Tiramisu Ice Cream

I wrote this post before I fell and broke my hip. Since that day, I have not really wanted any ice cream. But before I fell, I was a little obsessed with ice cream. Cool and creamy, perfect on those recent hot days. My obsession led to me deciding to finally purchase David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. There are so many ice creams and sorbets and granitas that I want to try, and not nearly enough weeks in the summer, but of course SP knew what my first choice of ice cream to try would be: Tiramisu.

I love tiramisu. I can't really pick a favorite dessert because there are just so many delicious and drool-worthy desserts out there, but tiramisu would definitely be in the top 10. Maybe Top 5.

I was a little unsure about this recipe. 'Everyone' seemed to rave about this ice cream, but 'everyone' also raved about a Blueberry-Sour Cream ice cream from Dorie Greenspan and when SP and I tried it, we both really disliked it. As in we let more than half melt down the drain disliked it. We also tried a Lemon-Buttermilk ice cream, I'm not remembering the source, and also disliked it. It was another melt down the drain ice cream. There were 1 or 2 other dislikes in our ice cream adventures, and we noticed they all seemed to share this: either no eggs and/or an addition of an ingredient like sour ream, buttermilk, etc.

This Tiramisu Ice Cream does not use eggs. Thus far, cooked custard bases have been my favorite ice creams. And this ice cream uses mascarpone, which to us qualifies as an addition of an extra, creamy-ish ingredient. And, it calls for a lot of booze, more than I thought would allow it to properly freeze. But 'everyone' swore it the best ice cream ever and oh so good and no one else seemed to have any mishaps, so...

Well. Not us. I am pretty sure we won't be making this again. Perhaps because we made just a half batch, perhaps I halved incorrectly (doubtful because we both did the halving math to double check what we were measuring),  but...

We made the base & the chocolate ripple on a Saturday evening, put them in the refrigerator overnight, churned the base Sunday morning and layered it with the ripple in our usual container, and then the ice cream sat in the freezer until Monday evening around 9 pm when we decided it was ice cream time. Which was when we discovered that it wasn't frozen. At all. It was liquid ice cream. And SP hadn't even 'accidentally' left the freezer cracked open (which happened last summer and our mango and lemon sorbets turned into liquid). I was not happy: it seemed my booze fears came true - way too much booze for it to freeze. Grrr.

But the next night, it was frozen, perhaps because we threw it in the back of the freezer in frustration and perhaps that area was a colder area? But once scooped out, it still melted quickly. Too quickly.

And it's a little too boozy, flavor-wise. Yes, tiramisu has booze in it and can taste boozy, but... this was a little too much, especially with the rapid melting.

Given the cost of the mascarpone, even for just a half recipe, plus the other costs and efforts, I think I give this one just a 'meh, probably won't ever make again' review.

Recipe can be found online here:http://365scoops.com/2011/05/19/tiramisu-ice-cream/ or here: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2009/01/tiramisu-ice-cream.html

A Break

It's been 2 weeks since I last blogged, and there's a good reason for the blogging break: I am broken.

I don't say much about my health issues on this blog, other than that I use a wheelchair, but I have some pretty serious health issues.

On the morning of June 1, I decided to switch up my usual Saturday morning routine and transfer into my 'comfy chair' for a morning of catching up on magazines & books. I successfully transferred into my recliner, but needed to get the wheelchair out of the way in order to put up my feet. I couldn't get the brakes off, I leaned too far across as I tried to get them off, and you can guess what happened: the brakes suddenly flew off right as I leaned too far forward, I lost my balance on the edge of comfy chair, the wheelchair went rolling across the hardwood floor, and I rolled/fell out of comfy chair, landing on my hip on the hardwood floors and knowing instantly from the pain that I'd broken my hip (one health issue: very low bone density). About 11 years ago, I fell and broke my right hip, resulting  in a total hip replacement, so I just knew the left one was broken.

Sure enough, a few painful hours later, we knew: a fracture. My surgeon decided to use pins to stabilize the hip and let the fracture heal, which will take 8-12 weeks. Thankfully, he was able to use pins because I already have a metal rod in my left femur from when I broke my femur 9 years ago. That metal rod would be an issue if I had to have total hip replacement - I might need an additional surgery on the femur as well and that would... I can't even fathom.

This stinks. I am in a lot of pain in my left hip, other existing health issues are impacting on my ability to recover from the surgery, we had to cancel our 2 week vacation (which was supposed to begin in 2 days), and I cannot leave the house right now. I feel like I ruined summer.

So I am not doing anything in the kitchen. Blogging is going to be pretty scarce, or maybe just daily rants of how much pain I am in and how much it all stinks and when can I have my next pain pill?

Just wanted to let readers know I'm not quitting. Just taking a break because I am literally broken!

It's Summer Now

So Memorial Day happened. That means it's summer. I don't care what the calendar says, Memorial Day means it's summer. Summer means tomatoes. I love tomatoes. I cannot wait until it's officially tomato season. I cannot wait until our little garden (hopefully) gives us our first homegrown tomatoes. I also love cheese. And puff pastry. Put them all together and you have one of my favorite summer treats: Tomato Tart.

