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The Basics: Vanilla Ice Cream

partysugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:50:37 -0700

There's nothing like fresh-churned homemade ice cream. It's cool, but melts in your mouth, creamy and smooth, and when compared to a grocery store variety, has a richer, cleaner, more pure taste. To make ice cream you need an ice cream maker and a little skill, but most of all, it requires patience. Many recipes are egg-based, and one of the steps involves tempering a ribbon-like egg yolk and sugar mixture with warm milk. If you aren't patient, the eggs will scramble. Patience also comes in handy while you're waiting for the ice cream to freeze! When mastering the basic procedure, start with vanilla ice cream. It's a flavor that can be enjoyed in every season, is loved by all, and pairs with a variety of desserts. Once you know how to make vanilla, it's easy to experiment with more complex flavors - you can stir in strawberry puree, or chunks of chocolate, or small pieces of Oreo cookies. To learn how it's done, keep reading.

Come Party With Me: Independence Day - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:30:39 -0700

While one could easily serve red, white, and blue parfaits at a 4th of July party, I prefer to give guests a more all-American dessert - in the form of a crowd-pleasing cupcake. When I saw these adorably patriotic cupcakes in the current issue of Martha Stewart Living, I knew they would be on the menu at my Independence Day celebration.

The vanilla cake batter is dotted with fresh blueberries before being baked. Each individual cake is iced with fluffy seven-minute frosting and topped with a single plump raspberry. These pretty cakes are a light sweet treat, ideal for Summer entertaining. If you're interested in reading the recipe, do so after the break

Come Party With Me: Father's Day - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:30:46 -0700

While planning a Father's Day menu, the most important thing to do is ask dad what he wants. The day will be more special if you involve him in the process. Since my dad is a fan of no-fuss classic cuisine, I originally thought to serve him homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge sauce for dessert.

Then I came across this recipe for vanilla chocolate popsicles and knew I had to make them! When I was little, my dad and I would often share Klondike bars, so making this variation will recreate the memories. While it's simple, the recipe requires time: get started on Friday at the latest. To look at the technique, read more.

Snowy Peak Pops
From Martha Stewart Kids

Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
9 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup white nonpareils
Styrofoam block or floral foam

Directions

Fill eight 2-ounce pop molds with the ice cream. Insert a wooden pop stick into each. Transfer to freezer, and freeze until hard; overnight is best.
Place a heatproof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, over a pan of simmering water. Add the chocolate, and stir with a rubber spatula until almost melted.
Remove bowl from heat, and continue to stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Continue to stir occasionally until the melted chocolate is cool to the touch but still fluid, about 8 minutes.
Pour nonpareils into a wide bowl. Unmold the pops one at a time, and dip in the room-temperature chocolate once or twice to coat. Let excess chocolate drip off over bowl, then quickly dip the pop in the nonpareils. Press lightly to adhere.
Set pops upright by inserting their sticks into Styrofoam block. Return to freezer to set, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Uncoated pops will keep in their molds for 2 weeks. Once dipped, the pops will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.

Makes 8.

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Taste Test: Sprinkles Vanilla Cupcake Mix

partysugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:50:38 -0700

Last week I got my hands on a container of Sprinkles vanilla cupcake mix ($14). The LA-based bakery boosts a celebrity following and is famous for its rich cupcakes topped with swirled frosting and signature modern dot. Currently, there are six bakeries sprinkled throughout the Western United States, but thanks to Williams-Sonoma, you can experience the sweetness of Sprinkles in the comfort of your kitchen. The mix comes in seven flavors: chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, lemon, pumpkin, chocolate peppermint, and banana. To find out what I thought of the vanilla variation, read more.

First off, the mix is expensive. It only makes 12 cupcakes and that doesn't include the cost of frosting ingredients. The addition of the signature modern dot is fun, but, be warned, when I opened the plastic container the dots shattered on my counter. By themselves, the dots don't taste very good either: they're chalky and bitter with no apparent taste. The recipe is straightforward and easy to follow.

The final cake is extremely dense with a strong vanilla flavor. Essentially, it tastes exactly like what it is - a gourmet cupcake made from a prepackaged mix.

The frosting was my favorite part: it's thick and creamy with a delightful flavor that's not overly sweet or too buttery.

Since I prefer to make baked goods from scratch, Sprinkles boxed mix will not become a staple in my pantry. If you prefer light, fluffy, moist cupcakes, opt for a different flavor or mix altogether. Has anyone else tried Sprinkles boxed cupcake mixes? What did you think of it?

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Do You Cook With Vanilla Beans?

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:00:11 -0800

At the Food Fête party this week after the Fancy Foods Show, a representative from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas handed me a kit sealed with a vanilla bean. She suggested that if I didn't want to cook with it, I could take advantage of its pleasant fragrance.

"Oh, don't worry - I'll cook with it," I reassured her. Although they're rather expensive - pods cost around $5 each - cooking with vanilla pods, in my opinion, imparts a more natural flavor than using vanilla extract. I like to use them in everything from cakes to vanilla-flavored hot chocolate. What about you?

