Blackberry Coconut Ice Cream (dairy free) & Cookbook Winner

So my blogging has been getting side tracked as I write this by trip searching. Although this has been a mild winter,  there is always still a craving for more sun, warmth and a getaway.  There are several ideas in our travel list this year,  some where with a beach , NYC (so I can go see Jimmy Fallon) and then potential a TBD location, which may end up just being the cottage.  So I am here.. I start typing and then go back to searching hot spots and then back to blogging and then back to trip advisor.  I think I need to start making a spreadsheet.  That's the true accountant in me. Sometimes I am not sure if trip advisor is helpful or not.  You can read thousands of reviews and still not know what to do and what resort to pick.   uughh.  I am so confused.  Maybe I will just make my list and let the hubby do the final decision.   I like that idea!

Just because I am not on the beach doesn't mean I can't enjoy some ice cream.  It has been a while since I made some and store bought just wasn't doing it for me. I have been craving something new.

Blackberry Coconut Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tbsp glucose
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp Xylitol (you can use granulated sugar)
• 2 cups blackberries
• 1/4 cup honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Place blackberries on stone wear or silpat on baking sheet. Drizzle honey over blackberries. Bake for 15 minutes and let cool.
2) Combine coconut milk, glucose, vanilla and 1 tbsp Xylitol in a medium sauce pan. On medium heat,  bring to a boil
3) In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch and 2 tbsp Xylitol
4) While whisking,  slowly pour in approximately 1/2 cup of the liquid, then add approximately 1 more cup to continuing to temper the eggs. Continue to whisk to prevent curdling
5) Add the milk/egg mixture into the saucepan with remaining milk and return to medium heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens, do not let mixture boil.
6) Run thickened mixture through a strainer into a medium bowl, cover the liquid directly with saran wrap. Place this bowl into a bowl filled with ice water and place in the fridge to cool completely.
7) Once the mixture is cool, run through your ice cream machine following machine instructions. My kitchen aid was approximately 25 minutes. Add half the blackberries in the last 5 minutes.
8) Fold in the remaining blackberries by hand, then place the mixture in a freezer proof container.

I don't think I have ever made home made ice cream I didn't like and this was no exception.   I did try and keep this one healthier by keep the sugar low so you may not find it sweet enough but I was okay with it.  It does become quite hard so I found I had to let it sit a bit before eating it, so I recommend eating it within the first two days.   Day 1 after just a few hours of freezing is the best.

Back to trip searching....

MEG's RATING : D-EEEE-LICIOUS!

Pin It

Lynn Crawford Cookbook Winner

Thanks for all the great comments, using random generator the winner is....

Natalie from Once Upon a Cutting Board.  

Peach and Berry Tart

 The month of pies/tarts continues.... We were off to the cottage for the August long weekend and in a fantastic coincidence it is also peach season.  I browsed through my Martha Stewart Pies/Tarts book and wouldn't you know it, there are two recipes calling for peaches.  One was mini peach tarts using puff pastry, the other was a peach and berry tart with a flour cornmeal crust.   I choose the later, a flour cornmeal crust, how intriguing!  Both the filling and crust looked quite simple to put together and that is always a big plus when life makes you short on time and when the weather makes you not want to bake.   Here is pie #2 for the month











INGREDIENTS:

Crust

• 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (preferred stone ground but that is not what I used)
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in to small cubes
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Filling

• 3-4 small/medium sized peaches, sliced into wedges
• 3/4 cup assorted fresh berries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Make the crust: Preheat oven to 400F.  Add all crust ingredients into a food processor and pulse until dough just begins to come together.

 2) Press the dough into the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan and up the sides.  Bake until golden and slightly puffy, about 15 minutes.   Remove from the oven and press the center of the crust gently with an offset spatula. 

3) Make the filling : While the crust is baking combine the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and toss together.

4) When the crust is complete, reduce the oven to 375F.   Arrange the fruit on top of the crust.  Bake until peaches are tender and lightly golden, about 30 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

This crust was so interesting.  I can understand why the recipe preferred stone ground cornmeal but I rather enjoyed the texture it had with the slightly coarser cornmeal.  The cornmeal also gave a nice flavour

I actually accidentily overbaked this, recovered the berries with some new ones and this still turned out pretty great.  It was a easy as it looked and the crust was easy to handle.  

