Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream (TWD)

When we're talking about chocolate ice cream, my husband is the connoiseur in our house. He's a less is more kinda guy, and believes that "all that unnecessary stuff" (i.e. nuts, chocolate chips, etc) gets in the way of enjoying really great chocolate ice cream. In most instances I do agree with him, but there are times when nothing else satisfies me like a double scoop of Rocky Road in a waffle cone!

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream was of keen interest to my husband. He was particularly interested in comparing Dorie Greenspan's recipe to his all-time favorite - David Lebovitz's Bittersweet Chocolate. Sadly, as timing would have it, the hubs has been out of town, so he'll have to hold off a few more days before he can put his taste buds to the test.

So, which did I enjoy more, Dorie or David? C'mon, it's like asking me to pick a favorite child. Honestly, both ice creams are both DEE-licious! Both ice creams had a wonderfully luscious and creamy consistency, and the chocolate flavors were deep and intense. I think these ice creams are meant to be enjoyed simply and unadorned, and a small scoop is totally satisfying.

Thank you Katrina of Baking and Boys for a perfect summertime pick. Hop over to Katrina's blog for Dorie Greenspan's recipe. If you're interested in doing your own taste comparison check out David Lebovitz's recipe here:

Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
makes approximately 1 quart

2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-proces cocoa powder
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of cream with cocoa powder in medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to boil then reduce heat and gently simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in remaining cup of cream. Pour mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as much as possible. Set mesh strainer atop the bowl. Warm milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Stir mixture constantly over medium heat making sure the scrape the bottom and corners, until the mixture thickens and reaches nappe consistency. Pour custard through strainer and stir it into the chocolate until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Continue to stir over ice bath until cool. Refrigerate the mixture to cool thoroughly and then freeze it in your ice cream machine per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Profiteroles

It's finally feeling like summer, and the warm weather always puts me into the mood for ice cream! The hubs and I are not fussy about how we enjoy our ice cream. We'll usually enjoy our frozen treats straight of of the carton or generously scooped on sugar cones.

If I'm feeling particularly fancy and entertaining dinner guests, these delicious profiteroles will make an appearance. Composed of a choux puff that is filled with ice cream and topped with a chocolate sauce, profiteroles are a delicious sweet ending to any meal.

Pate a choux, the basis for these profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, and gougeres, is a dough that is first cooked on the stove, then piped on baking sheet. Once in the oven, this magical dough tranform into light and airy pastry puffs that are just slightly crisp on the outside and almost hollow in the middle.

The pate a choux is piped onto a baking sheet. As it bakes the dough transforms into these airy golden clouds.

Once cooled, these pastries are ready to be filled and served.

Here is what the puff looks like once you slice them open. They should be slightly moist inside and almost completely hollow.

Once the choux puffs are ready, all you need is vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce and you're ready for business! One scoop of vanilla ice cream is sandwiched in the puff.

Warm chocolate sauce is drizzled on top.

Now it's ready to eat...YUM!

Profiteroles

Pate a Choux

adapted from The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard

makes approximately 24 medium sized puffs

1 C. bread flour

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C. water

1/2 C. whole milk

6 tbsp butter

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper

Bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.

Once the liquid mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once and stir well. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the dough begins to come away from the sides of the pan (approx 5 minutes).

Transfer the dough to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and beat at medium speed until the dough cools to approximately body temperature.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. At this point, the dough should be smooth and shiny.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a plain round tip. Pipe mounds that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high on the baking sheet two inches apart.

Bake until puffed and light golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Transfer puffs to a wire rack to cool completely.

Assembling The Profiteroles

1 prepared batch of choux puffs

1 quart vanilla ice cream (I made David Lebovitz's fabulous recipe)

1 cup chocolate sauce (I cheated and used a pre-made jar)

Cut each choux puff in half.

Portion a small scoop of ice cream on the bottom half of each puff and put the top half back over the ice cream.

Place 2-3 profiteroles on each plate and drizzle with a generous amount of chocolate sauce.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie (TWD)

After reading through this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie, I wasn't sure that this would be my cup of tea. Something about food processing together bananas and ice cream didn't whet my appetite.


The crust of this pie calls for butter cookies, a generous amount of butter (1 stick!), and a boatload of coconut. Instead of butter cookies, I used these:

I scaled this recipe down considerably, making enough for one 4 inch mini pie. Here are my notes and adjustments:


- This snack package of Golden Oreos, 1/2 Tspn butter and 1/8 cup of coconut was just enough to make the crust of my mini pie.

