Strawberry Ice Cream and Equipment Review - Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream Maker

Strawberry ice cream says "Summer" like no other dessert. After missing the boat last year, I was determined to make this The Summer of Homemade Ice Cream here at Delightful Repast. So I finally bought myself the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream-Sorbet Maker. Now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long!

No rock salt. No ice. It's so easy! First off, wash the lid, freezer bowl and mixing arm. Place the thoroughly dry freezer bowl upright on flat surface at the back of your freezer (where it's coldest) and freeze for 16 to 24 hours, depending on your freezer (which should be set to 0 degrees Fahrenheit). To see if it's frozen, give it a shake. If you don't hear the liquid moving around, it's frozen. I plan to just leave it in the freezer so it's ready to go at all times!

This recipe was adapted from one in the instruction booklet that came with the machine. It's a simple, no-egg, uncooked ice cream. And it is fabulous! Next time I'll try a custard-style ice cream. Or a frozen yogurt. Or a sorbet. I don't know what to do next. I think I need to order at least one more freezer bowl. Can you tell I'm excited?!

I use all organic ingredients. If you can't get organic milk and cream, at least get a brand that doesn't have hormones. And, please, insist on organic strawberries. Conventionally grown strawberries are number three on the current list of the "Dirty Dozen" most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables you can buy. Only conventionally grown celery and peaches are more contaminated!

Simple Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

(Makes about 5 cups)

1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries (1-pound clamshell more than enough)
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream


1 By hand or in food processor, chop strawberries as finely or as coarsely as you like. Place in a small bowl; stir in half of the sugar. Let macerate for an hour.

2 In medium bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure to make pouring easier), whisk together milk, remaining sugar, vanilla and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream, then stir in the strawberries with their juice. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

3 Assemble the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream-Sorbet Maker; turn it on. While it is running, pour the chilled mixture through the spout. Let mix until thickened, about 15 minutes.

4 Transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe airtight container and place in freezer for at least 2 hours. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Review - Outstanding in the Field - A Restaurant Without Walls

Outstanding in the Field is "a restaurant without walls, a roving culinary adventure." They've been setting up the long table since 1999, showcasing local food and wine. I've wanted for the longest time to attend one of these events and was delighted to accept their kind invitation. The 2011 tour (May to the end of the year) includes several events in Canada and Europe as well as dozens across the US. This month suited my schedule best, and I saw one of my favorite destinations on the list for May.

The venue for the May 11 event was Earthtrine Farm in Ojai, a short drive inland on California's Central Coast. This was the second time host farmers BD and Liz Dautch have welcomed OITF to their well-tended fields in the picturesque Ojai Valley. Guests gathered in the orchard at 4 o'clock for wine and passed hors d'oeuvres, followed by a tour of the small certified organic farm where the Dautches grow oranges and other fruits, vegetables and herbs, harvesting over a hundred varieties of produce throughout the year.

After the tour, we all–-farmers, producers, winemakers, food artisans, diners-– settled in at the long table to share a delightful repast served family-style. Throughout the meal, local suppliers went around the table telling diners the story of their ingredients that went into the meal.

Guest chef Rachel Main of Main Course California in neighboring Ventura prepared a delectable meal with ingredients from Earthtrine Farm, Santa Paula grower Dave Pommer, Ventura farmer Mary McGrath, Ojai's Watkins Cattle Company, Ventura's Ocean Pride Seafood and Santa Barbara Pistachios.

Guest winemakers Mike and Chris Brown of Cantara Cellars in nearby Camarillo provided wines to complement each course: Lodi Albarino 2010 and Amador County Tempranillo 2008 with the hors d'oeuvres, Lodi Chardonnay 2009 with the chilled lettuce soup, Lodi Syrah Rose 2009 with the vegetable kimchi, Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2009 with the Baja yellowtail, carrot puree, tempura Japanese turnips and grilled sprouted broccoli.

Part of the mission of Outstanding in the Field is to reconnect diners to the land and the origins of their food. Believe me, when diners are seated at the long table right there in the field eating foods just picked from that field, they definitely feel connected to the land! The other part of the mission of OITF is to honor the local farmers and food artisans. Mission accomplished!

Check the Outstanding in the Field schedule for an event in your area or somewhere you'd like to visit.

