frozen ice cream-yogurt with cherries & yogurt-covered pretzels

 okay, real talk: if you have an ice cream maker, you owe it to yourself to make this right now. unfortunately, there are some steps involving cooling things, so it's not like you can just eat it right away, but at least you'll have it started, which is the main thing.

the base is essentially like if ice cream and frozen yogurt got together and had an adorable and tasty child. actually, it's more like frozen custard + frozen yogurt, because eggs. the important thing, though, is that it has the soft creaminess of ice cream and a little (but not too much) of the tangy-ness of frozen yogurt together in one delicious spoonful. then you gild the lily by adding lots of cherries and (meta!) chopped up yogurt-covered pretzels. the sweetness, saltiness, and crunch may just make this your new summer favorite.

there are a few different steps to this, but none are difficult or really that time-consuming. the main thing is that once you make the base and the cherries, you have to let them chill for a good long time - preferably overnight. so it's something to plan ahead for. but the anticipation just makes it better. 

i got the notion for the base for this from a recent rhubarb ice cream recipe in the ny times. i actually first used the base in a rhubarb-blackberry crumble ice cream, which was delicious but for which i forgot to make any note of amounts of things, so i can't really tell you how to make it. maybe i should revisit that soon. 

although that recipe was sort of an inspiration, the main thing i took away from it was the use of sour cream. but i never have sour cream lying around, so i used yogurt. if you've never made ice cream with a custard base (i.e., using egg yolks to thicken it), it might be somewhat intimidating. but it's really not hard. first, separate 4 eggs so they're ready to go (here's a video) - put the yolks into a bowl big enough to hold at least 3 cups. you can save the whites for something else (pavlova?!). then heat 1 cup each of milk and heavy cream with 3/4 cup sugar (in a saucepan over medium heat). stir it pretty diligently. once it's hot and the sugar has dissolved (you'll see steam, but you don't want it to boil), add it verrrry slowly to the yolks while whisking them heartily. this tempers the eggs so they don't scramble. basically i usually start with pouring it in a very thin stream for at least the first half of the milk/cream mixture, then going a little faster once the eggs are a bit heated. you can certainly find videos of this if it doesn't make sense. once everything's mixed, put it back in the pan and let it cook, stirring assiduously but not too speedily. as the custard (look! you just made a custard!) cooks, it will thicken up. most recipes say it's done when it coats the back of a spoon. here's what it looked like when i took it off the heat:

pour it through a strainer into a largish bowl. you don't absolutely have to use a strainer, but it's nice just in case there are a couple of bits of egg that have congealed. then just add a cup of greek yogurt and a teaspoon or so of vanilla, mix it up, and put it in the fridge for at least 3 or 4 hours and preferably overnight. it needs to be nice and cold before you freeze it.

you can also go ahead and make the cherries now. they need to chill, too, so you might as well get it over with. i used this recipe by david lebovitz. it was easy and worked a treat, although they didn't get as candied-y as i was expecting them to. but they are simple if you use frozen cherries and only a little less so if you use fresh and have to pit them. i am no great fan of pitting cherries (which is why i usually just eat fresh ones or use them in something like clafoutis, where they don't have to be pitted), but this was worth it. though i think frozen would be just as good. so yeah, make those and put them in the fridge.

now it's the next day and you can finally make ice cream! first, chop up ~ 3/4 cup (~ 7 ounces) of the cherries and drain them over a bowl or something (the juice is good, but you don't want it in the ice cream) for at least an hour. it would be good to do it in the fridge if you can, so they are cold. ice cream is sometimes temperamental and it's best if all of the components are cold. 

then just freeze the base in whatever ice cream maker you have according to the directions. in my kitchenaid bowl thingy it took about 15 or 20 minutes. while it's going, chop up about a cup or so (~ 5 ounces) of yogurt-covered pretzels. you don't have to be super-obsessive in chopping them - just get them roughly in bite-sized pieces. 

 when the ice cream's cold, use a sturdy utensil to mix in the pretzels and cherries, then pack it all in some airtight containers and freeze for a couple of hours. you can also eat it right away - it'll be almost soft-serve-y. you might want to make it to bring to a party or something, though, because otherwise you will want to eat. it. all. 


summer!

