Individual Blueberry Cobblers

by Kathy Douglas | Jul 8, 2019 | Desserts

A mid-summer favorite dessert you won’t want to share – individual Blueberry Cobblers. Full of blueberries with lemon topped with a buttermilk biscuit baked in their own ramekins. Top this warm dessert with your favorite – whipped cream or vanilla ice cream before serving.

INGREDIENTS
½ cup sugar plus 1 ½ tablespoons
¾ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons flour
4 ½ cups fresh blueberries
Lemon zest from one lemon
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
¾ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
⅔ cup buttermilk, plus one tablespoon
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
For serving: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, the berries, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Evenly divide the fruit and any liquid between six 8-oz. tall ramekins.

In a large bowl whisk together ¾ cup flour, 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and using your fingertips, rub the flour into the butter until pea-size lumps remain. Gently mix in ⅓ cup of the buttermilk. Add only enough of the remaining ⅓ cup to get a moist dough. Mix in bowl until a dough forms. Dump out onto a light floured board and cut into six pieces. Pat each piece into a biscuit shape and place one piece of dough over the berries in each ramekin. Brush with the tops with the remaining buttermilk. Sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.


Place in the oven and bake until juices are thick and bubbling and topping is cooked through and deep golden brown, 25-30 minutes for ramekins. Let cool for at least 1 hour then serve warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream. Makes 6 servings.

Celebration Ice Cream Sandwiches

by Kathy Douglas | Jul 1, 2019 | Desserts

The ice cream sandwich for celebrating – filled with a confetti-style sprinkle-loaded vanilla ice cream that’s sandwiched between two delicious chocolate brownie layers. It’s the perfect treat for celebrating our country’s birthday.

You can find the 13-ounce jarred sprinkles at Williams Sonoma. Please note this recipe takes two-three days to make before serving. You will need to freeze the cookie exterior overnight to prevent the ice cream from melting during assembly and freeze the ice cream. The second night you need to freeze to set the ice cream sandwich to cut the next day.

INGREDIENTS
To make the cookie exterior
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more for the pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To make the Ice cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
⅔ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 13-ounce jar Williams Sonoma Chocolate Dessert Sprinkle Mix

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350˚F. Butter two 9 by 13-inch baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar mixing until creamy. One at a time, add the eggs and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and combine. Add the flour mixture  in three equal batches and beat until well combined. The batter should be thick and slightly sticky.

Divide the batter evenly in each pan, smooth to a thin even layer, and leave a small border of parchment paper around the edge of the pan. Place in the oven and bake until cake is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the pans to cooling racks. When completely cooled place the pans in the freezer and freeze overnight.

Make the ice cream:

Fill a very large mixing bowl with ice and add a smaller metal bowl into the center.

Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan, cooking over medium-low heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar whisking until the yolks become pale yellow.

Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Start by adding small amounts to temper the eggs.  When mixed together, pour back into the pot and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard lightly coats the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes.

Strain the custard through a sieve into the bowl that is in the center of the ice. Stir occasionally to cool. When cooled add the vanilla and whisk in then refrigerate overnight.

The next day churn the ice cream. When the ice cream is almost done add 1-1/2 cups of the sprinkle and finished churning to start the assembly.

Assembly

Remove the cookie exteriors from the freezer. Add the ice cream evenly over the top of one of the cookies remaining in the pan. Using an offset spatula to spread the ice cream into an even layer. Place the remaining piece of cookie on the ice cream with the top facing down, and the flat side up, to make a large ice cream sandwich. Gently press together. Still in the pan, immediately wrap it well in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.

Add ½ cup of sprinkles to a flat dish. Remove the large ice cream sandwich from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap and parchment. Place on a cutting board and trim about ¼ inch off of each edge and then cut into 12 smaller sandwiches. Dip the edges of each side in the sprinkles and then wrap each sandwich well in plastic wrap and freeze until firm for 2-4 hours until ready to serve. Makes 12 ice cream sandwiches.

Sour Cherry Soup Shooters With Almond Macaroons

by Kathy Douglas | Jun 24, 2019 | Desserts

Sour cherries and almonds harmonize perfectly for dessert. We cooked tart cherries in a sweet sauce and added orange and cinnamon to make delicious cold sour cherry soup shooters. Topped with a crème fraîche and cream sauce, we served them with crisp almond flavored macaroon cookies topped with almond slivers.

Sour Cherry Soup Shooters

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat then add fresh cherries and sugar then simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Continue to simmer until cherries are tender but not falling apart, about 8 minutes. Whisk together 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch to form a thick paste, then stir into simmering cherries and boil, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

Place the cherries in a blender with all their juices. Add the cinnamon and orange juice. Blend until creamy. Taste, and adjust the thickness with orange juice if needed. Chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve add to six shooter glasses.

Almond Macaroons

INGREDIENTS
10 ounces almond paste
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch of coarse salt
2 large egg whites
½  teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1/4  cup sliced almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Place parchment paper on two baking sheets and set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, put the almond paste, sugar, and salt. Mix on medium speed until crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add the egg white and vanilla. Mix until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes. 


Add the batter to a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Place almond slices on top of each cookie. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack and serve with the soup shooters. Makes 6 servings.