Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Coffee Ice Cream

Dear Devon,

Before you put away your ice cream maker for the season, you have to try my amazing recipe for chocolate hazelnut coffee ice cream. I don’t have a fancy name for my flavor like Ben and Jerry’s, so if you think of a better one, let me know. Besides coffee, I don’t go for the rich brown flavors like dulce de leche and rum raisin. Strawberry, peach, and pear are more my style. But every so often I get that craving for something a bit more decadent. Coffee ice cream always hits the spot, especially when laced with chunks of chocolate and crushed, toasted hazelnuts. Each spoonful is delectable. Smooth, coffee infused ice cream balanced against bitter morsels of dark chocolate and smoky, crunchy hazelnuts. I promise you, it’s a recipe you’ll want to repeat.

We have discussed methods for making ice cream several times. While you lean towards more unusual recipes like cornstarch gelato or almond milk bases, I prefer a more traditional custard base for my ice cream. There are a multitude of ice cream recipes, all vaguely similar. In my experience, I have found the most success with a one to one ratio of cream to whole milk mixed with five egg yolks. Cream based ice creams are overwhelmingly creamy, almost like eating a chilled, viscous flavored butter. And 100% whole milk ice cream lacks the luxurious decadence inherent to any good ice cream. Egg yolks impart body and richness, more like frozen custard than just frozen milk. I can’t stress enough the importance of whole milk and cream in ice cream. On this, you and I agree. It’s ice cream after all: If you want a healthy dessert, eat a pear instead.

Barcelona’s ice cream and gelato is addictive. The flavors are intense, pungent, and refreshing. The rainbow of fruit flavors is spectacular. Subtly flavored fruits like melon, fig, and peach are intensified. Fig ice cream goes beyond suggesting the taste of fig but actually embodies a more advanced stage of a fig’s growing process, from tiny seed to fruit to ice cream! I tried an incredible plum ice cream the other day and promise to keep you updated on any other unusual flavors. Still, I’m dying for my ice cream maker. Unfortunately, our tiny excuse for a freezer can’t hold a frozen pizza, let alone an ice cream workbowl. Así es la vida! I’ll have to content myself with the multitude of impressive ice cream shops.



Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Coffee Ice Cream
3 cups half and half (or 1 1/2 cups whole milk + 1 1/2 cups cream)
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp decaf coffee beans
1/4 cup coffee (decaf)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins removed and chopped
1-12 oz chocolate bar with hazelnuts (for extra nutty flavor)

In a large pot, bring half and half to a light boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat. Pour in decaf coffee and whole coffee beans. Cover with a lid and let coffee steep for 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes would probably be enough, but for a richer coffee flavor allow the beans to steep longer. After 30 minutes, the milk-cream mixture will turn a soft brown color. Remove and discard the beans.

Beat egg yolks with sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale yellow. Gradually add hot milk mixture to the egg yolks one ladleful at a time. Add about one third of the cream mixture, whisking the entire time. The egg yolks need to be slowly introduced to the hot cream, otherwise the eggs will cook and scramble. It's really unpleasant when this happens, and it ruins the texture of the finished ice cream. Combine the tempered egg yolk mixture into the remaining hot cream. Heat slowly over a medium low flame, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened. When the first bubbles begin to burst along the edges, test the custard for doneness. The custard is ready when a line drawn with your finger on the back of the spoon holds it shape. Transfer the pot into an awaiting ice bath to instantly stop the cooking. Pour the cooled mixture into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the surface of the custard. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, before continuing.


Roughly chop toasted hazelnuts and chocolate bar. Set aside. Pour ice cream base into ice cream maker. Freeze according to your manufacturer's instructions. It should take about 25 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, add the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate. Continue to freeze. Using a rubber spatula, carefully scrape down the sides of the workbowl as the machine spins. This is a bit tricky, but it prevents the ice cream from freezing to the workbowl, giving you more delicious ice cream to enjoy. Remove finished ice cream to a container. Freeze for 30 minutes to an hour more before serving. I use a glass loaf pan with a lid. When storing ice cream, it is always preferable to store it in a container that allows for greater surface area exposure. It is supposed to affect the flavor of the ice cream. After reading this, I noticed that all ice cream shops store their product in long, narrow containers, so I started doing it too. It allows you to make perfect, rounded scoops for nicer presentation.

