Strawberry Ice Cream

 

 

I love, love, love a good strawberry milkshake made with real strawberry ice cream (give me a strawberry shake over a chocolate or vanilla one any day) and this recipe is perfect for that.  And there is just something so pure and good and innocent about strawberry ice cream.  It has always been one of my most favorite flavors and it is also my Grandpa Johnson's favorite (my mom's dad) and whenever I eat strawberry ice cream I remember that.

 

Strawberry Ice Cream

 

3/4 cup half-and-half

3/4 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons sugar

Stir together the half-and-half, milk, and cream with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat the mixture until it's hot but not simmering or boiling.  In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar vigorously with a whisk until they start to lighten in color, about 2 minutes.

Next, scoop about 1/2 a cup of the hot cream mixture and slowly whisk it into the bowl with the egg yolks, to temper the eggs before adding them to the pan. Repeat with another half cup of the cream mixture, making sure to whisk the whole time.

Pour the tempered yolks into the saucepan with the rest of the cream mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon for about 2 to 4 minutes, cooking it slowly until it's just thick enough to coat the spoon.  our the thick liquid through a fine mesh strainer and into a clean bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours or longer until chilled.

Meanwhile, combine the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth (or you can stop just short of smooth if you want a little texture.) Pour the pureed strawberries into the chilled custard mixture and stir just before freezing the ice cream.

Now pour this mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze it according to its directions.  After churning, transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer to cure for at least 4 hours.  

Razzleberry Pie

Razzleberry Pie

1 recipe basic double-crust pie dough

1-1/3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons cornstarch

5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed                                                

1 tablespoon butter

 

Prepare pie crust.  Meanwhile, in another large bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca, cornstarch and raspberries; let stand for 15 minutes. 

 

On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger ball of dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer dough to pie plate; trim even with edge. Add raspberry filling; dot with butter.  Roll out remaining dough to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Brush with milk or egg wash.  Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

 

Marshmallow Ice Cream Topping

I love a simple ice cream sundae with rocky road ice cream or strawberry ice cream and gooey marshmallow topping dripping down the sides.  This is super easy to make and can also be used as a fruit dip for a parties.

Marshmallow Ice Cream Topping

1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat together gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water for a few seconds then let gelatin bloom. In a saucepan, using a candy thermometer, bring sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining 1/2 cup cold water to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 240 degrees. Remove from heat and pour the syrup over the gelatin mixture. Add vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture becomes thick, white and shiny. Pour into a glass container and cover with a lid. Store in the refrigerator.

Chicken Tikka Masala

 

One of my college roommates, Corey, introduced me to Chicken Tikka Masala at the Bombay House in Provo, Utah when I was a sophomore and I fell in love.  Paul and I lived just a block from the restaurant for the first couple of years of our marriage and we would often go there to share this dish when a recipe failed or when we were craving Indian food.  But after moving away I haven't been able to find any chicken tikka masala I like nearly as well as that served by Bombay House, and I've even tried it in Indian food meccas like Washington, D.C., London, New York and California.  After stumbling on some recipes that purported to be perfect Bombay House copycats (close, but they definitely weren't the same thing), I tweaked, combined, and worked out how to make my own version that - dare I say it? - rivals or even surpasses that of Bombay House.  For me, this is ultimate comfort food - rich, spicy (but not too spicy), and fresh.  And I like to double the batch so I have leftovers for Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza later in the week.

 

* As a note: I leave out the jalapeno altogether and use only 1 1/2 cups of the cream because I don't want my girls to balk at the spiciness. 

 

Chicken Tikka Masala (Bombay House Style)

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon garam masala

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

 

Sauce

 

1 tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, minced (optional)

2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups canned tomato sauce

1 1/2 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

              

Combine all marinade ingredients in a glass container. Add chicken pieces, cover with a tightly sealed lid, and toss to coat. Allow chicken to marinade for 1 hour.
               

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add the jalapeno (if using), coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt and stir to combine. Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.

 

Meanwhile, thread the chicken onto soaked skewers. Discard remaining marinade. Grill the chicken on a hot grill for 5 minutes on each side until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the skewers and keep warm.

 

Transfer the chicken to the simmering sauce and stir in the cream. Allow to simmer another 10 minutes or so until sauce thickens slightly. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the cilantro. Serve with basmati rice and garlic naan.

Adapted from Mattawa Mum and I can't wait to try her Chicken Coconut Kurma!

Apple Cinnamon Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

 

Breakfast is my favorite and yogurt parfaits are one of my favorite, fast go-to breakfast meals.  It feels like eating dessert for breakfast only you don't have to feel guilty about it.  Um, yes please!  Plus, it is fancy and presents well and can be easily customized with whatever you have on hand.  This apple cinnamon variation is one of the best.

 

Apple Cinnamon Fruit & Yogurt Parfait (makes 1 parfait)

 

1 vanilla Yoplait yogurt

1/2 small apple (I like Braeburn, gala, Fuji, jazz, honeycrisp), diced

1/2 Oat & Honey crunchy granola bar, broken into small pieces

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Layer about a teaspoon of diced apple, then about 1/3 of the yogurt, then sprinkle with a little cinnamon, then add granola pieces.  Repeat, two more times and sprinkle with a few apple pieces and a dash of cinnamon to finish.