MEG's RATING: D-EEEE-LICIOUS!

Three Berry and Rhubarb Crumble Bars. A Summer MUST!!

What to do with the remaining rhubarb sitting in my freezer?  I wanted to use it to go along with the brownies and cupcakes I made for the bridal shower. My friend, Kelly who was wonderful enough to give me the Rhubarb was hosting the shower, so I thought it would be great to bring a dessert that showcased some of the fresh fruit growing right in her backyard.

Mixed Fruit Crumble Bars

INGREDIENTS:

Fruit Filling

• 4 cups fresh berries or rhubarb (fresh or frozen), cut into small 1/2 inch pieces.
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Combine fruit and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender about 12-15 minutes.

2)  Combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Continue boiling until thickened about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside, it will continue to thicken as it sits and cools.

3) Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large or mixer bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Scrape down if needed so that all mixture is crumbly.

4) Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 10-inch square baking pan lined with foil.  Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

5)  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.   Let cool completely before removing so that fruit is set.  Cut into squares. 

I sadly have no "hero" shot for theses.   Most of them went to the bridal shower and the remaining went into to work and I simply forgot. It is a shame to because the word needs to be spread on how fantastic these bars are.   I am not sure if it was my choice of berries ( I used one cup of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and rhubarb)  that gave a sweet and tart flavour or maybe it was the crunchy crumble base but I love loved these!  Yes, it deserved two loves.

I was almost tempted to make them again just so I could take a proper photo, or really because I wanted to eat another batch.   I, however did not.    Spread the word on these bars people, they are summer berry crunchy heaven.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!

I finally caved and made the cheesecakes

It's is nice to get back into blogging after my vacation hiatus.  I am also trying to catch up all the wonderful things I missed out there in the blogging world.  I had to go back and make a lot of bookmarks.
Remember when I made the No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake a few weeks back to ward off my friend Jeff and his constant harassment for the mini cheesecakes.  Well,  It didn't work.  He still kept asking and asking and asking.   Since I happen to be such a nice person I didn't want to disappoint him.  I baked them for his birthday last year so I decided I would the same this year.  I am a rather big cheesecake fan myself.  If done well cheesecake is creamy,  silky and smooth with so many possible variations.   I decided to do a blackberry cheesecake and a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake.  Both equally tempting and delicious.   To throw him off that morning, we hid the cheesecakes until we all cornered him at his desk and sang Happy Birthday.  A little embarrassment is what you get after months of pestering.    Do you think that will keep him quite for 12 months. Probably not.  :-)

Mini Cheesecakes

INGREDIENTS:

Blackberry Base:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Oreo Base

• 1 1/2 cups Oreo crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Filling:

• 20 oz (2 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Extras:

• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 3/4 cup blackberries
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 6 mini peanut butter cups

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. 

2) Combine the graham crackers, sugar and butter in a bowl with a spatula.  Moistening all the crumbs.  Press 1/4 cup of the mixture into a mini cheesecake pan.   Repeat with the Oreo crumbs in another pan.  You should have 6 of each. 

3) Bake for 10 minutes and let cool. 

4) Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in a small boil over a double boiler.  Set aside to cool. Combine the blackberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat until berries are broken down and thickened. 

5) Put the softened cream cheese into a food processor and run until smooth. 

6) Add sugar, vanilla and eggs, process until creamy, add sour cream and run once more to combine.

7) Separate the mixture into two equal portions.   Add the peanut butter chocolate mixture to one half and half the blackberry mixture to the other portion.   Split the mixture equally between the 12 cups, with the blackberry mixture on the graham crackers and the peanut butter chocolate on the Oreo crumbs.   I added a mini peanut butter cup to the Oreo crust before adding the filling.

8) Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the cheesecakes in the oven and reduce to 300F

9) Bake for 20-22 minutes.  The middle of the cheesecakes will be just set.

These are a great dessert for individuals,  allowing people to have some options.   I increased the recipe slightly for the filling from what I actually used as I found it wasn't quite enough filling.  If you want these even taller, increase to a full 21oz of cream cheese, use 3 eggs and increase sugar to 3/4 cup.

MEG's RATING: D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!

Chocolate peanut butter cheesecakes

Blackberry cheesecakes