Ice Cream Sundaes The Perfect Apres-Burger Dessert

Strawberry Shortcake and Caramel Affogato!

I love ice cream sundaes and I love how dipping into even the most sophisticated sundae - and I think the Caramel Affogato is plenty sophisticated - makes you feel like a kid.

The three sundaes are each fun in their own way. The Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae's got little cubes of pound cake, fresh berries, strawberry ice cream, hot fudge sauce and, of course, whipped cream. The Banana Split's got bananas (how could it not?), both chocolate and vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, chopped chocolate and an optional cherry on top. And the Caramel Affogato, which I like so much, has the classic ingredients: espresso and ice cream (although I used coffee instead of the usual vanilla ice cream), but it's also got whipped cream and warm caramel sauce, which is so perfect in the sundae that it ought to be written into the affogato rule-book.

You can make all of these sundaes with ingredients straight from the supermarket, but I don't have to tell you how much better they'll be -- and how much more fun you'll have -- if you start from scratch and make your own hot fudge and caramel sauces and your own ice creams.

(You can find recipes for both sauces in Baking From My Home to Yours or you can use the Chocolate Sauce recipe I posted to go with the Simplest Loaf Cake. The chocolate sauce is thinner than the hot fudge and won't firm much when it hits the ice cream, but it's very tasty.)

To get you started on the road to homemade sundaes, here's my recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream.

VANILLA ICE CREAM
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

A word on vanilla: This ice cream can be made using a fresh, plump, pliable vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract. If you use a bean, you should split and scrape it and then allow it to infuse the hot milk and cream with its flavor - give yourself an extra 30 minutes for this.

A word on quantity: If you'd like to make a pint rather than a quart of ice cream, use the following proportions: 1 cup milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 3 large egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

Makes about 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 plump, moist vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Bring the milk and cream to the boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. If you are using a vanilla bean, toss the bean, pulp and pod, into the pan, cover and set aside for 30 minutes. At the end of this infusion period, bring the milk and cream back to the boil. If you are using vanilla extract, you'll add it later.

Working in a mixing bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until they are very well blended and just slightly thickened. Whisking all the while, drizzle in about one-third of the hot liquid. Once the eggs are acclimatized to the heat, you can, still whisking, beat in the remaining liquid a little more quickly.

Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stop, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon; if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reach at least 170 degrees F (but not more than 180 degrees F), as measured on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and pour the custard into a clean heatproof mixing bowl. If you are using vanilla extract, now is the time to add it, stirring to blend.

Allow the custard to chill before churning it into ice cream.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze it for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Serving: If the ice cream is very firm, allow it to sit on the counter for a few minutes before scooping.

Chocolate cherry amaretto ice cream cake

Oh. My. God. This is one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten!

Let’s rewind. After having tons of fun with Heathy’s Moon Pie challenge, I was totally jazzed to enter her latest raw dessert contest: the Ultimate Raw Ice Cream Cake challenge. I knew pretty much from the start that I wanted to combined the delicious flavours of cherries and amaretto, and to round it off, I decided to throw in some chocolate. I’ve always been a big fan of amaretto liquer (although I rarely drink alcohol anymore), and I’ve been having tons of fun with a bottle of almond extract I picked up a few weeks ago. It really does a great job of imparting the delicious flavour of amaretto to certain foods. I’ve been adding a few drops of it to vegan yogurt recently, along with frozen cherries, so I knew the flavour combination would work well in my ice cream cake. Here’s the breakdown of my take on a raw ice cream cake:

Crust: almond dark cacao (almonds, cacao, coconut oil, maple sugar)

Layer 1: chocolate ice cream (Heathy’s recipe)

Layer 2: amaretti cookie crumble (almonds, shredded coconut, coconut oil, maple sugar, almond extract)

Layer 3: cherry amaretto ice cream (Heathy’s recipe, + almond extract, cherries)

Swirl: chocolate ice cream and cherry amaretto ice cream (with cherry juice for the pink colour)

Toppings: coconut whipped cream (Heathy’s recipe + some fresh young coconut), dried cherries, amaretti cookie

And that’s all, folks! The only challenge I ran into while constructing this beauty was an absent icing set. At one point I did own an icing bag complete with all kinds of deocrative tips for making fun icing patterns, but I can’t find it anywhere! Maybe it was lost when we moved last summer? At any rate, I improvised by cutting a hole in the corner of a ziploc bag, poking the tip of an old agave squirt bottle in the corner, and using that contraption to ice the top. It wasn’t ideal, but hey, it worked in a pinch!

