All posts tagged freeze

Strawberry Soda Ice Cream

This month for What’s Baking, the theme “Something that reminds you of your favorite place” was chosen by Joanna at Newlywed and Newly Cooking.  I couldn’t really think of a particular favorite place, but really, anywhere I am with my family is a favorite place. :D   This summer I went strawberry picking at Stade Farm with my daughter, my son, some of their friends and their moms.  It was a perfect day.  It wasn’t too hot, we filled our baskets with strawberries, and the kids (and moms) had a blast.  We love to eat strawberries, but no matter how quickly we eat them, they always go bad.  So, I made some strawberry frozen yogurt that night.  The next day they were looking like they were already starting to turn. I quickly washed them, cut all the leaves off- which took forever because they were tiny little berries, and I froze them to use another day.

When I made the Milky Way ice cream last week, I saw this recipe for strawberry soda ice cream, another prize winner.  I had the frozen strawberries, but I didn’t have any Big Red soda (or pop, whatever you like to call it).  In fact, I’ve never even heard of it.  I was able to find a big 2 liter bottle at Jewel. When I got home, I just had to try this crazy looking red cream soda.  I thought it tasted a bit like bubble gum, so I don’t think I would drink it straight up, but my son loved it.  This is a really easy ice cream to make, if your kids aren’t picky like mine.  You just mash the berries and whisk all the ingredients in a bowl.  But, because my kids don’t like fruit in their ice cream, nor seeds, I blended the mixture and ran it through a sieve.  Once you make the base, you just let the machine do the rest.  One taste of the sweet, pretty pink strawberry ice cream brought me right back to the perfect day we had at Stade Farm. Don’t you just love how food can do that?

Strawberry soda ice cream

1  14oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups half and half

3/4 cup red cream soda (Big Red) or regular cream soda

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and mashed

Whisk the condensed milk, half and half, red cream soda, whipping cream and mashed strawberries in a medium bowl.

I poured this mixture into my blender and ran it through a fine strainer.

Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.  I find it best to freeze ice cream containing condensed milk overnight to really get firm enough to hold its shape.

Source:  Food Network July/August 2012

7 Comments
by Just Baked on August 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Fruit, ice cream, Uncategorized
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Posted by Just Baked on August 29, 2012

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Milky Way Ice Cream with Hot Fudge Sauce

I have a bit of an obsession with cooking magazines, subscribing to at least a dozen.  Besides Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated, one of my favorites is the Food Network Magazine.  In the July/August edition, they featured winning recipes from Austin’s Annual Ice Cream Festival.  They all looked delicious with fun ingredients like cream soda, bacon, candy bars and cinnamon oil.  It was hard to choose which to make first.  Well, maybe not too hard since there was a chocolate ice cream in the bunch.  You know I had to start there.

My kids had stayed at their Gramma’s for the night and wouldn’t be home until dinnertime.  I thought I would surprise them with this chocolate ice cream made from Milky Way bars. Fun right?  You melt the Milky Ways down with condensed milk, adding milk and half and half to create the base.  Now the recipe says that chocolate syrup is optional.   But, adding more chocolate to a recipe should never be optional.  Add it. :D After churning the base in an ice cream maker, the texture reminds me of a Wendy’s Frosty.  It kind of tastes like one too, but with a hint of caramel.

This recipe uses only 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk.  Ugh. I hate to waste food. Although I would have loved to just eat it right from the can, I thought better of it, and decided to look for a recipe.  On the Eagle Brand website, I found a recipe for hot fudge sauce. I figured if I make half a recipe, I could use half a can of milk and have a delicious sauce for my ice cream. Perfect.

Now what kid wouldn’t want to come home to a big glass filled with Milky Way flavored ice cream, topped with hot fudge sauce and more Milky Way pieces on top?  I’m gonna go with none. :D

Milky Way Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

4 oz Milky Way candy bars, chopped   (two 2 oz bars)

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup whole milk

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup chocolate syrup  optional

Melt the candy bars and condensed milk in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Do not let the bowl touch the water).  Stir until smooth.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan.  Whisk in the milk, half-and-half and chocolate syrup. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.  I ran my base through a sieve because I saw a few small pieces of unmelted nougat.

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer directions.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.  I found it really to take overnight for a firmer texture.

Source:  Food Network Magazine (Collin Hazlet)

Hot Fudge Sauce (this is 1/2 of the original recipe)

1/2 cup (3 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 (7 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk, butter and water in medium-sized heavy saucepan over medium heat. Beat smooth with wire whisk. Stir in vanilla.

Serve warm over ice cream or as fruit dipping sauce. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator; reheat to serve.

To Reheat: Combine desired amount of sauce with small amount of water in small heavy saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until heated through.

