grapes. However the texture and taste of a fresh grape sorbet was just as delightful and delicious as I remembered.

Grape Sorbet (Printable Recipe)
Serves 6-8

If you don’t have an ice cream maker I think this recipe could easily be adapted to make grape granitas instead of sorbet. (However if you stop by my site on a regular basis, you really should get an ice cream maker. There is no end in sight to our ice cream making!)

Ingredients:

3 cups of Grapes, all stems removed
1 1/2 cups of Water
1/2 – 1 cup Sugar (adjust to taste since the sweetness of grapes will vary)
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Directions:

Rinse the grapes, and place them in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the water and 1/2 cup of sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture gently simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and see if the liquid needs additional sugar. If it does, add in the remaining sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.

Next, strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spatula to extract any leftover liquid. Discard the solids. Stir lemon juice into the liquid, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the fridge and chill for four hours or overnight. After the liquid is thoroughly chilled, freeze according to the ice cream manufacturer’s suggestions. (Mine takes about 20 minutes.) Transfer the sorbet to a freezer safe container and freeze it for 3-4 hours before serving (to firm up).

As summer slowly slips away bringing a few new minutes of darkness each night my interest in being inside hits an annual low. I feel an almost primal urge to get outside and do everything all at once. Gardening, swimming, camping, biking- quick it all must be done right now! Long meals with involved steps are simply not welcome. They must be saved for later when the snow is blowing and the flip flop tan lines on my feet have faded into nothing but a distant memory. Late August is the time for embracing summer like it will never leave. Ignoring the subtle signs of falling leaves and cooler nights, saying “It’s not September yet!”

P.S. If your summer diet has gone better than mine, check out this recipe for a delicous Pina Colada ice cream over at The Kitchen Witch!

Pineapple Ginger Sorbet (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz (Buy this book already!)
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 ripe pineapple, skinned, cored, and cut into chunks (Approx. 2 cups of pineapple puree)
1/2 cup water
1/8 – 1/4 cup sugar (I used cane sugar and it was wonderful)
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup candied ginger chunks

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the ginger chunks into very tiny pieces. (Preferably the size of a pea or smaller.) Separate the pieces so they are not stuck together and spread them out to dry slightly.

Next, place the pineapple, water, 1/8 cup sugar, and lime juice into a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Taste the mixture and determine if it needs more sugar. If so, add in the remaining sugar until it is sweet enough for your taste.

Place the mixture into the fridge and chill for two hours or overnight. (If you are in a hurry you can place it in the freezer, and stir every ten minutes until the mixture feels very cold when you stick your finger in it. Scientific- I know.)

Pour the chilled pineapple puree into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

About 5 minutes before the sorbet is finished freezing, slowly add in the ginger bits. Be patient, and add in the bits in a manner that keeps them from clumping together- working with just a few at a time.

Once the sorbet is finished freezing, transfer it to a freezer safe container with lid and freeze for three hours or overnight.

The sorbet is excellent served with very thin lemon cookies such as Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Thins or Anna’s Lemon Thins.

It all started innocently enough. A lone mango sat on my counter while whole milk and cream cozied up next to each other in the fridge. The expectation of weekend dinner guests found me thumbing through my favorite ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop, in search of something special. A recipe for mango sorbet made with rum and lime caught my eye. Then I spied a note from the author, David, who suggested swirling it with a toasted coconut ice cream. Mango, toasted coconut, rum, and heavy cream – oh my. There is a reason why this man is famous!

Now one of our dinner guests had a fatal allergy to sulfites, which are found in almost all packaged shredded coconut (they keep it from turning brown). This meant that if I wanted to serve a coconut ice cream I would have to shred the coconut myself. So of course instead of going the sane route and sticking to the mango sorbet, I decided that I would track down a coconut and figure out how to get into it’s shell. Because really, it’s only when things get crazy that you start having any fun!

Back inside, the coconut pieces went into the freezer for about 20 minutes, which was supposed to make it easier to remove the flesh from the shell. If this made it easier, I would hate to see it any harder- because it took extreme patience and 30 minutes of careful prying to separate the flesh from the shell. It was obvious how easy it would be to stab yourself with a knife while doing this. In fact given that I almost cut off the tip of my thumb the week prior while working on a tomato, my nerves were on edge the whole time!

Finally the flesh was separated and I used a microplane grater to shred a cup of coconut. Despite a high moisture content the fresh coconut toasted beautifully. I’m always guilty of a short attention span when toasting things and typically go through two or three burnt trays of coconut before I pay attention long enough to toast it. After all this work there was no way I was going to burn the coconut! I fixed my eyes on the tray the entire time until it was perfectly toasted.