I used frozen sour cherries (although I still found them pretty sweet), and the slight tartness perfectly counterbalanced the sweetness of the remaining components of the ice cream cake. It was a total joy every time I bit into one of the juice cherry chunks. As far as the individual components go, I think my favourite part to eat on its own was probably the amaretti cookie crumble. I had to stop myself from devouring it so I would have enough left for the cake.

My boy and I each had a slice last night (it may or may have not been my entire dinner!) and we’re still swooning. It also totally gave me a sugar high… I’ve been eating ultra clean lately so even sugar in raw desserts get to me super easily these days. Thankfully, it wasn’t difficult to enlist the help of a small army of friends, who are eager to assist in polishing off the rest of this delicious creation. In the meantime, here’s some raw food porn for your enjoyment If you want even more pics, check out some of the other entries floating around the blogosphere, like Kelli’s rawspberies and cream & chocolate strawberries & banana cakes, Norka’s lilac and poppy seed cake, Gillian’s Gimme S’More cake, an amazing orange blossom cake, several creations by Nelly, and Bitt’s cookies ‘n’ cream cake.

Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie with Strawberries

I love cheesecake. I love it so much I even made it my wedding cake. Basically I’m addicted to the extreme creamy cheesiness combined with just a hint of lemon all served on the simple, yet wonderful graham cracker crust. I’m also addicted to my ice cream maker. Coming up with new ice cream dishes throughout the long steamy summer helps keep me sane when the temperatures down here in Nashville edge higher and higher. So deciding to come up with a version of cheesecake ice cream is not exactly out of character for me. And given my love of cheesecake, the fact that I decided to freeze the concoction into a graham cracker crust and serve it with strawberries – well, that’s just the logical next step.

The ice cream was fairly easy. Just start with a softened block of cream cheese and whip it with the whisk attachment of your mixer. Once it’s soft and creamy you can add the sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and then – slowly – the half and half. After a run through the ice cream maker, the base’s consistency will be almost soft serve-like. Perfect for putting into a pie plate. Or if you have low willpower, gobbling it up right from the ice cream maker.

Graham Cracker Crust

The graham cracker crust is possibly the simplest crust you can make – crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter are all you need. I added a tiny bit of nutmeg – but that’s because I’m also addicted to nutmeg (there must be a 12 step program for spice addicts somewhere). After a quick trip to the oven and a thorough cooling, the crust will be ready (and willing) to be filled. After a few hours in the freezer, the whole pie was ready to be cut and served. The whole thing makes for an easy summer treat – especially nice when I don’t feel like cooking a cheesecake for an hour and heating up my home. A nice ice cream pie takes care of my craving and keeps me cool. Perfect.

Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients

For the Ice Cream:

8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)

juice of 1 lemon

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c white sugar

2 cups half and half

For the crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

nutmeg (optional)

To make the crust – combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and nutmeg (if wanted) and press mixture into a pie plate. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

To make the ice cream – using the whisk attachment of an electric mixture whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar, slowly, until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and lemon juice. Slowly add in the half and half until the mixture is smooth. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Freeze the base in an ice cream maker until the mixture reaches a soft serve consistency. Spoon ice cream into cooled graham cracker crust and smooth out the top. Cover in plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.

To serve, remove from freezer – if pie is too hard let sit for 10 minutes. Top with the fruit of your choice.

Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

As much as I love eating ice cream, the thought of making my own had never really occurred to me. I don’t have an ice cream maker and there’s no shortage of shops in the city, so why bother? But now that I have a food blog—and readers—I’m constantly looking for ways to expand my culinary horizons. Plus, I’ve noticed a lot of other bloggers making their own frozen treats, and when one of my favorites, Brown Eyed Baker, posted a recipe for mint chocolate chip, followed by another post on how to make it without any special equipment, I was sold on the project.

