roasted plum ice cream with cardamom

What's with all the posts featuring cold treats lately you ask? Well... it's sweltering in Portland right now and while I have taken the time to cook a few hot meals, all I really want to think about is frozen treats - and lots of them! The struggle is real. 

While I hope you're not experiencing the same heat I am, I do know that there can never be too many recipes for frozen treats in the dog days of summer. never. never. never. 

So today, I bring you a roasted plum ice cream with a bit of cardamom to keep things exciting. But first, a confession. I actually made my ice cream with a mixture of plums and pluots (the cross between a plum and an apricot), because well, we didn't have pluots in Michigan and the produce guy at New Seasons let me taste some of the vast selection of varieties they were offering and I just couldn't turn them down. 

So, use plums, use pluots, heck - you could even use apricots! But if you want to maintain a beautiful color, I do recommend using at least a few plums in the mix. I used mostly yellow pluots, but the addition of a few strikingly red plums sure made a difference in the final color! 

You'll notice that this recipe has a more complex custard process than I've shared in the past, whipping egg yolks to a silky creamy texture rather than just whisking hot milk into them. I learned this base from Gabrielle Hamilton's Prune in making her brown sugar ice cream with a balsamic reduction swirl a few months ago and I've been hooked ever since. It creates the most perfectly silky ice cream which has been gawked over by everyone I've served it to. I promise, you won't be disappointed! 

Once the custard and fruit purees are made, you'll swirl the bright fruit into the creamy custard, and if you're anything like me smile as the two slowly swirl together into a consistent colorful pink! Then, after a bit of chilling, it's on to the churn! Don't forget to sample over and over again as it nears fully churned... the absolute best part of making ice cream in my mind! 

ingredients: 

6 egg yolks 

2 cups heavy cream 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1 tsp ground vanilla, 1/2 a vanilla bean (scraped) or 2 tsp vanilla extract 

10 cardamom pods, cracked 

2 pounds fresh plums or pluots 

1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

instructions: 

First, we'll create our roasted plum puree. Halve your plums, removing the pits, and place them on a baking sheet with the skin side down. Roast at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, until they're tender and the juices are starting to spill out on to the pan. Place the plums into a blender, taking care to scrape up any juices on your baking sheet and add those to the blender (you don't want to lose that condensed flavor magic!). Add ground cardamom and puree until smooth. Place your puree in the fridge to cool. 

Now, the custard! Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, a hand mixer, or a really super strong arm - whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar until it doubles in size, lightens to a pale yellow, and gains a silky ribbony texture. This should take a few minutes. 

Heat the cream, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cardamom pods, and ground or bean vanilla (wait until later in the process if you're using the extract) to a scald, which is before a simmer but nice and steamy. 

With the mixer running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the yolks until fully combined to temper your eggs. Then pour the mixture back into the pot and heat over medium heat until your custard has formed (if you don't feel comfortable knowing when that is, use a thermometer and look for 180 degrees). While it's heating, use a silicone spatula to gently scrape the bottom of the pan and stir slowly. 

When you've reached 180 degrees, strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl, and set that bowl into a larger one with a bit of ice and water in it to create a cooling water bath. Spin the inner bowl with one hand, while holding your spatula in the custard like a rudder to help the mixture cool evenly. 

Once it has cooled significantly, stir in the plum puree (and the vanilla extract if you're using it) until fully combined and let chill for a few hours. 

Churn based on your machine's instructions. I have a Cuisinart 2 Quart ice cream maker, and this recipe filled it to the brim. If your machine is smaller, you may want to churn this in two batches, or cut the recipe by a bit! 

batidos. batidos. batidos! (the latin american milkshake!)

In total, I've spent about a year of my life living and working in Latin American countries, learning to live life at a different speed than we do here in good ole' America. I've brought a laundry list of life lessons and cooking skills home from these adventures, but the simple joy of fresh fruit batidos might be the absolute best piece of latin life I've integrated into my days here at home. 

In Ecuador, where I spent time most recently, I like to think batidos are a way of life. My host mom would make either a batido or a fresh juice for me each and every morning with breakfast, and any day spent on city streets would surely include at least one or two stops for a quick batido - the best way to beat that equatorial heat (okay... well... it might be tied with ice cream, because who can argue with ice cream when it comes to beating the heat?). 

If you're not already familiar with them, you're surely wondering what a batido is by now! I like to think of them as a healthy version of a milkshake, or just a super simple creamy smoothie. In Ecuador, batidos are made with just fresh fruit, milk, some sugar, and maybe a little vanilla. They come in an endless number of flavors, and you can always order them with water instead of milk, but then you're approaching juice rather than amazing milkshakey goodness! 

Batido stands are a dime a dozen, and you can almost always order your batido in a glass and saddle up to one of the barstools at the stand to enjoy your treat right there. This is a great way to chat with the locals, but I believe the real batido magic comes when you order it to go. They pour your batido into a plastic bag, stick a straw in it, and tie a knot around the straw - it's a little awkward the first time around, but you surely learn to love it! 

Instead of using fresh fruit, I like to make my batidos with frozen fruit to give them a super cold, thick, milkshake like quality. I've been known to toss fruit in the freezer right after buying it at the farmers market in order to achieve this refreshing and cold wonder! 

