Lemon Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Ribbons and Meringue Pieces

This may just be the best ice cream I've ever eaten. Though I'm a sucker for lemon ice cream anyway, this recipe I found here goes over the top by adding fresh lemon curd and tiny meringue pieces into the mix. I made only a few modifications and made this a few nights ago and it did not last long. The taste and texture combined to make this a craveable dessert that I want to make again already. It is almost custard like in consistency and had just the right blend of sweet and tartness. The recipe below yields about 6-8 servings. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. Read through the recipe completely before you start. That way you won't waste the 5 egg whites like I did. You'll need them for the meringue.
2. I left my meringue in the oven a bit too long and so it browned more than I would have liked it too, though the taste was not affected.
3. The recipe for the lemon curd makes almost twice as much as you need but not to worry. Either add it into the ice cream for extra flavor or eat it plain out of the bowl. You won't be sorry either way.

INGREDIENTS
Ice Cream
1 3/4 cups half and half
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 Tbs lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
2 Tbs vanilla

Lemon Curd
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
3 Tbs water
1/4 cup corn oil

Meringue
5 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
Ice Cream
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk, 1/4 cup of sugar and lemon zest stirring occasionally until almost boiling.
2. Combine egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a large bowl. Beat until slightly thickened.
3. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, stirring continually.



4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until thickened and the mixture is almost boiling.



5. Prepare the cream in a large bowl set over an ice-bath.
6. Pour the hot milk through a fine mesh sieve into the cream.



7. Add the vanilla then cool to room temperature before refrigerating at least 3 hours.
8. Add the mixture to an ice-cream maker and process per those directions.
9. Scoop the ice cream into a bowl and place in the freezer until you are ready to stir in your additions. You should do this within an hour so you can easily stir them in, otherwise the ice cream will get too hard.

Lemon Curd
1. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water.
2. In a medium saucepan combine eggs, oil, lemon juice, zest and sugar and whisk continually over medium heat until thickened and almost boiling, about 10 minutes.



3. Add cornstarch mixture and continue to whisk until thickened.



4. Remove from heat and pour through a mesh sieve.



5. Let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating.



Meringue
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a non-stick bakeware liner.
3. Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until frothy, about 2 minutes.
4. While still on high, slowly add the sugar and whip until stiff peaks form, about another 2 minutes.



5. Spread the meringue on the baking sheet in a thin layer and bake in the oven for one hour.



6. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before crumbling into pieces.



Assembly
1. Fold 1/2 cup lemon curd into ice cream.



2. Fold meringue pieces into ice cream.



3. Freeze to desired consistency.

Spiced Apple and Banana Bundt with Brown Sugar Caramel Glaze

I scoured the internet recently to look for creative recipes that could utilize the many over-ripe bananas that had gone uneaten in my house. I landed on a recipe for this cake on this website. I made a few modifications and loved the results! The timing of this find was perfect as this is a wonderful cake for the fall with apples, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. The brown sugar caramel glaze was delicious and easy to make. The recipe below yields one bundt cake that serves 12-16. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS

1. If you don't have all the spices listed, no cause for alarm. Use the spices to taste or substitute more of one than another if you prefer.
2. Poking the holes in the top of the cake really does make a difference and ensures a consistent taste with every bite.
3. When making the glaze, make sure you have all the ingredients ready to go as the process is time sensitive and must be worked through quickly.

INGREDIENTS

Bundt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
5 oz sour cream
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 cup finely diced apples
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt


Brown Sugar Caramel Glaze
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs cream or milk
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 cups confection sugar, sifted


DIRECTIONS

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Butter and flour a Bundt cake pan
3. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
4. Add canola oil, yogurt, eggs, sugars, vanilla and spices.















5. Whisk until batter is smooth and silky, about 1 minute of vigorous whisking.
6. Add the bananas, apples, and stir to combine.















7. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.





























8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes.















9. Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before inverting it and removing cake.
10. Once inverted, poke 15-20 holes in the top of the cake with a popsicle stick.















Glaze
1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the brown sugar and bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring nearly continuously.















