September: Deceptively Delicious; hiding healthy fruits, vegetables, and beans in meals for picky kids and husbands

There was a whole lot of deception at Sarah’s house tonight, and ALL of it was delicious. We had a great time sampling all of the food, declaring it amazing, and then learning the shocking truth of what was actually in it. From pureed cauliflower to tofu, from kidney beans to liquefied yellow squash, the different dishes all met the two most important criteria for family food: healthy and tasty.

Some sisters brought recipes from Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, or from Missy Chase Lapine’s The Sneaky Chef, while others improvised culinary artifice. If you’d like to know more about the idea of hiding healthy purees in your family’s meals, you can check out the above books, or talk with Gabby Gordon, who has been doing it with great success with her kids.

 

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Secret, sneaky ingredients: yellow squash puree, pumpkin puree

 

Fluffy, flavorful, and with decadent icing, these would be great for a birthday party or with brunch.

Cupcake Batter

1 C pumpkin puree

1/2 C yellow squash puree

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C water

1/3 C canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C chocolate chips

 

Frosting

1 8-oz. pkg reduced fat cream cheese

1/3 C pure maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper cups.

In large bowl, mix purees with brown sugar, water, oil, and vanilla, beat until well blended.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips; mix until incorporated. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto cooling racks and cool completely before frosting.

For frosting: beat all ingredients until smooth. Spread over cupcakes.

Store in airtight container for up to two days, or freeze up to one month.

Fried “Cheese”

Secret, sneaky ingredients: tofu, spinach puree

 

We loved these! Crispy, salty, flavorful, delicious! Kathy mixed some into scrambled eggs at home, while others thought they would be great in place of chicken or eggplant in a parmigiana-style dish

1 14-oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained, dried, and cubed

1 C bread crumbs

1 Tbs parmesan cheese

1 Tbs ground flax seed meal

1/2 C spinach puree

1 egg

Directions

Whisk together egg and spinach in small bowl. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, and flax. Heat oil of your choice in a saute pan over medium heat. Dip the tofu cubes into the spinach mixture, roll in the bread crumbs, then fry until golden.

Orange Cookies (with or without pecans)

Secret, sneaky ingredient: carrot puree

 

These have a wonderful texture and a super citrusy bite to the frosting—very easy to JUST KEEP EATING THEM!

3/4 C Shortening
1 C sugar
1  egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs Orange juice (I used concentrate)
1/2 tsp salt
1 C cooked pureed carrots (you can use baby food carrots that have no extras in them for convenience sake)
2 C flour
1 C nuts chopped (I used pecans for half of my batter)

Directions

Cream shortening and sugar, add egg and mix well. Add remainder of ingredients and mix well.  The batter will  be like a thick cake-like batter. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet (I use parchment liners so I dont know how desperately you need it greased)
Bake @ 375 for 6-12 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies, and I like my cookies blond, so I just check to make sure they are not moist looking before pulling them out which was about 7 minutes).

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbs orange juice concentrate
zest of one whole orange
dash or two of salt.

Combine ingredients and spoon over cooled cookies.

Baked Ziti

Secret, sneaky ingredients: tofu, orange puree

Perfect for kids with “texture” issues, this sauce turns out wonderfully homogenous, yet packs a nutritional punch thanks to the tofu and orange. Yummy and simple.

 

1 lb rigatoni noodles

1 C firm tofu, mashed well or pureed

2 1/2 – 3 1/2 C tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade)

1 C orange puree

1/2 C grated parmesan

3 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray glass 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray or oil. Cook pasta to al dente; drain and place in baking dish. Mix tofu tomato sauce, and orange puree. Toss with pasta and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and the parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes until top is lightly browned. The orange puree can also be replaced with or accompanied by white bean puree.

 

“Meat and Cheese Only” Lasagna

Secret, sneaky ingredients: carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, tofu

This looks like mom’s classic lasagna that wouldn’t offend the most vegiphobic among us, but is packed full of goodness and is not short on flavor.

 

12 lasagna noodles (uncooked)

1 1/2 lb lean ground turkey

1 C shredded pepper jack cheese, divided

Cheese filling

1 14-oz. container firm tofu

1 lb ricotta cheese

1 1/2 C fresh grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 tsp garlic powder

salt/pepper

Tomato sauce

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 C baby carrots or 4-5 large carrots

1 pkg sliced mushrooms

1 medium zucchini

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

1 4-oz can tomato paste

salt/pepper

1/4 – 1/2 C each fresh basil and fresh oregano

 

Directions

Begin sauce: set your food processor on grate, and grate the onion, garlic, carrot, and zucchini. (If you don’t have a food processor, just chop them). Sauté them all together over medium heat with a little oil. When they begin to get soft, add the mushrooms. In the meantime, brown the ground turkey in a separate pan, seasoning with a little salt, pepper, and sage.

