Pistachio Gelato

Homemade pistachio ice cream isn't naturally a garish sea foam green - who knew??  No, it's much more subtle - and a whole lot more flavourful than store-bought.  Make it.  Now!  You'll thank me.

Pistachio Gelato

INGREDIENTS
Plain Base*
1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios (see below), cooled and ground into a paste/powder in a coffee grinder
another 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
4 tablespoons amaretto
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

PREPARATION
Make the Plain Base (below) and chill as directed.

In a blender, combine the pistachio paste, almond extract, amaretto, and xanthan gum with half of the base.  Blend until smooth, then whisk into the remaining base.  Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Add the whole pistachios 5 minutes before the churning is completed.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Roasting Nuts

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.  Place the baking sheet in the oven, and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate, and cool.  Cool completely before using.

  
* Plain Base

INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

PREPARATION

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream.  Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.  Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow.  Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously.   Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat.  Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185F.  Do not bring to a boil.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled.  Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Based on the recipe found in The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto by F.W. Pearce and Danila Zecchin, copyright 2010. Published by Clarkson Potter.

Pineapple-Honey Chicken Kebabs

Or kabobs.  Whatever.

Pineapple-Honey Chicken Kebabs

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed, dried, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces

Put chicken in a flat-bottomed bowl or in a sealable plastic bag.

Marinade:
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 large garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger
1 tablespoon chili paste

Whisk together all of the above ingredients.  Pour marinade over chicken and either seal bag or cover bowl with cling film.  Marinate between 2 and 5 hours - the longer the better.

For kebabs:

Pineapple chunks

Red onions, quartered

Red bell pepper chunks

Soak wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes.  Heat grill.  Chop veg.  Drain chicken, discarding marinade.  Thread chicken, pineapple, and veg on skewers, alternating.  Cook on grill to desired doneness.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Finally - zucchini bread that tastes NOTHING LIKE ZUCCHINI!  In fact, it tastes EVERYTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE!  And it's easy, using only one bowl, and throws together in about ten minutes.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 eggs
1/3 cup agave nectar or sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use applesauce instead)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 2/3 cups flour
2 to 2 1/2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F; lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, agave, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.  Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, and flour, mixing until well combined.  Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, until the loaf tests done (a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean, save for perhaps a light smear of chocolate from the melted chips). Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack.  Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.  (I used two smaller pans and reduced baking time to 45 minutes)

Adapted from the good people at King Arthur Flour.

Amaretto Cake with Kirsch Cherries and Whipped Cream

This whole cake is boozified!  I'd wanted to make a cake from scratch with almond paste, but not having any I decided to improvise this time.  I'll revisit this with a different cake recipe at some point, even though the amended boxed version turned out exceedingly well.

Amaretto Cake with Kirsch Cherries and Whipped Cream

I used a special pan which was perfect for this cake but which is by no means mandatory.  It's called a tiara cake pan and was manufactured by Ekco for Duncan Hines many moons ago.  You can often find them in charity shops in the states, which is where I got mine - for 99 cents!  It's a handy specialty pan to have at times.

As you can see, it has an indentation which you can fill with stuff - ideal for this recipe.  But if you just have regular cake pans, you can make something just as beautiful and delicious.

Cake

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 tablespoons amaretto, divided
(almost) 1 cup almond milk

Put cake mix, eggs, and applesauce in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer.  I grind my almonds to a powder in a little Krups coffee grinder - you want them very fine.  Add this to the bowl.  In a measuring cup, put the almond extract and 2 tablespoons of amaretto.  Add almond milk until you have one cup, then add this to the bowl as well.  Mix according to box directions.  Fill whatever pan(s) you're using and bake and cool according to box directions (in using the tiara pan I had mix left over, so I made a smaller regular cake which I froze for use at a later time!)  When cooled, put on the serving plate, brush with another couple of tablespoons of amaretto, and stick in the fridge.

Jam

1 cup chunky cherry preserves

1 tablespoon kirsch

Mix together in a small bowl; keep in fridge until use.

Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons kirsch

Whip ingredients in a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer until peaks form.

Assembly:  Smear the jam on top.  Smear the whipped cream on top of that.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Add pitted cherries if you like!