And, oh my, I am so glad I took on the task. The ice cream is rich and smooth and tastes as fresh as if I made it myself. Which I did! Truth be told, the first batch was not my best work. The flavor was there, but the texture was way too icy. I was on the phone with Christie the other day trying to figure out where I went wrong when I happened to mention that the custard mixture needed to be cooled with an ice bath—which I took to mean that I needed to pour a bunch of ice cubes into the custard to cool it down. That’s when Christie explained to me that an ice bath means that you place the entire bowl in another larger bowl filled with ice and water. Um, duh. How did this escape me, people? (Christie called it an “Amelia Bedelia” moment.) Which just goes to show you that no matter how much you cook, there is always something—often a no-brainer—that can trip you up in the kitchen. Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to make a second batch of the sweet stuff. This time, the custard chilled to the proper consistency and froze beautifully. I used David Leibovitz’s method to freeze and whip the custard into cream using a hand mixer and the result is below:

Mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor, but pistachio is Johnny’s, so he’s requested that as my next attempt. I’ll post more pictures when I try it. In the meantime, if you have the time, I highly recommend trying this recipe. I think I will invest in the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker attachment once I actually have the space to take my mixer out if its box and use it. While the hand method worked well, it takes a lot more time for the ice cream to be whipped between freezings. I’ve posted Brown Eyed Baker’s recipe below. Instead of chocolate chips, I chopped up a dark chocolate bar and stirred that into the mix. I also let the custard mixture chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream, divided
1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons mint extract
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
½ cup chocolate chips

1. Warm 1 cup of the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar and pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.

2. Pour the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (if using a thermometer, it should be right around 170 degrees F). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Add the vanilla and mint extracts and the food coloring (if using), and stir until cool over an ice bath.

4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (preferably overnight). Churn according to your ice cream maker’s directions, adding the chocolate chips during the last 5 minutes of churning.

Dulce de Leche Gelato-Helado de Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche Gelato-Helado de Dulce de Leche

(Does gelato like this really even need an introduction?)

Perhaps you've heard that Argentinians speak Spanish with an Italian accent-that's true, and they're also loud and passionate (even when discussing something unimportant), and gesture a lot. But Argentineans also eat with an Italian accent!

In Argentina, helado (ice cream) is more like Italy's gelato-softer and creamier than American ice cream, and with typical flavors like chocolate hazelnut, dulce de leche, and sambayon (which is the Spanish spelling of zabaione) custard-flavored gelato typically served with fruit. Some of the more uncommon flavors include malbec (made from the wine), watermelon, or coconut. Truly, it's almost divine.

I had the luck of finding what I personally believe might just be the best helado in Argentina on our last trip. (Of course, I haven't had the chance to do a formal evaluation, touring all the heladerias in Argentina...yet.)

I felt like Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Eat, Pray, Love in which she samples the gelato of one particular shop several times in one day just to make sure it's as good as she thinks it is. I'm here to say: it is-I know because I did the same thing!

Like the Italians in Gilbert's book, Argentinians are "...masters at the beauty of doing nothing" (And that's a compliment, by the way. As she goes on to say, Americans are list-makers, multitaskers, work too hard and burn ourselves out-we have a hard time slowing down, relaxing (and giving ourselves permission to relax!) In Argentina, relaxing is part of life. They work hard, but also enjoy taking their kids out for ice cream on a Friday night, sitting there and chatting for a couple of hours with friends and letting the kids entertain themselves. You know, relaxing.

Oh, and that heladeria...it really is the best-Rafael Rodriguez and his family have been making helado in Argentina for three generations. I was lucky enough to see how the ice cream is made (in small batches daily) and how they have elevated making helado to a true art form.

I promise to write all about that on a day very soon, but today, you get this delicious recipe inspired by my visit to his shop-the ideal way to celebrate summer being around the corner. I promise it won't disappoint-and it's very quick and easy.

Receta para Helado de Dulce de Leche

Recipe for Dulce de Leche Gelato

For this recipe, there's the gelato base, and then there's dulce de leche, which is just folded into the finished gelato or drizzled over the top (like in the picture).

Gelato base:

3 cups milk

1 and 1/2 cup heavy cream

4 eggs, yolks only

1/2 cup vanilla sugar* if available

1/2 cup sugar

In a saucepan, mix the milk and cream and heat over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugars together until the sugars are incorporated and the mixture is frothy. Slowly add the warm milk to the sugar mixture, whisking continuously.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium heat and stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If the egg starts to get lumpy-the heat is too hot! Remove from heat immediately.

Strain the mixture through a fine strainer or sieve into a bowl. Cover and put in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container and freeze until firm-if it gets too hard, bring it down to the fridge to soften.

Ice Cream Cupcakes

We celebrated Binks’ birthday this past weekend. The usual is to get an ice cream cake for the whole family. The usual that is until I came into the picture. Binks is a fan of cupcakes. Mostly because he can grab a piece easier than having to cut from a bigger cake. Obviously my husband cares about the speed in which he obtains his cake. And while he is definitely not a foodie, he is very serious about his cake…and for birthdays…ice cream cake.