Once that was accomplished I finally could start making the ice cream. David’s recipe called for a straightforward vanilla bean custard. The toasted coconut steeps in the custard and then is strained out. The mango sorbet was also quite simple, requiring only a quick purée of mango, sugar, lime, and rum before freezing.

So after all that work how did it taste? Divine. This ice cream is officially my favorite ice cream flavor for 2009. The marriage of creamy toasted coconut with a cool citrusy mango was unbelievably delicious. Our dinner guests, started groaning and scraping their spoons against the bottom of the bowls to get every last drop of the ice cream. It was that good.

Coconut Mango Swirl Ice Cream (Printable Recipe)
Makes Approximately 2 Quarts
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Mango Sorbet

Ingredients:

2-3 large ripe mangoes (2 lbs.)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
1-3 Tablespoons dark rum, to taste
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Peel the mangoes, and carefully separate the flesh from the pit. Cut mango flesh into large chunks and place them into a blender along with the sugar, water, lime juice, rum, and salt. Pick up the pits and use both hands to squeeze any remaining juice off of them into the blender. Place the lid on the blender and purée mixture until smooth. Taste the purée and add in more lime juice or rum if desired. (Do not exceed 3 tablespoons of rum, or the sorbet will have difficulty freezing.) Chill the mixture for at least 4 hours or even overnight. Then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer mango sorbet into a sealed container and store in the freezer.

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (dried or fresh)
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
Ample pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon rum

Directions:

(If you are cracking a fresh coconut, please refer to the instructions below.)
Pre-heat an oven to 350 degrees. Place shredded coconut in a thin layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Place sheet in the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, watching carefully and stirring the coconut a few times to promote even browning. Remove the coconut from the oven as soon as it looks nicely browned (it will turn from brown to burned very quickly!) Set aside to cool.

Place a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, and warm up milk, 1 cup of cream, sugar, salt, and the toasted coconut. Using the tip of a small sharp knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pan. Then toss the rest of the bean into the mixture. Once the liquid is heated through (but not simmering) turn off the heat and place a lid on top of the pot. Set aside and let steep for 1 hour.

After the hour has passed, place the pan back over medium-low heat and warm it up again. Place a fine mesh strainer over a second medium saucepan, and pour the warmed mixture into the second pan. Use a spatula to press down on the solids still in the strainer, attempting to press any remaining liquid out of them. Then rinse off the vanilla bean and save it for another use and throw out the coconut. Clean off the strainer as you will use it again shortly.

Take the remaining 1 cup of cream and pour it into a large bowl. In a different medium bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks until they are smooth. Check the coconut mixture to make sure it has cooled slightly and then carefully pour it in a slow stream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Once the two are combined, use the spatula to scrape the mixture back into the medium saucepan.

Place saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly, scraping the bottom frequently to prevent sticking. Once the custard has thickened and you can see it clearly coating the back of your spatula, remove the saucepan from heat. Immediately pour the custard through the clean strainer into the large bowl which contains the cream. Stir the two together until well combined. Mix in the rum, and then place the medium bowl in a large bowl partially filled with ice and water. Stir the custard occasionally until it has cooled to room temperature. Press a layer of plastic wrap across the surface of the custard (this will prevent a skin from forming) and chill the mixture for 4-24 hours. Once the mixture is very chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Marbling Ice Cream

To marble the two ice creams, you will need a large (2 quart) container, an ice cream scoop, and a spatula. Let both ice creams soften to a scoopable consistency. Using the ice cream scoop, place several scoops of one flavor in a single layer in the bottom of your container. Follow this with a second layer made up of scoops of the other flavor. Firmly rap the container on the counter to try and eliminate any air pockets in the ice cream. Use the spatula to smooth the top of the layers. Repeat this process until you have used up all of your ice cream. Cover the container and place it into the freezer for a minimum of 3-4 hours to firm up before serving.

Cracking a Coconut

Tools:

Hammer
Nail (Clean it off first!)
Bowl
Small towel

Directions:

Locate the “eyes” of the coconut and pound the nail deep into each eye. (Don’t go too deep or as I found out it will get stuck and you’ll have to call for back-up!) Place the coconut (eyes down) over a bowl to drain the juice.

Wrap the coconut in the small towel and carefully “whack” it once or twice with the hammer until it cracks. Quickly unwrap the coconut and pour any juice remaining into the bowl.

If desired, cover the coconut pieces with the towel and “whack” them again until they are a manageable size.

