Dessert – Page 7 – morestomach

Strawberries + Kefir Popsicles

Published on July 8, 2015February 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach26 Comments

we’re currently on vacation
which means that i’ve been checked out
from everything:
work
work
work
life
but not when it comes to desserts.
these popsicles
were borne from necessity:
using up the last of the kefir
the last of the frozen strawberries
best of all,
these could be breakfast OR dessert.
happy summer break!

ps. i will be scarce for awhile.
but you can follow along with our adventures via my instagram

strawberries + kefir popsicles
makes 10

*note: i used up the last of kefir and a bowl of blitzed strawberries, the exact measurements for popsicle varied. use your best judgement.
**note: kefir is usually lactose free, or very low in lactose, which i am able to consume.
***note: i used these molds, which are my new favorite kitchen toy

approximately 1/2 cup kefir (my preferred brands are lifeway or green valley organics, whichever is on sale that week)
1/2 – 3/4 cup strawberries, sweetened with 1 TBL sugar or honey, vitamixed until smooth

pour each into pop molds, alternating flavors until all are used up and/or filled.

if you’re feeling fancy, use a skewer stick (in my case, a chopstick) to marble the mix together.

freeze at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

BAM!

1 year ago: diy copper pipe wall sconces
2 years ago: coconut egg curry, lactose free

other ice cream concoctions:
coffee chocolate chip ice cream – lactose free
peppermint chocolate chip ice cream – lactose free
spiced coconut pecan ice cream – dairy free
strawberry ice cream + almond waffle cones – dairy free
tangerine ice cream – lactose free
cayenne chocolate ice cream – lactose free
strawberry ice cream cookie sandwiches – lactose free

strawberry ice cream cookie sandwiches

Published on July 1, 2015February 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach6 Comments

strawberry season has come & gone,
around these parts anyway.
they’re still available at markets,
fret not,
but once they’re no longer pick-able for us
the season is done.
what we do is we pick more than we’re able to consume,
freezing the rest
for smoothies
for ice cream
for breakfast
for dessert
this year’s yield ,
while beautiful,
did not taste as they looked.
as a result
this year’s batch of ice cream wasn’t the best.
in lieu of chucking it
i figured sandwiching them would solve mediocrity.
thank goodness i was correct.
*note: any kind of ice cream flavor,
at any level of mediocrity or awesomeness,
will work.

PS. happy independence week! be safe, be good.

strawberry ice cream cookie sandwiches
cookie recipe makes about 30 cookies

4 ounces room temp ghee
4 ounces coconut oil, softened, just on the other side of solid
3/4 cup sugar, scant
3/4 cup light brown sugar, scant
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups ap flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
super intense strawberry ice cream, or whatever flavor you want

in mixing bowl, with paddle attachment, cream butter + coconut oil + sugars. add the eggs, followed by the flour, salt and baking soda. scrape the sides of the bowl, you’re aiming for an incorporated batter.

cover and fridge, for at least an hour, up to over night.

preheat oven to 325, prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

using a ice cream scooper (ours is just shy of 1 TBL), scoop out the dough onto prepared baking sheet. leave a few inches between cookies as they will spread.

bake for 12-14 minutes, i aimed for 13 minutes.

allow to cool completely on cookie rack, then freeze them.

to assemble, scoop out ice cream and sandwich between two cookies. consume immediately, or stick back in freezer, covered until ready to devour.

if you’re like dw, you could freeze the ice cream in a casserole dish. allow it to thaw a bit, then using a biscuit cutter almost the same size at the cookies cut out the ice cream.
then, if you’re like me, you could use an off-set spatula to smooth out any bumps that the biscuit cutter didn’t smooth out and run it along the edges.

BAM!

1 year ago: diy linen board
2 years ago: tiny, beautiful things – i read a book!

meringue cups + mango curd

Published on June 24, 2015June 23, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

growing up i never had dessert after dinner,
maybe an apple or orange slices.
sugar and sweets were for
Special Occasions,
they were not on the forefront of
gma’s menu planning for the week.
now that i’m ~~a grown up~~ in charge of my diet
dessert is a must.
on the evenings we don’t have
anything sweet to nibble on
i feel a loss,
like,
bereft.
my waistline has suffered
my sweet tooth is more ferocious
i don’t know which was worse –
with or without!
just kidding,
that’s a no brainer.

meringue cups + mango curd
gluten free, lactose free

*note: it was super hot and muggy the days i made these. if i were to serve this at a party, i’d make the morning of and pipe just before serving. you want the meringues to be light and crispy with just a touch of chew. doing it the way i did it allowed the meringues to be a little on the chewy side and not enough of the crisp. the winter, when the air is chill and dry, would be best for the over night method i used this time.

5 egg whites, at room temp
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar, sweetness level entirely up to you, depending on how sweet the curd is
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

preheat oven to 300F. prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

in a clean mixing bowl using a the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites for about a minute. add the cream of tartar and then incrementally add the sugar. you’re going for stiff peaks, this could take up to 15 minutes. take your time, scrape the bowl to ensure you get all the sugar. you’re done when you’re able to turn the bowl over and nothing falls on your face.

fill piping bag, if you’re feeling fancy add a tip, though i don’t think it’s necessary. on the prepared baking sheet, pipe a base and then stick to the edge of the base and work your way up to make a cup/nest. keep going until done, i think i ended up with about 40.

bake for 20 minutes, lower heat to 250F and bake further 15 minutes. turn off off, ignore overnight.

mango curd
lactose free

1-2 mangos, depending on size, ending up with about 1 cup mango puree
1/8 – 1/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it to be
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
4 TBL ghee
juice of half lemon

in a sauce pan, mix the mango puree with the egg yolk on low heat. whisk steadily until warmed through, you don’t want to scramble the yolk. add in the flavors: sugar, salt, zests and lemon juice. raise heat to medium and keep whisking until further thickened. turn off the heat and add in the ghee, mixing thoroughly.

set aside to cool, if needed, strain through a fine mesh sieve.

allow to cool and then fridge. will keep for about a week.

to assemble:
you can be fancy and pipe the curd into the meringue cups, or you can be lazy like me and use a small spoon to fill the curd in.