These weren't the ripest, most beautiful, red tomatoes ever, but they tasted just fine, especially after roasting them. I can't wait until our herbs have grown enough for us to use fresh rosemary and thyme on these roasted tomatoes.

Tomatoes roasted with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, & olive oil placed upon a sheet of baked puff pastry and then sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese.

We made this to take to the Memorial Day picnic we attended. It was well received, I think, and just one square was left when we departed. That's a good sign, right?

More details on making tart here: http://blueeley.blogspot.com/2011/08/tomato-tart-pesto-again-but-different.html

Almond Citrus Biscotti

It seems like we've taken a good, long break from cookie baking. Maybe we baked too much last Christmas? I think we made a batch of Orange Chocolate Shortbread Cookies at Easter when the Hot Milk Sponge Cake turned out not so great, and we made Apple Pie Bars instead of Apple Pie, but there definitely has not been much cookie baking happening in our kitchen.

And that's a shame, because when we finally baked this past weekend, the results were phenomenal. Maybe I was just ice creamed out after 3 weeks of Strawberry Ice Cream for dessert (gosh that recipe made a lot of ice cream, and SP wasn't eating much of it, and I was having small amounts, so it lasted way too long). We turned to a cookie we first made in October 2009 but hadn't made since: Almond Citrus Biscotti. Three and a half years since we made these! Far too long.

 We made a couple of changes:

1. We mixed the almonds into the dough instead of sprinkling them on top.
2. We made two large logs instead of 4 smaller logs.
3. We sprinkled raw sugar on top the logs.
4. As usual we used more citrus zest than in the recipe.
5. We baked the logs for 35-40 minutes.

Thee are so good! Even better than I remember. Hard but not too hard - so it's possible to eat them un-dunked but also possible to dunk them in tea and have a delicious moist treat that doesn't disintegrate. Lots of citrus flavor. Next time I might use almond extract instead of vanilla extract to pump up the almond flavor, which wasn't especially noticeable. Or maybe use lemon or orange extract instead of vanilla extract for more citrus flavor.

Recipe here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/almond-citrus-biscotti

Quesadillas

Last week, the weekly shopping day crept up on us. Suddenly, SP was asking me why there were only 2 items on the grocery list. That led to the "what do you want for dinner?" ~ "I don't know what do you want?" conversation.

After many suggestions and rejections and annoyed snipping at each other, a desire to use the new grill and to use the leftover tortillas (from last week's chicken taco nights) resulted in a decision: beef quesadillas with grilled veggies (mushrooms, eggplant, and red pepper) and smoked gouda.

Saturday night SP marinated the flank steak in olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Sunday, he grilled it. He told me he used the stopwatch on his phone to grill it for 90 seconds, shift it a bit and grill for another 90 seconds to get nice crosshatch marks, flipped it, and repeated. A total of 6 minutes. It was still a wee bit pink inside, which is good. Not too rare, not too leathery. He grilled the vegetables and then everything was packaged up since we were actually eating Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce and grilled sausage with arugula salad for Sunday's dinner.

So for two evenings this week, once he got home from work, we took one of my regular tortillas and one of his whole wheat tortillas, filled them with the steak, veggies, and cheese, baked them at 350 until the cheese was melted, and enjoyed. Quick and easy.

Salty, Charred Pizza

This past weekend we finally had enough free time to go see Iron Man 3. I don't read comic books so I don't get quite as excited by all the superhero movies and superhero connections as SP, but I do enjoy action movies. Fights! Blowing stuff up! Mindless & pointless destruction! I much prefer that kind of movie to some dopey, predictable romantic comedy. Puke. Just one of the reasons SP loves me:  I don't do 'chick flicks.' I can't tell you how many times in the past few months I've flipped on the TV and, while waiting for him to join me, gotten sucked into a Jason Bourne movie, or Thor, or Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, or Battleship. Yes, even Battleship. How can you not like a movie with super dumb dialog and a plot line that involves bringing a WWII battleship back to life to defeat the super advanced aliens?!!! 

Anyway, we met a friend for the movie, which was a lot of fun, and then after the movie, we decided to walk across the parking lot to Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. We were seated next to a huge wall of windows. Top to bottom, left to right, all windows. It was a bright day. My eyes are sensitive to brightness and I often wear sunglasses, even in winter. I was facing the wall of windows. There are no blinds. WTF? I'm sorry, but I cannot be the only person bothered by a wall of windows on a bright day. I'm sure you're thinking, well, move and sit with your back to the windows. Easier said than done when you're in a wheelchair. It's much easier for me to sit on the 'outside.' So I put my sunglasses on. Inside. So I wouldn't squint. I looked, and felt, like an idiot. I think people who wear sunglasses inside are idiots. And yet, there I was. Would it be too much to install some blinds? Maybe next time I'll hassle my dining companions and those around us at neighboring tables and sit on the 'inside.' Of course often at restaurants, there's not enough room for a wheelchair, even one as small as mine, to get between tables to the 'inside.'

SP & T both ordered beer. I forget what T got, but SP chose Fat Gary's Brown Ale on tap.

