Lemon Sorbet

Even though schools are starting up again, I still have a little time to sneak in some last gasp summer recipes. The zest makes the lemon flavor stand out while the sugar balances the natural tartness. It works really well at the end of a cookout when you just don't want anything really heavy, or on one of these crazy hot days where you just can't bear the idea of turning on your oven.

The downside? If you happen to make it on one of those really hot days it's going to melt. Fast.  Even faster if you're attempting to take pictures of it in the sun for good lighting...so fast that you might spill it all over the kitchen floor and your favorite sandals. Ahhh, the joys of being a klutz and a food blogger :) At least it was my shoes and not my camera, right?



Lemon Sorbet
adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 1/2 cups water
pinch salt
1 tbsp limoncello (or vodka-this will just keep it from freezing too hard)

Heat all ingredients gently in a pan on the stovetop until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Pour into a bowl and place in fridge or freezer until completely cold. Place into ice cream maker and process following manufaturer's instructions. The sorbet will look more like soft serve than ice cream at this point. You can eat it immediately, but I prefer to freeze it for another hour or two until it is more solid. Works better in a cone that way :)

Ice Cream Pie....with Ninjas

In retrospect, rolling in from a weekend away straight to Ben's birthday might not have been our best idea. We had planned on doing a small party over the following weekend, but we quickly realized while we were traveling that Ben was having a rough time with the trip. Sometimes we forget just how much our little guy has gone through in his first few years of life and for whatever reason the trip set off a lot of anxiety. I'm not sure if it was the airplane ride, or just the amount of people around, or something else entirely. No matter what, it quickly became clear that by the time we returned home he would be a complete wreck if threw a large birthday party. 

Between adoption and the military we are experts at changing things up at the last second. We gave him a family party on his actual birthday instead. No crowds. Just pizza and cake. Heck, I didn't even make the pizza. (It's hard to remember when we are hyper-focused on getting the kids what they need, but Mama needs to take the easy road sometimes too. I might prefer my homemade pizza, but I know the kids are just as happy to have takeout. This is not something I am good at remembering.) 

Ben really wanted a Ninjago cake, so since I knew there was no way I could make and decorate in the time I had so I went a different route. What's more refreshing in the summer than ice cream cake? It was fast, easy, and delicious....and I could pop a few Ninja figures on the top and be good to go. Thankfully, it was a hit with kids and grownups alike!

Of course, I couldn't resist fancy-ing it up a bit :)  The caramel sauce and homemade whipped cream add a rich touch, and if I had been making this for grownups only I would have made it salted caramel sauce. It would be so easy to change up the flavors of this cake. Cookies and cream ice cream with an oreo crust? Strawberry and vanilla with a chocolate sauce layer instead of the caramel? So many options! 

And because I can't resist a cute picture of the birthday boy...here's an action shot!

Ice Cream Pie

adapted from Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson and The Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson

Ingredients

For the crust: 

12 oz graham crackers (about 21/2 sleeves from a box)

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Filling:

1 pint chocolate ice cream, slightly softened

1/2 caramel sauce

1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

For the topping:

1 1/2 heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

To make the crust:

Put graham crackers, butter and chocolate chips in a food processor and blitz until they are completely combined. Press into pie plate so that there is an even layer on the bottom and sides. My pie plate is on the small side and I didn't need quite all of mixture, so don't worry if you have extra. Place in the freezer for at least an hour until the crust is solid. 

To make the topping:

Meanwhile, using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside. 

Assembly:

Take the crust out of the freezer. Scoop chocolate ice cream into crust and smooth into an even layer (about 1-2 inches deep). Pour caramel sauce over chocolate ice cream and even it out as well. Pop in the freezer for a minute or two so it hardens up a little. Scoop the vanilla ice cream and mold into another 2 inch layer. Add the whipped cream to the top and smooth out so that it completely covers the pie. If you want, drizzle some chocolate or caramel sauce over the top of the pie. Freeze for another hour until solid. 

I used a warm knife and was able to cut straight from the freezer, but you could also just take it out a few minutes before you plan to serve it. 