- My ice cream concoction consisted of a scoop of Haagen Daz Chocolate Chocolate Chip, 1/2 medium banana, and 2 Tbsn dark rum (yes, I wasn't shy about this). After it takes a quick whirl in my mini food processor, the mixture is poured into the prepared crust over a layer of sliced bananas. My filling was really liquidy, so the pie needed to set in the freezer for a bit.

- After the pie set up, I topped it with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

I was so surprised by how yummy this pie tasted! Since I was a little heavy handed with the rum, this pie totally reminded me of one of those boozey ice cream cocktails. The pureed bananas infused the chocolate filling with great banana flavor without affecting the consistency of the ice cream.

Boy, did I regret scaling this recipe down. Next time, I'm making a whole pie!

Thanks to Spike of Spike Bakes for this great pick this week. Visit Spike's blog for the full recipe.

Burnt Sugar Ice Cream (TWD)

Oh yeah baby - this Burnt Sugar Ice Cream tastes as good as it sounds. I love all things caramel, but have avoided making it from scratch --- I guess I've experienced one too many burnt sugar messes. This time, I watched my sugar like a hawk.

The caramel base starts with sugar and a little water which is dissolved into a syrup. Now, it's time to watch carefully:

Nope, it's not ready yet:

Oh yes, that deep amber color:Now, the exciting part --- pouring the milk and cream into the boiling burnt sugar syrup:

This burnt sugar/cream mixture is combined with egg yolks to create the ice cream base. After the ice cream is churned and rests in the freezer, I'm ready to dig in. If you noticed, there is only one bowl...my hubs doesn't like caramel...this ice cream is all mine!This ice cream had a wonderfully soft, almost velvety texture and it was super easy to scoop.

The burnt sugar imparts a slightly bitter flavor, which contrasts wonderfully with the subtle sweetness of the ice cream. My taste buds were very happy.

Thanks to Becky of Project Domestication for a fantastic pick this week! Make sure to visit Becky's blog for this unbelievably delicious ice cream recipe.

Vanilla Ice Cream (TWD)

I think that Vanilla Ice Cream is the "little black dress" of the dessert world. It goes with almost anything - it can go fancy accompanying an elaborate dessert or be enjoyed simply on top of a sugar cone. Here is one of my favorite ways to enjoy vanilla ice cream....

Take a glass and add one scoop of Dorie Greenspan's fantastic vanilla ice cream,

One scoop of root beer sorbet (too simple to make - heat one can/bottle of your favorite root beer and 1/4 C sugar, until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then freeze in your ice cream maker),

Next,

Top off the glass with root beer:

Wait, we're almost done:

Ah yes, one more scoop of vanilla ice cream. Now, it's time to enjoy!

As I'm writing this post, I am craving the crazy delicious Root Beer Float at Michael Mina - home brewed root beer, sasparilla ice cream, and root beer granita. Served alongside this delicious concoction are warm chocolate chip cookies. My tummy is growling!

Dorie Greenspan's vanilla ice cream is delicious! Her recipe uses a 50/50 ratio of milk and heavy cream, which is unlike the heavy cream dominant recipes that I'm typically used to. The ice cream is wonderfully rich and creamy, and for what it's worth, I'm happy to save a few fat calories going with the 50/50 ratio.

Thank you Lynne of Cafe LynnyLu for a perfect summer dessert recipe! If you'd like the recipe, please visit Lynne's blog. My fellow TWD bakers have also been churning up a storm, so make sure to peruse the TWD blogroll.

Honey-Peach Ice Cream (TWD)

Argh, I'm totally behind on my blogging! I'm juggling a bunch of things right now...I guess I'm not as good of a multi-tasker as I used to be. Wish me luck, as I'm in major catch up mode. :)

LAST week's TWD recipe, Honey-Peach Ice Cream, is a perfect treat to welcome summer. I wished the peach flavor was more pronounced, but maybe it's because I pureed all of the fruit and didn't mix in any chunks of fruit.

If you'd like to try your hand at this ice cream, please visit Tommi's blog, Brown Interior, for the recipe.