Egg Salad

Dear Michelle-

I can't believe you're really all the way across the Atlantic! Lucky you. You'd better eat some extra figs and Spanish ham for me. I'll expect a full, detailed report. When your Internet is up, of course. Oh, I wish I could come visit you!

But I should not complain; I recently got to spend two and a half weeks with my parents down in Virginia. It's always nice to get out of the city, especially when Autumn greets my return. Those days in the northern South felt like the last of Summer, hot and sunny with frequent thunderstorms and the beautiful foggy mornings that follow them, abundant tomatoes and basil, perfect peaches, iced tea, sunbathing and swimming in the Maury River with friends, reading romance novels, falling asleep to the chirping of crickets- I could go on, but I'll spare you.




While I feel like I didn't do much while I was home, that's not true. I went horseback riding almost every day. I went to the farmer's market, visited and photographed the local slaughterhouse/butcher and a family friend's dairy farm and cheesemaking operation (more on those two later), helped my father in the garden, and made a ton of egg salad. I probably made 4 or 5 batches of it, maybe more. My father had a habit of finishing it off if it was more than a day old, so the batches did not last long.



This egg salad was what sparked the idea of a food blog in my head, before you and I even started talking about it. My good friend Julie had come over for lunch and I made it, an easy meal and a treat as Jeff does not like eggs in any overt form. She loved it, asked for the recipe, and told me I should write a cookbook. Clearly, you don't just write a cookbook, with everything that's involved, but a food blog seemed doable.

The recipe I gave Julie was very vague, you know, some of this, some of that. The first time I made egg salad, who knows how long ago, I looked in several cookbooks, determined the basics, added what I thought would taste even better, and have been making some version of that since. I've written down exact measurements for you as a starting point, but the variations seem endless.


Of course I start with perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs; too little time and the yolk does not crumble, too much and the white is rubbery and the yolk an unappetizing greenish gray. Of course it all gets blended up, but if you know how to do it the right way, why not?



Then I crumble the yolks, and mix with chopped shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar or lemon, and olive oil. The whites go in next, then fresh herbs. Last, I usually stir in a pickle of some kind, and add salt and pepper. And here's how it should taste: creamy, but not too rich due to the lemon and pickles; light, because of the olive oil; flavorful with mustard, shallot, and bright chopped herbs; a sum of its parts but not a monotonous mush, as its deli-case step-sibling would lead you to believe.


When I was home I used chives, basil, and chopped cornichons, but most French or Italian light herbs (e.g., tarragon, basil, sorrel, dill, chives, parsley; not rosemary, sage, or lavender) will work, as will red onion, and other pickled vegetables (beets--though they will turn the salad magenta if you use the red variety--and onion are both good) instead of cucumber pickles. In the winter, dried dill, herbes de Provence, and paprika can all be used for a little flavor. I used standard grocery store mayonnaise, and tried out a fancy whole-grain beer mustard my parents had, which was delicious. I should really make my own mayo, but this is usually something I throw together to have for lunches and I want it to be as easy as possible, but tasty enough to look forward to.

So, when you get homesick, make yourself some iced tea, go buy some of those beautiful Spanish eggs, and make yourself some egg salad sandwiches. They miss you, too.

Egg Salad

Remember when I told you that I wrote the recipe down for you? I did, I swear. But it seems to have gone missing. If I had to guess, I'd say my father probably "cleaned it up" after I left, not knowing what it was. And then, then, I wrote it out here, only to have it erased by Blogger!

So here's the deal: I don't have the exact measurements for you. But this is a recipe that lends itself well to approximation; there are so many different kinds of mustard, mayo, pickles, and herbs you can use, and each will mix differently with the others. So I'll give you the measurements as I remember them, but start with less and add more. Let your taste buds be your guide. I know some people prefer to always have a recipe- for those people, let this be an experiment, a lesson in trusting your senses.

Another note- lots of people, when served this egg salad, have called it "deviled eggs." I always thought those were when the yolk was mixed up with similar additions and added back to the halved whites, but maybe there's some naming overlap?

