Life as a Dill

Salted Almond Ice Cream

I am a sucker for the candied almonds found at fairs and from vendors on the streets of NYC.  This recipe needed to be made – and pronto!  The ice cream was wonderfully sweet with just the right amount of salty.  A keeper!

Salted Almond Ice Cream
the kitchn

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup  and 2 ½ T granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped almonds

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until they just begin to show color. Add 2 ½  tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts caramelize to a dark brown color, 3-5 minutes. Spread them out on a plate to cool. When cool, break the nuts apart.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and cream until it bubbles appear around the edge. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Slowly pour about half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour the custard into a metal bowl, stir in the almond and vanilla extracts, and set aside to cool.

Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  When the mixture is the consistency of frozen yogurt, sprinkle in the nuts and process until it hardens further.

Farmers Market Salad

Finnian and I made a trip to the farm this morning for some fresh, organic produce.  Figuring out lunch was then a cinch.  Peppery arugula, crisp radishes, sweet strawberries, and tangy goat cheese are the stars of this simple and nourishing salad for one.

Farmers Market Salad

2 generous handfuls arugula
3 strawberries, quartered
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
1 thin slice of red onion
crumbled goat cheese

dressing:

almost 1 T olive oil
splash of sherry vinegar (~1 t)
pea-sized amount of Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients together, then toss with veggies and top with goat cheese.  Enjoy!

Cranberry-Apple French Toast

My sister Heidi and brother-in-law Joel whipped this up during their trip this weekend.  It was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Cranberry-Apple French Toast

topping:

1 Granny Smith apple and one Macintosh apple, sliced
brown sugar and cinnamon, to taste
handful of dried cranberries

Sauté apples in a bit of butter in a nonstick skillet.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Add cranberries near the end of cooking.  Keep warm.

toast:

day-old French bread, cut on the bias
6 eggs
1/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c heavy cream
1 T bourbon
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

Whisk all ingredients together.  Dip bread in the batter and cook over medium heat in a buttered nonstick skillet for several minutes per side until browned.

To serve: plate French toast and top with apple mixture; drizzle with honey.

Green Tea-Tangerine Salmon

Hannaford Fresh │ March/April 2011

A speedy, tasty, healthy, and satisfying meal.  Love the vibrant flavor that fresh citrus zests give to dishes.

Green Tea-Tangerine Salmon

2 ½ cups water
2 green tea bags
zest of one tangerine, divided in half
1 T fresh grated ginger
1 ½ t whole peppercorns
2 center-cut salmon portions
1 t sesame oil
5 oz. baby spinach
1 clove garlic, minced
zest of ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large pot, bring water just to a simmer over high heat.  Remove from heat and add tea, ½ of the tangerine zest, ginger, and peppercorns.  Let tea steep for 10 minutes, then remove teabags and discard.

Place salmon in tea broth and bring to a very slight simmer over medium-high heat.  Adjust heat as needed during cooking to maintain only a mild simmer.  Cook for about 8 minutes, or until salmon is opaque and flaky.  If liquid does not cover the fish, turn after 4 minutes.

While salmon cooks, heat sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Place 1 package spinach, garlic, and lemon zest in the skillet, tossing to coat with oil.  Cook until spinach is just wilted, about 2 minutes.

To serve, divide spinach among 2 plates.  Top with salmon and garnish fish with remaining tangerine zest, salt, and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Homemade Butter

This was so easy, and sooooo delicious!  An extra-special treat on our homemade artisan bread, which will be a future blog entry.

Homemade Butter

2 c heavy cream
1/4 t salt

Process cream in a food processor for 7-10 minutes, until the buttermilk has separated from the solid butter.  Place butter in a strainer and let drain for several minutes.  Then knead for several minutes to squeeze out the excess liquid.  Add salt to flavor and store in the refrigerator or in a butter bell.

Coffee Macarons with Chocolate-Hazelnut Filling

Although not a regular coffee drinker, I’m a big fan of coffee ice cream topped with warm chocolate-hazelnut spread.  These delightful macarons embody this much-loved treat.

Coffee Macarons with Chocolate-Hazelnut Filling

Shells:
100g egg whites (aged 24 hours at room temperature)
1 1/2 t dehydrated egg white powder
1 t instant coffee or espresso granules
28g granulated sugar
125g almond meal
225g confectioners’ sugar

Filling:
3/4 c chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
powdered sugar to thicken

Measure all ingredients using a kitchen scale.  Then, process the almond meal, powdered sugar, and coffee granules in a food processor for 1-2 minutes.   Afterwards sift them into a large bowl, discarding the large pieces of almond meal that don’t make it through.

Weigh egg whites and begin beating them on medium speed until foamy.  Slowly sprinkle in the powdered egg white and sugar mixture as you beat.  Then increase the speed to medium high and beat until a firm meringue forms.  Stop when the peaks are firm and glossy, but not stiff.  I usually take the bowl and hold it upside down.  When it gets to the point where all of it stays in the bowl without budging, you are ready! 