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

I love strawberry season! In Southern California, you know that summer is just around the corner when you see gorgeous strawberries overflowing at the local farmers market...and the unbelievable fact is that you can get a half flat (6 baskets) of super sweet, juicy berries for 10 bucks. With the berries at their height of their season, there is no better way but to eat them fresh --- no embellishments needed. If the mood strikes to do something with them (besides stuffing my face), I'll make this ice cream. The strawberry is the star of this recipe, but with a little something to take this ice cream over the top:

Yes, balasamic vinegar. Using just a wee bit of high quality, aged balasamic vinegar really brightens the flavor and enhances the sweetness of the berries. Admittedly, it can be a small investment for a good balsamic vinegar (I think I paid $30 for the bottle pictured), but a little goes a long way, and it makes a huge difference in recipes like this. I'll even pour a little of this balsamic over a scoop of vanilla ice cream - believe it or not, it tastes heavenly!

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

makes approx 2 qts

1 1/4 lb fresh strawberries- rinsed, hulled, and sliced

1/2 c. sugar (you can increase this to 3/4 C, depending on the level of sweetness you prefer)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp vodka (keeps the ice cream from turning rock hard in the freezer)

1/2 c. creme fraiche (or sour cream)

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1. Combine the strawberries with the sugar, balsamic vinegar and vodka in a large bowl. Cover and let stand at room temp for an hour or so.

2. Pour strawberry mixture into a food processor. Add the creme fraiche and heavy cream and process until just combined. I like to see chunks of fruit in my ice cream. If you prefer a smoother version, process further until smooth.

3. Chill the mixture, then freeze in an ice cream maker.

Meyer Lemon Sherbet (TWD)

There was quite a bit of chatter among the Tuesdays With Dorie bakers regarding this week's recipe, Lemon Cup Custard. Some of the bakers commented that this custard tasted eggy and had a flan-like texure, and as a result, a lot of folks clearly expressed their love or hate of this type of dessert.

When it comes to dessert, I'm game for anything, except for anything flan-like. The texture is just not my cup of tea. So, where does that leave me this week?

Instead of sitting out this week, I wanted to take the ingredients called for in this recipe and create something that I would enjoy (hopefully the TWD gods won't strike me down for this). With a just a couple of tweaks (no eggs, no lemon extract, add lemon juice), I came up with this recipe for meyer lemon sherbet.

The hubby and I had the sherbet with fresh strawberries, all we could say was WOW! The meyer lemons imparted a nice citrusy/floral flavor and we loved the icy/creamy texture of the sherbet. One adjustment that I would make the next time is straining the mixture before freezing (the pieces of zest didn't do it for me texturally); otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing.
Check out how the others fared with the Lemon Cup Custard at the TWD blogroll! For the unadulterated version of this recipe, please visit our hostess for the week, Bridget of The Way The Cookie Crumbles.

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Meyer Lemon Sherbet

makes approx 1 pint

2 C whole milk

1/2 C sugar
zest of 2 meyer lemons

1/2 C meyer lemon juice (approx 2-3 lemons)

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 C of milk with the sugar and zest. Heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1 C of milk. Transfer the mixture to a container and thoroughly chill in the fridge.

Once chilled, stir in the lemon juice into the milk mixture. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Chocolate Valentino & 7 Bean Vanilla Ice Cream (DB)

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge showcases how a few simple yet high quality ingredients can be transformed into a special, decadent dessert...and a perfect sweet treat for Valentines Day!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino is essentially a flourless chocolate cake composed of three basic ingredients: chocolate, butter and eggs. The end result is an extremely fudgey cake (more like a brownie than a cake), and a little portion delivers HUGE chocolate flavors. I followed the recipe instructions as written, baking the cake in an 8" springform pan. Once the cake cooled, I used a heart shape cookie cutter to portion out individual servings.

Vanilla Ice Cream is part two of this month's challenge. For those of you who know me, I LOVE making (and eating) homemade ice cream, and I happily pulled out my ice cream maker for the occasion. I've been itching to make 7 Bean Vanilla Ice Cream from Sherry Yard's terrific book, Desserts By The Yard.

The cake and ice cream served as a perfect ending for my hubby and me on Valentine's Day. We really enjoyed the cake, as it wasn't sugary sweet and it delivered a huge punch in chocolate flavor (definitely use high-quality chocolate for this recipe). The ice cream was full of vanilla flavor (7 vanilla pods--- I would have been disappointed if it wasn't), and it really worked well with the cake. I could have easily eaten the entire batch by myself! :p It's definitely a small investment using 7 vanilla pods, but it's definitely worth making for a special occassion.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Valrhona 60%)
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated

Instructions

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. (Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.)

