Hibiscus-Maple Syrup Icecream

A few months back, I randomly attended the MetroCooking food convention in Washington D.C. The overall event was not what I had expected and to be honest, a little disappointing. You pay for general admittance, then you pay to eat food from various vendors. There were a few special promotions like cooking lessons and the BBQ food section of the venue. I can understand paying for a cooking class but an additional cost just to access the BBQ section? Where you still have to pay to eat food? In conclusion - serious money grab. My recommendation is to review the list of vendors and try them out independently.

Raw "Candy Corn" Cheesecake

This post is a day late and a dollar short but I couldn't resist sharing! Bookmark it for next Halloween! It is a super cute Raw "Candy Corn" Cheesecake from the Unconventional Baker who specializes in food without the use of artificial colors, sweeteners, and flavors. I love reading this blog for the beautiful photos and wildly creative desserts.

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Icecream Cake!

One time, when I was in elementary school, a kid told me to shut up on the playground. My big brother, Joey, heard it and chased them up a tree. 

Another time, when we were little, one of our cousins punched me. Joey promptly started wailing on him, shouting "don't you hurt my sister." Mom literally had to peel him off the poor guy.

 

Oh and this other time in high school. He was minding his own business, peacefully watching TV in the living room. I was on the phone trying to comfort a friend whose parents were screaming in the background. The second we hung up, I dropped the brave front, marched downstairs, b-lined to Joey, and burst into tears. I will never forget the startled look on his face; he immediately shot up and hugged me. 

Then there are the countless times he has listened to me vent; managed to make me laugh; and been the only person to truly understand the circus going on inside my head. The poor guy! I used get on my tip toes to reach our parent's bathroom sink and put water in my bangs because I wanted to have jet black hair, just like his. 

In short. He's pretty freaking awesome.

The least I could do is make him an awesome cake. Happy Birthday Josinho!

This cake is SINFUL. The crust is made of chocolate waffers, mashed up. You can use any 2 flavor of ice cream; I went with vanilla and chocolate. Since he loves peanut butter, the middle layer is chopped, chocolate covered peanuts. Topping it all off is hot fudge with a bit of peanut butter stirred in. I repeat... SINFUL. I cannot wait to make it in the summer with fruity flavors and fruit in the middle.

*I couldn't find chocolate covered peanuts at the grocery store, so I made them. (Here's a great tutorial if you're a visual person). Spread unsalted peanuts (I used about 3/4 cup) on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil in the oven for a few minutes, until they are lightly browned and fragrant, dump into a medium sized bowl. Place the cookie sheet and parchment paper to the side. Melt about 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips in the microwave; stir in a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. Pour over unsalted peanuts and mix until they're entirely coated. Take the already lined cookie sheet and scoop the peanut mixture by the spoon full onto the sheet. Place in freezer until they firm up, about 30 minutes. Once they're completely dry, throw them in a food processor and coarsely chop. 

If you don't chop them up- good luck cutting the cake! You'll end up looking like THIS GUY.

Chocolate Peanut Ice Cream Cake

from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, 2012


2 cups finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies (about 38 cookies)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 quart ice cream (I used vanilla)
1 1/2 cups chocolate covered peanuts* (see above)
1 quart other ice cream (I used chocolate)
chocolate covered or plain peanuts, chopped to garnish (optional)

12 ounce jar hot fudge ice cream topping
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter


Preheat oven to 350.

For crust, in a medium bowl combine crushed cookies and sugar. Drizzle with melted butter, toss gently to coat. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 to 2 inches up side of a 9x3 inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is set. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Freeze for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir ice cream with a wooden spoon until softened. Spread softened ice cream on frozen crust. Sprinkle with the 1 1/2 cups chocolate covered peanuts. Cover and freeze about 1 hour or until firm.

In another large bowl stir other ice cream with a wooden spoon until softened. Spread on top of layers of in pan. Cover and freeze for about 4 hours. 

Using a knife, loosen crust from side of pan; remove side of pan. Let ice cream cake stand at room temperature for 20-25 minutes to soften slightly.

To serve, cut ice cream cake into wedges and top with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sauce. If desired, sprinkle with additional chocolate covered peanuts. 

In a small saucepan combine the hot fudge and creamy peanut butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through.