6 eggs, cold
shallot
mayonnaise
mustard
vinegar or lemon (light vinegar in color, so that the salad does not turn brownish- you don't want to use balsamic)
olive oil
pickles
fresh herbs (see above for ideas)

Bring an almost full, medium-large pot to a boil. I like to put a steamer basket inside, to elevate the eggs and allow the water to flow all around them. It also keeps them from knocking into each other. Add eggs. Bring water back to a low simmer, and turn down the burner to maintain this. You don't want to cook the eggs at a full boil; it makes the white rubbery and discolors the yolks. (note- even if properly cooked, storing the eggs in the refrigerator seems to also turn yolks gray) Set a timer for 12 minutes for large eggs. (I'd go a minute either direction for medium or extra-large, but since I don't usually buy these, that's just a guess.)

Meanwhile, finely chop the shallot and put in a medium bowl (large enough to mix the salad) with 1t of the vinegar or lemon juice. Letting it sit for a few minutes like this mellows the raw shallot, and is also a good practice when making salad dressing. Chop the herbs.

Chill eggs in ice water, or cold running water. I like to drain the pot, roll the eggs around to crack the shells, and run cold water in. This both cools them faster and makes them easier to peel. Peel, chop in half, and deposit yolks in the bowl. Mash with shallot and vinegar. I like to use a pastry cutter- it works perfectly. Add 1-2t mustard, 2-4T mayonnaise, and a dash of olive oil.
Mix all well. Chop whites and add, mixing and mashing with the pastry cutter or a large fork (a whisk might work too, or a potato masher). Add herbs and pickles and mix to combine. Taste. If too bland, add more mustard and/or herbs. If too creamy, add more pickle or vinegar. If too acid, add more oil or mayonnaise. You want this thick enough to stay put in a sandwich or on toast (this is how I prefer to eat it).

Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Tacos

Dear Devon,

Things are about to get a bit hectic. After a week of pounding the pavement, we found an apartment and will be moving in on Saturday. I don't know when our internet will be up and running so I wanted to squeeze in this last post before I disappear into Barcelona's landscape. I dragged out and revamped an unsent post from months ago. My geographic location may have changed but this recipe for portobello mushroom tacos is still just as delicious.

Rummaging through the fridge in search of a quick dinner, I came up with the brilliant idea of making portobello mushroom tacos. Tortillas are regularly found in my fridge. I buy them in packs of 50 at my neighborhood market. Though they aren't as tasty as your homemade tortillas, they are an adequate substitute. At $1.25 a pack, they come in handy in the 7 o'clock hour.


Rich, hearty portobello mushrooms seem an obvious substitute for grilled meats. First, I roast them with a generous sprinkle of olive oil and salt, then set them aside to cool. I slice the large mushrooms into 1/2 inch strips. Tucked into a warm tortilla, and topped with some salty white cheese and fresh salsa, the flavor combinations are astounding. The richness of the mushrooms' flavor reminds me of the damp earth. Chunky tomato salsa, flecked with jalapenos and shredded cilantro, adds a spicy citrus tang to the succulent mushrooms. The mix of salty cheese provides a nice balance to the bright salsa, while adding a bit of savory creaminess.

Vegetarian and Mexican food aren't two words that usually go together. But these mushrooms tacos defy that logic. I served them alongside eggplant and Swiss chard enchiladas to a group of veggie friends. I'd say it was a big hit. Leftovers? There weren't any, only smiling faces and full bellies.


Portobello Mushrooms
serves 2 (makes 4 to 6 tacos)

3 large portobello mushrooms
6 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
6-8 tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.

To prepare mushrooms, brush off any dirt and remove the large woody stems. Sprinkle each mushroom with 2 tsp of olive oil on both sides (1 tsp per side). Salt both sides with 1/4 tsp salt. Set on prepared baking sheet.

Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and shriveled. Place on a cutting board to cool. When cool enough to handle, slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve on a large platter next to warmed tortillas.

To warm tortillas, place tortilla on a hot griddle or skillet over medium high heat, roughly 2 minutes per tortilla. The tortilla should be pliant and hot to the touch.

Tomato Salsa
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, thinly chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt

Combine the ingredients above into a large bowl and toss. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes before serving. I don't like cilantro, so I always served chopped cilantro on the side.

P.S. These are also fantastic with guacamole. Avocado makes anything taste better.

