Month: August 2010

TWD: Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream

As this recipe’s host said : Oh. My. Ganache!

This is so rich and flavorful.  It’s more of a custard than an ice cream, one that Another Eater says could give the infamous Kopp‘s a run for its money.It has whole milk and egg yolks and cream – all of which make it difficult to at more than a few spoonfulls before you can feel your arteries closing. But it’s worth it.

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I really wish I had used milk chocolate instead of bittersweet, because it’s a little more to my liking, but Another Eater is quite pleased that he’ll have this one largely to himself.  And it’s going to be back in the 90s this weekend, so ice cream will be just what the doctor ordered after he mows the lawn.

TWD: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

There are certain things I think everyone keeps in their pantry. Rice. Flour and Sugar. Olive Oil. Chocolate Chips. And when you run out of these staples, you know it has been FAR TOO LONG since your last trip to the grocery store.

That’s the wake-up call I got when I went to make the oatmeal bread that Oven Love selected for Tuesdays with Dorie and found myself short on oats. I used instant low sugar apple cinnamon oatmeal to make up for what I lacked, and it turned out just fine. I used a mix of dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries and golden raisins from Trader Joe’s golden berry mix, which I love.

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This was a spectacularly moist breakfast treat that Another Eater and I enjoyed every morning last week on our ways out the door: mine was perched in my lap while I drove to the train station, his came in finger-full bites while he fed PT before daycare (which PT loves).

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TWD: Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Just like the Cookies on Friday blogger who selected this recipe last month,  I love baking bar cookies. It’s a simple way to create a good volume of cookies (whether you are sharing them with others or simple curling up with a glass of milk after a bad day), and there is something unbelievably therapeutic about pressing batter into the corners of a pan and then licking it off your fingers when you have it Just Right.

Picking different flavors to add into the bars is too big a decision for me on most days, so I stuck with Dorie’s recommendations on this one: butterscotch chips, milk chocolate chip, walnuts and coconut. The only on I regret is the coconut, as it was really the only thing I tasted. Maybe it’s me – coconut isn’t my favorite thing – but it didn’t stop me from gobbling these up! The cookie base that carries whatever add-ins you choose is just perfect enough to make these irresistible, regardless.

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Not at all refreshing

This is undoubtedly one of the least comfortable summers I can remember in the long time, ad when I’m not hugging the AC vent I’m wiping water rings off the tables when my drink glasses have sweat themselves to room temperature or swatting at one of the amazon mosquitoes that have sent up tents in the yard. Popsicles nearly always sound good these days, except for this one:

 

 

The Consumerist writes:

 

Beat the heat with this cheap and cool treat, the beer popsicle, aka “The Hopsicle.”

The Diablo Royale Este saloon in New York takes a Tecate, inject it with simple syrup and lime juice, then jam a wooden stick in the can hole and freeze it. Four days later, they pull it out the freezer and saw it open with a serrated steak knife. Sounds awesome! I look forward to soon saying, “I make my own beer popsicles at home.”

Can you imagine the cross between a hangover and brain freeze??

Almost too good to eat

I’m a big fan of cakewrecks and the disasters that some paid bakers pass off as cakes – which is why I am that much more impressed when Professional decorators do things well.  Check out these finds from koldcast.tv

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Well done, Talented and Creative Bakers! Admire their work, and then check out all the ways Cakewrecks found to screw this cute guy up here.