Floats!

As I sit here in Mexico with no one to exclaim to (boo hoo right?), I have to share the new float madness with you, Dear Reader (so basically me, Quinn or Amanda.  Hi!).  Not new to everyone, but new to me, okay?
Quinn over at Libation Lab got me started with his talk of bourbon coke floats, and then Sara Kate over at The Kitchn rubbed it in my face with her cherry lambic floats, and then the readers went and put salt in the wound with their talk of cherry lambic with chocolate ice cream, or orange liqueur over vanilla ice cream and use of sour cherry compote or what the hell ever; and then, what the?  Even the cat wants it.

I'm not going to post a recipe here, because, hi - it's stuff over ice cream, but I might add tasty flavor combos here if I come up with any on my own after salivating over all of these.

Faux-reos

Sing it with me gang (and I apologize for the awful quality; but hey, it was the 80s):
Who's that kid with the faux-reo cookie; licking up the creamy middle like she did when she was little. . . . . it's hard to hide the kid inside when you're eatin' - a faux-r-e-o!!
Twice now in the last week, I have been faced with homemade oreo-ness; faux-reo if you will (and I will).  I don't know if I ever told you this dirty little secret of mine, but one of my All Time Favorite desserts was the Oreo Madness from TGIFriday's.  Really.  It was two coffee plate sized dark black oreo-esque cookies, with vanilla ice cream in the middle; drizzled with packets of hot fudge and caramel sauce that we'd nuke in the microwave.  Really.  And it was DIVINE.  Once I no longer worked there and didn't have access to them whenever I wanted (and when we had them in stock), I came to love brownies in place of the cookie.  It's still one of my absolute favorite combos.
Well then I was playing on the interwebs, discovering the world of black cocoa, and it's few uses (no really, what else do you use this stuff for?) and there you have it.  My introduction to the faux-reo.
THEN - I was reading Food Network Magazine (no, it's not enough to just watch it on tv every day, I also need to read about it on airplanes, yes - thanks for asking), and they reference this chocolate cookie ice cream sandwich with butter pecan ice cream and caramel and YES PLEASE.  And now I'm obsessing.  Which is maybe where the name for the replacement dessert at TGIF came from - Brownie Obsession.  Hmmm.

Thanks Kyle Minor!  I have GOT to get that King Arthur cookbook!  And I am TOTALLY making these with mint this Christmas. 

FAUX-REOS

If they gave Pulitzer Prizes for cookbooks, The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion would likely be among their oldest laureates. The basics are there, of course -- wheat bread, cream scones, shortbread, croissants, the perfect yellow cake -- but like a hymnal that ventures into the gems of modern church music, this book has charming and innovative variations and unique concoctions that make a baker sit up and take notice.

Black cocoa powder being as it is a hyper-Dutched version of standard cocoa powder usually far to powerful to use on it's own, needing to be added in small amounts to supplement regular Dutch-process cocoa to give it that je ne sais quoi that every baker wants to wow his audience with.  Here, though, it is the only "chocolate" used in the whole recipe, and stands on it's own only because it's relative bitterness is offset by the sweetness of the cookie and filling -- and probably to a large extent because it's the unmistakable taste of Oreos™ that so many of us know and love.

Remember to watch the time when baking these dark chocolate cookies... you won't be able to eyeball them to figure out when they're done since they start out almost black to begin with!  Get them to uniform thickness, watch your timer, and always know how accurate your oven temperature is.

Use a cookie scoop to help keep the cookies uniform in size; matching up two halves to make a whole sandwich cookie is SO much easier when you've taken that extra step ahead of time. If you want your filling to be stiffer and more like actual Oreo™ filling, you can also try adding 1 tsp + ¼ heaping tsp unflavored gelatin to 2 Tbsp of cold water and letting it sit for a few minutes, mixing the resulting slurry into the filling. I liked the addition of a Tbsp of salted butter for the richer flavor that both the butterfat and the salt brought to the table. If you want the mint version, crush up a few candy canes or peppermint candies to taste, or simply add a teaspoon or less of peppermint extract -- and maybe leave out the vanilla extract.

This recipe makes about 25 sandwich cookies that keep for 3-5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

For the cookies:

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp espresso powder (optional, mainly for use with Dutched cocoa)
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup black cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa

For the filling:

• 2 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 Tbsp salted butter (or unsalted with a dash of salt added), room temperature to slightly cool, but still mixable
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cold water*

*If you're adding the crushed peppermint candy, increase water to 2 Tbsp

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, or more if you have them.

To make the cookies: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, salt, and espresso powder. That's right; there's no leavening in this recipe, so don't worry that something's been left out.