Eggs En Cocotte

Dear Devon,

There is little to complain about and much to celebrate in Barcelona. That being said, adjusting to life here has its challenges. Aside from the obvious language barrier, which will soon be conquered, my biggest annoyance is the plumbing. Europeans built incredible, soaring cathedrals in the 12th century- how can the logic of the bathroom escape them? It seems that every bathroom should come equipped not only with a toilet, sink, and shower, but also with a mop. The flimsy plastic curtain doesn't quite reach the lip of the shower floor, which pretty much guarantees that water will splash everywhere. After three nights, I solved the mystery of how to shower without flooding the entire bathroom. Long American-style showers are not an option in our narrow, coffin-like ducha. I won't even get into the funky smells. After all, this is a food blog.

We have already had a slight laundry mishap. I don't blame our small, but adequate, washing machine. It was a case of operator error. Unfortunately, what began life as faintly rose colored t-shirt has blossomed into a still desirable, if unintentional, purple one. I'm not sure which was the culprit: The dark blue shirt, the detergent, or the water temperature (a scorching 40 degrees C or 104 degrees F for the unschooled). The difference between 40 degrees C and 40 degrees F is pink to purple.


The apartment is equipped with a washing machine, but no dryer. Using a clothesline four floors up in a narrow light shaft is a tricky operation. As of now, no articles of clothing have been lost to the neighbors' cantilevered radiator hood... but I'll let you know if my favorite shirt ends up there.

Your big question for me is: How is the food? My reply: I don't really know yet. So far, I can only tell you about the markets. Covered markets dot the landscape of Barcelona. In three days, I've been to four, two of them twice. Dining out is always nice, but what's the need when the markets are stocked with amazing produce? I bought fresh eggs from a lady who only sells eggs. I made an easy scramble with pasta, beans, and tomatoes, and fried them for ham sandwiches. These are eggs like I've never tasted before. The yolks are practically orange, when cooked they have the richness of butter and an almost cream-like consistency. I already regret when American eggs will once again be the norm.

Before leaving New York, I became obsessed with baked eggs. I first tried out this recipe for an intimate brunch hosted on our roof deck. I loved them so much that I made it three more times that week. The elegance of the dish obscures the relaxed ease of the recipe. All you have to do is crack an egg into a ceramic ramekin filled with a splash of hot cream and top it with cheese and dill. It's hard to imagine how something so simple can taste so incredible. The egg white firms up in the oven, while the yolk remains gooey and buttery. Dill and eggs are a natural combination, and when mixed with freshly grated Fontina cheese, they bring out its grassy undertones. Puncture the bright yellow yolk with a large shard of buttered grilled toast for maximum enjoyment.

Spanish eggs will pump up this already amazing dish another notch. I'm dying to try it out. But first, I have to find an apartment with an oven.

Eggs en Cocotte
(serves 2)

2 eggs
2 tsp cream
1 tsp butter
1 tsp dill
1 tbsp shredded fontina cheese
2 wedges of tomato

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange two ramekins on a baking sheet. Add 1 tsp of cream and 1/2 tsp of butter to each ramekin. Bake in the oven on the top shelf until cream-butter mixture is bubbly, about 5 minutes.

While the ramekins are in the oven, prepare your ingredients. Cut one tomato in 1/8's, finely chop dill, and shred fontina cheese. Remove the baking tray with bubbling hot cream-butter mixture from the oven. Crack one egg into each ramekin. The egg should start sizzling as it hits the hot cream. Place one tomato wedge into each dish. Be careful not to hit the yolk. Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt. Top each dish with 1/2 tsp of dill and 1/2 tbsp of shredded cheese. Pop in the oven and cook until the whites have set: 5-7 minutes for a runny yolk, 10 -12 minutes for a hard yolk.

Serve with large shards of buttered toast.

P.S. These photos were taken pre-Barcelona. As of now, nothing extraordinary has emerged from my kitchen here.

Hola Barcelona!

Dear Devon,

My apartment is empty. The piano is with a friend. A quarter of our stuff now belongs to the Housing Works Thrift Shop. And... the kitchen has been carefully packed into 80 quart plastic containers and lives in a dark storage space. My carefully orchestrated move to Barcelona has come down to a frantic dash to the laundry room and the vexing task of marshaling my electronic devices (over fifteen of them, not including chargers!). Six weeks ago, I was gainfully employed, enjoying a pleasant New York summer, and writing regularly to you. Today, I fly out to Barcelona for an extended stay. My plans are a bit hazy and my Spanish is almost non-existent. Fortunately, that won't stop me from enjoying the food!

