[Photograph: Maria del Mar Sacasa]
Heady and sweet, Thai coffee is a glorious mix of a strongly brewed cup of joe and condensed milk. This bread pudding plays on those flavors, sweetening the base custard with condensed milk and adding a generous amount of espresso powder plus floral cardamom, spicy cinnamon, and almond extract. Chunks of buttery challah soak it all up. We like to go the extra mile and serve this with a homemade chilled orange whipped cream.
[Photographs: Max Falkowitz, unless otherwise noted]
Last weekend, two of my dearest friends got married. And because I love them very much and don't think before I speak, I offered to make ice cream for their reception. For 110 people.
Making ice cream for a large crowd isn't as hard as constructing a wedding cake, but it's not like baking a quadruple batch of brownies for a school bake sale either. You need equipment, time, and some big-ass pots. But should you decide to share your love of homemade ice cream with 100 of your closest friends, it's not too hard once you plan out all the steps. To help you on along the way, here are some tips* on making ice cream for a crowd.
* [Checks word count...] Okay, ALL the tips...
An average scoop shop serving of ice cream is about three ounces by volume, or 3/16ths of a pint, so if you want to give 30 people each one serving of ice cream, count on making four quarts (one gallon). Before some last minute cancellations, my head count was 120 people, which meant four gallons of ice cream.
If you're serving the ice cream yourself, do yourself a favor and buy scoops designed to portion out to the volume you need. My favorite ice cream scoop has a spring-loaded sweeper and measures 1 1/2 ounces of liquid when filled to the brim. Arm yourself with a couple of them and you'll be set to go.
Another thing worth keeping in mind: most ice cream recipes make "about one quart." That "about" is all well and good—until you're multiplying a recipe by 16. A recipe that makes 4 1/2 cups of finished ice cream, when scaled up, could leave you with a couple quarts of extra ice cream.
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
If there's one tip to keep in mind above all others: keep it simple. Don't make the ice cream harder than it needs to be, and keep your flavors approachable. If you're making more than one flavor (I recommend two), make sure they're complimentary. For the wedding I made a vanilla bean ice cream and a strawberry sorbet—both easy to love flavors (though my vanilla recipe calls for some Scotch).
A note about sorbet: if you can find good, cheap fruit, go for it. I found strawberries for $1 to $2 a quart, which priced out well for the 20 pounds I needed. But if the only good fruit you can find is three or four bucks a pint, that cost adds up fast.
You might also want to consider an ice cream that doesn't involve egg yolks, like this peanut butter base. It'll save you from separating dozens of eggs and is faster to make than any cooked custard recipe.
Your ice cream making capacity will determine how far in advance you need to start working. If you're making ice cream for a three-digit crowd and all you have is one 1-quart ice cream maker with a bowl that needs to be frozen for 24 hours between batches...buy a second freezer bowl. With home freezer conditions, homemade ice cream tastes noticeably less fresh and awesome after a week, and if you need to start making ice cream 16 days before your event, you're putting yourself at a disadvantage.
If you own a more advanced machine with a built in compressor, time how long it takes to churn a batch of ice cream in it, then multiply that by the batches of ice cream you have to make. That's how much time you've just committed to keeping an eye on your ice cream maker. No matter what kind of machine you use, you'll want to write a timetable for yourself to make sure you're all churned in time.
To be honest, I lucked out and was able to borrow a restaurant industry friend's professional machine at a bakery. Now if only I had ten grand for one of these babies...
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Unless you keep a couple dozen takeout containers at home, you're probably going to need some extra equipment to store and transport your ice cream. I'm a fan of the 1-gallon hard square plastic containers you find at restaurant supply stores—they stack easily, are pretty cheap, and are durable enough to handle some knocking around.
If you don't already have a large cooler for transporting your ice cream, time to pony up. Buy something slightly larger than what you think you need—your containers should comfortably fit, but you'll need extra room for the dry ice to keep the ice cream cold. (More on that below.)
