Lavender Ice Cream

Our ice cream maker was one of the best presents we received when we got married.  I spent a lot of time making frozen yogurt last summer and this summer I'm determined to make a lot of real traditional ice cream.  This is my first pass and it is excellent!  The ice cream is really simple and has a perfect subtle lavender taste.  A big thank you to Christine for bringing me lavender sugar and inspiring this recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped lavender
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

1.  Take a large heavy sauce pan (or enamel pan like Le creuset) and heat heavy cream and 1 cup of whole mean over medium heat.  You will bring this to a simmer (about 10 minutes).  Make sure to stir and watch that this does not boil!
2. Meanwhile, put 1 cup of sugar into a bowl and the lavender.  Use your fingers to rub the lavender and the sugar together to combine the essence of the herb and the sugar.
3. In another bowl, whisk together egg yokes and 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Here is the tricky part.  Once milk and simmered.  Remove from the heat.  Take a 1/2 measuring cup and scoop out warm milk/cream mixture.  Slowly and carefully whisk into egg mixture to temper the eggs and bring to the same temp as the milk.  Feel free to repeat this process with another 1/2 cup of milk mixture.
5. When eggs are tempered, slowly stir them back into the pan of milk/cream mixture carefully whisking to combine into the milk.
6. Cook this mixture over medium low heat until it coats the spoon.  About 10 minutes.
7. Move liquid to another bowl and add remaining 2 cups milk, vanilla and pinch of salt.  Stir to combine.
8. Cool mixture completely in the fridge, do not skip this step or you will regret it.
9. Put in ice cream maker of choice and go per manufacturer's instructions.

Entertaining - Hosting an Effortless Brunch Party

My friends will tell you that I love hosting brunch (and I'm always up early on the weekends so this is never a problem!).

The key to brunch is starting off with a nice beverage and "appetizer" pairing.  My the menu has two options for drinks (one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic).  This allows people to relax and enjoy conversation without feeling utterly famished while waiting for everyone to arrive.   Once all of the guests have arrived, you can move on to the more formal part of the meal, which I prefer to serve at a table on casual plates with a colorful napkin and simple flower arrangement.

Brunch is the entertaining event to really use colors that aren't necessarily "matching" but are appeasing to the eye.  If you have mismatched dishes they are perfect at brunch because most people are too sleepy to notice.  This also gives of a casual feeling while still keeping the paper plates in the cupboard.  I also recommend everyone have at least one tablecloth that is bright and emits a feeling of energy, this is the perfect occasion!

Check out these cute napkins from Anthropologie - Storybook Romance Dishtowels

You will notice there is no meat on this menu and it is something I do often when serving to a large number of people.  When food is this delicious, they even hardly know it's missing and your vegetarian friends will be silently thanking you.

Menu

Starters:

Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake
Prosecco cocktail or Faux-secco cocktail - Replace prosecco and vodka with sparkling water

Main dish:

Creme Fraiche Quiche with Chard
Rhubarb Applesauce

Dessert:

French Press Coffee
Apricot and Mozzarella Dessert Caprese

3P Biscuits - Parsley, Parmesan and Pepper

Sometimes I just don't want to cook anything on the weekends but then I remember how delicious a fresh homemade biscuit can taste and how quickly they can be prepared and baked.  Add a fresh egg and some slices of bacon and you have a breakfast that is better than any option dining out.  Here I've gone with items in my fridge, but you can substitute almost any herb and cheese for the parsley and parmesan I've used here.  These are delightful and easily modified!

Ingredients (for 6 biscuits)

1 1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons black pepper (the coarser the better)
1/2 cup parsley leaves finely chopped
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup of buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (including parsley) in a food processor.  Pull until combined, about 1 minute.
3. Cut butter into 4-5 chunks and drop one chunk in at a time, pulsing in between to combine the flour into the butter.
4. When all butter is in, add parmesan and pulse for a minute, then add buttermilk and pulse until well mixed (about 2 minutes).
5. Remove mixture to a well floured counter and carefully dump onto the board.  Use your hands to mold the dough into about a 7 inch diameter circle, making sure to incorporate any extra bits into the dough.
6. Cut into six equal slices (like a pie)
7. Place on parchment paper and cook until tops are lightly browned, about 16-18 minutes.

