Ice Cream aka Summer

In the Henrianna Dictionary the definition of "summer" is "see ice cream."  It's a very well-regarded dictionary.

Ice cream is the guy in a romantic comedy that the girl takes for granted. She dates a bunch of other losers until she realizes that he is the one.  Truly.  I can't tell you how many times I've eaten at a restaurant and ordered the lava cake or that fancy sounding fruity thing only to wish that I'd just waited until I got home to have some dependable ice cream out of my freezer.

Let's give this perfect treat the respect it deserves.  It's easy to make at home; don't be scared.  Don't let anyone tell you that you need a fancy ice cream maker or liquid nitrogen.  Get the $60 one and call it a day.  If you do want to splurge, get yourself a super sweet Tovolo container.  *shout out to my sister and brother-in-law for spoiling me with one of those*

Back to the star of the post: ice cream. What makes good ice cream?  

1. Fat - seriously.  There is a lot of fat in good ice cream.  If you're like me, this doesn't scare you.  If you are like most of my friends, this definitely scares you.  Fat is good for you.  Embrace its goodness.  The fat comes from the cream, whole milk and eggs.  Without the right amount of fat, your ice cream will melt away into nothing and that satisfying texture will not be present.  Too much fat (i.e. using all cream and no milk) and your ice cream will leave an unpleasant film on the roof of your mouth.

2. Sugar - It goes without saying, right?  Not only does the sugar add sweetness, it also acts as anti-freeze so your ice cream stays soft.  

3. Mix-ins - chocolate chunks, caramelized nuts, marshmallows, berries etc.  These nuggets add texture and pops of flavor.  Who doesn't like some good ol' rocky road?

Now, listen to this and look at pictures of ice cream.  

Peanut Butter-Chocolate with Chocolate Chips, sweetened with Maple Syurp

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips and Candied Pecans

Chocolate-Mint 

Espresso Chip Spinning

Espresso Chip with Meringue Rocher

Blueberry Pie Perfection

If there is one dessert my dad -Henry, as in Henrianna- cannot resist, it is blueberry pie.  He usually gravitates toward fruity and pastry-heavy desserts, plus he grows blueberries, so this totally makes sense.

In the summers our family always grows blueberries and we usually have an abundance that we freeze for pies and muffins to come.

Clearly, blueberry pie is a necessity.  Kinda hard to perfect, right?  After many attempts + pastry school I finally feel confident in my berry pie making abilities.  So, I made a blueberry pie and it was eaten for or with every meal until it was gone by my dad.  I think I got it right.

My version includes honey, brown sugar, nutmeg and an all-butter crust.

Where We Go From Here

It's been almost a year since my last post and I think my schedule finally affords me time to give this blogging thing another shot.

I have ideas, aspiration, inspiration and much to share.

Soon, I will add pages with products, pricing, ingredients, information and photo galleries.

Here's a taste of my backlog of photographs and projects.


With many, many thanks to Frances Logan Photography for design and photography wonders.

Sharing Espresso Chip
photo by Frances Logan Photography

Madeleine Piping
photo by Frances Logan Photographyhttp://www.francesloganphotography.com/

Mini Chocolate Cakes
photo by Frances Logan Photography

Signature Chipwich
photo by Frances Logan Photography

Madeleines and Lemon Curd
photo by Frances Logan Photography

August

Blackberry Loaf

Farmer's Market Blackberries

Brownies with Rum Caramel Swirl

Blackberry Mini Muffins

Stuck on You: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really cannot stop revisiting chocolate chip cookies.  They're not my favorite food or anything; I just really want to be able to make a good one.  I think I've finally developed a good recipe.  Let's see if you agree.

Ingredients:
-4 oz unsalted butter, soft
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup dark brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
-1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
-3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
-1/4-1/2 cup oats
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1 cup chocolate chips

Technique
1. In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugars until well blended with a wooden spoon.  Add eggs and vanilla and stir until evenly mixed.
2. Add all dry ingredients to the mixture and stir until just barely mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Preheat oven to 350F and refrigerate batter.
4. Scoop batter and bake for about 10 minutes until cookies are still very soft to the touch.  Let cool.