Sunday, July 31, 2011

Week 9: I Love Rocky Road

I was surprised to see that this flavor wasn't chocolate but vanilla based with chocolate chips. While I like this version, I think would have preferred the chocolate base. Maybe I'm a purist. But it was still very delicious. The rough "rocky" texture of the chips, coconut and almonds contrasts nicely with the soft marshmallow pieces. I will admit my jaw was a bit tired of chewing after this one. This made for some thick ice cream that had to be mixed by hand because the maker couldn't hold half of the final ingredients.

This one definitely warrants a chocolate vs vanilla taste test. Since I have left over ingredients I think I will see if I can make it happen for Tuesday. Since I'll be away next week on vacation maybe this can take the place of next Sundays post. I can declare the winner of the taste test on Sunday instead of starting a new flavor. We'll see what the ice cream gallery has to say at work.

a fork in the road

The title for this post came from the Wierd Al song, I Love Rocky Road, sung to the classic 80s anthem I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett.

I hear those ice cream bells and I start to drool
Keep a couple quarts in my locker at school
Yah, but chocolate's gettin' old
Vanilla just leaves me cold

There's just one flavor good enough for me, yah me
Don't gimme no crummy taste spoon
I know what I need

Baby, I love rocky road
So won't ya go and buy half a gallon, baby
I love rocky road
So have another triple scoop with me, ow

They tell me ice cream junkies are all the same
All the soda jerkers know my name
When their supply is gone
Then I'll be movin' on

But I'll be back on Monday afternoon, you'll see
Another truck load's comin' in for me, all for me
I'm singin'

I love rocky road
So won't ya go and buy half a gallon, baby
I love rocky road
So have another triple scoop with me, ow

(oh, make it talk)

When I'm all alone, I just grab myself a cone
And if I get fat and loose my teeth that's fine with me
Just lock me in the freezer and throw away the key
Sing it

I love rocky road
So won't ya go and buy half a gallon, baby
I love rocky road
So have another triple scoop with me

I love rocky road
So won't ya go and buy half a gallon, baby
I love rocky road
So have another triple scoop with me

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Week 8: Loco for Coco-nut! Orange Pineapple Coconut Sorbet and Mango Coconut Ice Cream

I made two ice creams this week. One as a slightly belated birthday present for my mom (Mango Coconut Ice Cream) and the other for the usual gig (Orange Pineapple Coconut Sorbet).

First the sorbet. This was by far the easiest recipe yet! 3 ingredients, and it took practically no time to prepare. If it wasn't for letting the mixture cool overnight in the fridge, this could easily have been done in 15 minutes. I was pretty pleased with the outcome of this flavor combo but I would have preferred a stronger coconut flavor. The orange and pineapple juices overpowered the coconut milk. But the milk did add a creaminess that would have been lacking if it was just juice alone. I think if I try this one again I'll use cream of coconut instead of coconut milk, to make the coconut stand out more and make the mixture more creamy. Regardless this is refreshing.

Mom requested Mango Coconut ice cream for her birthday which was a few weeks ago. It just took me a while to get to it but it was definitely worth the wait. She found the recipe in the Hartford Currant living section. Very simple to make with little ingredients. A few mangoes pureed, coconut milk, whipping cream, and sugar ( I used sugar syrup to simplify the process - no heating the mixture to dissolve the sugar). Topped with fresh mango slices and toasted coconut; it really makes it amazing!!! The coconut adds crunch and the mangoes make the mango in the ice cream really stand out.

They are the perfect type of ice creams to make to start off a beach weekend. Fresh, bright, tropical flavors - perfect to cool off from the heat. Should Monday be another scorcher, the sorbet will certainly be appreciated.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Week 7: Carda Carda Carda Carda, Cardamom Chameleon

I must admit I went into this weeks creation without a lot of enthusiasm. The green tea turnout was such a bummer for me, I was nervous to try another "spiced" flavor. But I stuck to really following (and making sure I accurately read) the recipe this time. I used just egg yolks and decided to not double the recipe for fear it may screw it up. Plus cardamom is not typically thought of as an ice cream flavor so I didn't know how popular it would be. Actually most of the time when I mentioned it last week people said, "What's that?" Cardamom is an Indian spice which has a flavor that's hard to describe. I taste notes of orange, cinnamon, and an overall spicy flavor. It reminds me a bit of spiced chai tea. My boss picked the flavor this week and she graciously provided me with the cardamom pods to make it with. I broke open the pods to take out the seeds and then ground the seeds into a powder.

The texture of this was much better. Thicker, creamier, richer - how ice cream should be. I'm sure the sweetened condensed milk is really what gave it the right consistency. The flavor is unique and definitely unexpected. In the future I think I would purchase ground cardamom because my grinder didn't get the seeds pulverized enough to not add a texture to the mixture. I do think that the freshly ground seeds probably provided a much stronger flavor than packaged ground cardamom would have had. It was interesting to make this because I had never had cardamom or seen it in pod form. It didn't take that many pods to make a tbsp worth of powder, but it was a bit time consuming to break open the pods. I had to use pliers, because my hands would have been sore trying to break them open with my fingers. The skins although they are papery, are quite tough. But I will take free ingredients whenever they are offered to me. So thank you for the donation. I hope it was worth it!

photo from Taj Agro Products
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