Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Blueberry Coconut Ice Cream



Ice Cream is good and almost everyone likes it. I have a very loved Cuisinart ice cream maker that I use quite often. So often, in fact, that I have 4 freezer bowls for it. I like to have ice cream as dessert if we're having friends over for dinner in the summer and I like to have more than one flavor. Last year my husband and I really thought about opening a hand-crafted ice cream shop. I did all the research and we learned that we would be the first company who's actually making ice cream from scratch -every other ice cream company in the state uses a ready-made mix. These mixes scare me; who knows what fillers and preservatives are found in them. Anyway, for many reasons, we chose to put this idea on hold, but, the experimenting with flavors sure was fun and that's what led me to own 4 freezer bowls.


This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe was Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream, chosen by Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity. I was serving a Hawaiian themed dinner and blueberries don't really fit into anything tropical so I tweaked the recipe a little. I replaced the heavy cream with coconut milk, I used lime juice and lemon zest and I decreased the amount of sour cream to 1/2 cup. I thought about adding a little candied ginger or some shredded coconut but I decided to keep them out- I didn't want to play with the recipe too much. Blueberries still aren't tropical, but who cares- I've been enjoying them more this summer than ever before.


This ice cream recipe is an easy one as it doesn't involve making a custard first. That process produces my favorite kinds of ice cream- super rich and creamy ones. This recipe is simple and still makes something really good and in a shorter amount of time.


If you want to try an easy, delicious ice cream that doesn't take too much time to prepare, try this one. It's worth it!





Blueberry Coconut Sour Cream Ice Cream



Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home To Yours


1 cup of blueberries- fresh or frozen


1/3 cup sugar


pinch salt


1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice


1/4 teaspoon lime or lemon zest


3/4 cup of coconut milk


1/2 cup of sour cream



Place blueberries, sugar, lime or lemon juice and zest in a non-reactive saucepan (I use stainless) and cook on medium heat about 3 minutes. The blueberries should soften and pop and the sugar should dissolve.


Put blueberry mixture into a blender, or food processor and whir away until you have a fairly consistent mix- this should take no more than a minute. Add the milk and sour cream and pulse until it is incorporated.


Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before you churn it in your ice cream maker.


Smile and enjoy.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Island Fever


Tonight we ate macadami crusted ono, with mango and pineapple salsa, coconut rice and spicy broccoli and bok choy. It was a fabulous dinner that we enjoyed on the coffee table while watching the Olympics.


We were married on the island of Kauai last year and our friends, Pam and Mike, gave us a great Hawaiian cookbook, written by Sam Choy, as a wedding gift. Tonight's the first night we're breaking it in.





Of course, we couldn't get our hands on any Hawaiian caught Ono (also called Wahoo), but I don't care. This fish is so good- it is firm and white and is perfect for crusting with something. Halibut could be substituted as well- you could even use something like Tilapia or even chicken.





Macadami Crusted Ono
adapted from Sam Choy's Hawaii's Favorite Recipes

4 6 oz. fillets

1/8 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cracker crumbs or Panko flakes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh herbs of your choice

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Marinate fish in the olive oil, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper for at least 1/2 hour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all other ingredients to make your breading. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and pat the portion on both sides of each fillet. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until topping is crisp and brown.

Top with fruit salsa, recipe below.

Pineapple-Mango Salsa

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoonse lemon or lime juice, or vinegar

pinch of red pepper flakes, or one seeded jalapeno, chopped

pinch cumin

1 medium mango, diced

1/2 pineapple, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

2 tablespoons cilantro

Mix sugar, juice/vinegar, chili flakes and cumin until sugar dissolves. Fold in remaining ingredients and chill.