When the mushrooms have released their juices, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste to the vegetables; cover and simmer 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling: mash the tofu with your hands in a large bowl until no large chunks remain. Stir in the ricotta cheese and one cup of the parmesan cheese. Season with a little garlic powder and salt/pepper.

Back to the sauce: season sauce with salt and pepper, then add fresh herbs. Puree in batches in your food processor or blender. Return sauce to the pan and add the browned meat. Let it warm back up before assembling your lasagna.

Assembly: Ladle some of the sauce into your 9x13-in pan. Top with four (uncooked) lasagna noodles. Spread some of the ricotta-tofu mixture over the noodles, then sprinkle 1/3 C of the pepper jack over the top. Top with sauce, and repeat twice: noodles, ricotta-tofu, pepper jack, sauce. You should have three full layers. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the remaining 1/2 C fresh parmesan.

Cover with heavy foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

NOTICE THAT WE DID NOT COOK THE LASAGNA NOODLES. They cook in the sauce!

 

Moist and Soft Chocolate Cake

Secret, sneaky ingredients: beets, kidney beans

This is a moist, delicious chocolate cake by any standard—NO ONE will guess what’s in it! Kidney beans are a great substitute for fat (they replace half of the oil in this cake) because they are starchy and light, slightly sweet, and don’t have a strong bean flavor.

 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 can (15 oz.) whole or quartered beets, drained (reserve liquid)

1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup juice from beets (I prefer to use milk or soymilk here)

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, measure flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Puree drained beets in a food processor or heavy-duty blender. Pour into large mixing bowl. Puree beans in food processor. Press the puree through a sieve to remove the bits of bean skin. Add to the beae puree. Stir in sugar, vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup reserved beet juice (or milk) to the purees and mix on medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, blending until completely incorporated.

Add the flour mixture, beating on medium speed until combined, at least two minutes, scraping down sides often. Add melted unsweetened chocolate and mix until combined. The batter will be a beautiful, if slightly hallucinogenic, fuchsia color!

Pour into baking pan. Distribute chocolate chips evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake or it will become dry. Let cool to room temperature.

This cake is moist and delicious without any topping. However, if you would like to dress it up, you may sift powdered sugar over the top or frost with your favorite icing.

August: Salsa Cook-Off!

It was a heated battle, but we crowned a salsa champion! Camille Manning schooled us all with her chunky, spicy, delicious mix.

 

And here is her winning salsa recipe:

Mix the following in the quantities that you like best:

Fresh tomatoes, chopped

Canned corn

Black beans

Chopped cilantro

Chopped green onions

Minced garlic

Minced jalepeno

Salt and pepper to taste

 

The other recipes were all great too, so give them a try!

 

Mango Salsa

3 C chopped tomatoes

1 C chopped red onion

1 C chopped yellow pepper

1 1/2 C chopped, peeled mango

1 seeded jalapeno, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

juice of 1 lime

2 tsp minced fresh cilantro

Mix all ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

 

Tara’s  Mango Salsa

2 red peppers, diced

2 avocados, sliced into cubes

2 mangoes, cubed

1/2 red onion, diced

1 Tbs lime juice

2 Tbs cilantro

1 Tbs oil

 

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed

4 serrano chiles, stemmed

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. minced white onion

2 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 tbsp. olive oil

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Position an oven rack 4" from broiler; heat to high. Place tomatillos, chiles, and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning often, until blackened in spots and cooked through, about 10 minutes for the garlic and chiles, and 15 minutes for the tomatillos; remove each ingredient as it finishes cooking.

2. Place roasted chiles, garlic, and salt in a food processor and puree until smooth; add tomatillos, cilantro, onion, and lime juice. Pulse until roughly chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in oil.

 

Chipotle Salsa

   

1 7-oz. can chipotle chilies

1-2 Tbs tomato paste

1 dried pasilla peper

juice of 1/2 lime

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

 

Directions

Saute garlic and onion until fragrant. Puree in food processor with remaining ingredients, plus salt and pepper to taste. If it’s two spicy for you, serve it over a block of cream cheese to cut the heat a little.

 

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

 

2 C diced fresh pineapple

1/2 C chopped cilantro

1/4 C finely chopped red onion

1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded, finely chopped

juice and zest of 1 lime

1/8 tsp sea salt.

 

Dessert!

Our generous host, Allison Bird, provided not only chips, but Sopapilla Cheesecake! Thanks for everything, Allison!

