Breaking Back!

Calling all chem nerds and meth heads, can you believe Breaking Bad is finally back tonight?? And...I actually have a blog post? Yeah, yeah, yeah... it's been a month. But I haven't been cooking at all and have only baked (desserts!) a few times at my friend's house out at the beach. Truth be told, I'm still not cooking. And I'm definitely not cooking meth like Jesse and Walt (or Mr. White as Jesse stills calls him). BTW Did anyone happen to catch this interview with chemistry prof, Dr. Donna Nelson?  It's awesome. She has been volunteering as the show's science advisor since season two, after she had read an interview that show creator Vince Gilligan gave to Chemical & Engineering News and reached out to him directly to offer some assistance. Badass.

I haven't taken chemistry since high school (when I felt like the science advisor to many of my classmates) but I think it's not a total stretch to say that there is some chemistry involved in cooking and baking. Baking especially. OK whatever. I think these fudgsicles are the perfect summer meal (I'm serious) when it's 90 plus degrees and 80% humidity. Or if you are Walter White and live in the southwest year round. Gah! I can't wait for tonight's ep! I might have to spend the next 7 hours watching AMC's BB marathon and eating fudgsicles in preparation.

Sicilian Chocolate Gelato Fudgsicles
Adapted from Bittersweet

3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup premium unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of the milk to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1 cup milk with the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in a small bowl. Scrape the cocoa mixture into the hot milk. Cook. stirring constantly until the mixture thickens abd bubbles a little at the edges. Then boil gently, stirring for 2 minutes longer. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool completely.

3. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze until firm. Makes 8 - 10 fudgsicles.

Hot Fudge

It's that fabulous time of the year when I post about ice cream, like here and here. First of all, it's hot outside so obvs one should be eating ice cream, but I've also come to realize that I am not eating enough of it! There are some super fantastic brands and flavors out there that I have sadly been allowing to pass me by. This disturbs me! Granted, I should really stick to celery and water for reasons that need not be explained, but a small taste of some real ice cream every now and then probably wouldn't kill me. Would it?

Any of my Ann Arbor peeps out there remember Stucchi's? I practically lived there. That place ruled! Coffee Toffee Fro Yo? Totes! My fave! White Russian Fudge ice cream? Oh. Yeah. Wish I had some for the hot fudge sauce of my youth, but the Hudsonville ice cream I had locally in GR did the trick. Now you can get another Ann Arbor fave, Steve's ice cream, now available in grocery stores. Try the Salty Caramel. You're welcome.

Sure, there are probably more elegant versions of hot fudge sauce out there, but you can't beat the speed and consistency of this sauce. I grew up on it and am still making it, so that must say something. Right? Enjoy.

Hot Fudge Sauce

4 ounces unsweetened (or bittersweet depending on how sweet you like your sauce) chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Ice cream, for serving

1. Add the chocolate and butter to a small saucepan and slowly melt over low heat, stirring frequently.

2. Add the condensed milk, vanilla, and salt to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Cook until hot and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately over ice cream. Or eat with a spoon.

Double Magnum

Attention: The most amazing frozen food on a stick that you will EVER enjoy has arrived on US soil! Many thanks to the people at Magnum for airing the Rachel Bilson commercial during Gossip Girl (don't judge!) and bringing me this breaking news. Watch for yourself below. (Should Rach appear on GG as Blair's new brunette arch rival? Me thinks...Totes!)



I thought for a moment that I was seeing things. This is my favorite ice cream snack of ALL TIME. I first discovered it in Portugal in 2001 and have waited 10 long years to see it in my very own city. (I haven't actually seen it yet...though I haven't really looked...I'm currently off fun food, but that's another story...) Check out the photo (below) that I took of the awesome ad for it while I was in Portugal. Since then, I did manage to thoroughly enjoy a double chocolate Magnum while in Italy last summer, but it just wasn't the same as the caramel version which is SOOOOO GOOOOOODDDD!!!!


