Sunday, February 19, 2012

Tacos!

My adventure this weekend - making delicious tacos from scratch!

Tortillas are way easier to make than I ever imagined. With the always lovely Julia rolling out the tortillas and shredding her heart out with chicken, the meal was fun to make, fun to eat, and delicious.

Handmade tortillas (you can clearly tell by the shape...), brined and seasoned shredded chicken, purple cabbage and radish ribbons tossed with crema mexicana, and queso fresco crumbled over the top all brought together with a squeeze of lime juice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I almost had to restrain myself to keep from eating until I fell in to a taco haze.

Something fresh, something fatty, something spicy, something with acid, all on a fun tortilla that was made minutes before we ate it!


Hipster Cupcake Friday!

Kettle Corn cupcake, complete with a piece on top. Exceptionally good!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Nutella Ice Cream!

Nutella: (n.) a delicious chocolately hazelnut spread that makes everything better. 


I've made chocolate cakes with nutella mousse and slathered nutella on just about everything one can conceive, and not surprisingly nutella ice cream was like magic. It was like soft serve poured directly out of a unicorn's horn.  Since I have the nicest boyfriend in the world (hoping he sees this and buys me nice things), I got a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday in October and have been admiring all of the fun things it can do. Not only does it mix anything and everything but it works as an ice cream maker, pasta roller, can wash the cat, iron your clothes, fold your socks, tell you where babies come from, and write a hit song*. 


Anyhow, here's the recipe for the nutella ice cream. It's so good you'll find yourself sleepwalking, waking up in the kitchen with a spoon in your mouth and a delicious creamy bite of ice cream sliding down your throat. 


Nutella Ice Cream, with thanks to Giada De Laurentiis (who i don't think actually eats anything she makes because she looks like a stick figure sim. you know, the sims? that computer game? anyhow... on with the recipe.)


i borrowed this picture because mine didn't come out as well.. :)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish



Directions

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. This will help to warm your eggs so they don't scramble because no one wants to taste eggs in their ice cream. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts.

Happy cooking! Enjoy the ice cream!
*stand mixer may or may not actually do the functions listed. please consult the owner's manual for actual functionality.