Gambas al Ajillo - Prawns with Garlic Sauce

One of my favorite tapas of all times is gambas al ajillo - prawns/shrimp in a garlic sauce made with olive oil and garlic.  This dish is simple, impressive and can be either a dinner for two people or tapas for 4-6.  Once again, we were lucky to find these fresh caught spotted prawns from our favorite HamaHama Oyster co .  If you are in the Olympic Peninsula area and want a place to visit, it would be totally worth the visit!

Serve this dish with a side of arroz con frijole negro "rice with black bean" or pan "bread".

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked fresh prawn tails
4-6 cloves garlic minced
1 jalopeno seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Heat deep pot or cast iron over medium high heat.
2. When hot, add garlic, jalopeno and olive oil.  Stir for about a minute or so, don't let the garlic brown too much.
3. Drop the prawns in and stir to coat.  Allow to cook about 3 minutes until the meat turns white.  It is important not to overcook these because then they will get tough.
4. Remove from heat and stir a few more times to coat the shrimp in the delicious oil.
5. Serve with black beans, rice or crusty bread to soak up the garlic oil.  You will have to peel these and be careful, they are hot!

Toast met Champignons (Toast with Mushrooms)

Here is another classic recipe from my mother in law.  This meal is really filling and delicious and definitely made for a busy weeknight.  You could also serve this as an appetizer or at a brunch with an egg on top.  The point is this dish has bacon, mushrooms (yes I put bacon first), shallot and parsley.  How simple and easy can that be?

Ingredients


3-4 strips thick cut bacon
2 small shallots finely chopped
1 lb mushrooms (we used shiitake) chopped into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook bacon until mostly crisp, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Remove bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel
3. Add shallots to bacon grease and allow to cook about 2-3 minutes
4. Add chopped mushrooms and allow to cook another 3-4 minutes
5. If you dish looks dry you can add a tablespoon or so of olive oil
6. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and cover.
7. Prepare toast from your favorite loaf of bread.  Brush with olive oil if you like.
8. Place toast on a plate and cover generously with mushrooms.  Serve with an egg on top or a salad on the side.

Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread

The inspiration for this bread came from my dear friend Hillary who is the best baker I know.  I combined two of her favorite recipes (one using a dutch oven and the other all white flour), but I doctored this one up with some whole wheat flour to see if it would still taste good.  Lucky for you, it does!  Cooking the bread in a dutch oven is absolutely required and will give the results a normal home oven can't normally replicate.  Try mixing in any of your favorite bread inclusions (rosemary, cheddar cheese, thyme, etc.)!

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 cups unbleached whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups warm water

1. Combine dry ingredients with a spatula in a plastic bowl and stir with a spoon to incorporate.
2. Add water until dough is looks like a shaggy ball (I don't really know what a shaggy ball would be defined as, but go with your gut here).  Mine looked like a mostly wet doughy substance.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 12-18 hours
4. Preheat dutch oven in a regular oven to 450 degrees.
5. Generously cover hands and counter with flour and turn dough onto the counter.
6. Shape into desired shape (remember if has to fit in your dutch oven) and let rest until regular oven is preheated.
7. CAREFULLY remove dutch oven and carefully put bread in the pan.  Place lid on top and put in oven for 30 minutes.
8. Remove lid after 30 minutes and return dutch oven to the regular oven for another 15 minutes to let the bread brown
9. CAREFULLY remove the entire apparatus from the oven and take the bread out with oven mitts and place on a cooling rack
10. Cut and serve after letting cool about 15 minutes

Rhubarb Margarita

Yes this sounds insanely delicious and it lives up to it's reputation.  Rhubarb simple syrup + silver tequila = elegant margarita!  I got the rhubarb simple syrup from 101 cookbooks.com and made a few modifications to fit my needs.  The end result is out of this world.

A few notes about the simple syrup.  You don't need to put any rosewater in the final product (unless you happen to have some sitting around).  I also doubled the amount of lime in the recipe.  You can actually make 1/2 of the recipe and still end up with enough syrup for 4 drinks.  If you are confused by this math, welcome to my world ;)

Ingredients

1.5 parts good silver tequila
1 part rhubarb simple syrup (see link above)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake about a minute.  Drain into a frozen martini glass and garnish with a strawberry or a maraschino cherry.