I wanted iced tea, but apparently this is another place that cannot be bothered to brew fresh iced tea, instead offering bottled iced tea. This bugs me. A lot. Just like places that serve soda in a can or bottle, which this places does. I am sure they have some perfectly logical reasons but frankly, I think it's lazy. And a way to get more money out of a consumer (gouge, maybe?), like glasses of wine that cost half as much as the bottle in the liquor store or bottles of wine with a 400% mark up.

Anyway. I drank water.
.

Our server brought us a sample of their wings. I was confused at first because all I saw was a huge mound of sauteed onions. There were 4 wings underneath the onion mound.

SP & T liked the wings. I thought they were OK, but then again, I do not really like wings. Mostly, I think they're too messy and too much work for the payoff. A little spice flavor, a little salt flavor, just your basic wings.

We ordered two pizzas. One was a 12 inch pizza with prosciutto.

The other was the 12 inch Eggplant Marino Pizza - thinly sliced eggplant, tomato sauce, romano, and fresh basil.

I'm a little torn here. It was OK pizza. Pizza is largely a matter of personal preference (thick or thin crust, amount/flavor of tomato sauce, toppings, etc.). This was thin, but not as thin as at Piccolo Forno or Cucina Bella or Picasso Pizza or Il Pizzaiolo. The edges were a little too charred for me. The tomato sauce is sweet. The middle of the eggplant pizza was pretty wet, so it was soggy and droopy and fell apart. My problem is the quality to cost ratio. There is nothing wrong or gross about the pizza, it is definitely decent, but compared to the quality at the aforementioned places and the cost at each place, Anthony's would not be my first choice. It would be my last choice. For two 12 inch pizzas (6 slices each), it cost about $33. The other $10 was for two beers, then tax and tip. We had just 3 pieces leftover.

Another problem - I didn't notice it as I was eating it, but the pizza was some of the saltiest, most dehydrating pizza I've ever eaten. I drank my entire glass of water. Then I drank 3/4 a bottle water on the 2 minute car ride home. Then for the rest of the evening, I kept drinking water, convinced that it would wash the salt out of me. Nope. All the water just made me feel uncomfortably bloated, made me make many trips to the bathroom, and made me wonder how much water I can ingest before I die (remember the story from several years ago about the woman who was in a water drinking contest and died because she drank too much water?).

I was still thirsty the next day.

Back to Anthony's. Our server was very friendly and made suggestions. Anthony's was definitely pushing their wings. Servers brought free samples to each table and then made a return trip to emphasize how good the wings are and now you want to order some, right?

To sum up, it's an OK place to eat after a movie at Robinson Cinemark at Settlers Ridge, especially if you don't feel like driving somewhere else, but if you haven't just seen a movie and you're looking for a tasty pizza dinner, I'd suggest elsewhere.

 

Asparagus-Havarti Quiche

My mom was just in town for a visit. Just mom, not dad, this time. That means we ate foods that dad doesn't really enjoy, like asparagus. We made asparagus tart, roasted asparagus, and this: Asparagus-Havarti Quiche.

My mom and I have made this many times, but I do not think I've ever posted it on the blog. This is the quiche that battles the Spinach & Smoked Gouda Quiche for the honor of our favorite quiche. I think they are equally delicious - the smoked gouda one has that yummy smoked taste, but this one is so creamy and buttery and smooth because the havarti melts nicely into the egg and cream mixture.

I feel a little guilty making and eating this quiche because it uses 1.5 cups of cream. I used whipping cream because that is what was in the refrigerator. On other occasions, we've used heavy cream. One time, we used all whole milk. It just depends on what is in the refrigerator. Of course the cream determines just how rich and creamy this quiche is, but all are fine choices.

We usually need to bake ours for 5-10 minutes longer than the recipe suggests. Even then, it's always a wee bit watery in the bottom once we cut into it. Also, we never manage to get the first couple of slices out without them falling apart a bit!

The recipe is from a newspaper, I suspect it's from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but my copy is a typed & printed recipe with no notes on the source. I know it is from a while ago, probably 2000-2003, because I can remember making it once on my own when I lived in the apartment and as I placed it in the oven to bake, I accidentally tipped it and spilled eggy, cheesy mixture all over the oven door. Ugh! Now I always place the quiche on a baking sheet so that any sloshing lands on the baking sheet and not the oven.

The recipe:
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 9 inch pie shell (sometimes we make it from scratch, other times we use a pre-made, frozen, deep dish shell)
12 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in half (we use more, this time we used 19, and I cut each into about 1 inch pieces)
3 eggs
1 cup cream (whipping or heavy)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 cup Havarti cheese, grated (before I owned a box grater, I cut it into tiny cubes)
1/2 cup milk (we always use whole milk)
1 tsp salt (we usually omit)
dash cayenne pepper

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the butter. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Distribute over the bottom of the pie shell.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook about 3 minutes or until tender & crisp. Drain well. Arrange in a spoke fashion in the bottom of the shell (too much effort - I prefer smaller pieces of asparagus and I just dump them into the shell). Sprinkle in cheese. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing & serving.