Food – Page 25 – morestomach

intense strawberry coconut ice cream & almond waffle bowls

Published on June 10, 2014June 9, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach37 Comments

friends,
i’ve been crazy about
strawberries
we went an entire week,
ok technically only 5 days
of banana-strawberry smoothies:
that splash of almond milk
maybe a handful of baby kale if i think of it
and because i like it freezing cold
and a little icy
and a little thick
maybe a handful
(or two)
of ice cubes
all blitzed in the vitamix
we inhaled the strawberry pavlovas
(and i’m still thinking about them)
(so much so that might have to make them again very soon)
we’re also gonna
have to make another trek to
the strawberry patch
cus we’ve consumed the 14+ pounds
we picked two weekends ago
all this to say
that we made strawberry ice cream
which is kind of pedestrian
to share on a food blog,
i know
it’s straight forward
simple
with a plain egg custard base
mais, alors
the pink hue
the tartness
in fact,
the intense tartness
that can only be described for
the first picks of the season
all encapsulated in this frozen treat
and because it’s such
a basic flavor
i made waffle cones & bowls
not so pedestrian of a post after all!

intense strawberry coconut ice cream & almond waffle bowls or cones

this recipe uses the yolks i used for the pavlovas. it pays to have a plan sometimes. additional notes at end of recipe.

6 egg yolks
3 cans of coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBL potato starch
2 cups of strawberries, washed & quartered or halved
zest of 6 lemons, divided (the lemons were used to make this simple syrup)

for the strawberries, vitamix them until smooth as possible. it’ll equal out to about 1 1/2 cups liquid. reduce down in small saucepan on low heat, throwing a few healthy sprinkles of lemon zest. you’re aiming to get as much liquid/moisture out of the mixture as possible, leaving behind a thick sauce. i reduced it down to about 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup — basically until i got tired of babysitting it.

for the ice cream base, it’s my usual egg custard base. in a medium saucepan add in 2 1/2 cans of coconut milk, reserving the remaining for later. heat up the milk with the sugar until fully incorporated. add in a few healthy sprinkles of lemon zest. in a small bowl, separate your eggs. whisk the yolks, and then with a ladle pour in the hot coconut milk all the while whisking the yolks. this is tempering the yolks so it doesn’t scramble. if you want, add in another ladle-full. then slowly add in the warmed through yolk mixture into the saucepan, still whisking. you want the mixture to be fully incorporated. keep the heat on medium and keeping mixing until the mixture has thickened, about 10-15 minutes. at this point, with the remaining half can of coconut milk stir in the potato starch, then add mixture to the custard. this will thicken the custard even more, while also preventing full on ice crystals from forming when the ice cream is in the freezer.

remove custard from saucepan and allow cool. cover and refrigerate for a few hours, ideally overnight. same thing with the strawberry sauce.

when ready, pour custard base into ice maker and churn, then add in the strawberry sauce. churn according to manufacturer’s specs.

*note – technically, you could mix the strawberry sauce and custard before adding to the machine but it seemed like a whole lot of mixing and we figured the machine was well capable of doing that step for us. we opted to pour the custard first because there’s a lot more of it than the sauce, and there’s always a thin layer of ice cream along the edge of the canister that is difficult to scrape out when frozen. we figured we could “waste” that layer of mainly custard rather than of the strawberry sauce.

almond waffle bowls or cones
this round made about 4 bowls and two good-sized cones. best to consume day of, but if not, store in very air tight and dry container.

i bought our waffle cone maker TWO SUMMERS ago and we used it ONCE. oh for shame. my beloved adores ice cream and this is one contraption we cannot allow to gather dust!

2/3 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 TBL honey
2 TBL coconut oil, melted

in a vitamix, blitz everything until smooth

heat your waffle cone maker to #3. pour batter into it, aim for 1/4 cup (let’s be smart, eyeball it and try not to get greedy) and cook for about 2-3 minutes. check on it after 1 minute, aim for a nice golden brown shade. very quickly and carefully peel the waffle out with a small spatula and shape over a bowl or cup, or into a cone. allow to cool.

a trick: i added a few chocolate chips in the bottom of the cone, the residual warm of the cooking melted it a bit and it created a stopper. if you’re a slow ice cream eater, like dw, hopefully no leaks!

serve with ice cream

BAM!

other cold treats:
morestomach — spice coconut pecan
morestomach — coffee chocolate chip
morestomach — peppermint chocolate chip
tutti dolci — blueberry cheesecake ice cream
lark & linen — cookies & cream popsicles

strawberries + cream pavlova

Published on June 3, 2014June 2, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach24 Comments

it’s finally the hot season
maybe everyone else has experienced it
but for me
it’s reached fever pitch
and finally
the strawberry patches are opening
around these parts
it was a cold thirst around here,
temperatures keeping
the fruit from ripening
or growing
or whatever it is that they do
until they’re fully realized
i feel so behind this season
!!
like it’s a slow grab,
labored breath and all,
just to keep up
and then where to even begin?
what do i do with these
precious jewel hued gems?
oh you know,
something i’ve never tasted before
but forgiving enough in looks
to be passed off as rustic

strawberries + cream pavlova
makes 4 very rustic pavlovas
as inspired by what katie ate & call me cupcake!

note: this is one of the easiest desserts ever. egg whites + sugar whipped into a frenzy and then baked. next time i make this, probably for blueberry season, or peaches, i would cut back on the sugar. use your best judgement, defer to how sweet the berries are already.