Beat in the egg, water, and vanilla, then the flour and cocoa. The dough will be very stiff.

Roll or scoop the dough into balls about the size of a chestnut (about 2 level teaspoons). A teaspoon-sized cookie scoop is IDEAL for this job. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1½" to 2" between them.

Use the flat bottom of a glass, dipped in cocoa as necessary to prevent sticking, to flatten the cookies to about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. Take a ruler and measure the cookies' thickness; you want to get pretty close to this measurement.

Bake the cookies (in batches if need be) for 18 to 20 minutes. It's important to bake them just the right amount of time; too little, and they won't be crisp; too much, and they'll scorch. Watch them closely at the end of the baking time, and if you start to smell scorching chocolate before the time is up, take them out. When they're done, remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool completely, on a rack or on the pan.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling: Beat together the sugar, shortening, butter and vanilla. It'll seem very dry at first, but will eventually begin to clump together.

Add the water a little at a time, beating till smooth and spreadable. The filing should be stiff, but not so stiff that you can't flatten it when you sandwich it between the cookies. Adding a little extra confectioners sugar can help stiffen up a too-loose dough.

Place one Tbsp filling in the center of one cookie; again, a teaspoon cookie scoop, slightly heaped, is perfect for this task. Place another cookie atop the filling, and squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Now, take Kyle's faux-reo wafers (sans filling), and add the Food Network ice cream cookie plan and you're in business!  The business of delicious.

And if you're feeling gifty, here is the book I want.  Or you can pick it up for yourself if you'd prefer.

Sauternes syrup

Why am I fixating on ice cream? I blame Quinn's article on using wine in cocktails for getting the wine syrup idea in my head, and then brainstorming cocktail ideas with him just now for keeping it going.
Thinking about a delicious sauternes syrup and how it would go lovely with a lightly flavored or maybe even vanilla ice cream with delicious dried fruit pieces. I'm really into these subtle, lightly sweet flavors right now, which is not wintery of me at all. Guess I just can't wait for a nice spicy meal on a warm summer night. Now I'll have to go somewhere where it's warm during the summer.

Sauternes syrup by the way, is just the wine and some additional sugar cooked down just like simple syrup. Maybe one part wine to 1/4 or 1/2 part sugar, versus the traditional 1:1 since there is already a pretty high sugar content in the wine. This would be awesome with pears too.
Mmmmm, like this recipe. Nom.

PB& J!!

Hell YES peanut butter and jelly pancakes! I had a pb&j souffle dessert in New York that was awesome so I am all over these pancakes. Trying to figure out how I can SB them up. . . I'm thinking SB baking mix like Carbquik; and sugar free jelly/jam oughta do it.

Looks like a couple of our FN faves are into it.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/pb-and-j-pancakes/25066.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/peanut-butter-and-jelly-pancakes-recipe/index.html

Here's Sandra's:

PB&J Pancakes!
1 cup grape jelly
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups baking mix
2 eggs
Canola cooking spray

For Syrup:

To make the syrup, heat the grape jelly in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. When the jelly has become liquid, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer until a syrup consistency is reached, about 5 to 10 minutes.

For Pancakes:

In a small saucepan warm the milk over low heat. Whisk in the peanut butter and combine until completely smooth, then remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl add the baking mix. Stir in the eggs and milk mixture and combine until just incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Put a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray it with cooking spray. Put 1/4 cup of pancake batter in the center of the skillet and cook until golden brown. About 1 to 2 minutes per side. When bubbles in the center of the pancake have deflated, flip over and cook the other side. Store on a sheet tray in the preheated oven to keep warm while making the rest of the pancakes.

Transfer the pancakes to a large serving platter and serve with warm grape syrup.

I still want to try a PB&J ice cream, but I bet I can do a SB pop for that too. . .

Take one generic vanilla recipe, doctor up with natural, no sugar added PB and sugar free jelly. Easy peasy. Patrick had a great suggestion for turning our fave peanut butter cup SB dessert into pops. I'm sure I can just add a swirl of jelly to that and be in business. I don't have an ice cream maker, so hopefully I can take a page from this previous ice cream entry and go from there.

Hot Fudge Sauce

While at the Fairmont in Scottsdale this week, I had some chocolate sauce on vanilla ice cream. I twas whiskey or scotch or something, but the important part is that it was HEAVEN.
This might be a great thing to make up as a gift. I found a recipe on kitchenplay's blog that looks like a good starting point. It is Nancy Silverton's recipe from The Wednesday Chef.