Clean any hairs off the white flesh, and place pieces on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Using a small pairing knife, and exercising EXTREME caution, pry the white flesh off of the brown outer shell. You will most likely still have an inner brown “skin” on the bottom of the flesh pieces. Use the knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. The pieces of coconut can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Some foods are simply meant to go together: peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, lemon and fish- you can’t think of one without the other. In my mind strawberry and rhubarb are two foods that together create a sublime flavor. Fortunately, in many climates they both come into season at about the same time, providing a perfect way to celebrate spring. Both Mr. B and my father go nuts for any combination of strawberry and rhubarb so over the years I have tried many variations of pie, crisp, and cobbler.

This spring, a beautiful rhubarb cobbler featured at Smitten Kitchen caught my eye, and I was intrigued by her use of egg yolks in the cobbler biscuits. The reasoning behind using egg yolks was that they provide a dry source of protein and fat to enrich the dough. Curious and with a large box of strawberries at my disposal, I decided to give it a try.

Ice cream appeared to be the perfect accompaniment for the cobbler. I had a bottle of beautiful buttermilk on hand and this recipe for strawberry buttermilk ice cream from Joy the Baker looked too good to pass up. So we baked and churned and the house was filled with the irresistible aroma of warm berry and tart rhubarb. Once the cobbler was out of the oven and the ice cream hardened we feasted on the luscious spring flavors. I was not crazy about the ice cream on its own as I found the texture created by the use of cornstarch in the mixture odd. However, when combined with the cobbler I did not notice the cornstarch at all and loved the two together. Brightly tart rhubarb highlighted a viscous sweetness from the strawberries while cool ice cream provided the finishing touch to an excellent dessert.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (Printable Recipe)
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Claudia Fleming via New York Magazine
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

Biscuit Dough
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar (I used cane sugar)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, divided

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 cups strawberries, washed, stemmed, and sliced into large pieces
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Directions:

Make the Biscuits
Place flour, sugar, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse the mixture a few times to combine the ingredients. Next add in the butter and pulse in short bursts until the butter is cut up into the dry ingredients and the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add 2/3 cup of cream into the mix, and pulse it just until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor, and transfer it to a lightly floured countertop. Shape the dough into a ball, and then gently press down to flatten it out slightly. Roll out the dough to about 1″ thickness and use a 2″ biscuit cutter or decorative cookie cutter to cut the dough into biscuits. Transfer the biscuits onto a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 20 minutes or until you are ready to top the cobbler.

Make the Cobbler
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a shallow but large casserole dish (2 1/2 – 3 quarts) mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch together. Let the mixture sit for 15-20 minutes, which will bring out the juices in the fruit.

Remove biscuits from the fridge, and arrange across the top of the cobbler. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream to brush the tops of the biscuits. Sprinkle the biscuits with the turbinado sugar. Place cobbler in oven and bake until you see the mixture thicken and steadily bubble and the tops of the biscuits are browned. This will take 45 – 60 minutes depending on the amount of liquid in your fruit. Let cobbler cool slightly and then serve with ice cream or slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Directions:

Place a medium saucepan over low heat. Add 1 cup of the cream and the cocoa powder into the pan. Whisk mixture briskly to combine, and bring to a boil. Once liquid is boiling immediately reduce the heat to a steady simmer, and whisk constantly for about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and remove pan from the burner. Add the chopped chocolate into the liquid and stir until it is melted and smooth. Next, add in the remaining 1 cup of cream and stir to combine. Transfer all of the liquid into a medium bowl, and place a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowl. Set bowl aside and make the custard.

Return the medium saucepan to the stove over low heat. Add the milk, sugar, and salt into the saucepan. Heat gently until the mixture begins to steam but not bubble. While the liquid is warming, in a separate medium bowl whisk the egg yolks together. Once the liquid is warmed, slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. (If you are worried that your liquid is too hot, let it sit a minute to cool slightly before adding it into the eggs. I’ve learned it’s better to be safe than sorry when making custard.) Once the liquid and eggs are well combined, scrape the mixture back into the pan. Place the pan over a medium heat, and stir constantly. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan while you stir. Once the custard has thickened to the point that it coats the back of your spoon, remove it from the heat.

Pour the custard through the strainer into the medium bowl of chocolate liquid. When fully combined, stir well and add in the vanilla. Place the medium bowl of liquid in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water to cool quickly. Stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled enough to be transferred into the fridge. Press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the liquid to cover and prevent a skin from forming on the top of the custard. Place the bowl in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Once the mixture is chilled, transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze according the manufacturer’s instructions. If you find that the custard is too thick to pour, give it a stiff whisk or two to thin it out and then place it in the ice cream maker.