Vietnamese Coffee Sundaes with Crushed Peanut Brittle

Vietnamese Iced Coffee is a must. It's French pressed drip coffee served with condensed milk and it's divine! So long as you don't go too crazy with the milk- I like my coffee strong and bitter. My girlfriend Yen-Nei sent me this recipe to try out. It definitely has the iced coffee taste to it but I would go easy on the peanut brittle- it's very sweet! Serve with or without the brittle, depending on your taste buds. I put some peanuts in a food processor to garnish mine. If you really like that coffee taste, add another tablespoon of the instant coffee! Perfect for a hot day where you need a refreshing boost!

Peanut Brittle:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Coffee:

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of hot water

Whip Cream:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Base:

2 pints vanilla ice cream

Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar with the water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until an amber caramel forms, about 12 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the roasted peanuts, cinnamon, and salt until the peanuts are evenly coated. Scrape the caramel mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Let stand until the brittle is hardened, about 20 minutes.

Break off 4 medium-size pieces of peanut brittle. Place the remaining brittle in a resealable plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin to crush the brittle into small pieces.

In a medium bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk with the dissolved instant coffee.

In another medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar at high speed until softly whipped.

Scoop the ice cream into 4 bowls and drizzle with the milky coffee. Sprinkle with the crushed peanut brittle and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with the reserved pieces of peanut brittle and serve at once.

Brownie Bottom Icecream Cuppys

Happy Valentines Day! I generally could care less for the day but hey- I like seeing hearts and tales of happiness. Romance in general is a Lost Art. There's something about seeing couples in love that brings joy and hope to the soul.

Upon request, I attempted to create Icecream Cupcakes. I was hesitant because it sounded out of my resources reach. Then I found a recipe Joy the Baker (hella cute blog) that was simple, easy, and delicious! These came out bangin and I customized them for the holiday. It's like eating a hot fudge sundae, minus the hot part.
The Break Down:


1) Make the brownie batter. Line two cupcake pans with the cupcake liners. Into each cupcake liner, scoop 1 Tablespoon of brownie batter. Foil liners are recommended but I used paper, the grocery store was out of foil and they turned out just fine.


2) The brownies will rise but cool so they're slopped in, perfect for holding icecream. Once cool, place in the freezer (still in the cupcake pans) for 30 minutes. When you place the cupcake pans in the freezer, remove the ice cream you’re using and place in the refrigerator to soften. I used strawberry and vanilla icecream. Every cupcake can be a different flavor- have fun with it!


3) When ready to assemble the cupcakes, remove the cupcake pans from the freezer. Run the ice cream scooper under hot water and portion a small scoop of ice cream into each cup while still in the cupcake pan. The cupcake pan will help the ice cream hold its shape. Quickly smooth the scoops of ice cream with the back of a small spoon and return the ice cream cupcakes quickly to the freezer. Let the newly formed cupcakes refreeze for 45 minutes to an hour.

4) In this time you can make the chocolate ganache and whipped cream. Let the ganache come to just around room temperature, and let the whip cream rest in the fridge until serving time.


5) Once the cupcakes are refrozen and nice and firm, remove from the freezer and top with a teaspoon of chocolate ganache. Smooth over the cupcake. Return once again to the freezer.

To serve, remove the cupcakes from the freezer about 5 minutes before you’d life to serve them. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and serve!


For the brownies, a recipe from Bon Appetit.


3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs plus one egg yolk
1 1/8 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake pans with foil cupcake liners.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Stir butter and chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water, creating a double boiler. Heat until melted and smooth.
Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Stir in warm chocolate mixture, then dry ingredients. Scoop 1 Tablespoon of batter into each foil liner. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes before scooping the ice cream on top.


Ganache:


3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips and 1/4 cup heavy cream
Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan. In a small bowl, pour cream evenly over chocolate. Let stand for one minute to soften, then stir until smooth. If frosting is too loose to spread, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, frosting will continue to thicken as it stands. Scoop onto cupcakes. Spread and refreeze until ready to serve.
Feel free to make double this if you want a good coat of ganache!

Sweetened Whipped Cream:


3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
dash of vanilla extract

Whip heavy cream for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until thick whipped cream forms. Dollop onto Ice Cream Cupcakes just before serving.