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 (8 ounce) cans crescent roll dough

 

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sliced almonds, optional

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Beat the cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape the each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.

Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.

Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

 

It was a really great night to be gluten-free.

 

Don’t get between a woman, her girlfriends, and her chips and salsa.

  

July: BBQ

The sisters of the Coal Creek ward seriously fired things up tonight with the BBQ themed meeting. What a feast! Thanks to the Williams for hosting, and thanks to the ladies that attended for all of the DELICIOUS food and the great company and conversation. Don’t miss the salsa cook-off next month! Take advantage of the amazing fresh tomatoes in your garden or at the farmers market to craft your winning salsa recipe. OR, if you don’t have time to cook, just saunter over to Allison Bird’s house on Aug. 12 at 7:30 to sample, sample, sample and vote for the winner!

Herbed Grilled Salmon

2 lb salmon filet, skin on

1 lemon

white wine

mayo

1 tsp each dried oregano, basil, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, lemon pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat grill on high. Mix herbs and spices and set aside. Place fish skin side down on a large piece of aluminum foil. Squeeze lemon juice over, drizzle a little white wine over, spread a very thin coat of mayo over, then sprinkle herb mixture. Cover with a second piece of foil, crimping the edges to seal. Grill fish for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Grilled Asparagus

Preheat grill. Wash one bunch of asparagus and trim the tough ends from the bottom of each stalk. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place spears directly on grill, cook 6-8 minutes, turning every few minutes will tongs.

Carolina Pulled Pork with Tangy Slaw

For pork:

5 lb bone-in pork butt

Vinegar

Your favorite barbeque rub

For slaw:

One bag pre-chopped cole slaw mix

2 packages zesty Italian dressing mix

oil

vinegar

Soak pork butt in solution made of 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water for 2-3 hours. Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Place pork directly on grill and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When pork has cooled slightly, shred meat. Toss with powdered rub mix before serving.

Mix slaw mix and Italian dressing mix, add oil and vinegar to taste—a little goes a long way, so start small and add little by little until you’re happy with the consistency.

To serve: pile pork and slaw on a toasted bun. EAT.

Grilled Pizza

Crust

3 1/2 to 4 cups flour (I used part whole wheat, part barley)

1 pkg active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until dough comes together into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and set aside for 1 1/2 hours to rise. I’ve put it in the fridge overnight at this point and taken it out the next day to rise--it still turned out great.

Preheat your grill somewhere between 400 and 450. Divide your dough into two chunks. Sprinkle a piece of aluminum foil with corn meal. Press one lump of dough into a rough circle on aluminum foil. When the grill is ready, drizzle the dough circle with olive oil, then use your hands to remove it from the foil and flip it onto the grill (olive oil side should be on the grate, cornmeal side up). Close the cover and let the crust cook for 4 minutes. Using a pair of tongs or a meal spatula, transfer the crust from the grill to a platter or large cutting board. Top with toppings, then return to grill for 3-4 more minutes to heat toppings and melt cheese.

The toppings on the above pizzas are—left, olive oil and garlic for sauce, sliced sausage, sautéed beet greens and chard with balsamic vinegar, feta cheese, fresh minced mint and oregano; right, olive oil and garlic for sauce, sliced tomatoes, sliced sausage, fresh mozzarella, fresh chopped basil.

Other sauces I like to use: pesto sauce, fresh ricotta cheese with a little crushed garlic, roasted red peppers pureed with a little cream cheese, and Noralyn suggested tapanade, which sounds amazing!

Very Teriyaki Grilled Chicken

You can get Very Teriyaki sauce at most grocery stores. Marinate your chicken for a full day, if possible. Grill, then serve sliced to have on salads or just to eat.

What a great turn out!

Notice the clean plates—everything was amazing.

Lots of laughter.

May: Chocolate Chip Cookies and Homemade Ice Cream Cook-Off

THE SISTERS HAVE SPOKEN! The all-time best chocolate chip cookie recipe and the number one homemade ice cream recipe have been chosen. As you can see from this photo of the selections, the competition was stiff!

Every single entry was delicious and worthy of accolade, and more than anything: I think most of us learned that what makes a cookie “the best” is superior ingredients and skill, of course, but is also mood, environment, and pure subjectivity! So with that in mind, by all means make the winning recipes your new go-tos, but try the others as well, because they are all GREAT!

 

And now, without further ado, our dueling champions: April Ulrich, for her Nutella-Peanut Butter Ice Cream, and Kara Matsuda, for her Not Your Mama’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Congrats, ladies! And thanks to everyone who brought a submission and/or cast a vote!