Source:  Eagle Brand

10 Comments
by Just Baked on August 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Chocolate, ice cream
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Posted by Just Baked on August 17, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/milky-way-ice-cream-with-hot-fudge-sauce/

Classic Fudgesicles

Just like their mother, my children adore anything with chocolate.  They have also been loving the popsicles I have been making lately.  So, I wanted to combine the two and make fudgesicles.  But I kept on forgetting to buy malted milk powder.  Dang, I used to have the memory of an elephant and I still do when it comes to drugs…kind of important for a pharmacist.  :D   But, when it comes to everyday stuff, geez, unless it is written down, I won’t remember it.  Then, I also have to keep track of that list because I tend to lose it too.  When I was grocery shopping, chocolate syrup was on the list (I have a recipe for homemade, but I was too lazy and still sick) and the malted milk powder, although not on the list, was right next to it and somehow I remembered that I needed it for these pops.

Jack and Sammie were so excited as I made the fudge mixture before they left for a day at the children’s museum with my husband.  I promised them that they would be ready when they got home.  After the museum, my husband took them out for dinner and then ice cream.  Jack and Sammie both said they didn’t want any ice cream because they wanted the fudgesicles mom made.  They knew the chances of them getting two desserts was slim.  But, it was their lucky day.  Ice cream and fudgesicles for dessert!  We have to spoil them once in awhile.  Through chocolate covered lips (and chin and cheeks), Sammie told me that I did a great job and that they were perfect.  High compliments from my 5 year old.  Now, it doesn’t get much better than that!

Classic Fudgesicles

Yield: 6 to 9 ice pops

1 3/4 cups (14 fl oz/430mL) half and half

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp malted milk powder

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 oz (125g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a saucepan, combine half and half, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, corn syrup, vanilla and salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and cook until the cocoa and malted milk powder have completely dissolved.  Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth.  Let cool to room temperature.

If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds.  Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.  If using sticks, insert them into the molds when they are part frozen, about 1 hour.  Then continue to freeze until solid, about 3 more hours.

Source:  Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats

Note:  These aren’t real sweet.  If you prefer a sweeter pop, you can add a bit of sugar (to taste) to the hot cocoa mixture.  Superfine would dissolve best.  My daughter and I thought the sweetness was fine, but my son would have liked it a bit sweeter.  It didn’t stop him from eating the whole thing though faster than either of us did.

9 Comments
by Just Baked on July 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Chocolate, Pops
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Posted by Just Baked on July 27, 2012

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Pink Lemonade Popsicles

Jack’s and Sammie’s favorite summertime drink is pink lemonade.  So, when I saw these pops, I knew that they would love them.  Especially on a day like today, where here in Chicago, we got to enjoy a high of 99 degrees. Ugh. Crazy hot.  So, we decided to stay inside and have a Disney movie marathon, complete with snacks and refreshments, including these delicious pops.

Luckily, this time, I was able to obtain both lemon zest and lemon juice without any injury. :D   I then blended the juice and zest with the sugar to make the lemonade concentrate.   I diluted the lemon mixture with water and then added a few strawberries for flavor and for color.  While the recipe doesn’t say to strain the liquid, I ran it through a sieve, knowing Jack and Sammie would not like the seeds.  Although the Vitamix takes care of most of the seeds, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  In other words, heading off any complaints of “Yuck. I hate seeds.”  After waiting 4 hours for your pops to freeze, just one taste and you will fall in love the lemon pucker and unexpected hint of strawberry flavor.  Jack and Sammie loved the pops.  They each gave them a sky high thumbs up, the highest rating at our house. :D

Pink lemonade popsicles

Yield: 9 to 11 pops (I got 8)

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup (4fl oz/125 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

1/2 cup (3.5 oz/105 grams) plus 2 Tbsp superfine sugar

2 fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled

pinch of salt

In a blender or food processor, combine the lemon zest and juice and sugar.  Pour in 1 3/4 cups (14oz/430mL) of water.  Add the strawberries and salt and blend until the mixture is smooth and pink.  I strained the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds and removed the froth from the top with a spoon.

If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds.  Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.  If using sticks, insert them into the molds when they are part frozen, about 1 hour.  Then continue to freeze until solid, about 3 more hours.

If using an instant ice pop maker (Zoku), follow the instructions to fill and freeze.

Source:  Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats.

