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Monday, June 20, 2011

daily lunch

here's an example of what we have for lunch at school everyday. the mangoes are unreal you guyz - there are at least 16 different types here in india. you cannot beat this. and aren't the trays even cute??
mango, lychee, roti, chana masala, more subgee something, raita, veggies
omnomnomnom


Thursday, June 16, 2011

the last supper / ice cream endeavor, part 5: honey lavender / the lightest cheesecake you'll ever eat!

my family is moving out of the 'burbs and into the city this summer. that, in addition to the fact that many of my friends were all leaving at once for their various summer engagements led to to having a last hurrah at my house last weekend.

dinner was very green (homemade pasta with pesto & pinenuts, salad, asparagus, and green beans with ginger & lemon zest)

and i made honey lavender ice cream for dessert, accompanied by my mom's cheesecake. my two favorite ice cream shops (bi-rite creamery and fairfax scoop) both have the most delicious honey lavender ice cream. though after making this, i don't need to go to them anymore for it. it was really really good! though i do still need to go to them for all the other flavors.

note: this ice cream is more time consuming than others; prepare the night before. i didn't chill the custard overnight as suggested, and it came out a bit soft.

lavender-honey ice cream from the perfect scoop
(makes about 1 quart)

1/2 cup good-flavored honey
1/4 cup dried or fresh lavender flowers
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

heat the honey and 2 tablespoons of the lavender in a small saucepan. once warm, remove from the heat and set aside to steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. pour the lavender-infused honey into the cream through the strainer, pressing on the lavender flowers to extract as much flavor as possible, then discard the lavender and set the strainer back over the cream.
in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as your stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. add the remaining 2 tablespoons lavender flowers and stir until cool over an ice bath.
chill the mixture overnight in the refrigerator. the next day, before churning, strain the mixture, again pressing on the lavender flowers to extract their flavor. discard the flowers, sprinkle some back in! then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

for cheesecake:


Saturday, June 11, 2011

ice cream endeavor, part 4: grapefruit champagne sorbet

we had a bout of record-breaking rain last weekend, but luckily it has warmed up and actually feels like summer now. i went to the beach yesterday and got a sunburn in the shape of my swimsuit bow on my back, but that's okay because it's summer. in celebration of this lovely season, i made my first sorbet.


pink grapefruit–champagne sorbet from the perfect scoop
(makes about 1 quart)

1 1/3 cups champagne or sparkling wine
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (from about 3 grapefruits)

in a medium, nonreactive saucepan, heat about half of the champagne with the sugar, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. remove from heat and stir in the remaining champagne and the grapefruit juice.
chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

IT'S BACK.


HEYOOOO VANILLA COKE IS BACK, and I bet you didn't even know it left. I hear that it is excellent with coconut rum, but you didn't hear that from me. 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Nicole ate whale.




Dug up some pictures of food we ate in Iceland. Check out that Scandinavian breakfast spread.