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

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7 Bean Vanilla Ice Cream
adapted from Desserts By The Yard by Sherry Yard
makes 1 quart

1 cups milk
3 cups heavy cream
7 vanilla beans - split, seeds scraped out; seeds and beans reserved
3/4 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
pinch of salt

1. Place a 1 quart freezer container in the freezer. Prepare an ice bath: fill a large bowl with ice and a little water and nestle ia medium bowl in the ice.

2. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine the milk, cream, vanillaseeds and beans and half the sugar. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow the milk and cream to infuse for 20 minutes (I let it sit for 1 hour).

3. While the milk and cream are infusing, comvbine the egg yolks and the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk them together until lemony yellow.

4. After infusing the cream mixture, remove the plastic wrap and return the mixture to the heat. When the milk and cream come to a simmer, remove from the heat and slowly whisk 1/2 cup into the egg yolks. Once the cream is incorporated into the yolks, whisk the yolks back into the cream. Be sure to scrape all the yolks into the pan with a rubber spatula.

5. Place the pan over low heat and immediately begin to stir the custard. After about 2 minutes, the custard will begin to thicken. Keep stirring until the consistency is like thick cream. The custard is done when the temperature reaches 180F degrees. Test for readiness with your spatula: dip it into the custard, pull it out, and run your finger across the back of the spatula. Your finger should leave a clear trail adn the rest of the spatula should remain coated with custard. If the custard does not run into the finger trail, it is thick enough and can be taken off the heat. If it does run, cook the custard for another minute, or until the consistency is right.

6. Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl in the ice bath. Rinse beans and reserve for another use. Add salt. Cool mixture (if you time, refrigerate custard for a least couple of hours). Transfer to an ice cream maker and freezee according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to the freezer container and place in the freezer for 2 hours, or until firm.

Caramel Crunch Bars (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Caramel Crunch Bars, was selected by Whitney of What's Left On The Table (please visit Whitney's blog for the recipe).

This cookie is essentially a shortbread with morsels of chocolate (I used bittersweet) distributed throughout and topped with more chocolate and toffee candy (I hand-chopped Skor toffee bars).

Instead of using a 9x13" pan (as instructed in the recipe), I used a square muffin pan to make individual cookies.

Dorie Greenspan notes that these cookies are great for ice cream sandwiches. With that in mind, I added a scoop of 7 bean vanilla ice cream (I will be sharing this over-the-top recipe later this week):

Then, I drizzled slightly warmed chocolate sauce on top:

This cookie is delicious on its own. Who knew that little ice cream and chocolate sauce would elevate this into a spectacular dessert --- YUM!

Carrot Ice Cream Cake-wich

Call me a bit obsessed...it's been a kick taking my favorite cakes and transforming them into portable ice cream creations. After having success with my red velvet ice cream sandwiches, I turned to riff on another favorite cake of mine---carrot cake! I had more than enough cheesecake ice cream leftover and thought that it act as the perfect foil for a moist cookie that incorporated all of the elements of carrot cake. The cookie recipe was adapted from epicurious, and I've made and enjoyed this soft chewy cookie on its own on more than one occasion. The experience of pairing this moist, cakey cookie with the tart, creamy ice cream --- pure heaven!
The ice cream recipe can be found on my red velvet post.

Carrot Cake Cookies
adapted from epicurious.com
makes approx 24 cookies

Ingredients
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins

Directions
- preheat oven to 375°F.
- line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- mix in carrots, nuts, coconut and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
- drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely

Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches

Don't ask me why, I've recently been obsessing over ice cream sandwiches. During my undergrad days at UCLA, my friends and I would take study breaks and head into Westwood to Diddy Reese for their yummy homemade ice cream sandwiches (gee, and I wondered all that time how the hell I gained 15 pounds my freshman year). The fun of this experience was creating your own cookie/ice cream combo --- my favorite was white chocolate macadamia w. strawberry ice cream (sounds strange, but it was delish). The bonus was that this delicious treat was only $1 (and no, this isn't a typo) --- perfect for a student budget. Mind you, this was many moons ago, but today Diddy Reese is still staying strong in the ever changing retail landcape of Westwood, and they are still making those lovely ice cream sandwich treats for only $1.50.