Cooking With Kids: Mango Ice Cream

My 5 year old has been cooking with me since he was around 2. He would sit or stand on a chair next to me even if he wasn't actively involved in stirring or pouring ingredients in. Pretty much any recipe would work, because he learned early that knives and hot stoves are for Mommy and he only had to stay as long as he was interested. We both had a lot of fun and he's one hell of a whisk-er. (You're welcome, future daughter-in-law.)

When our youngest came home from South Korea last summer though, it became much harder to find the "right" recipe. Not only did he not understand why he couldn't touch my chef's knife or the hot pan on the stove, he was not quite 3. Sharing at that age in the best of circumstances is not easy, and we were not in the best of circumstances. We were learning how to be a family of 4. The boys are really close in age, and none of us spoke enough Korean to explain complex ideas. So the "right" recipe became essential. There had to be enough ingredients to pour in so that everyone had a turn and little hands needed to be watched at all times as he learned the basics. 

Fast forward one year later and we can relax a little more. Taking turns is still hard, but tantrums over who gets to pour the flour in are rare. He doesn't show as much interest as his brother did at that age, but it's more of a personality thing. 

Ice cream recipes are often custard based and I have discovered that those are not my forte. I will master them eventually, but for now they are too hit or miss to try with the boys. The worst thing to cook with kids is something that stresses you out! In the meantime, fruit based ice creams work really well. This one in particular is great. You simply pour all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz it until it's combined. Pop it into your ice cream maker and you're done! 

It's perfect for little chefs...only a few ingredients to pour in, lots of buttons to push, and the end result is ice cream! 

Linked up to All for the Boys here!

Don't I have the cutest sous chefs ever? 

Mango Ice Cream

adapted from eCurry

Ingredients:

2-3 fresh mangos, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 pint heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

splash of lime juice

splash of vodka (this is optional-it just keeps the ice cream from freezing too solidly to eat)

Place mango in food processor and run until it is almost pureed. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend together until completely combined. 

Chill the mixture in the fridge or freezer until chilled. Place the liquid in the ice cream maker and follow directions for the machine. 

I usually put the ice cream into the freezer at the point to achieve a more solid consistency, but if you prefer a more soft-serve like consistency it will be ready right out of the machine. 

Summer Wishlist- Ice Cream Edition

My littlest guy is sick today, so while I'll be doing lots of snuggling on the couch and watching Ninjago (Lego Ninjas for those of you without Lego obsessed children) I won't be doing much in the kitchen. Chicken soup is in the slow cooker and there is plenty of homemade ice cream in the freezer so we are all set on sick day essentials. 

While I'm waiting to get back in the kitchen I thought I would share some fun kitchen tools for the dog days of summer. July is National Ice Cream Month after all! Gotta be prepared! 

Do you have any of these? What are you summer must-haves for the kitchen? 

Zoku Popsicle Maker

I have had my eye on this for a while! I try not to buy too many single use appliances that we have to move constantly (ahem, pasta maker that has never been used) but I think we would get a lot of use out of this. It works like an ice cream maker- you keep part of the base in the freezer and pop it into the machine only when you're ready to make the pops. Now that summer is here I've been hearing a lot of good reviews. Just think of the tantrums that could be avoided by producing a popsicle for everyone in less than 10 minutes!

            Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones                                                The Perfect Scoop

These are two of the best ice cream cookbooks out there. The recipes range in difficulty level but there are beginner recipes in each one. Everything from basic vanilla to black current tea ice cream or peach leaf. Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones even has cone, cake and topping recipes. 

Norpro Scoop Set

The scoops in this set get solid reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. I've had a few cheap cookie scoops fall apart on me but these claim they can stand up to dough, ice cream or batter with no problems. I like that there are a range of sizes, so I could use them to get consistent sizing on cookies, cupcakes and ice cream. 

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker

This is the new version of the ice cream maker I have which is 10 years old. (Yikes!) I don't feel any need to get a new one, but if something happened to it I would probably just get this again. It's simple to use and only has a few parts to wash. It's not as pricy as many of the ones out there so it's a good one to try if you're just getting started. 

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

This ice cream shop has expanded from its original Ohio location to more shops and home delivery. (She also has a best selling ice cream cookbook, but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet!) I really want to try some of her flavors at home- Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet or the Milkiest Chocolate in the World? Yes please. 

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