Come Party With Me: Boy's Birthday - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:15:57 -0700

Both kids and moms love lemonade. It's sweet tart taste is pleasing to a child's palette and it's pale yellow color won't stain, making mom happy. For a boy's birthday party on Alcatraz pack two coolers. Take one with you and leave one in the car. Fill the first with fresh lemonade and waters. Pack the second with small cans of soda and waters.

When you return to the car, surprise the boys by offering them a soda! To check out this delicious honey-vanilla lemonade recipe, read more.

Honey-Vanilla Lemonade
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 vanilla bean
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 24 lemons)
Lemon wheels or wedges, for garnish

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, and 2 cups water and place over medium-high heat.
Cut the vanilla bean in 1/2 lengthwise, then, using the back of the knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and add to the saucepan, along with the pod.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Put the lemon juice into a gallon jug or pitcher. Pour the sugar syrup through a strainer into the pitcher and discard the pod. Add water to equal 1 gallon and stir well.
Serve over ice with lemon wheels or wedges.

Makes 1 gallon.

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Happy Hour: Vanilla Rum Colas

partysugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:31:47 -0800

I've been carrying around a ripped-out page of Martha Stewart Living - with a recipe for vanilla rum colas - since the September issue of the magazine came out. I finally got to mixing the drinks this weekend because they were the perfect cocktail to pair with Oscars!

The recipe is a simple classic - basically it's a rum and coke - with a twist. Vanilla extract and orange wedges pump up the flavor, making for a delightful and refreshing cocktail. Want the recipe? Just, read more.

Vanilla Rum Colas
From Martha Stewart

Small ice cubes
3 cups cola
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. dark rum
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 orange wedges or 4 sliced kumquats

For each drink, fill a glass 3/4 full with ice.
Add 1/2 cup cola, 3 tbsp. rum, and 1/8 tsp. vanilla. Squeeze orange or kumquats into drink, and stir.

Serves 6.

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Reader Recipe: Homemade Vanilla Extract

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:59:13 -0700

Great vanilla extract is made from fresh vanilla beans and can be rather expensive. Sometimes the quality isn't what you expect, and sometimes the flavor is too weak, or too strong. However lucky for us, TeamSugar member Twinkle has shared her recipe for homemade vanilla extract. By making your own extract, you can control all the variables and make it just to your liking. And, the best part? It's super easy, all you need is vanilla beans, vodka and a little time.

To check out her recipe and technique, read more

Recipe submitted by TeamSugar member Twinkle

Update

This is my vanilla extract after three months. Although it was already this dark after just two months, I just never got around to taking a picture. :lazy: I've used it several times and it's amazing!

Pure vanilla extract is ridiculously expensive and often times hard to come by in Scandinavia, so I decided to have a go at making my own.

Here's what you need:
6 vanilla pods/beans
500 ml/2 cups vodka

Split the pods like so

Stuff them in the bottle

Put the bottle in a dark cupboard and let sit for a minimum of 8 weeks. It will get darker and the flavor will become stronger the longer you allow it to sit.

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Nostalgic Dessert: Homemade Creamsicles

partysugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:03:35 -0700

When I was little and heard the familiar jingle of the approaching ice cream truck, I could not contain my excitement for the orange and vanilla creamsicle popsicles. These were my mother's favorite and so were naturally mine as well. I recently remembered summer afternoons spent enjoying creamsicles, and a desire to recreate the sweet treat has been growing inside me ever since. So I did some research, and I'm going to give this recipe a whirl tonight. Orange juice concentrate is combined with vanilla ice cream and the mixture is frozen in popsicle molds. So easy, it's crazy! To join me in giving this recipe a try, read more

Homemade Creamsicles
From Mormon Chic

1-6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate, softened (or grape juice, cranberry juice)
1-6 oz. can water
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened, or plain yogurt

Whir in a blender. Pour into molds, insert sticks, and freeze.

Makes seven, 2.5 oz. treats.

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I Scream, You Scream We All Scream For Ice Cream!

partysugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:48:39 -0700

Not only is today National Vanilla Ice Cream Day, but it's the ice cream cone's birthday as well! Charles Menches is credited with inventing the ice cream cone when he began scooping ice cream into pastry cones at the 1904 World's Fair. Nearby ice cream venders caught on and historians believe that there were over 50 ice cream stands serving ice cream in cones by the time the fair ended on December 1st. By the next summer, people all over America were cooling down with ice cream cones. I prefer the thin, crisp standard grocery store sugar cone, so I'll be buying a box and whipping up a batch of vanilla ice cream. Purchase your favorite cones - or - and make vanilla ice cream to celebrate! For a classic recipe with flecks of vanilla bean, read more

Vanilla Ice Cream
From Alton Brown
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2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons peach preserves (not jelly)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine all ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Attach a frying or candy thermometer to inside of pan*.
Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Remove the hull of the vanilla bean, pour mixture into lidded container and refrigerate mixture overnight to mellow flavors and texture.
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine.
Once the volume has increased by 1/2 to 3/4 times, and reached a soft serve consistency, spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes 1 quart.

*Note: If you do not have a thermometer, bring the mixture just barely to a simmer. As soon as you see a bubble hit the surface, remove it from the heat. Do not let it boil.

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