How large is your largest pot? Large enough to hold several gallons of ice cream base? As you calculate the amount of ice cream you need, keep your big pots in mind. Ideally you'll cook a single flavor in one big batch so it's consistent, but if your pots are too small, be prepared to cook in batches or make a trip to the restaurant supply store. Fortunately, pots large enough to cook small children have their uses.
One more essential piece of equipment: your freezer. How large is it? How many storage containers can it hold? Measure it out with empty containers beforehand and see the space you have to work with. If you don't have enough room, time to start buttering up the neighbors. And needless to say, make sure your freezer is on its coldest setting.
Inspecting strawberries in Chinatown. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Fair question, and the answer may surprise you. I estimate my ingredient costs—bulk vanilla beans, pounds of sugar, quarts of cream and milk, 20 pounds of strawberries, and nearly 50 eggs—were about $100 for four gallons of finished product.
But that's only part of the total cost. Let's also add: $40 for storage containers, $20 for a cooler, two $35 cab rides (hey, you try moving ten pounds of sloshy ice cream base around New York City), and $10 for a block of dry ice. Estimated grand total: $240.
If you're serving ice cream at home, skip this section. But if you're transporting it anywhere, welcome to one of the toughest questions facing commercial ice cream manufacturers, and the real reason mainstream ice cream is pumped full of gummy stabilizers. Nothing kills the fresh, creamy texture of ice cream more than gradual melting and refreezing under variable temperature. Your goal is to keep your payload at the same frigid temperature for as long as possible.
That means you need dry ice, condensed carbon dioxide that sublimates at -109°F. A five pound block is enough to keep four gallons cold for over five hours if the cooler is tightly sealed. In fact the dry ice is so cold that you may need to move your containers of ice cream around in the cooler so the cold is evenly distributed. And make sure to wear heavy oven mitts or winter mittens when handling dry ice—it'll burn exposed skin.
Dry ice may get your ice cream so cold that it'll be too firm to scoop, so once you've reached your destination, check on your ice cream one hour before serving. If it's way too firm, start thawing it in a fridge or the open air for 20 to 45 minutes before serving, putting it back in the dry ice if it starts to get too soft.
So now you're asking: Is this worth all the trouble? Should I bother making all this ice cream? Well...you don't have to. It's not the easiest thing to do, and it's expensive for a large group (though two bucks a head for my function wasn't too shabby). But think of it this way—do you want to show up with a dessert that's totally memorable and universally beloved, a shortcut guarantee to talk-of-the-party badassery?
I thought so.
About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.
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Chef Kristine Kittrell took over the kitchen at Mulberry a mere six months ago. She's added a few signature items, but mostly she's revamped the menu by focusing on what's seasonal and local.
Take for example her spin on profiteroles, which demonstrates her passion for weaving local Texas ingredients with classical aesthetics. She churns fresh strawberries and jalapeños into ice cream, then uses it as a filling for choux pastry. The ice cream filled-pastry rests on a creamy pool of lavender infused crème anglaise. To finish the dessert, the crème is dotted with slices of strawberries and candied jalapeños.
With each bite, the pepper's heat seeps through while the ice cream cools your tongue. This addictive contrast of heat and sweet will keep you going back for bite after bite.
About the author: Melody Fury is a cocktail and restaurant writer, and photographer that lives in East Austin. Holler at her on Twitter and Facebook.
[Photograph: Alexandra Penfold]
The weather is threatening to turn summery and the markets have been flush with strawberries. With Memorial Day and the start of full-on picnic and barbecue season right around the corner, the time seemed ripe to try out a new icebox cake recipe.
Strawberry Shortcake traditionally involves biscuits, cream, and berries, though there's nothing wrong with making it with say, doughnuts or red velvet cake. When strawberries are in season I support strawberry shortcake in all forms and this recipe is quite possibly the easiest strawberry shortcake ever. All you need are fresh strawberries, a bit of orange juice, graham crackers and homemade whipped cream. Strawberry shortcake desserts can easily veer into cloyingly sweet territory, but this version is low on added sugar, putting the natural sweetness of ripe, in-season berries center stage. Best of all, you can throw it together in a matter of minutes the night before you want to eat it. Just before serving, top it with freshly sliced strawberries.
