summers last breath

so that happened fast!  summer was here and summer ran away...a few weeks of heat on the east coast followed by a bit out west.  in new york and the northeast, it went out with a bang.  a huge lightning and thunder storm slammed through and brought with it the cool beginning of fall on its coat tails.  although we are ready for a nice light jacket and strolls through the city without a full sweat, we will miss the days of cold beer, summer foods, boat rides and fireflies.  a little homemade ice cream is our last gasp at holding on to summer, and even as our hotter days end its never really offseason for ice cream in our book. so before the soups and stews set in, lets enjoy a few more weeks dreaming of that fantastic summer.

TART CHERRY BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM

for our tart cherry buttermilk ice cream we used a mix of sour and bing cherries, but you can use whatever you have on hand.  the buttermilk ice cream is a great base for whatever fruit is in season- try peaches sautéed in brown sugar and cinnamon or plums cooked with honey and cardamom!

2 cups pitted cherries

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs water

12 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scrapped

2 cups buttermilk

pinch of salt

in a medium saucepan, combine cherries, sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat.  reduce to medium and cook until slightly broken down and tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.  cool completely.

whisk eggs yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. in a large saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium heat. slowly drizzle the warm cream into the yolks, whisking constantly and adding all the cream in a slow steady stream.  pour the mixture back into the saucepan and add vanilla bean seeds and pod.  cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

remove from heat and pass through a mesh strainer into a bowl.  whisk in buttermilk and salt.  let cool completely and freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.  remove ice cream from the machine and fold in the cooled cherry mixture. transfer to an airtight container and freeze overnight.

all images © andrew purcell 2013

        

frozen treat

sometimes we forget how simple it is to make homemade ice cream and sorbet and what a special treat it really is. this buttermilk sorbet is originally from a martha recipe for a rhubarb float which we'll have to try another time - instead, i adapted the recipe and folded in ripe fresh cherries for a sweet & tart combination. did anyone see this great article from the new york times magazine back in april? it got me on a serious buttermilk kick! have a great weekend and treat yourself to something cold, rich and creamy.

Buttermilk Sorbet

makes 1 quart

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbs corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup cherries, pitted & halved (or other ripe fresh fruit!)

in a small saucepan, combine sugar with 1 cup water and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. let cool completely. whisk together cooled simple syrup with buttermilk, cream, corn syrup and vanilla. freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. transfer to an airtight container and freeze at least 1 hour before serving.

i scream, you scream

everyone loves ice cream. i've also always loved the combination of oranges and cream - creamsicles, orange julius, orange sherbet. i haven't had most of these in years so when i saw these beautiful blood oranges at the market, i thought ice cream would be a fun thing to make. a traditional sherbet recipe is lighter than ice cream and contains egg whites instead of yolks but this is a more traditional ice cream recipe. it stirs up memories of melty bright orange sherbet on a hot summer day, now with a little more sophisticated color and flavor.

Blood Orange Ice Cream

makes about 3 cups

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split open

pinch of salt

2 tbs orange zest

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup blood orange juice, about 6 small oranges

in a heavy saucepan, combine milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean, salt, and zest. bring to a boil and remove from heat. beat together egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until pale and frothy. slowly add warm milk mixture while constantly whisky until well combined. pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats back of a wooden spoon. remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl set in a larger metal bowl of ice and water. whisk to release heat and let cool about 10 minutes. stir in blood orange juice and freeze in ice cream maker. transfer to an airtight container and freeze until hard.