3. Remove the pan from the burner, allow it to cool for about 1 minute.















4. Add the cream and whisk aggressively.
5. After the bubbling has subsided, add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
6. Add the confectioners’ sugar one-half cup at a time, until desired sauce consistency is reached.















7. Pour glaze over cake and allow it to set up for a few minutes if desired; or slice and serve immediately.

Chicken Bryan

It's no surprise that I love to eat. When I go to a restaurant, one of my all-time favorite dishes is Chicken Bryan at Carrabba's. I get this every time without fail. It is so delicious I crave it often. Simply stated it's a chicken breast covered in goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and a lemon butter sauce. I don't know why I haven't tried to recreate it before, but I made the attempt tonight and it was wonderful! For about the cost of one serving at the restaurant I was able to feed my entire family of four and it was every bit as good as the restaurant version. Surprisingly, this was super easy to make as well and didn't require much prep work. The recipe below is a combination of several I found online and a few of my own tweaks and feeds 4. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS

1. The sauce should not be made too far in advance or it will begin to separate. Make it right before you're ready to serve.

2. I don't have alcohol in our home so I typically use cooking wine and for this recipe it substituted just fine.
3. You can buy the sun-dried tomatoes already julienned although sometimes they come in a jar or can packaged in oil. Since you don't want that extra flavoring, you can rinse them in hot water and then pat them dry.

INGREDIENTS

Basil Lemon Butter Sauce

1/2 cup butter

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbs white wine

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream

8 basil leaves, sliced

Chicken and Assembly

4 skinless chicken breasts

Vegetable oil

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

4 slabs of Goat cheese

DIRECTIONS

Basil Lemon Butter Sauce

1. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat.

2. Add garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

3. Add the lemon juice and wine and cook another 5 minutes.

4. Add salt, pepper and cream and reduce heat to low.

5. Cook for 15 minutes over low heat until thick, stirring often.

Chicken

1. Preheat a barbecue grill to high.

2. Use a kitchen mallet to flatten the thick part of the breasts so they will cook evenly.

3. Rub each breast with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until done.

Assembly

1. When the chicken is done, place each breast on a plate.

2. Place a slice of cheese and then a pile of sun-dried tomatoes on top of each chicken breast.

3. Stir the sliced basil leaves into the sauce.

4. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Chocolate Bundt with Snickers Glaze

This recipe comes from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. I made just a few minor modifications and added the Snickers bars as suggested on this post for some extra texture and flavor. The bundt is moist and heavy, yet not too sweet or rich. Combined with the Snickers glaze, it is a wonderful dessert that I will make again. This is one of those desserts that you look at as you sit down for dinner and know that you are going to have to save room for it. The recipe below yields one 10-inch Bundt and serves 12-16.

HELPFUL HINTS
1. I don't drink coffee so I used Pero, a coffee substitute and it tasted great.
2. Though I added Snickers, you could really use any candybar or you could leave it without and you'd still have a delicious cake.
3. I also floured the bundt pan after buttering it just to make sure it didn't stick.

INGREDIENTS
Cake
1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbs brewed coffee
3/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar.
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk
1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbs buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 Tbs canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups, plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted

Glaze
6 ounce bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup sour cream at room temp
1/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled
4 snickers bars, regular size

DIRECTIONS
Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F with the oven rack placed in the center.
2. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan with unsalted butter.
3. Place coffee and cocoa powder in a small saucepan.















4. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
5. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.















7. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix it for another 30 seconds















8. Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.















9. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on high for 3 minutes.



10. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until the toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.















11. Let the cake cool down completely in the pan and then invert it onto a cooling rack.















Glaze
1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a double broiler over simmering water.
2. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat.
3. Melt the butter in a separate bowl, then whisk into the chocolate mixture.
4. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, whisking to combine.
5. Whisk in the sour cream.
6. Whisk in the remaining powdered sugar.
7. Add the coffee and whisk to create a glossy glaze.
8. Chop the snickers into small pieces and stir into the glaze gently, leaving extra pieces for sprinkling.















9. Cover the cake with the glaze and allow to keep at room temperature until ready to serve.