Easy Icebox Strawberry Shortcake »
About the author: Alexandra Penfold is mild-mannered literary agent by day, food ninja by night. Never one to skip dessert she's the Brownie half of Blondie & Brownie, a Midtown Lunch contributor, and co-author of New York à la Cart: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple's Best Food Trucks. You can follow her on Twitter at @blondiebrownie.
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Don't let go of that ice cream cone, kitty. NEVER LET GO.
[Video: Mike Reeves on YouTube]
[via Laughing Squid]
About the author: Robyn Lee is the editor of A Hamburger Today and takes many of the photos for Serious Eats. She'll also doodle cute stuff when necessary. Read more from Robyn at her personal food blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything.
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[Photograph: Molly Sheridan]
My cupboards are full of half-bags. A half bag of hazelnut flour from when I made linzer cookies, maybe a quarter bag of chickpea flour for when I want to make socca or panelle. Same goes with cornmeal—or at least it used to. I'd leave a never-quite-empty bag hanging around in case I made skillet cornbread to accompany chili. Now I can hardly keep a bag in my house. Why? I figured out it's useful for all sorts of things besides cornbread, from biscotti to pancakes to pudding.
But first things first: maybe you want to make cornbread. And why not? Corn bread is delicious, and we're coming up on BBQ season. You'll need something to mop up that sauce.
Brown Butter Cornbread
Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread
Pumpkin Cornbread
Gluten-Free Maple Almond Cornbread
Basic Corn Bread (without sugar)
Jalapeño Jack Cornbread
Gluten-Free Cornbread
Cheese and Pepper Cornbread
What else can you make? Well muffins, for one (and we've got recipes for sweet, savory, and sausage-stuffed), and other breakfast items (johnny cakes, pancakes, and spoon bread) and full on dessert (plum cake, Indian pudding, and more). Scroll on down to see all the ways you can use this versatile ingredient.
Old Bay Corn Muffins
Corn Muffins with Candied Bacon
Buttermilk Corn Muffins
Sausage-Stuffed Corn Muffins
Scallion and Cheese Corn Muffins
Corn Dill Mini Muffins
Johnnycakes (Cornmeal Pancakes) with Chili Syrup
Cornmeal Pancakes with Honey, Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
Spider Cake (New England Skillet Corncake)
Food52's Warm Custard Spoon Bread
[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]
Cornmeal Cherry Biscotti
Plum-Cornmeal Cake with Plum Sorbet
Indian Pudding
Cornmeal Biscotti with Dried Cranberries and White Chocolate
Jalapeño Cornbread Whoopie Pies with Honey Buttercream
80-Cent Citrus Corn-Muffin Madeleines with Raspberry Confiture
White Chocolate Dipped Lemon-Almond Biscotti
Have another great way to use cornmeal? Share your tricks in the comments section below!
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[Photographs: Erin Jackson]
At Urban Cookies Bake Shop, there's an entire case of cupcakes, morning buns, muffins, and croissants, but if you've only got one chance to visit, you really can't go wrong with a bag of the shop's signature offering: cookies.
There are seven flavors in total, including classics like snickerdoodle and oatmeal raisin, all priced at $1.75 apiece. I opted for a trio of top-sellers: peanut butter, double chocolate with sea salt, and dark chocolate walnut. All three were excellent.
The peanut butter cookie is perfect in its simplicity. It's fat and soft, with a crisp, craggy top and a moist, buttery interior. The dark chocolate walnut (the bake shop's original cookie) is made with oats and a touch of coconut, which gives it a great chew and texture. Subtle pops of dark chocolate flavored the cookie without overwhelming the oats.