6 Comments
by Just Baked on July 18, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on July 18, 2012

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Fresh lime sherbet

When I was a kid, my favorite flavor at the ice cream shop was rainbow sherbet.  I was one of the weird kids who picked through the sherbet not for the orange or the raspberry.  Nope, I loved the lime.  So, I had a bunch of limes to use and I found this recipe for fresh lime sherbet.  Perfect.  All lime, so no picking through rainbow sherbet for the good stuff.  I had never made sherbet before.  And, even though it sounds all fancy, it really isn’t any harder than making homemade ice cream.  After countless times of stinging hands and burning eyes from hand juicing citrus, I finally broke down and bought a juicer.  I know. What had I been waiting for?  This made the juicing process so much easier.  But, then I had to go ahead and somehow zest off part of two of my knuckles.  Ouch.  But, Sammie kissed them and now they are all better. :D

According to ATK, sherbet is a cross between sorbet and ice cream, containing fruit, sugar, and dairy, but no egg yolks.  It should taste vibrant and fresh like sorbet, be smooth in texture but not heavy like ice cream.  So, how do you do make lime sorbet?  The first step is grinding the lime zest (Don’t worry. I only used the zest, pre-accident :D ) with the sugar and salt in the food processor to release the oils.  You then then add lime juice mixed with water (to reduce the acidity) and strain it so the sherbet is totally smooth.  The lime mixture is added to heavy cream that has been whipped to create the light texture.  You then churn the base in your ice cream maker and freeze it at least 3 hours before eating.  Ugh.  Three hours is a long time.  But, let me tell you, it was so worth the wait.  The sherbet is super creamy and tastes so unbelievably bold with fresh lime flavor.  Are you looking for the perfect, refreshing dessert to complete a delicious summer meal?  Well, I’m thinking this is it.

Fresh Lime Sherbet

Yield: 1 quart

1 tablespoon lime zest
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons vodka or Triple Sec (I used vodka)
2/3 cup heavy cream

Process the zest, sugar and salt in your food processor until it’s damp, 10 to 15 one second pulses.  Combine the lime juice and water in a large measuring cup.  With the machine running, add the juice-water mixture in a slow, steady stream.  Continue to process until the sugar has dissolved completely, about 1 minute.   Strain the mixture through a nonreactive, fine-mesh strainer into a medium, freezer-safe bowl.   Stir in the vodka (or Triple Sec) and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Chill in your freezer until the mixture is very cold (about 40 degrees F), 30 – 60 minutes. Don’t let the mixture freeze.

When the mixture is cold,  using a whisk, whip the heavy ream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Whisking constantly, slowly add the cold juice mixture in a slow, steady steam down the edge of the bowl and into the cream. Immediately start up your ice cream maker and add the juice-cream mixture to the canister; churn until it has the consistency of soft serve ice cream, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Transfer the sherbet to an airtight storage container; press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.  The sherbet can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week.  To serve, let the sherbet sit at room temperature until slightly softened and an instant read thermometer reads 12 to 15 degrees.

Source: The New Best Recipe

5 Comments
by Just Baked on July 16, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on July 16, 2012

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Cappuccino Popsicles

Well, I figured I should at least finish out the week with one last popsicle.  We ate all the cookies and cream pops, I made the root beer float pops at my mom’s, so we were out of popsicles and I needed to remedy this situation.  I never even knew I liked popsicles so much.  Well, maybe because the ones I grew up on were those double stick pops in banana, plain root beer, or blue raspberry.  And while those were good when I was a kid, they aren’t so much now.  Not with popsicles like these anyways.

I decided to make cappuccino pops for my husband and I.  With 3 kids and work and all the stuff that goes with them, we can always use the extra caffeine.  We keep lots of K-cups in the house because when we need coffee, we need it now! :D   So, I brewed 2 Black Magic K-cups on the 8 oz setting to get the volume of coffee needed for this recipe.   You then add some whole milk to the coffee and sweeten it with superfine sugar.  The coffee mixture is then poured into the molds.  But, wait a second. What’s cappuccino without the froth?  So, you whip up and sweeten some whipped cream to top each pop before freezing.  What you end up with is the perfect frozen pick-me-up.  I don’t know about you, but I could always use one.

Cappuccino popsicles

Yield:  6-8 pops

1 3/4 cups (14 fl oz/430mL) strongly brewed coffee  I used Green Mountain Black Magic- I brewed 2 K-cups on the 8oz setting and I had a bit left over

1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80mL) whole milk

1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) superfine sugar

1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60mL) heavy cream

1 tsp confectioners’ sugar

In a 4 cup measure with a pour spout, combine the coffee, milk, and superfine sugar.  Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine the cream and confectioners’ sugar.  Using a whisk, beat until the cream forms soft peaks.  It takes awhile by hand. Set aside.

If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the coffee mixture among the molds, then spoon a dollop of the whipped cream into each mold.  Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.  If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hour, then freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.

If using an instant pop maker (Zoku) follow the manufacturers’ instructions, layering in the same way.

For mocha pops:  Whisk 2 Tbsp sweetened hot cocoa mix into the coffee mixture when adding the sugar.

You can dust the top with cinnamon or nutmeg if you would like.

Source:  Ice Pops:  Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats

Note:  I have found the “froth” to taste the best the day the pops are made.

10 Comments
by Just Baked on July 13, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on July 13, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/cappuccino-popsicles/

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