Tag Archives: ice cream

Basil Chip Ice Cream

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Danguole| 17 Comments

I had a very serious conversation with the family at Easter dinner…  About our favorite ice cream flavors.  It seems every human being is obligated to have one, but if you asked me about my mom’s go-to, I really wouldn’t know.  Turns out, she doesn’t know either, and none of us has a definitive one, really–what might have been a simple Q&A in other families became us just naming flavors.  Yeah…  I’m related to these people.

I should also add that we were eating ice cream.  Before eating cake.  Again–these people are definitely my people.

However, I think my maybe-favorite, the one I would pick if you held a gun to my head (which you wouldn’t do, because that’s dumb) is mint chip.  There is so much to like: the freshness, the balance of sweet with bitter dark chocolate, the crunch…  I am a fan.

But why don’t we branch out today?  You may not think of basil as dessert-appropriate, but why not?  Mint is only used in desserts because we’re used to it.  There are so many other green, fragrant, delightful things that grow in the dirt on our planet.  Let’s play with them.

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Posted in Dessert, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian

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Cinnamon-Swirl Maple Ice Cream

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Danguole| 9 Comments

You know what I love?

I love it when you share things with me.  Links, articles, recipes, etc., that you think I would enjoy.  And I do!  Every time.  You people get me, and it’s just the best.  I can’t wear lots of black and talk about how misunderstood I am anymore–nope.  No excuses.

Jura, a lovely (Lithuanian!) reader shared this with me a while back, and it took me a couple months to get to it.  It’s not summer anymore, however–imagine this sitting atop a bowl of hot, cinnamon-scented apple crisp.  With a blanket, on the couch, in your cinnamon-scented home.  Good stuff, right?

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Posted in Dessert, Fall, Lithuanian, Summer, Vegetarian

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Olive Oil Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Sweet Cherries

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Danguole| 3 Comments

It’s the end of an era in Chicago–Charlie Trotter’s is shuttering after 25 years.  I would go on and on listing all the honors, all the accolades it’s received over the years, but nothing beats experiencing it yourself, and I’ve been lucky enough to do exactly that.

Of course, it was an eye-opening delight.  Spring onion with Indonesian vanilla, wild ramps, fiddlehead ferns and chives.  Marcona almond risotto with green almonds and red wine.  Meyer lemon with toasted brioche ice cream and caraway meringue.  It’s been three years, but out of eight incredible, innovative vegetarian courses, one of the desserts has stuck in my mind the best: olive oil ice cream with a rich, dark chocolate sauce and cherries.

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Posted in Dessert, Summer, Vegetarian

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Peach, Cinnamon and Bourbon Milkshake

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Danguole| 6 Comments

The rules of the booze shake are as follows:

(1) The first rule of Booze Shake is…  You can totally talk about Booze Shake.  Why do you ask?

(2) Go easy on the alcohol, then add more if necessary; we’re not making a cocktail.  I find that half a shot per shake is plenty–of course, this varies on how sweet/easy to drink your chosen liquor is.

(3) Use quality ice cream.  The stuff that is pumped full of air, when blended, will deflate faster than the wide-eyed romantic ideals of tween Twilight fans everywhere.  (If you are judging me for knowing anything about this… That makes two of us.)  Anyway.  I usually make sure to pick up ice cream that feels relatively heavy and has a relatively decent amount of calories.  Julie’s Organic did the job beautifully in this case.

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Posted in Dessert, Drinks, Summer

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Cantaloupe-Thyme Ice Cream

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Danguole| 7 Comments

Remember when Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg got together to bake up a batch of brownies?  If you’re like me, you may have let out a teeny squeal of utter delight.

So good.  So right.  So weird.

Individually, neither excites me nearly as much; been there, done that.  On the other hand, take two things that aren’t traditionally considered natural partners, toss them into unfamiliar territory, and what do you have?  You have something special.

In short, this is exactly what I love about cooking.  The possibilities?  Literally endless.

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Posted in Dessert, Summer, Vegetarian

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Cherry Limeade Ice Cream

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Danguole| 8 Comments

What can I say about summer that hasn’t already been said?

Do I even need to?  I’m not sure.  I do know that every blogger who’s ever posted a chocolate chip recipe has probably wondered–what else is there to say?  All we really do, subtly, is tell you: “Make x because it’s in season.”  ”Make y because it’s healthy.”  ”Make z because it’ll impress your friends.”

Sometimes there’s no need for any of that.  No one needs to be told that chocolate chip cookies are delicious, or that summer is a special time.  It’s not even my favorite season, but I appreciate it, and I love it.  Maybe it’s so commonly understood to be special because the joy of getting out of school for three months when we were kids?  Mind.  Blowing.  We felt like we won the lottery, thank you very much–every 12 months.

I don’t think that feeling leaves as we age.  We don’t get to sleep in M-F anymore and spend entire days lazing about in a backyard, reading Jack Kerouac and listening to Sonic Youth on our Walkman (yes, I was as insufferable a teenager as I sound).

But, the pleasure associated with those memories always stays, and every time we glance out the window at 8:30 and see it’s still light outside, consciously or not, we remember the last of the truly carefree times we had.

All this rambling, only to tell you about the time I wanted to make ice cream that tastes like cherry limeade (and did).

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Posted in Dessert, Summer

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