The cookie I wish I'd got two of was the double chocolate with sea salt. Its rich, chocolate undertones are perfectly balanced by the coarse grains of salt on top, and it is so tasty that when I (unknowingly!) dipped my hand into the bag and ate the last bite, it started an argument. If you're sharing, get two, separately bagged, to prevent the (inevitable) squabbling over who got more and who is a jerk for (unknowingly!) eating practically the entire cookie.
About the author: Erin Jackson is a food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best eats in San Diego. You can find all of her discoveries on her San Diego food blog EJeats.com. On Twitter, she's @ErinJax
[Photograph: Sarah Baird]
Call it blasphemy to all things good and right in the universe if you want, but I am just not a big fan of coffee. You can douse it in sugar, fill it up with cream, put any sort of amalgamation of honey and flavorings in it you want, I'm just probably not going to bite. In order to not appear a complete freak of nature at morning meetings and brunch time, I've learned to drink any other number of breakfast beverages, from a hearty earl gray tea to the weekend-time appropriate mimosa. My favorite coffee substitute, though, is a nice chai. Iced or piping hot, chai has the perfect balance of spices and rich aromatics to perk me up first thing in the morning while remaining a creamy, delicious drink.
My love affair with chai doesn't stop when the clock strikes noon, though. One of my favorite cakes to present at parties is the chai cake with honey-ginger cream frosting from the cookbook Sky High by Alisa Huntsman, which focuses on multi-layered, ceiling scraping cakes with refreshingly adult flavor profiles. If there's a cake taking on the wonders of my favorite sunrise concoction, it is high time a pie exists that does justice to the subtle nuances of chai flavor. Enter: the black bottom chai cream pie.
Striking the proper balance of spices in chai-flavored bake goods is really what separates an elegant dish from one that merely seems like a spice bomb. If you're looking to up the ante on spice flavor, add in two tablespoons of cardamom instead of a single one, and consider an extra tea bag. If the filling is too spicy for your palate, removing a half a teaspoon of ginger will go a long way towards calming the bursts of flavor.
The black bottom (read: totally chocolate) crust is a sugary counterpoint to a filling that is rich with mature, complex flavors. Chocolate wafer cookies may be difficult to find on your first hunt through the grocery store, but do not give up and spend your valuable baking time scraping the filling out of several dozen Oreos. Famous Chocolate Wafer cookies come in an unassuming yellow box, and might be found closer to the sweets section than the baking aisle.
When allowing the dessert to set in the refrigerator, cover the filling securely with plastic wrap to ensure that a skin doesn't form on the top of the pie. While it should be ready to go in five or six hours, letting the pie get nice and firm overnight is your best bet.
About the author: Sarah Baird is a writer, editor, and petit four aficionado living in New Orleans, Louisiana. She likes planning elaborate dinner parties surrounded by her collection of dwarf citrus trees. You can read her latest musings and about her various misadventures on her website: hellosarahbaird.com or follow her on Twitter: @scbaird.
VIEW SLIDESHOW: Share Your Sweets: Coffee Desserts
Coffee and sugar are both great on their own, but together, they give each other a little boost. You've showed us how by adding coffee to your cheesecake, cupcakes, and even slushies. Check out all the sweets in the slideshow above!Next week we're looking ahead, as in make-ahead sweets. Whether it's an icebox cake that tastes better after sitting overnight or cookies that develop flavor a few days in, shoot us a photo of your best make-ahead sweet (along with a link to the recipe!) and we'll include it in next week's roundup. Be sure to send it in no later than Tuesday, May 21st so we can include it in the Share Your Sweets on Thursday May 23rd.
If you're new to Share Your Sweets, take a peep at the rules here. A few notes: we can only take one submission per person, so pick your favorite (or the most recent shot) and send it in. Also, Share Your Sweets is just for the folks at home; no pros or companies! If you want to really impress us, crop your photo so it's 610 pixels wide and 458 pixels tall.