Thanks again for coming all the way from Brooklyn to see us last night. It's always a treat to see you and Jeff. I only wish the bar were a bit quieter and had better seating arrangements. Lucky for us, we had our real goodbye on Wednesday.

The car comes at four o'clock to pick me up. I'll be writing to you from 3,839 miles away.

Hugs,
Michelle

Amanda's Torta della Nonna

Dear Devon and Michelle,

Devon, do you know that ancient-looking Italian coffee shop up the street from your apartment?  I used to go there for iced coffee - they chill it with shaved frozen coffee. Anyway, one time I was there and picked up a small tart with pine nuts on top. It was delicious and I’ve always wanted to know what it was called, and made of.  I’m not sure this is it but it didn’t disappoint.

To find the recipe I searched pine nut tart and came across this Torta Della Nonna, there are a variety different recipes, some with cream custard and some with ricotta. Mine uses ricotta and a lemon zest shortbread crust. Given the opportunity to make something with cheese... I had to make it with cheese.

Crust

10 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cups confectioners sugar

3 egg yolks

zest of 1/2 lemon

Custard

2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sugar

zest and juice from 1 lemon

3 eggs

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup pine nuts and an extra handful of pine nuts for topping

We don’t have a food processor so I cut the butter into the flour and sugar until the largest chunks were no bigger than a pea.  Next went in the egg yolks and zest, roughly incorporated and enough ice water added until the dough clumped together. I refrigerated the dough for about an hour, long enough to locate fresh ricotta and mix the custard.

I rolled out the crust enough to cover the bottoms and sides of a pie pan. A tart pan would be better, but I didn’t have one. I poured in the combined custard ingredients, topped with pine nuts and baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the custard was set.

My family called it a cheesecake, which it basically is. It was good room temperature the day-of, and equally good cold on the following days.  

                                                                                                                                                                 

Best, 

                       Amanda

Pesto over Gnocchi

Dear Devon,

Basil might be the king of herbs, but my taste buds had mounted a full blown rebellion against King Basil until quite recently. Back in early April, I was a lucky guest at my friend Madeleine's rooftop dinner party. It was at her dinner party that I fell in love with basil and its pulverized sibling, pesto. She set down an easy dinner of salad and pesto over corkscrew pasta. This meal changed my summer eating habits: I've made pesto a half dozen times since that night, heaping it over everything from pasta to potatoes and incorporating it into salad dressing.

This summer, I have tried to avoid too much hot cooking, relying on quickly grilled veggies, lots of salads (olive oil consumption is through the roof), tons of fruit, and pesto everything. I am a firm believer in minimum preparation for maximum tastiness. Pesto has definitely helped me achieve this. It requires no cooking, and its ingredients are easy to come by. A food processor is helpful, though you can make it without one- something I haven't tried, but am willing to contemplate. Lot of garlic is essential for good pesto, and so is really nice basil (but that goes without saying).


I toss the pesto over a batch of soft, ridged gnocchi. The gnocchi cradle the thick pesto in their deep grooves. Topped with freshly cut tomatoes, this dish celebrates the bounty of the summer garden.

Pesto over Gnocchi

Big bunch of fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
handful of arugula
1 green onion
1/4 cup walnuts
gnocchi
fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil or more as needed

Place toasted walnuts and parmesan cheese in the food processor. Whiz until finely grated. Drop in peeled garlic, roughly chopped green onion, basil, and small handful of arugula. With the machine running, add olive oil in a slow steady stream through the feed tube. Remove from the food processor, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula. Taste for seasoning. The parmesan cheese is already salty, so wait until the end before adding any more salt.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add fresh gnocchi and cook until the pillowy gnocchi floats to the top, less than 5 minutes. Drain and set aside in a large serving bowl. Pour fresh pesto over gnocchi. Toss to lightly coat. Chop fresh tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Add cut tomatoes to gnocchi, gently toss together. Finish with a sprinkle of olive oil for richness and a grating of parmesan cheese.