Lifesize Magnum in Portugal

In case you still aren't convinced that you need to chow down on this tasty treat ASAP, what other branded ice cream treat (on a stick no less!) could get Karl Lagerfeld to direct a couple of promotional spots for it. NONE, that's who! (Thanks to Megan for pointing this out to me.) He must love it as much as me! Check out the first of his films below.



Originally premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, (and now here) you can see more of the Karl Lagerfeld directed, Bilson starring, original film series here. See you in the frozen food aisle!

Caramel, Oh!

Nope. I'm not writing about the latest Knicks addition. I've fallen off the blog wagon again, but I'm picking myself back up. Caramel sauce is calling.

This is one of those recipes that might sound scary at first. (Look out! The mixture bubbles furiously!) But it's really not. And you don't need a candy thermometer to make it. If anything, it just takes a little practice to know when you've achieved the right color of thickened, boiling, sugar water so that you can turn off the heat and whisk up one tasty sauce.

When I made the sauce for this post, I actually turned off the heat before the sauce had turned a deep amber because it was strangely only turning amber around the edges of my pan. I was suspicious...and slightly freaking out that I was going to ruin it. But once I added the cream and vanilla it turned into the perfect caramel color. And I decided to add a little sea salt this time because...it's so trendy! The trend works though. Just try this caramel sauce. On ice cream. On toast. On your finger. (Sometimes a spoon is just too far away.)



Caramel Sauce

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Fleur de sel, optional

1. Add the sugar and water to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook, uncovered and without stirring, until the mixture thickens and begins to turn a deep gold/amber color, (occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush if sugar crystals begin to develop) about 10 minutes. (Watch carefully, especially at the end, as it can turn from a nice golden caramel to a pot of burnt sugar very quickly.) Turn off the heat.

2. Gradually add the cream, taking care to not get splattered as the mixture will bubble vigorously. (Using a large enough pot keeps the mixture from boiling over.) Whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick. Whisk in the vanilla, butter, and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional salt as desired. Makes about 2 cups. (The sauce will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for about a week. Gently reheat before serving.)

Summer Sandwiches

That's what I'm talking about. If I'm going to eat ice cream for dinner it might as well be portable, without the need of a spoon and bowl. The key is a sturdy yet soft cookie. I realize that it's been a million degrees with a million percent humidity so you might not want to actually bake these cookies now (you could just buy some, or just buy some ice cream sandwiches for that matter), but they are amazing! Chocoholics will DIE. I die. They have that deep chocolate flavor that requires a cold glass of milk to wash it all down, so why not have them with some cold ice cream? I recommend making the ice cream sandwiches as you want them because when I tried freezing a whole sandwich, the cookies got a bit too hard to really enjoy properly. You want a soft cookie and soft ice cream so that the ice cream doesn't all squish out the sides. Maybe an open-faced ice cream sandwich is the way to go...



Double-Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside. In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) summering water, melt 5 ounces of the semisweet chocolate, the unsweetened chocolate, and the butter. Stir until smooth. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the chocolate mixture and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, and mix until completely combined. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt, and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate.

3. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into 1 1/2-inch balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (My dough was pretty soft, perhaps due to the extreme heat, so some cookies were not perfectly round dough balls. See elephantine photo below!) Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit soft, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer the parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.


Elephant cookie

I Scream for Ice Cream

Anyone for avocado ice cream? I tried some today and it wasn't half bad. I'd say it was half good. I prefer my avocados with chips and salsa and my ice cream minty and filled with chocolate chunks. But I am open to some of the more savory ice cream flavors out there (olive oil for one) and hadn't had ice cream all summer, so, why not live on the edge?

I am interested in making my own ice cream flavors, but since I don't have an ice cream maker, someone else will have to please test this recipe that I found. (No, I am NOT shirking my blogging duties! Well, not exactly.) I like that it doesn't bother including eggs and it sounds pretty simple (I guess all ice cream recipes must be?). Also, if you do try to make this recipe, the consensus at work was that the avocado flavor is a bit more heightened if the ice cream is eaten a bit soft, rather than straight from the freezer. And maybe even better with a shot of tequila on the side.

Avocado Ice Cream
(Alton Brown/Good Eats/Food Network)

12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

1. Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree.

2. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

3. Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.