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[Photograph: Oof Verschuren]
Rhubarb pie is a keenly seasonal dessert and we suggest making it while you can. Home Made Summer takes advantage of the season with a recipe for a sweetly spiced pie starring the stalk, supported by a cast of nutmeg, cinnamon, orange zest, and almond paste.
Tips: Capitalize on the offerings of your local farmers' market and pick up a big bunch to make this pie. It's healthy if it's got vegetables in it, right?
Tweaks: You can find almond paste at nearly any grocery store. But if you want to go seriously homemade, there are several recipes online you can try. Van Boven would be proud.
Rhubarb Pie with Almond Paste »
As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Home Made Summer to give away.
VIEW SLIDESHOW: 12 Of Our Favorite Cupcake Recipes
Last year we gave you 10 beautiful cakes to make for your spring celebrations (graduations, weddings, showers, and the like).But sometimes you need something that's easy to eat one-handed, or you're cooking for youngins' (kids love cupcakes, always have, always will) or prospective youngins' (who questions cupcakes at a baby shower?) Or maybe you're just interested in using your CSA box to make tender Yellow Squash Cupcakes topped with fluffy chocolate butter cream or you like the idea of swapping biscuits for cake to make individually portioned Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes. Whatever the reason, these 12 cupcake recipes won't steer you wrong.
Check them all out in the slideshow above or go straight to the recipes below.
Cappuccino Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Pina Colada Cupcakes
Kaleidoscope Cupcakes
Meringue Cupcakes with Nutella and Strawberries
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
Yellow Squash Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
VIEW SLIDESHOW: 3 Desserts To Try Now At Barley Swine, Austin
Photographs: Stef ShapiraAustin's Barley Swine is known for serving hyper-local fare using the freshest ingredients from the community, and the dessert section of the menu is no exception. Pastry chef Kyle McKinney utilizes the bountiful variety that the Austin area has to offer, pushing the boundary of what qualifies as "dessert."
On a recent visit to the restaurant, the dessert menu included such ingredients as beets, olives, and barley—things we usually expect to eat at the beginning of a meal, not the end. McKinney's nontraditional approach to pastry is also seen in the items he chooses to pair together on one plate. It's not uncommon for a single dessert at Barley Swine to include over five different components, with each being essential to the dish. Foods that you would never have thought would go together somehow do, in an explosion of flavors and textures. "I let the ingredient speak to me and let it inspire me," says McKinney.
We tried all three items currently on Barley Swine's dessert menu: the Beet Panna Cotta, Lemon Tart, and Chocolate Soup. Click through the slideshow to see them all.
2024 S Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78074 (map)
(512) 394-8150 www.barleyswine.com
About the author: Stef Shapira is is a Texan living in Brooklyn. A food writer and researcher with a master's in food studies, some of Stef's favorite things include dumplings, crawfish boils, and chips. Check out her blog or follow her on twitter @stefontoast
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Cool and luscious. [Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]
I'm a recent convert to summer pudding, the cool and juicy dessert traditionally made by soaking white bread with a berry compote. For years, I'd thought it odd to soak white bread with berries, expecting the texture to be like a mushy jelly sandwich. And to be honest, most images of summer pudding—with a gash of blood red berries spilling out from the center—seem more suited to a slasher flick than something I want to eat. But in fact the texture of the bread becomes pleasantly soft and almost creamy as it gels with the saucy berries, and once I realized that summer pudding is basically a no-bake bread pudding, I got to thinking about other ways to present this easy, cool dessert. As in, say chocolate?
When I come up with a new idea I always do some research to ground myself, but this time, I found nothing. Nada. So I had to wing it. My vision was a creamy chocolate raspberry bread pudding made from chocolate custard soaked bread—but without the oven. To do it, I gently cooked a custard sauce of milk, cream, semisweet chocolate, and egg. After cutting pieces of soft white bread to fit my cups (for individual servings), I assembled each pudding by layering the bread, chocolate sauce, and crushed raspberries into each cup.
