My love for ice cream is no secret to regular readers of this site. I could churn a new ice cream flavor everyday and be happy, if it weren’t for the fact that I couldn’t keep up with eating them all. However, as much as I like trying to make some oddball flavors, sometimes you need to return to some simpler classics. And when a pregnant wife asks for chcoclate, you give her chocolate! So today: chocolate hazelnut ice cream.
This ice cream was any chocolate lover’s dream. I debated calling it a gelato on account of the thick texture and richness of flavor. Speaking of flavor, this was so intensely chocolate and very distinctly hazelnut (I’m a sucker for hazelnut anything). This isn’t an ice cream to load your bowl up with–one small, perfect scoop will do you just right. Save the overindulging for the boring storebought chcolate ice creams.
- 1 cup cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1.5 cups praline paste
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Posted by mike on January 7th, 2009 in Dessert, Ice Cream/Sorbet
I can be very much a “where’s the beef?” kind of guy, but every now and then, a truly vegetarian dish somehow slips under my nose and wins me over without me realizing it. This chickpea-centric dish, called channa masala, is one of the first Indian dishes I’d ever had and it’s kept me coming back for seconds ever since.
Channa masala is essentially a strongly spiced curry (the “masala” part) with chickpeas for the protein (the “channa” part) rather than meat. Calling any curry “strongly spiced” is a big generalization, but this is strong even among other curries. This isn’t too say that it’s overwhelmingly hot–just really flavorful (there’s some heat, of course, but it is a bit milder). A big distinction in my mind is that this curry has both a distinct tang and a certain sourness that makes for an incredibly delicious result. Plus channa masala is fun to eat and quick to make (especially compared to many
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Posted by mike on January 4th, 2009 in Indian, Main course, Sauce
First off, Happy New Year!
2009 promises to be a crazy year for me, and a part of it is possible (as in highly likely) relocation. Moving always stresses me out, but with things like a baby on the way, I haven’t gotten too stressed about moving…yet (I’ll wait until I have to start house-hunting). 
My wife and I have been surveying cities all over the country for the bulk of this past month (so in case I’ve seemed absent, well, I have been), and its been fun and exhausting. Now I haven’t been great about photographing the whole experience (e.g. a few great restaurants and plenty of awful ones), but there were a few photos from one stop on our tour I thought I’d share with you: Seattle.
If you like food (and if you don’t, what are you doing here? lol), you’d love Pike’s Market. Its a food market in the Seattle area that has a great variety of top
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Posted by mike on January 1st, 2009 in Uncategorized
Regular readers of this site know I have a taste for veal. Its tender, delicate in flavor, and carefully done, always makes a meal special for me. The idea behind this dish was kind of a mix of two meals I’d made before: procedurally, the style of cooking was like another veal chop I had made while the sauce was inspired by a creamy mustard pasta which was a big hit. I love cooking chops (of whatever meat)–they’re quick to prepare, a crowd pleaser, and packed with flavor.
I was excited about this dish when I was planning it, but the result far exceeded my expectations. It was simply incredible and the flavor of the sauce was surprisingly complex. You couldn’t pick out that its exactly mustardy–just kind of tangy. Both the thyme and caraway give a great mellow, anisey sweetness that really accentuates the dijon. Overall, it wasn’t your typical super-rich cream sauce–more of a medium body really, which is perfect next to a
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Posted by mike on December 29th, 2008 in Main course, Mediterranean, Sauce, Veal
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to everyone who I missed!
I hope you have a great holiday (and time off!), and as always, good food. Just in case you’re looking for any last minute dish ideas if you’re cooking/baking anything for the holidays, I thought I’d give you a quicky:
- Egg Nog: the way I see it, everybody loves egg nog. If you don’t, you simply haven’t had good egg nog. Plus, its a holiday-friendly excuse to load up on the bourbon (think about, which sounds better around noon: “I’m having a
bourbon” or “I’m having a glass of egg nog?”). Its really simple and hits the spot.
- Linzer Cookies/Augen: hazelnut and almond flavored, crisp cookies filled with a jam/fruit preserve of your choosing and dusted with sugar. A great Christmas cookie that is sure to please.
- Rugelach: why should Christmas get all the cookies? Hanukkah overlaps Christmas this year, too, so this is another great holiday friendly cookie that is easily customized
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Posted by mike on December 24th, 2008 in Uncategorized
Have you ever had a linzertorte? I thought I had–growing up, I relished cookies that looked just like these. I always thought were called “lindsay tarts,” but nope, no such luck. Even if I did spell it correctly, these cookies are not the torte (kind of obvious once its spelled out since a “torte” is a cake), but rather a close cousin of this Austrian/Hungarian dessert. When the linzertorte is presented in cookie rather than cake form, its cut into a round shape and is instead known as Linzer Augen (”Linzer Eyes”). Whether cake or cookie is your poison, they both share very similar flavors: ground nuts (hazelnut and/or almond), seed-specked fruit preserves, and they are both simply amazing.
I mentioned fruit preserves. Typically, you’ll find black currants or raspberry preserves making an appearance in a more traditional linzer, but really, go with whatever floats your boat. I used my home-made strawberry rhubarb jam. These cookies are pretty simple to create,
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Posted by mike on December 23rd, 2008 in Dessert, Fruit
I don’t like regular chocolate ice cream but paired...