These cupcakes are so easy to assemble that I really don’t think this quite classifies as a recipe but rather, a how-to. You can use your favorite cake, favorite ice cream and top it to your heart’s content. Next time, I might try to incorporate homemade chocolate shell and whipped cream. It’s perfect for summer birthdays or a general summer treat altogether. As a person that eats one sweet thing everyday, this would have been perfect but for the fact that we had none left. You can definitely make these a day or two ahead, which cuts down prep time substantially and allows you more time to spend with the birthday boy.

Ice Cream Cupcakes
slightly adapted from Joy the Baker
- yields approximately 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• Your favorite cake batter – I used half of my chocolate cake from here
• Your favorite ice cream – I used Snickers ice cream (Binks’ favorite)
• Chocolate ganache – optional
• Sprinkles – optional

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line cupcake tins with foil liners. Scoop a tablespoon of cake batter into each liner. You don’t want to use any more than a tablespoon. Bake for 8 minutes (make sure it passes the toothpick test). It should be done by then.
2. Once done, remove and cool to room temperature. If your cupcakes domed, then flatten by cutting the top with a knife. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. When you put the cake in the freezer, remove the ice cream. You want the ice cream to be softened to be able to spread.
3. Take the cake out of the freezer and using a spoon, spoon the ice cream over the cake and smooth out the top.
4. Place the filled cupcakes back in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
5. If you are topping with ganache, remove from freezer and add ganache and sprinkles, if using.
6. Place back in freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer only before serving as it will melt quickly. The foil helps keeps the ice cream colder longer.

Why Ice Cream is the Best Dessert in the World

Why Ice Cream is the Best Dessert in the World

There’s only one dessert in the world that makes everyone scream. It’s cold, it’s sweet, and it makes everyone feel like a kid no matter how old they are. It’s Ice Cream! There’s nothing better than a big scoop on a hot summer day, or when you’re celebrating something special. It comes in a variety of forms and you can enjoy it anyway you like. There are a lot of desserts out there, and many of them are fancier and more expensive, but nothing comes close to the perfection of ice cream. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why it will always be the best dessert in the world.

It’s Portable

Can you imagine walking down the beach eating a whole chocolate cake? How about going to the playground and trying to eat a pumpkin pie? There are no desserts as portable as ice cream in its many incarnations. Being able to enjoy it on the fly means you can take it to your favorite destinations. Whether it’s taking a stroll in your favorite park or window shopping along a busy street, ice cream is the only dessert built for on-the-go action.

Hundreds of Flavors
You can probably name dozens of kinds of cake and pies, but there are literally hundreds of flavors of ice creams to enjoy. You can live a lifetime without experiencing them all. Baskin-Robbins with its 31 flavors is just the beginning. There’s an ice cream parlor in Vancouver, Canada that actually has over 500 flavors. Some of them are interesting twists on exotic foods like mango or papaya. And they’ve even got a curry-flavored ice cream. It’s probably not going to become a worldwide favorite, but you should have no problem finding something else you love.

Different Forms
When most people think of ice cream, they imagine a big scoop on top of a cone. But let’s not forget about the delightful treats the ice cream man has in his truck. Remember all those strange and interesting ice cream bars you had when you were a kid? How about a big banana split topped with fresh fruit, nuts, and sprinkles? And can you say ice cream cake? As you can see, there aren’t lots of fun ways you can enjoy this dessert.

It Goes with Anything
One of the biggest advantages ice cream has over any other dessert is its compatibility. Can you imagine trying to eat a chocolate brownie and cheesecake at the same time? It would be way too sweet and much too filling. But you can easily combine either one of these tasty desserts with a big scoop of ice cream and it would work perfectly. There’s really no other dessert out there that can be used with other sweet treats so successfully.

You Can Make it Yourself

It takes a lot of time to prepare an Apple pie properly. And if you don’t have enough culinary skill, your chocolate cake could end up being a disaster. But thanks to ice cream makers these days, making frozen dessert at home is a breeze. All you have to do is cook up your custard, and then pour it into your ice cream maker for about half an hour. Even if you’ve never cooked a day in your life, a klutz in the kitchen can make ice cream with no problem. Better yet, it gives you a chance to incorporate healthier ingredients so that you can enjoy this dessert more often.