Patience is king with summer puddings. It takes time to allow the bread to fully absorb the liquid and "set". I let mine soak overnight in the fridge before turning it out onto a plate (digging in with a spoon works too). The texture is like a super moist and creamy layer cake, and the extra chocolate custard that didn't soak into the bread spills over the top. Though saucy enough as is, I served it on a pool of dark chocolate sauce for an extra blast of chocolate.
Creamy Chocolate Raspberry Summer Pudding »
About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore working on her new baking cookbook, and as a recipe developer for HungryGoWhere Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com . Follow Yvonne on Twitter.
[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]
When I was in college, as a special series for seniors, we got to attend some free Italian wine tastings. Everyone, eager to get as much free wine as possible, overtly displayed their love and appreciation. "Notes of cherry? Ah yes. And smoke, like the burning of twigs in the autumnal Tuscan air." Yet when the series switched to a special tasting of olive oils—taken plain by the demitasse spoonful—people were less than thrilled. "Ew this is gross." The lines for seconds shortened.
Personally, I was in heaven. I could drink good olive oil by the cupful. I love trying different varieties, including the super peppery kind that catches you in the back of your throat. I also love to bake with olive oil in a way that highlights that olive oil. Like these cookies.
These biscotti are simple. They taste like olive oil and pistachios. There's a little sweetness there, and a seemingly heavy dose of salt (which really just emphasizes the olive oil), but generally speaking what you taste is those first two things. Olive oil. Pistachios. Simple but perfect, which is why I polished off the whole batch over the course of four days, averaging about 4 cookies a day. With coffee. With tea. Alone. Gobbled down all.
I'm going to go ahead and tell you I use Frantoia olive oil not because anyone is telling me to, but because there is so much crappy olive oil available at Whole Foods and Amazon and I think this actually meets a good intersection of taste (fruity, with a hint of pepper) and price (around $20 for 34 ounces). Do I use it for everyday cooking? Egads, I do. But you don't have to. This has enough flavor that it could be considered a "good" olive oil used for salad dressings or other such applications. Of course there are even more awesome oils out there, and if you have really good olive oil and you're not hoarding it to drizzle on bread, use it here too. Or grab a spoon.
Olive Oil Pistachio Biscotti »
About the author: Carrie Vasios is the editor of Serious Eats: Sweets. She likes to peruse her large collection of cookbooks while eating jam from the jar. You can follow her on Twitter @carrievasios
VIEW SLIDESHOW: First Look: The Baked Bear, San Diego
[Photographs: Erin Jackson]Just in time for summer, San Diego has a new ice cream shop. Located steps from the boardwalk in Pacific Beach, The Baked Bear is doing things a little differently. Instead of stopping at scoops and sundaes (both of which are readily available), the shop is serving up Humboldt Creamery ice cream sandwiched between fresh baked cookies, fudgy Ghirardelli brownies, or warm, Belgian-style waffles.
Co-Owner Shane Stanger says he's purposely trying to keep his price points low to appeal to the college crowd, but anyone can appreciate an affordable treat. Everything on the menu is under $5, with the exception of a dozen cookies ($8). Cookie ice cream sandwiches are $2.95; waffle or brownie sandwiches are just $1 more. Want a cookie all by itself? That'll be 75 cents.
Brownie and mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.
When it comes to customizing your ideal ice cream sandwich, there's really no end to the possibilities. You can mix and match cookies, or even combine two different items like a brownie on the bottom and a waffle on top. I didn't try nearly all the options for cookies (eight, including a gluten-free chocolate chip), or all of the different ice cream flavors (a dozen), but I can vouch for the time-honored combination of a brownie with mint chocolate ice cream, and encourage you to make at least one of your cookie selections the red velvet.
Click through the slide-show above for a closer look inside San Diego's newest ice cream shop >>
4516 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109 (map) 858-886-7433 thebakedbear.com
About the author: Erin Jackson is a food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best eats in San Diego. You can find all of her discoveries on her San Diego food blog EJeats.com. On Twitter, she's @ErinJax
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