*ingredients*
ice cream base
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup full fat greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cherries (by david lebovitz)
1 pound cherries
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

~ 5 ounces yogurt-covered pretzels (maybe you could use regular pretzels, but yogurt ones are where it's at)

listening to: this insane and hilarious mix of songs sent in as demos in the 90s. also a preview of grizzly bear's upcoming album. and santigold. always santigold.

cherry/lime/ginger/bourbon

wow, it's been more than a month since i featured a cocktail recipe.

lest you be concerned, this in no way relates to the frequency of my cocktail-drinking. that is still going on, but i've been sticking mainly to classics; namely, the gin + tonic. i haven't even been making my own elderflower gin cocktail. what can i say? i don't think g+ts can really be improved upon too much as far as balance and tastiness.

that being said, woman cannot survive august's heat on gin alone. this past weekend, portland's temperature got up past 90 degrees for the first. time. all. summer.

let us (particularly those from warmer climes) pause and marvel at that for a minute. i still can't believe it myself. being from texas, i am used to 90 degree days in march. to pass the bulk of the summer in cooler temperatures is nothing short of a miracle to me.

that being said, i think my blood has thickened or something, because it felt really hot in our house. even the dogs were moping around everywhere searching for somewhere cooler to flop. this drink was a great help in the general cooling-down effort (note: we did not give cocktails to the dogs).

it combines fresh (or you could use frozen) muddled cherries with lime juice, ginger beer, and bourbon. when you sip it, you feel immediately as though you're in jamaica or something. although i've never been to jamaica myself, i assume that's due to the ginger beer and the relaxation that washes over you as you drink up.

cut the cherries in half (maybe 4-5 per drink) and remove the pits (if you don't much care for your guests, leave the pits in for a nice surprise!). add the juice from a quarter of a lime and smash them together with a muddler or a wooden spoon or something like that. add bourbon and ice and fill the rest of the glass with ginger beer. you could use ginger ale instead, but ginger beer is way more gingery and delicious. it makes ginger ale look like sprite in comparison. and sprite is really not what you want for this drink. if you can't find ginger beer, you could use ginger ale and some fresh ginger, muddling the fresh ginger with the cherries.

whatever you do, make this soon. it is extremely refreshing and may just usurp gin + tonics for the all-too-brief bit of summer we have left. i am thinking of calling it "the chillax" - ask for it by name!

*ingredients*

4-5 cherries

juice from 1/4 lime

bourbon

1/2 or so bottle of ginger beer

lots of ice

*after you finish the drink, make sure to eat the gingery bourbon-y cherries - they're perhaps the best part.

very cherry hand pies with ginger and lemon

don't those little pies just make you swoon? there's something so summery about little baby pies you can eat out of hand. they are perfect for picnics, since you don't need utensils. however, they are also perfect for eating at home or at work or really wherever you might want a tiny pie pick-me-up.

luckily, they are also quite easy to make, since the crust is simply store-bought puff pastry. of course, technically one could make one's own puff pastry, but really it's kind of too hot for that nonsense.

these are very similar to the ones in this month's bon appetit (see recipe here). however, i took the liberty of adding the zest of one lemon and a couple of tablespoons of finely diced crystallized ginger. i also used frozen cherries for the most part but added a few fresh cherries at the end of cooking the filling. next time i might try using a little less cornstarch, like a tablespoon instead of 1 1/2, because i felt like the texture was a little gummy. but when you use less cornstarch it will make the filling set up less, so they may be more messy. i think i would also use lemon juice to mix with the cornstarch instead of water, just to add a little more acidity and flavor.

i do think that the lemon and ginger were great additions, since they added a little brightness and spice. however, i'm sure that making them as the recipe is written would result in excellent pies as well. also, our grocery store didn't have all-butter puff pastry, so i used the prole pepperidge farm kind. luckily it still worked. it actually made more pies than the recipe states as well - bonus!

follow the basic recipe for the filling, adding the grated zest of one whole lemon and a couple of tablespoons of minced crystallized ginger when you add the cherries. i don't think you have to use the dried cherries, but i definitely think it's a good idea. they have a different texture and more intense flavor than the fresh or frozen ones. you could also use other dried fruit such as cranberries or blueberries for a different berry boost.

if you use the pepperidge farm puff pastry (it seems to be the only one available in many stores), let it thaw and then roll it out when your filling is cool - i rolled it on a large cutting board, which makes cleaning up easier. when you unwrap it, it is folded over a couple of times so when you unfold it there are three rectangle-y sections. i cut the pastry along the fold lines and then cut each of those in half so that instead of three long rectangles, there are six shorter ones. then follow the recipe and brush with egg (i used a whole egg with a little water because what are you going to do with just an egg yolk?) around the edges so it will seal more easily. if you don't have a pastry brush, you can do as i did and just dip your fingers in the egg and brush it like that.

then just dollop on some filling, fold one end over, and press the tines of a fork lightly around the edges to seal. then brush the egg wash over the top and sprinkle with some sugar. the recipe calls for fancy sugar, which would definitely be a little prettier and more sparkly, but i used regular-people sugar and it was totally fine.

i put them in the freezer to cool (because our fridge was too full - it wasn't out of some kind of ideological impulse - but it worked well) and waited until after they had chilled to cut the vents in the top. i think this made it easier to cut them, because otherwise the pastry is soft and it's hard to get good cuts. then just bake those puppies as the recipe suggests and bring them to a picnic!

our picnic sadly lacked a piñata, but we did have a bunch of pies, so i guess it evens out...

you can also eat them at home and use a plate, but where's the fun in that?

actually, it's still pretty fun, even indoors and on a plate.