A group of good friends, connected by a love of politics and good food, always used to get together every August in Santa Barbara. Life slowed down; we’d cook together using all local produce – sweet corn, plum tomatoes, Armenian cucumbers, peppers, tomatillos, Blenheim apricots, avocadoes, Santa Rosa plums – and then feast as the sun went down behind rolling hills planted with avocadoes and lemons.
So you can imagine our excitement when we heard that Johnny Apple – the legendary political columnist and food writer at the New York Times – was coming to town with his wife Betsey. Johnny was (as many have noted) a force of nature. I first met Johnny when he came to LA to do a feature on Asian Pacific food. We hit three restaurants in four hours one evening, going from Vietnamese to Chinese dim sum to a Chinese restaurant famous for its “pork pump”. I was so exhausted I begged off the next three days of eating. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone enjoy food and wine more (even that third dinner you have to eat when you’re a critic.)
Ice Cream
Ice Cream
Homemade Ice Cream Cones
My husband Leo loves ice cream. I like it, but he loves it. For a
wedding present, we received a wooden ice cream maker that like the old
fashioned ones, needed to be filled with ice and rock salt, but unlike
the old fashioned ones, could be plugged in and churned the ice cream
without the 'elbow grease.' Once every few years, we'd pull it out and
impress ourselves by making a batch of lovely vanilla ice cream, but it
was always a big production for the results. About 6 or 7 years ago,
as a birthday gift for my ice cream loving husband who almost always
has a quart of vanilla in the freezer, I bought a double Cuisinart
automatic ice cream machine. It consists of a motorized bottom,
plastic churners and plastic covers with two metal containers which I
keep in the freezer at all times.
Recipe of the Week: Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
It only seemed fitting to make this with all the crazy heat around here. Not to mention my blueberry trees (yes, they are that big) are loaded...I mean loaded with berries. It has been fun going outside and picking these, bringing them inside and creating a meal. I not sure who loves it more...me or the kids.
I searched for the perfect blueberry ice cream recipe, I didn't have to look further than my own cookbooks. Dorie Greenspan had this recipe for Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream. Wow. It almost looks like sorbet but is so rich and decadent tasting. There is almost a cheesecake taste to this ice cream. This made the hubby very, very happy.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, if frozen, thaw and drain)
1/3 cup sugar, or more to taste
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of one lime
Juice of 1/2 a lime, or more juice to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
In a medium saucepan cook blueberries, sugar, salt, lime zest and juice over medium heat, stirring, until mixture boils and the berries pop and soften, about 4 minutes.
Pour the berry mixture into a blender and whirl until a seemingly homogeneous puree is achieved, about 1 minute. The mixture will not be completely smooth. Add the heavy cream and sour cream and pulse to blend. Taste and add a bit more lime juice or sugar if you choose.
Pour the blend into a bowl and refrigerate until it is chilled before churning into ice cream.
*I used the best quality heavy cream and sour cream I could find.
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours
OMG! The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck Just Pulled Up
“Brooklyn” is my drop dead cute, young hair colorist at Frederick Fekkai! What do we have in common other than the color of my roots, you ask? Food! We both love to cook. This morning I was mouthing off about my newest secret food sin – Hagen Das Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt with Maldon Salt flakes sprinkled on top….
“OMG, have you heard of The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck?” he asks.
“OMG No? A Gay Ice Cream Truck???”
“… With a painted rainbow soft cone and Disco music! I had the best vanilla bean ice cream with Bariani olive oil and sea salt!”
OMG!
I went to the web site.
Remember as a child running up the block trying to catch the Good Humor Man? Well, with Twitter you can chase the Gay Truck all over town!
Old-Fashioned Strawberry-French Vanilla Ice Cream
Mother Nature couldn’t have planned a better time to blast us with heat and humidity. After all, July is National Ice Cream Month. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan said so. He also claimed the third Sunday of July will always be National Ice Cream Day. Thank you very much, but I don’t need to wait for a specially designated month or day to enjoy ice cream. It’s one of my favorite indulgences — any day. Or, everyday! It doesn’t have to be a hot day to scoop up a big bowl of ice cream, but it is the perfect frozen treat to bring the body temperature down.
I accidentally brought home a one-pint carton of Organic Valley French Vanilla-flavored half-and-half last week. I meant to grab a carton of the plain old stuff — my husband can’t drink coffee without it. He doesn’t like added flavor — just added fat.
So, when life hands me French vanilla half-and-half, I make ice cream. Ice cream with fresh-picked, sun-kissed, sweet strawberries. Lots of creaminess from a generous dose of fat. Don’t count the calories. Just indulge, enjoy and stay cool! There’s still a lot of ice cream month left on the calendar :)
Oh, what a great mistake I made!
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