I'm including a list below of some of my favorite batidos to make at home, which use easy-to-find fruits, but feel free to experiment with your favorite fruits! I've included the optional addition of sugar in some of the recipes, which is how batidos are made in Latin America, but they are just as tasty, and much better for you with the sugar omitted! 

sweet black cherries make a simple batido free of added sugars! 

instructions: 

For all of the below ingredient lists, just put everything into your blender and blend on high until smooth! I have a high powered vitamix blender, so if you ever run into a problem with the mixture being too thick for your blender, just add a splash more milk! 

These are written to make a hefty serving for one, but you can increase the amounts as you please to serve more! You'll also notice that most of these recipes are pretty darn simple, which is why I stopped at 4 versions. That said, you should definitely experiment with your favorite fruits! Some other awesome batidos would include: blackberry, mango, passionfruit, raspberry, apricot, the list is endless! 

ingredients: 

Banana Batido (An Ecuadorian Classic): 

1 banana (fresh or frozen) 

2/3 cup whole milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

note: bananas are so sweet, they               really don't need any added sugar

Blueberry Batido: 

1 cup frozen blueberries 

3/4 cup whole milk  

1 Tbsp sugar (optional) 

---

Cherry Vanilla Batido: 

1 cup frozen or fresh sweet cherries 

3/4 cup whole milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

note: you could use frozen tart cherries for this, which are easier to find pre-frozen, but you would need to add a heafty amount of sugar to the mix to sweeten it ! 

Strawberry Batido: 

1 cup frozen strawberries (piled high, especially if the berries are large) 

3/4 cup whole milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla

note: this is one of my favorites, as it is so reminiscent of a strawberry milkshake! Strawberries vary a lot in their sweetness, so do add a bit of sugar if your berries are on the tart side! 

lemon tart topped with oregon berries!

This week, Babes and I attended our very first Portland potluck - thrown by a coworker of his we’ve both known for some years now, with the intention of welcoming us to town.

We had tacos piled high with all sorts of glory, perfect tangy slaw with lime zest, and phyllo cups filled with spiced zucchini and black beans. Sitting outside on a beautiful evening, we ate wonderfully and shared great laughter and conversation. Then, we ate this amazing tart while a fire kept us warm. I couldn’t quite imagine a better way to get settled into a new place! 

I have to confess, I love bringing show-stopper-esque dishes to potlucks. I might not always be fond of attention, but I sure do love when folks ooooh and ahhhh over something I’ve made completely from scratch. There is nothing humble about it, but I’m good at making beautiful and delicious things and I love to share them with other people! So this showy tart was the obvious choice for a first potluck in a new place. Plus, I knew I just had to make something with Oregon berries! 

I’ve always loved lemon tarts topped with fresh berries, but never attempted one myself. So despite knowing there was a chance at failure, I was 100% convinced this was the thing to make after reading the recipe for a blackberry version of this tart over at Hummingbird High. Michelle combines a lemon cream filling from Tartine Bakery in San Francisco with a brown butter crust recipe from French pastry instructor, Paule Caillat. She then promptly tells us not to bother making any other recipe from her blog. This is the only important one. I wouldn’t be me if I could just read that and NOT make the tart, right? 

And the best part, it turned out perfectly! 

So, here it is - topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries from one of the many Portland Farmers Markets. I know this seems decadent and beautiful, but I promise - with just a few crafty skills you can definitely make this. With a little patience and a steady hand, you too can make a few pints of berries look just as perfect! But, if you’re feeling rushed, a whole bunch of berries sprinkled over the top would also be totally beautiful!   

ingredients: 

crust: 

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 squares 

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

3 Tbsp water 

1 Tbsp sugar 

pinch of salt 

1 cup flour, or 5oz 

filling: 

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

3 large eggs 

1 large egg yolk 

3/4 cup suar 

pinch of salt 

1 cup unsalted butter, cold 

1 pint strawberries 

about 1/2 cup blueberries 

instructions: 

• First, we'll make the crust. Place butter, vegetable oil, water, sugar, and salt in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let mixture come to a gentle boil and let cook 5-10 minutes, or until the butter has just started turning a golden brown and smells nutty. 

• Remove from heat and start adding flour, a tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. When the dough comes together, let it sit a few minutes until it is cool enough to handle. 

• Turn dough into a 9 inch tart pan, and use hands to press the dough into an even layer across the bottom and sides of the pan. 

• Bake crust at 410 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until it appears a golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. 

• While the crust is cooling, you can get started on the filling! Create a double boiler by resting a rimmed glass or stainless steel bowl in a medium saucepan with a few inches of water in the bottom. The water should not touch the bottom of your bowl. 

• While your water is heating over medium heat, whisk together lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in the bowl. Continue whisking and cooking the mixture for about ten minutes, until it gets thick enough for your whisk to leave a trail and registers 180 on a quick-read thermometer (if you like to temp your food!). Be sure you're continuously whisking the entire time so as not to let the eggs cook too fast. 

• Remove bowl from saucepan, and stir gently while the curd cools for a minute or two. 

• Once it's cooled to about 140 degrees, add butter one tablespoon at a time, using an immersion blender (or a regular one if you don't have an immersion blender) to completely integrate the butter before adding the next piece. 

• Once you've incorporated all the butter, fill your tart crust with the cream, and top with berries! 

• I quartered strawberries, then started on the outer edge placing a full ring of berry quarters around the outside of the circle. I moved inward from there, placing a second ring of strawberry quarters, then circles of blueberries until reaching the center and just filling it in with a few. 

If you like, garnish with a small pile of lemon zest!