YumSugar

Summer of Sandwiches: Vanilla Caramel & Saltines

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:01:38 -0700

What I'm about to say is going to sound a little crazy, but you're going to have to just trust me on this one. When I was a little kid, my uncle took me to an ice cream factory that made the most amazing ice cream sandwiches. There was a rich layer of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two crisp saltine-style crackers. That's right, salty thin crackers. Before you knock it, you must absolutely give it a try - the salt/sweet combo works well, and the texture is perfect. I personally think they taste best when they're firm, but they're pretty good when the ice cream is gooping out of the sides too.

In order to indulge in this taste sensation, all you have to do is pick up a high-quality ice cream (I suggest vanilla, strawberry, or some sort of vanilla/caramel) and plain saltine crackers.

Choose a rectangular-packed ice cream (this way you can remove the packaging and cut into perfect squares) if possible - else scoop ice cream, place between saltines and use a knife to cut off the excess sides. Place into freezer until slightly-firm and serve!

Alternatively, if you plan on making a lot of sandwiches, you could spread ice cream onto baking sheet, place into freezer until firm and cut into perfect sized squares. No matter which route you choose, remember to have fun! Oh and trust me on this one, it's a delicious combo!

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Killer App: Spicy Onion and Tomato Dip

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:22 -0700

This weekend, I'll be spending Labor Day at a friend's barbecue bash. She's already got the barbecue and its essential accoutrements entirely covered, so I've been racking my brain to come up with an appropriate contribution. I had no idea what that was going to be - until I had a lightbulb moment for the perfect pièce de résistance.Since I won't be spending the holiday with family, I figure I'll bring a bit of my family to the festivities. As a child, I hardly liked spicy food, but from the first time I watched my mother whip together this slightly cooling, slightly fiery cream dip, I was hooked. It's one part Southern, one part retro, and 10 parts addictive, whether served with Ruffles, saltines, or celery sticks. See the two-second recipe when you keep reading.

Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Salty-Sweet Combo?

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:50:49 -0700

I have a serious weakness for sweet-salty foods. One of my favorite ice cream treats as a kid involved saltine crackers, and the salted caramel ice cream at local sweet shop Bi-Rite Creamery is to die for. The sweet-savory deliciousness extends far beyond desserts to everything from fig pizza to watermelon and feta salad. What's your favorite dish that combines savory and sweet tastes?

How-To: Orchestrate a Last-Minute Thanksgiving Dinner

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:00:17 -0800

Still deliberating over what to serve for Thanksgiving?

While it's true that there's less than 24 hours until the biggest meal of the year, don't let the timing deter you from preparing a fabulous feast that's still outrageously indulgent. Unless you reveal your secret, your guests won't know the difference between this meal and one that you spent days preparing. To get our top suggestions if you've only got a couple of hours to put everything together, read more.

Skip the tedious roasting and carving. Serve this 60-minute turkey platter instead.
Need a hasty vegetable side? Heat up frozen creamed spinach, plated with a garnish. Creamed spinach is such an all-around favorite dish, we promise it'll be a winner.
While the turkey's cooking, make stuffing squares with saltines and vegetables on hand.
Punch up frozen mashed potatoes by stirring in chicken broth, half a cup of Parmesan cheese, and a teaspoon of truffle oil. Nobody will know you didn't make it from scratch!
Store-bought, whole-berry cranberry sauce does double duty as a both a condiment as well as a sweet and tart topping for pound cake.
Pour a cocktail made of ingredients you likely have on hand, such as this cranberry mimosa, which simply calls for cranberry juice, orange juice, and sparkling wine.
Still scrambling to get everything together? Employ your guests to help out in the kitchen.

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Come Party With Me: Wine and Chocolate Tasting - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:13:31 -0800

After sampling a couple of savory chocolate hors d'oeuvres, treat guests to a scrumptious chocolate orange cake.

No wine and chocolate tasting is complete without a salty sweet combination, so fill bowls with chocolate-almond saltine toffee. Supplement these homemade dishes with store bought chocolate truffles.

For the super scrumptious recipes, read more.

Chocolate Orange Cake
From Elizabeth Falkner

Cake:
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, chopped
Filling
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Glaze:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
Large chocolate shards or curls (from 1- to 2-inch-thick 8-ounce piece bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
Additional toasted husked hazelnuts
Candied orange peel strips