I don't make it into Westwood as often as I'd like (well, until UCLA basketball season starts - Go Bruins!), so Diddy Reese is a bit out of reach for me. I wanted to recreate these treats at home, but do something with a little twist. I've been craving red velvet lately, so why not kill two birds w. one stone.

I 'm reluctant to admit this, but the red velvet cookie base was based on a recipe by Rachel Ray. Love her or hate her, she's here to stay. I've never bothered with her cooking show or books (RR is now working on a petfood line...i'm not sure if I really needed to know that), so this would be a first to try one of her recipes. The cookies sandwich a rich, homemade cheesecake ice cream. This was a terrific treat, as it has all of the flavors of red velvet cake, complemented by the tangy, cool and creamy ice cream.


Red Velvet Cookies
adapted from Every Day w. Rachel Ray
makes approx 20 cookies for 10 ice cream sandwiches

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tbsn unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsn salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsn red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
2. Using a mixer, beat butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, food coloring and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until smooth.
3. Place 1/4-cup scoops of batter 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet; spread out. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.

Cheesecake Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
2/3 cup sugar
zest of half a lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp vodka (optional: helps ice cream from getting too hard in the freezer)
pinch of salt

Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth
2. Chill mixture in the frig, and then freeze in an ice cream maker

Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly
1. pull ice cream from freezer and allow to soften slightly at room temp
2. place a 2oz scoop of ice cream on one cookie. place another cookie on top and press slightly to sandwich together. Optional: press chopped pecans into the exposed ice cream.
3. wrap individuals sandwiches in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve.

Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream Sandwich (TWD)

If you haven't figured out by now, I LOVE making homemade ice cream! I was thrilled to see that we had ice cream slated for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie. Selected by Dolores at Chronicles in Culinary Curiousity, this recipe for blueberry sour cream ice cream sounded like a perfect summer treat. This recipe was really simple to prepare, as all you need to do is cook & puree the berries, mix in a combination of heavy cream and sour cream, chill and churn. I love this recipe as there were no eggs to temper...yippeee! I went with fresh blueberries, as my local markets are overflowing with them. I also went ahead and added twice the amount of lemon juice (really dig the tart flavor). Once assembled and frozen, I took a little taste test (okay, twist my arm! ;) )...YUM!!! Great thick, creamy texture, beautiful purplish/bluish hue, and a nice tangy flavor that comes from the sour cream. In many ways, this tasted like a frozen blueberry cheesecake filling.With cheesecake in mind, I decide to play with the recipe and made mini ice cream sandwiches. I paired the ice cream with a ridiculously easy graham cracker based cookie (the original recipe and my adaptation notes are below). To make these sandwiches, pour the just churned icecream into a 8x8 dish (or a loaf pan---that's what I used here) and freeze to set.

Graham Cookies
makes approx 24 cookies

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs (I pulverized my in a food processor)
1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C shredded coconut
2 C chocolate chips/nuts (if omitting completely, as I did here, up the flour by 1/2 C)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder in a bowl to combine
- Incoporate the butter and condensed milk until combined
- Fold in the shredded coconut (and choc chips and nuts, if using)
- Drop dough by the teaspoon and bake until nice and browned - 8-10 minutes.

For the sandwich recipe, halve the recipe and spread the dough onto an 9x13" pan or 1/4 sheet pan lined with parchment (very important as the dough is extremely sticky). Bake at 350 for approx 18-22 minutes, until the top is nice and golden brown. Note: I used an 8x8 pan for the cookies shown here, and the cookies came out a bit thicker than I would have liked. If you like thicker cookies, this should fit the bill; if you like your cookies thinner, definitely go with a larger pan.

I cut the cookies and ice cream using a fluted round cookie cutter, assembled the sandwiches, and placed the finished sandwiches in the freezer to set. Keep in mind that the ice cream needs to be frozen solid when assembling the sandwiches and you need to work quickly, or you will end up with a melting mess.

These mini cheesecake ice cream sandwiches tasted fantastic (it's another story on how these little guys looked :( ). The ice cream was the highlight in this treat, and this recipe will definitely be flagged for a repeat!

For the receipe, please head over to Dolores' blog. To see what everyone else churned, check out the TWD blogroll.