6 egg whites, at room temp (though separate them while cold, it’s easier that way)
1 scant cup of sugar (i used raw sugar which has a lovely brown tint to it, if you want your pavlova snow white, use white sugar. also, this is plenty sweet, cut back if you want)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp corn starch

for whipped cream:
1 pint of heavy whipping cream, i used Organic Valley though Natural By Nature would’ve been more ideal. for a dairy free option, use canned full fat coconut milk. the night before serving, put can of coconut milk in fridge. section off just the top fatty portion of the milk
a few tsp of powdered sugar

1 cup of washed & chopped strawberries
lemon zest, optional

preheat oven to 350F, take out middle rack, leaving just the bottom rack.

on parchment paper, measure out how big you want your pavlovas. i used a jar lid as guidance. give the pavlovas space, as they do spread out while baking. flip parchment paper over on cookie sheet, your penciled outline will still be visible. set aside.

in a mixer, whip up the egg whites until foamy at medium speed. slow down the speed a smidge and slowly add in the sugar until fully incorporated. you’ve reached perfection when you can turn the bowl over and nothing slips out. add in the white vinegar + corn starch and gently stir until fully mixed.

if you’re aiming for 4 pavlovas, mentally divide the batter into four and scoop out onto the outlined circles. with a large spoon or off set spatula, spread out the mounds. next time i’ll press down in the middle a little, to provide a good platform for the cream + fruit.

prior to putting in oven, turn it down to 250F. bake pavlovas for 1:15. at no time do you open the oven door. turn off the oven, do not open the oven door. allow the pavlovas to cool down, ideally overnight.

when ready to serve, whip up the cream + powdered sugar.

to assemble:
the way i made this, it can serve 4 people (or 8 if sharing…) but instead, since it’s just me + dw, it serves us, on two different occasions.

first time: lay one pavlova on plate. dollop, generously, with whipped cream. top with sliced strawberries and sprinkle with zest, if using. add to that ~~mess~~ creation, another pavlova. dollop again with whipped cream, topped with sliced strawberries & sprinkle with zest. inhale.

2nd time: just as single serving, layered with whipped cream and strawberries.

BAM!

other strawberry delights:
morestomach – strawberry sweet biscuits (vegan)
louise’s spis – strawberry mousse cake
pastry affair – roasted strawberry red wine popsicles
my blue & white kitchen – croissants + brie + strawberries
my name is yeh – rosemary ricotta blintzes with strawberry rhubarb sauce
hummingbird high – strawberry basil coconut cream puffs

miso ramen

Published on May 29, 2014May 28, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach13 Comments

so what ended up happening was:
i looked in the freezer
for any kind of inspiration
something to catch my fancy
i’ve been in a rut lately, you see
not cooking much
just throwing of stuff on a plate
and calling it The Pile
and then whining
two hours later
that i was hungry
and that we should go get ice cream
and so,
in the cavernous back there
(just kidding, my freezer is tiny)
hidden behind the veggie bouillon cubes,
wedding cake,
and various i don’t know whats
was a lone package of ground pork
leftover from last autumn’s csa pork stash
i had it in my heart to make
dandan noodles uh-gain
but
despite how utterly delicious that dish is
i required something more inspired,
something completely inappropriate
for the lingering heat & humidity
we’re finally getting
so ramen came along

you can get the full on recipe here
i’ll just list a few of my tweaks:

i used So Delicious Coconut creamer instead of soy milk
i didn’t bother to fancy up my eggs, a simple soft-hard boiled egg was fancy enough
i used a mild miso, it didn’t specify if it was yellow or white, it just said mild
i used dashi flakes instead of dashi granules (it’s what i had in the pantry)
i used dried wood ear mushrooms instead of shitake (it’s what i had in the pantry)
last: i used water instead of stock, because i completely forgot to buy some AND i didn’t feel up to making any

BAM!

spiced coconut pecan ice cream – dairy free

Published on May 22, 2014May 21, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach30 Comments

for a few weeks now
dw & i have been doing the
100 push ups challenge
i saw this video
and coupled with dw’s desire to
do the challenge in general
we’ve been aching
and pushing
and upping
and challenging
it’s comical, almost
i’ll set aside my latest crochet project
turn down the tv
and we huff our way through

i wish i could say that
my arms are sculpted now
or that i’m so strong i could do
a full chin up finally
but i can’t
not when after we do our sets
we treat ourselves to cake
or ice cream
i think i’m more interested
in the actual completion of it all
rather than the possible
physical end result

thus far this year
that is the only form of exercise
we’ve been doing
there is talk of running again,
doing a race possibly
there is just always something
else to do
a project to undertake
a trip to make
a room to paint
an ice cream flavor to create