BAM!

1 year ago: 3 veggies dumplings in spicy sauce
2 years: baked yeast s’mores donuts

other curd and/or meringue desserts:
citrus curd mille feuilles – dairy free
meyer lemon bars – lactose free
chocolate meringue kisses – gluten free, dairy free
strawberries + cream pavlovas – gluten free

cayenne chocolate ice cream

Published on June 10, 2015June 9, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach38 Comments

making ice cream at our house is a production
— a happy one
but a production nonetheless
i’ll ask dw to put our ice cream canister thing in the freezer
which means we play frozen food tetris
to make room for it.
we’ll return to whatever we were doing:
washing the dishes
playing crossword puzzles
5 minutes will pass,
sometimes hours.
then the question will come up:
what flavor are we making??
likely i don’t have a flavor in mind,
not exactly.
dw is always game for whatever i concoct,
as long as it’s not chocolate + fruit
i know, i know, I KNOW.
during a recent very quick skim of pantry items
we kept it simple.
kinda.

cayenne chocolate ice cream
makes about 3 1/2 cups

*note: the spicy kick creeps up on you. you’re busy savoring the creaminess and cold and chocolate and then there’s heat. it’s not unpleasant.

4 egg yolks, from large eggs
scant 1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 cups lactose free half/half (this was on hand, i’d make this with canned coconut milk, or any plant/nut based milk)
1/2 TBL cornstarch or potato starch
3-4 TBL good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

in a saucepan gently heat the half/half with the sugar and cocoa powder, medium heat. whisk until warmed though and the sugar has incorporated. in a bowl have your egg yolks ready. ladle in a bit of the warmed milk, whisking the yolks all the while. add in another 2 ladle-fuls and whisk. the temp of the yolks should be warmed through. add the yolk mixture to the saucepan, but leave about a ladle-ful in the bowl, and continue whisking all the while. the mixture will thicken slightly.

for the remaining mixture in the bowl, add the cornstarch or potato starch and mix until incorporated. add to the saucepan. mix some more.

sprinkle a dash or two of cayenne pepper, i would say it was about 1 tsp, but use at your discretion to your liking.

pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. allow to cool completely, ideally overnight.

when ready, pour into ice cream maker and churn according to machine’s instructions.

BAM!

————-

1 year ago: diy sperm cornhole
2 years ago: vegan strawberry sweet biscuit

other ice cream concoctions:
coffee chocolate chip ice cream – lactose free
peppermint chocolate chip ice cream – lactose free
spiced coconut pecan ice cream – dairy free
strawberry ice cream + almond waffle cones – dairy free
tangerine ice cream – lactose free
not interested in ice cream, try the spicy pudding version

sương sáo (grass jelly) with chia seeds

Published on May 29, 2015May 28, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

we got new windows installed last week
i can’t tell you how incredibly excited
and grown up i feel saying that.
serendipitously the temps have been pleasant,
as only may should be.
the windows have been flung open,
letting the breeze in,
though, i realize that the windows
could also be enjoyed closed,
especially since the insulation is finally on point.
still.
sitting on our sagging red elephant patterned couch,
with some home improvement show on tv,
after being without
it’s a treat to feel Spring.
it’s also a treat to have a childhood dessert to tuck into,
a cooling dessert that i don’t make often enough.

sương sáo (grass jelly) with chia seeds

*note: this is canned, which is not something we partake in usually. this isn’t so much a recipe, but more of a “oh hey, lemme put this all together and call it a day”. i will say, dw is not the biggest fan, which basically means more for me, BUT! it doesn’t mean that this sucks.
**note: the chia seeds gives this dessert a pudding-like texture. you can add as much as you want, though the more you add the thicker it is. alternatively, if you add more liquid, it makes the dessert runnier and not so overridden by the seeds.
***note: prior to my current love affair with chia seeds, i made this dessert with basil seeds which has the added crunch and something something that chia seeds have, but minus the thickening texture.
****note: last, dw thinks this tastes kinda medicinal, whereas i don’t. it has an herby-tea flavor to me.

1 can of sương sáo (grass jelly), found in the canned fruit aisle of asian markets
4 TBL simple syrup, 1:1 bee free honee and water
juice of one lemon or lime
3 TBL chia seeds
water, amount up to you, i probably had about 1/2 cups worth

so, the canned grass jelly, when taken out of the can will be like canned cranberry sauce that you see during thanksgiving. don’t be turned off. cut into cubes. i normally cut them into 6 horizontal pieces, then with one layer in my left hand, cut strips and then cubes. like this.

add in desired amount of simple syrup and squeeze that citrus over top. sprinkle the chia seeds and gently mix.

leave in fridge for at least 1 hour, to chill the grass jelly and bloom the seeds.

serve chilled.

BAM!