Hot Fudge Sauce
Makes 2 cups
7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tablespoon instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

1. Melt chocolate pieces in large stainless steel mixing bowl (or top of double boiler) over saucepan of gently simmering water. Be sure water does not touch bottom of mixing bowl to prevent chocolate from burning. Turn off heat and keep warm over warm water until ready to use.

2. Bring sugar, corn syrup, water, cocoa powder and instant coffee to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to dissolve cocoa powder and sugar and to prevent burning on bottom of pan.

3. Whisk in melted chocolate. Boil hot fudge for few minutes to reduce to consistency you desire. It should be quite viscous and surface should have glossy shine. Cool slightly and beat in Cognac or brandy.

The steps for sterilizing glass jars can be found here.

ICE CREAM!!

Yowza - I wonder if this recipe works as well for other flavors? Because if so, omg, get ready for ice cream people because South Beach doesn't really allow for it, but I think I'd have a blast making it which means I won't really be able to eat it and will need to give it away. I can make vanilla, and strawberry (and then Neapolitan!) and peppermint and banana and banana/caramel/chocolate and salted caramel and lavender and EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER WANTED. Even if it's just the chocolate, think about the swirls I could add of marshmallow fluff or chocolate chips or fudge or nuts or minty things or raspberries. . . .
I still really want to try a rose water and pistachio ice cream to be enjoyed after a nice Moroccan feast - does that sound weird? Well I'm not the only one, okay? I mean, I must have tried those flavors together somewhere. Turkish Delight maybe?
Hello summer!!

Easy Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart

If you plan to store the ice cream for more than a few days, place plastic wrap directly on its surface before freezing.

1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
1 tablespoon hot water
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, cold

1. MELT CHOCOLATE BASE Combine coffee (or espresso) powder and hot water in small bowl. Let stand until coffee dissolves, about 5 minutes. Microwave chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and coffee mixture in bowl, stirring every 10 seconds, until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute. Stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool.

2. MIX AND FREEZE With electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream to soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Whisk one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Fold remaining whipped cream into chocolate mixture until incorporated. Freeze in airtight container until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 2 weeks. Serve.
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And look, we can even pair wine with our ice cream! Hell to the yeah!
Feel like you want to show me up with WINE ICE CREAM? Well, it's too late for that because I already know.
Thanks The Kitchn! Their blog on this (linked above) is very helpful in Americanizing the dastardly British original.

Almost Instant Sweet Wine Ice Cream
150ml sweet white wine , such as Orange Muscat and Flora
3 rounded tbsp caster sugar
284ml carton double cream
summer fruits to serve, such as blackberries , raspberries and redcurrants

1. Tip the wine and sugar into a bowl and whisk together. Gradually whisk in the cream until it starts to thicken and just hold its shape.
2. Pour into a rigid container and freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours. Serve in scoops with seasonal summer fruits splashed with a little more sweet wine.

461 kcalories (!!!!), protein 1g, carbohydrate 23g, fat 38 g (!!!!), saturated fat 21g (!!!!!), fibre 0g, salt 0.05 g

Zucchini Bread French Toast

Take your zucchini bread and slice it thinly - 1/4" or so.
Mix up a standard french toast batter - for 12 thin slices of zuke bread, I used 3 eggs, 1/4 c ff half and half and a tsp of vanilla. You can add cinnamon as well if you like.
Quickly dunk the slices of zuke bread into the batter, coating both sides, and cook over med-hi in your "attempt at healthy" butter flavored spray/Pam, or butter if all pretenses of health are out the window.
Keep warm in the oven until all slices are cooked.

Serve with your preference - maple syrup, vanilla cream, or what we used - Mitchell's Black Walnut ice cream. Yum.

Vanilla

Vanilla may mean boring, but nothing beats a really good scoop of vanilla ice cream sometimes. Especially if it's on top of a warm brownie, covered in hot fudge and caramel. Take whatever innuendo you'd like there.
Those geeks over at America's Test Kitchen have just turned my little vanilla world upside down with another one of their tastings. The brand that I've always sort of treated as my go to - it's got natural ingredients! There are vanilla specks! It must be the best! - was eliminated in the preliminaries! Sorry Breyer's.
Seems that I'm going to have to hunt down some Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean or Edy's Dreamery ice cream. These brands have never been on my radar before, so hopefully I can actually find them (and remember what they're called the two times a year I actually pick up ice cream).
And now I TOTALLY want one of those apple cinnamon caramel crisps where the ice cream melts and then there is this delicious soupy stuff with bits of chewy apple and crunchy granola topping. . . . mmmm.