Strawberry Freezer Jam with Less Sugar - Even Better My Way

Strawberry freezer jam is something I don't usually get around to making until June, but I got my hands on some perfect organic local berries the other day and decided to get a jump on summer. I posted Strawberry Freezer Jam with Less Sugar last June, but I've changed my technique a bit since then. While making Peach Freezer Jam with Less Sugar last August, I got a great idea (if I do say so myself)!

If you've made freezer jam, you know it has a softer set than regular jam. I'm okay with that, but still I just couldn't help thinking I could make it better. And I DID! I made my first batch according to directions and found that after 24 hours it was much softer than I would like, so I decided to experiment on the second batch. I heated the peaches a bit before adding them to the pectin mixture. When I tried the jam after 24 hours, I was amazed! The consistency was perfect, and it still tasted like fresh peaches!

So, of course, I had to try my new technique on these strawberries. Wow! (Sure-Jell, if you're reading this and want to send me piles of cash for my idea, that can be arranged!)

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Strawberry Freezer Jam

(Makes 7 half-pint jars)

I used the same ingredients as the Sure-Jell recipe but made a crucial change to the method, so this is my jam.

4 cups (946 ml) prepared fruit (buy about 4 or 5 pints fully ripe strawberries)
3 cups (21 ounces/595 grams) sugar
1 box Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) water

1 Rinse clean half-pint glass jars and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Straight-sided jars are best.

2 Slice and, with a pastry blender (works better than a potato masher), thoroughly crush strawberries, one layer at a time. Or use a food processor: With metal blade in place, add halved strawberries to work bowl and chop using several 1-second pulses. Or, as my dear friend and honorary grandmother Elsie does, use a blender. But don't puree; leave some little chunks. Measure exactly 4 cups (946 ml) crushed strawberries in 1-quart glass measure.

3 Pour fruit into 2-quart saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat just to the boil (bubbling in the middle as well as around the edges). Remove from heat.

4 In 3-quart saucepan, stir together sugar and pectin. Stir in water. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Immediately add strawberries; stir 1 minute or until well blended. Pour into 2-quart glass measure; spout and handle make it easy to fill jars neatly.

5 Fill all jars immediately, leaving 1/2-inch space at top for expansion. Wipe any drips off top edges of jars; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

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Vegetable Quiche

Quiche is one of those dishes that goes in and out of favor with the trendy set, but I've always liked it. And it was a mainstay in my vegetarian days. In those days, I was seriously into nutrition as well so always made the crust with part whole wheat flour. Years later I had the opportunity to have a little chat with Julia Child about that!

My mother and I enjoyed reading cookbooks and watching PBS cooking shows together, especially Julia Child's, when I was just a child. I had all these "warm fuzzies" associated with Julia, since I spent so many hours in the kitchen with her (courtesy of PBS) and my mother. When I finally met Julia, it felt as if I were reuniting with a beloved aunt who had been a part of my childhood.

It was sometime in 2000 or 2001 that I first met her. As a great admirer of hers since childhood, you’d think I’d have recorded the exact date of that first, and a few subsequent, meetings. These occasions were smallish gatherings of food people (I'm not keen on the word "foodies") enjoying a cooking demonstration followed by dinner. In each case, I marveled that the person cooking could do so with such an august personage in the audience.

I’ve always been pretty hard to impress — I waste no more than a glance (and not a single thought) on movie stars and other celebrities — but I was more than a little dazzled by Julia! She was quite easy to talk to as she seemed completely unaware of her special standing in these groups. My mother, who died years before I met Julia, would have been so impressed!

Anyway ... back to the subject of the little chat referred to in the first paragraph ... When I mentioned putting whole wheat flour in my quiche crust, she got that look and asked why I would ruin a perfectly good pie crust with whole wheat flour. Then she uttered those famous words she's said so many times, even to Jacques Pepin: We're not interested in nutrition, we're interested in taste!

So here's the quiche recipe I made up "back in the day;" but for Julia, let's leave out the whole wheat flour just this once!

Quiche

(Makes one 9-inch quiche)

The Pastry (not whole wheat!)