For cake: preheat oven to 325°F. Line 13x9x1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper; butter parchment.
Combine first 4 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until chocolate and butter melt. Remove bowl from over water; stir in salt (mixture will be grainy).
Beat eggs and 2 tablespoons sugar in another medium bowl until pale, about 6 minutes; fold into chocolate mixture.
Fold in flour, then hazelnuts. Spread batter evenly on baking sheet.
Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 13 minutes (cake will be thin). Transfer pan to rack. Cool cake completely.
For filling: combine chocolates in medium metal bowl. Bring 1 cup cream to simmer in small saucepan; pour cream over chocolates and let stand 1 minute. Stir until melted and smooth. Chill mixture until firm, about 2 hours.
Place bowl with chilled chocolate mixture over saucepan of barely simmering water until mixture is partially melted (do not stir), about 5 minutes.
Remove bowl from over water; add butter to bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until filling is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes.
Using clean dry beaters, beat 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream in another medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into filling.
Cover 14x5-inch cardboard rectangle with foil.
Invert cake onto work surface; remove parchment. Cut cake lengthwise in half.
Place 1 cake half on foil-covered cardboard. Spread 1/2 cup chocolate filling over. Top with second cake half. Spoon remaining filling into pastry bag fitted with large plain round tip. Pipe filling atop cake in side-by-side lengthwise rows, then smooth top. Chill until filling is firm, about 1 hour.
For glaze: bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat.
Add chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add butter; stir until melted. Let stand until barely lukewarm but still pourable, about 20 minutes.
Place cardboard base with cake on rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Spoon glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to run down sides. Using offset spatula, smooth glaze over sides. Mound chocolate shards or curls over top and sides of cake. Garnish with hazelnuts and candied orange peel. Refrigerate until glaze is set, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

Serves 10-12.

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Chocolate-Almond Saltine Toffee
From Food and Wine magazine

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (6 ounces)
Approximately 60 saltine crackers (not low-sodium)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 350°, spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for about 6 minutes, until golden.
Line a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly buttered parchment paper. Arrange the saltine crackers on the baking sheet in a single layer, patching any holes with cracker bits; slight gaps are okay.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup and cook over low heat until the sugar is melted. Brush the side of the pan with a moistened pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals. Cook the syrup over moderate heat without stirring until it starts to brown around the edge, about 5 minutes.
Insert a candy thermometer into the syrup and simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until honey-colored caramel forms and the temperature reaches 300°, about 6 minutes longer.
Slowly and carefully pour the caramel over the crackers, being sure to cover most of them evenly. Using an offset spatula, spread the caramel to cover any gaps. Let cool for 3 minutes, then sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly on top.
Let stand until the chocolate is melted, about 3 minutes, then spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee.
Spread the almonds evenly over the chocolate. Freeze the toffee until set, about 15 minutes.
Invert the toffee onto a work surface and peel off the mat or paper. Invert again, break into large shards and serve.

Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Make ahead: the chocolate-almond saltine toffee can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

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Our Favorite Ice Cream Sandwiches

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:31:39 -0800

This Summer, PartySugar and I took turns making ice cream sandwiches each week. We made fourteen different variations, but for our Best of 2007 coverage, we decided to pick our top five. Here they are, starting at the top left corner:

And this Heart-Shaped Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich wasn't one of ours, but it was so popular, I had to share it with you all again!

Summer of Sandwiches: Summer's Over

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:01:33 -0700

I can't believe that summer is just about over. Seems like we were just eating ice cream sandwiches yesterday... oh wait, we were! But in all seriousness, the end of the summer also means the end of our summer of sandwiches - after all, we have to make room for new fall features! However, just in case you missed any of them, here's a full recap.

Minty Fresh: Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Ice Cream Cone Cookies
Classic Choco-Vanilla: Chocolate Cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream
The Americone Dream: Americone Dream Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Peachy Keen: Peach Ice Cream with Ginger Cookies
Salty Sweet: Vanilla Caramel Ice Cream with Saltine Crackers

Graham Caramel: Dulce De Leche Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers
Cravers: Crave Treat Cookies with Coffee Ice Cream
Puff Ups: Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream with Puff Pastry
Bisco Inferno: Chocolate Citrus Biscotti with Orange Ice Cream
Minis It's Its: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Bite-sized Oatmeal Cookies

Berry Heaven: Vanilla Berry Ice Cream with Fudgy Brownies
PB Choco: Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Ice Cream
Old School Nilla: Strawberry and Banana Ice Cream with Nilla Wafers
Coo-Coo for Coconut: Coconut Macaroons with Creme Brulee Ice Cream

What's Yummy This Week: YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 08:01:38 -0700

This week PartySugar's provided tips on how to throw an amazing Game Night Housewarming Party - complete with domino brownies.
While she was planning, I indulged in salty things like homemade goldfish crackers and saltines with ice cream.
Meanwhile, in reality tv land, Jag proved to be an untrustworthy guy, Julia performs well on Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef surprises me with their elimination, and Iron Chef is looking for a new Iron Chef.

Japan gets all the great food. This time my mind was blown by Pizza Hut's "Double Roll". Yes, that is a maple leaf on that ad...
Do you drink "Two Buck Chuck"? If so, did you know it just won a big award?
Absolut has announced a new line of limited edition city-inspired blends. First up is New Orleans.
Has food ever looked so wonderfully fashionable?

Do you love ice cream? Why don't you tell us all just how much.
What's for dessert? How about plum sorbet or cherry pie?
Now that the wedding is over. How are you going to organize your kitchen and prepare meals for two?
I don't know about you guys, but I really want to make this Thomas Keller sandwich from the film Spanglish.
We want to know, do you cut all of your food into pieces before eating? Also, do you eat lamb?
Oh and have you heard? We're giving away a KitchenAid Mixer. You have until Monday at 5pm PT to enter.