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Before you kick those New Year's Resolutions in....here's two new winning recipes
- Thread starter traca
- Start date
Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream
As many of you may know, I have a wee bit of an ice cream obsession. I've tried no less than a dozen chocolate ice cream recipes and I do believe, I've finally landed on the one that's going into my permanent file. (After trying the Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream over on Saveur, I had to buy Bruce Weinstein's book. Boy am I glad I did!)
Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream
Adapted from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein*
Makes about 1 quart
Scalded cream and bittersweet chocolate make up the classic French mixture called ganache. Usually used for making truffles, ganache is the perfect base for making extra-rich ice cream. Use the best quality chocolate you can find: the better the chocolate, the better the ice cream.
½ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cup milk
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup half and half
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
In a small mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside.
Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in the cocoa and bring the milk back to a simmer. Simmer 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly beat the hot milk and cocoa into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the chocolate custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Set aside while you prepare the ganache.
Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Combine the mixtures, then stir in the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.
Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.
* Note: the original recipe called for 1 cup of milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. I only had 1 cup of half & half on hand so I used that and supplimented the rest with whole milk. For me, it was perfect. Would like to try it the way it was originally written sometime, but this was plenty rich with my adaptations. Deeply satisfying and not overly sweet.
As many of you may know, I have a wee bit of an ice cream obsession. I've tried no less than a dozen chocolate ice cream recipes and I do believe, I've finally landed on the one that's going into my permanent file. (After trying the Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream over on Saveur, I had to buy Bruce Weinstein's book. Boy am I glad I did!)
Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream
Adapted from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein*
Makes about 1 quart
Scalded cream and bittersweet chocolate make up the classic French mixture called ganache. Usually used for making truffles, ganache is the perfect base for making extra-rich ice cream. Use the best quality chocolate you can find: the better the chocolate, the better the ice cream.
½ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cup milk
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup half and half
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
In a small mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside.
Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in the cocoa and bring the milk back to a simmer. Simmer 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly beat the hot milk and cocoa into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the chocolate custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Set aside while you prepare the ganache.
Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Combine the mixtures, then stir in the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.
Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.
* Note: the original recipe called for 1 cup of milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. I only had 1 cup of half & half on hand so I used that and supplimented the rest with whole milk. For me, it was perfect. Would like to try it the way it was originally written sometime, but this was plenty rich with my adaptations. Deeply satisfying and not overly sweet.
Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars (I skipped the candy canes & used Heath bars)
Oh man, these have been in my "to try" file since last year and I finally got around to making them. OH MY!!!! If you like chocolate cheesecake, these are the bars for you! They come together very easily and while others say they had trouble cutting them, mine cut very easily (cut them well-chilled and with a hot,dry knife). Seriously, aside from the candy canes, mine looked EXACTLY like the picture.
Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars
From Food Network Kitchens
Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground coffee beans
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature
Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes (see Cooks Note)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil.
For the crust: Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)
Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.
For the Glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.
Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Store cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cook's Note: To crush the candy canes, remove wrappers and place in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roll and break the candy up into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or so.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-cheesecake-candy-cane-bars-recipe2/index.html
http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2006/12/11/12Days_Chocolate_Cheesecake_lg.jpg
Oh man, these have been in my "to try" file since last year and I finally got around to making them. OH MY!!!! If you like chocolate cheesecake, these are the bars for you! They come together very easily and while others say they had trouble cutting them, mine cut very easily (cut them well-chilled and with a hot,dry knife). Seriously, aside from the candy canes, mine looked EXACTLY like the picture.
Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars
From Food Network Kitchens
Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground coffee beans
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature
Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes (see Cooks Note)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil.
For the crust: Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)
Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.
For the Glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.
Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Store cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cook's Note: To crush the candy canes, remove wrappers and place in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roll and break the candy up into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or so.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-cheesecake-candy-cane-bars-recipe2/index.html
http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2006/12/11/12Days_Chocolate_Cheesecake_lg.jpg
heather_in_sf
Well-known member
I agree but always make some - this is my year to be more physically active -
not necessarily limiting this to planned workouts (although that would be good too) but do things physically as part of fun activities.
Such as today, it was a beautiful sunny day (very cold) so I walked to the farmers market (20 blocks) and walked around way more than I needed to and shopped then walked to the bus stop (5 very long blocks) and took the bus home!
Tomorrow if it is nice again like this I'm going to find my knitted hat in the closet, throw on more layers and take the bus to Chrissy Field and walk to the Bridge and back - that's 4 miles. Then make a roasted chicken for dinner.
My other resolutions are to:
* eat a little green chile every day
* remember to breathe more
* find a good job - or any job!
* finish the fair isle sweater I started in 2007
* limit the dairy and eat more chocolate instead
So what are your resolutions, if any?
not necessarily limiting this to planned workouts (although that would be good too) but do things physically as part of fun activities.
Such as today, it was a beautiful sunny day (very cold) so I walked to the farmers market (20 blocks) and walked around way more than I needed to and shopped then walked to the bus stop (5 very long blocks) and took the bus home!
Tomorrow if it is nice again like this I'm going to find my knitted hat in the closet, throw on more layers and take the bus to Chrissy Field and walk to the Bridge and back - that's 4 miles. Then make a roasted chicken for dinner.
My other resolutions are to:
* eat a little green chile every day
* remember to breathe more
* find a good job - or any job!
* finish the fair isle sweater I started in 2007
* limit the dairy and eat more chocolate instead
So what are your resolutions, if any?
Heather, I hear you on breathing more...
I tried to sum up last year and well, it was one hell of a ride! This year looks like more of the same so I'm working on better coping strategies (while you can survive on chocolate and ice cream, I'm sure there's a better way to destress. smileys/smile.gif
I've spent enough time in SF to have a good vision where you're walking. Sounds lovely....
I tried to sum up last year and well, it was one hell of a ride! This year looks like more of the same so I'm working on better coping strategies (while you can survive on chocolate and ice cream, I'm sure there's a better way to destress. smileys/smile.gif
I've spent enough time in SF to have a good vision where you're walking. Sounds lovely....