 

 

Not your mama’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

In a normal blender grind all together:
4 oz. (3/4 C) Whole almonds (not necessary to blanch or remove skins)
8 oz. (about 2 1/3 C) oatmeal
2 oz. (1/4 C) white sugar
In mixer cream:
1 C butter (2 sticks)
12 oz. (1 ½ C) Brown Sugar
Then add:
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
To creamed mixture add:
Ground oats and almonds
4 oz. (1 C) white flour
12 oz. Semi-sweet chips
3.5 oz. Milk Chocolate bar chopped
Mix all together.
(Reserve some chocolate to top cookies before baking to beautify)
Drop by Tablespoons or cookie scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake in a convection oven 350* 9 min. or until lightly golden. If you do not have a convection oven, bake at 375* for 10 min.
Because of the high brown sugar content – these cookies would be great frozen and then thawed – they become even more chewy.

 

Nutella-Peanut Butter Ice Cream (mixer-to-freezer; no ice cream maker necessary!!)

2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup peanut butter

Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in large bowl. Whisk sweetened condensed milk,peanut butter, and Nutella in large bowl.  Fold in whipped cream.

Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

 

Oatmeal Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 Cup + 1/3 Cup butter
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Cup white Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
3 Cups flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
Chocolate chips to taste

Cream together butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients until mixed; stir in chocolate chips. Cook at 350 for 8-12 minutes depending on how done you like them. (Jen thinks the key to their deliciousness is to cook them only for 8.)

 

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

   

2 cubes butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oats

1/2 tsp soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Melt butter over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Eventually it will foam up considerably, and then start to caramelize, going from yellow, to honey-colored, to deep amber (like maple syrup). This will take about 15 minutes; you’ll want to watch the pan carefully, give it a shake now and then, and perhaps lower the heat, to keep it from burning. It will be fragrant and lovely when it’s finished! Set it aside to cool for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Pour cooled butter into a mixing bowl with two sugars. Beat until creamy, about two minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl.

Sift together flour, salt and baking soda, add to bowl along with oats, stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be slightly crumbly. Form 1-1/2 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Let cookies cool two minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooking rack.

 

MnM Cookies

1 cup butter softened (I like to use 1/2 c butter and 1/2 cup applesauce or plain/vanilla yogurt)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Cream together and then add the following dry ingredients.
6 cups flour
2 tsp soda
2 tsp salt
Add chocolate chips or mini-m&ms and nuts (optional).
Bake 8-10 minutes @ 375 degrees.

 

Healthy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

Jill’s Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg beaters
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda & salt in small bowl. Beat butter, margarine, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs and beat well. Gradually add and beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Form dough into balls and refrigerate until chilled.
Bake approx 10 minutes.

 

Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies, aka The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in America, according to the NY Times

(two sisters made this same recipe)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

 

Mango-Pineapple Sorbet

4-6 mangoes, peeled and diced.
2/3 C sugar
3 T fresh lime juice
1 C finely chopped fresh pineapple

In a food processor (or good blender), puree the mangoes. Add the sugar and lime juice and process to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the pineapple.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker* and freeze; let it go until it looks icy, yummy, and firm, about 30 minutes.
*If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just place in an airtight container and put it in the freezer. Take it out and stir once an hour for 3 hours, or until it’s too hard to stir.

 

Coconut-Ginger-Lemongrass Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Nibs

1 1/2 C coconut milk

1 1/2 C heavy cream

1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and mashed (I used my garlic press)

2 Tbs dried lemongrass

3/4 C sugar

4 egg yolks

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp coconut extract

pinch of salt

1/2 – 2/3 C chopped dark chocolate

 

Combine coconut milk, cream, ginger, and lemongrass in a pot over medium-low hit. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let steep 30 more minutes.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, extracts and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Strain cream mixture to remove ginger and lemongrass, then return cream to pot. Heat again to a simmer, then, in a SLOW drizzle, pour cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

Return the cream-egg mixture to the pot and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens into a custard (7-10 minutes). Pour into a bowl, cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, and chill for at least four hours.

Freeze in you ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions; add the dark chocolate pieces in the last two minutes of churning.

 

The rest of the ice cream flavors were all made by April, using her fabulous mixer-to-freezer technique. The recipe for each is the same as the PB Nutella recipe above, but with modified fillings. Let your imagination go wild!

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream

Follow the original recipe, then stir in cinnamon and melted butter.

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Follow the original recipe, then add mint extract and melted chocolate.

 

Root Beer Float Ice Cream

Follow the original recipe, then add root beer float flavored ice cream topping.

 

Coconut Mango Ice Cream

     

Follow the original recipe, then add coconut extract and fresh mango.

 

Thanks, Carrie, for letting us crash your place and dust it with cookie crumbs and creamy dribbles!