Coconut Crush.

The cooler weather (by that I mean 70-80 degree temps; usually it's smokin' in August) is foreshadowing fall, here in the midwest.  However, I'm revolting and churning out as many ice cream flavors as I can before the leaves start to tinge!  As much as I love fall and the change of seasonal food (soups and stews, hot chocolate and apple anything!), I'm a summer girl through and through.  So in my last ditch effort to celebrate the waning days of summer, I recently made a coconut concoction that really stole our hearts.  And oh, good god my friends...We are besotted!

We coined it 'Cherry Ice Cream Smile' after a line in a Duran Duran's song Rio, because well, I like that song and it makes me think of a tropical kind of summer. And I think I can vouch for Luisa and Lori, we all love Duran Duran (Lori remember you were going to marry Simon-or was it Roger? And I was going to marry John?). To live up to its name, it's loaded with cherries (of course), tropical coconut,  toasted almonds.  And it's every bit as luscious as Simon LeBon...

(Also making a note to use homeade dried mangoes or chopped up almond joys in lieu of cherries next time this is made).


Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz's 'Toasted Coconut Ice Cream'
(from the book The Perfect Scoop):

Coconut Cherry Ice Cream (a.k.a. Cherry Ice Cream Smile)

For custard:
1 cup dried shrededed coconut, preferably unsweetened
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup whole milk
2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
big pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon rum

For cherries:
recipe here, drain cherries before adding to ice cream machine
or use canned cherries in syrup (not cherry pie filling!)




{the shining stars of the ice cream}


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.  Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes, stirring so it toasts evenly.  Likewise, toast the almonds at the same temperature for about 10 minutes until lightly toasted.

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, sugar and salt and add the toasted coconut.  Use a paring knife, and scrape all the vanilla seeds into the warm milk, then add the pod as well. Cover and remove from the heat.  Seep at room temperature for about 1 hour.



{vanilla bean yumminess}


Rewarm the coconut-infused mixture.  Strain the mixture through a strainer into a saucepan.  Press the coconum down fimrly to exract as much flavor as possible.  Remove the vanilla bean pieces and discard the coconut.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream into a large bowl and set strainer on top.  In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm coconut-infused mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Place the egg mixture back into the saucepan.



{yolks from eggs via 'the ladies'}


Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir into the cream.  Mix in the vanilla or run and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chll the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Before the mixtures sets (is soft-set), add cherries and almonds.  Place in the freezer for a firmer ice cream.


***I made ice cream cone bowls to accompany the ice cream, but I found them to be a little tricky to make without a waffle cone maker because I had issues with the cone sticking to the pan, despite many attempts. (A waffle cone maker is now on my list of must-haves).  Here's the recipe here if you want to tackle making these; they are tasty!!


Posted by Dawn

Banana Coffee Smoothie.

Last week, we made numerous batches of this yummy treat for breakfast, to go with dinner + for dessert.  Apparently we couldn't get enough because we recently restocked our banana-coffee smoothie arsenal to create a couple more batches this week.  Even my son Fordy surprised me (he's not a huge coffee fan), but he gulped this down with nary a complaining word + even asked for more.

It's extremely easy to whip up on busy mornings~ usually my kiddos aren't very hungry when the school bus comes at an ungodly hour in the morning + would rather drink their breakfast.  This summer it's been our go-to, effortless + light breakfast when the humidity is already climbing.

I bet you even have most of the ingredients on hand:

Coffee Banana Smoothie Recipe:

2 c. vanilla yogurt

1 c. strong coffee, cold

splash of milk

1-2 bananas (we say the more the merrier), frozen

1/3 c. melted chocolate or chocolate syrup

2 t. sugar (honey or agave syrup), optional

Throw everything in your blender + give it a whirl. Top with whip cream if you're feeling decadent!

  Makes 2 servings.

We also have swapped out the yogurt with vanilla ice cream {you could also use coffee ice cream in lieu of vanilla + replace the cold coffee with milk if you want a more subtle coffee flavor} to make an equally delicious milkshake. You can also add a few teaspoons (or more to your liking) of espresso powder in a pinch if you don't want to brew a carafe of coffee. I should also mention that chocolholics abound around here + it seemed only fitting to add more chocolate to the smoothie. That's the beauty of smoothies, anything goes!

{Warning: Approach with caution... They're pretty addictive!}

Posted by Dawn.