1 1/4 packed cups (6.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, well chilled
4 tablespoons ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon additional ice water, if needed

The Filling

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced or julienned
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1/8 teaspoon marjoram
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
5 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) grated Cheddar and/or Jack cheese
Sprinkle of paprika

1 In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. With coarse grater, grate butter into flour bowl. With fingers, quickly work the butter into the flour, leaving some pieces the size of small peas.

2 In small bowl, combine water and vinegar. Sprinkle over flour mixture while stirring with large fork. Add a little more water, if needed.

3 Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten slightly into a 4-inch disk; double wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to four days. May be frozen for up to a month; defrost, wrapped, in the refrigerator.

4 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If dough is thoroughly chilled, let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling. On lightly floured surface, roll out disk to a 13-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Place pastry in pie plate.* Bake at 450 degrees, lined with buttered foil and weighted, for 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights, and continue baking for 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

5 While crust is baking, prepare filling. In large skillet, heat the oil and sauté onions for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, zucchini, red bell pepper, half the salt and pepper, marjoram and crushed red pepper to skillet. Sauté vegetables over medium-high heat until all the liquid released by the mushrooms and zucchini evaporates and there is some caramelization. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

6 In medium bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure), combine eggs, milk, parsley flakes, remaining salt and pepper, and cheese. Stir in cooled vegetables. Pour filling into prebaked pie shell. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

* I think a glass pie plate gives the best results, and I always use the Pyrex Clear Oven Ware 9" Glass Pie Plate. There are lots of quiche recipes in Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2 Volume Set).

Bread and Butter Pudding - Bread Pudding

Bread and Butter Pudding, also called simply "bread pudding," is a dessert that has been a first for many of my dinner guests. Since I grew up with it, I'm always amazed when people tell me they've never had it before. They always like it and think it was something very difficult and time-consuming to make, when actually it is quite the opposite (Isn't that what every hostess aims for!).

If you are a Jane Austen aficionado, you may have read her mother's recipe, written in rhyme. My recipe makes about a fourth the quantity of Mrs. Austen's and uses proportionately less sugar and butter and more eggs. Also, I skip the cloves and rosewater--the cloves because so many people don't like them and the rosewater because I seldom have it on hand.

Sometimes I serve it with custard sauce, sometimes with my Banana-Pecan Rum Sauce (see below), but this time I served it with softly whipped cream sweetened with a drop of real maple syrup.

About the bread: I can never quite bring myself to use my homemade bread for pudding, so I go for the best store-bought bread I can find. Actually, it turns out rather well with the basic Oroweat/Brownberry/Arnold country potato or buttermilk bread--six slices from the 1 1/2-pound loaf. And, unlike Mrs Austen, I don't cut the crusts off.

Bread and Butter Pudding

(Makes 6 servings)

8 ounces good sliced white bread
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) unsalted butter, very soft
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 large eggs
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces/66 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon mace or nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups (16 fluid ounces/473 ml) milk
4 teaspoons rum
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup dried currants, optional

1 Use bread that's a few days old. I usually use 6 slices from the 1 1/2-pound loaf of Oroweat/Brownberry/Arnold country buttermilk bread. Spread one side of each slice with a teaspoon of soft butter. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the buttered bread. Spread it with a knife so that it is embedded in the butter. Stack the bread and cut into cubes, 16 squares per slice.

2 In 2-quart bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, mace, salt, milk, rum and vanilla. Add bread cubes, mixing gently. Pour mixture into buttered 2 1/2-quart round Corning casserole* and let stand for 10 minutes or so while oven preheats to 350F/180C/Gas4. If you're using the currants, take care to separate them so that the pudding won't have clumps of currants. Then pour the bread mixture into the casserole in three batches, sprinkling a third of the currants over each.

3 Bake until puffed and golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer dish to rack and cool about 20 minutes to serve warm with either ice cream or sauce. Or refrigerate for at least 3 hours to serve chilled with whipped cream. It's also delicious at room temperature.

Banana-Pecan Rum Sauce
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 medium bananas
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons rum
1/16 teaspoon salt

In small skillet, toast pecans; remove and set aside. Slice bananas into 1/4-inch rounds; set aside. Add butter to pan, and melt over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cook, whisking, for about a minute. Add rum, bananas, and salt; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Spoon over warm bread pudding.

Jean