and so we make do
this thrice weekly routine
it’s never a pretty sight,
more like comic relief
but always done with great fanfare
and some kind of sweet reward

it’s still mild out
most nights we keep the windows
barely cracked
but as the temps increase
we’ll be making ice cream
frequently
this is our first flavor of the season
inspired by a childhood favorite
as well as a local parlor‘s
attempt recently

spiced coconut pecan ice cream – dairy free

**NOTE: you can use any kind of nuts you want, and you can use any kind of mild ice cream base. sky’s the limit.

1 cup of chopped pecans
1 TBL honey

1 TBL brown sugar
pinch of salt

sprinkle of moroccan spice (that you won’t use all of, can be stored in jar for later use):
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground chili
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp black pepper

preheat oven to 325F.

in a small saucepan, gently heat up the honey + half of the spice mix. take off the heat. place pecans in a bowl, pour honey spice mixture over them and toss until nuts are well coated. spread the nuts on cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them, stirring them every so often to promote even roasting.

remove from oven and cool for a few minutes

brown sugar + salt and sprinkle over the nuts, toss to coat evenly

ice cream base
2 cans of coconut milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
tsp of peppercorn
1 TBL potato starch (optional)

heat up 1 1/2 cans of the coconut milk + sugar. stir to mix through. add in the cinnamon stick and peppercorn and allow to gently heat through

in a bowl, separate the yolks, keep the whites for another purpose (maybe meringue icing or a white cake? or in my case, an egg white omelet). next you’re going to temper the eggs. using a ladle, very slowly & gently pour the hot coconut mixture into the bowl of yolks, all the while stirring furiously. you are attempting to bring the yolks up to temp with the hot mixture, but not scramble them. you might need another ladle-ful. when the yolks are warmed through, pour into the saucepan and continue to stir, keeping temp an even low heat. meanwhile, using the remaining coconut milk, add in the potato starch and mix though. it will thicken a smidge, but the purpose of the potato starch is to discourage icicles from forming in your ice cream in the freezer. pour mixture into saucepan and just continue to stir. the mixture will be thick. remove from heat and allow to cool.

when thoroughly cooled, strain through a fine mesh seive to catch all the peppercorns & cinnamon stick. cover and refrigerate overnight.

next day, pour into ice cream maker and whirl according to your maker’s specifications. in the last 2-3 minutes, add in your nuts and allow to churn & mix through. can serve right away, or allow to freeze/solidify for a few hours.

BAM!

you guys, a one year ago this month i started this space. thank you so much for reading along.
asparagus + scrambled egg salad tartine
homemade thin mints
Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives
dutch oven bread

citrus curd mille feuilles {dairy free}

Published on May 12, 2014May 11, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach21 Comments

surely you know what i mean
when i describe the feeling of “behind”
the constant running in place
the lack of any kind of results
despite all the effort
it’s shitty, yo

my gpa passed some weeks ago
after living a full & long life
he is the first male role model i looked up to
he taught me how to buy cigarettes for him
at age 9
i learned to pick lottery numbers
by looking at license plates
he found a tricycle in the dumpster,
painted it fire engine red
and then stood outside for hours
while i furiously tryked around the courtyard
he was the personification of
grace, humility and love
when i first encountered our transgender neighbor,
a viewpoint that i hold most close & dear to my heart
to this day

this dessert is an ode to him
he introduced me to mille feuilles
many many many years ago
i have a life-long wish to taste
these treats in france one day
(dw are you reading this? let’s make it happen…)
normally this pastry is
layered with pastry cream
and then topped with a swirly
chocolate icing
i’ve lightened it up with
citrus curd
in an effort to move forward,
to go into the light

citrus curd mille-feuille – dairy free & semi-homemade
makes 3 3-layered napoleons

1 pkg of puff pastry, i used pepperidge farm as it’s pareve, i used just one sleeve, thawed

citrus curd –
3 eggs
1 TBL lemon zest
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 TBL of coconut oil

for the pastry:

preheat oven to 425F
the pastry is folded in thirds, unfold them on a lined cookie sheet. with a sharp knife cut into 3 strips, along already formed fold
for each strip, cut 3 even pieces. alternatively you can bake the strips, assemble the entire concoction and then cut it, up to you

lay out the pieces/strips on the lined cookie sheet and then layer with another piece of parchment paper. place another cookie sheet on top (this keeps the pastry from puffing up too much). bake for about 15-18 minutes, remove top sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes further, until lightly golden

remove from oven, allow to cool before assembly

for the curd:
in a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest and honey, until lightly colored

add the lemon juice and the coconut oil, whisking constantly to prevent lumps and promote even melting

cook over medium heat, whisking consistently until mixture thickens

remove from heat, and if necessary, strain curd through a fine mesh sieve

fridge for a few hours to cool and thicken further, will keep for about a week

to assemble:
lay down first layer of pastry and smear on a healthy dose of curd, top with another layer of pastry and again, smear. top with final layer and top with powdered sugar.

bam!