Next: the macaronage.  Add the almond mixture in thirds, folding it in gently and scraping the sides of the bowl.  Be wary of over-mixing (and under-mixing!)  Practice makes perfect…

Add your batter to a piping bag with a round tip (Wilton size 12 works great) and pipe rows of macarons.  I use heavy-duty aluminum baking sheets lined with parchment paper for baking the macaron shells.  When piping, do so with the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet.  Aim to keep the shells one to one and a half inches in diameter as they will spread out just a little bit after piping.  If they spread out a lot, it means the batter was likely over-mixed.  It they retain a small peak after about 20 seconds, the batter may have been under-mixed.

Next pick up the pan with both hands, and holding it level, tap it firmly onto the counter several times. This will bring up any air bubbles in the cookies. If necessary, “edit” the macarons by popping the bubbles with a toothpick if they don't break while tapping.

Now—walk away!  Let the shells rest between 30-60 minutes, depending on the humidity.  More humidity = more rest time.  The shells will develop a relatively firm coating.  

While macarons are drying, preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Bake one sheet at a time for 16-18 minutes.  When time is up I like to test one along the edge to see if I can lift it from the parchment without breaking it.  Once this test is passed, remove from oven and let cool for ~10 minutes before carefully peeling away the parchment paper and placing them on cooling racks.

When shells are cool, make the filling by gradually adding a little powdered sugar to the chocolate hazelnut spread until it is the desired consistency.  2-3 T should do it.  Pipe filling onto one of the shells, then top with another shell to make a small “sandwich”.  Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.  Before serving, bring to room temperature (about 15 minutes).  Macarons are best a day or two after they have been made!

New menu plan

I have found that menu planning is a necessity with two working parents and a food budget.  My weekly blog menu plan (which has been on hiatus as of late) has a new home after getting the idea for this cute Wipe Off Weekly Menu Board.  One can of white spray paint and two wonderful Etsy transactions later, and viola!  A functional addition to our itty-bitty kitchen that will never leave Denver wondering what's for dinner.

 

Be still my heart...

Raspberry-Mascarpone French Macarons.  Used a simple and decadent filling from Tartelette, and the shell recipe that I spent many hours tweaking.  Very splendid results.

Finnian even tried one:

But his palate needs refining.  Denver swooped in and salvaged the broken pieces-- absolutely cannot let one of these babies go to waste!  Finnian was much more interested in playing with it :)

Chocolate Macarons with Salted Peanut Butter Filling

These are hubby’s favorite, and one of mine as well.  Too much cocoa powder in the macaron shells can cause their tops to wrinkle.  I’ve found that 12g is a small enough amount to prevent wrinkling, and gives the shells a “cocoa-kissed” flavor—not strong, but definitely there.  The salted peanut butter filling is the star.

Chocolate Macarons with Salted Peanut Butter Filling

Shells:
100g egg whites (aged 24 hours at room temperature)
1 1/2 t dehydrated egg white powder
12 g unsweetened cocoa powder
28g granulated sugar
125g almond meal
225g confectioners’ sugar

Filling:
125 grams creamy peanut butter
70 grams powdered sugar
25 grams softened butter
25 grams milk
5 grams vanilla extract
3 grams fine sea salt

Measure all ingredients using a kitchen scale.  Then, process the almond meal, powdered sugar, and cocoa in a food processor for 1-2 minutes.   Afterwards sift them into a large bowl, discarding the large pieces of almond meal that don’t make it through.

Weigh egg whites and begin beating them on medium speed until foamy.  Slowly sprinkle in the powdered egg white and sugar mixture as you beat.  Then increase the speed to medium high and beat until a firm meringue forms.  Stop when the peaks are firm and glossy, but not stiff.  I usually take the bowl and hold it upside down.  When it gets to the point where all of it stays in the bowl without budging, you are ready! 

Next: the macaronage.  Add the almond mixture in thirds, folding it in gently and scraping the sides of the bowl.  Be wary of over-mixing (and under-mixing!)  Practice makes perfect…

Add your batter to a piping bag with a round tip (Wilton size 12 works great) and pipe rows of macarons.  I use heavy-duty aluminum baking sheets lined with parchment paper for baking the macaron shells.  When piping, do so with the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet.  Aim to keep the shells one to one and a half inches in diameter as they will spread out just a little bit after piping.  If they spread out a lot, it means the batter was likely over-mixed.  It they retain a small peak after about 20 seconds, the batter may have been under-mixed.

Next pick up the pan with both hands, and holding it level, tap it firmly onto the counter several times. This will bring up any air bubbles in the cookies. If necessary, “edit” the macarons by popping the bubbles with a toothpick if they don't break while tapping.

Now—walk away!  Let the shells rest between 30-60 minutes, depending on the humidity.  More humidity = more rest time.  The shells will develop a relatively firm coating.  

While macarons are drying, preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Bake one sheet at a time for 16-18 minutes.  When time is up I like to test one along the edge to see if I can lift it from the parchment without breaking it.  Once this test is passed, remove from oven and let cool for ~10 minutes before carefully peeling away the parchment paper and placing them on cooling racks.

When shells are cool, make the filling: using a paddle attachment on a stand mixer, combine the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until combined. Add the powdered sugar and salt, and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, then slowly add the milk until well-mixed.

Pipe filling onto one of the shells, then top with another shell to make a small “sandwich”.  Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.  Before serving, bring to room temperature (about 15 minutes).  Macarons are best a day or two after they have been made!

Cocoa-kissed

...macarons with salted peanut butter filling. Where have you been all my life?