*crispy waffle*

So the weather is finally picking up here in the Netherlands. It's about time! So what do I always think about when the weather starts getting warm? The ice cream maker that has been laying dormant in my freezer for months and months, of course.

I try to make lots of flavors that I really like, but usually aren't that good when you buy them: mango, mexican chocolate, and one of my favorites, corn ice cream (which tastes exactly like the Filipino treat, maiz con hielo, which is corn kernels with shave ice, milk and sugar, yum). But in the spring, the first I always make is good vanilla ice cream. Why? Because store-bought vanilla never seems to have enough vanilla for me. I love the crunchy bits of vanilla bean in good vanilla ice cream. Not to mention it's the perfect topping for a good apple pie, but that's a topic for another day.

My favorite recipe for vanilla (after trying many) is Alton Brown's. I don't normally like "Philadelphia" style ice cream (this means ice cream that does not include an egg custard), but for vanilla, it is really nice because it keeps the ingredients to the essentials: cream, sugar, vanilla. And when there's only cream and no custard to fight with the bean, you get a much bigger hit of vanilla. However, I do away with the peach preserves in his recipe (why dilute the vanilla-y flavor with anything else?), double the vanilla, and add a pinch of salt because I always want a bit of salt in my dessert (I am Asian, after all.) Because there is no egg to add that richness, it is essential to use really good cream. We have, generally, delicious dairy products here in the Netherlands, but when I make this ice cream in the States, I am partial to Straus Family Creamery organic whipping cream and half-and-half. The cream is delicious, and seems thicker than standard whipping cream, and trust me, for Philadelphia-style ice cream, this is essential. (For most custard-based ice cream, that contains tons of egg yolks, I just use typical grocery-store whipping cream and milk). The other essential is vanilla bean. Don't even think about using vanilla extract here. I am not a vanilla bean snob (i.e. I would never waste a good vanilla bean for baking a cookie), but for custards and ice cream, I am a believer in the superiority of The Bean.

This will take some planning, meaning, you will have to let the mixture sit overnight. But it will be worth it, and perhaps you can eat some with your breakfast waffles. :)

Ridiculously Vanilla Vanilla Ice Cream
adapted from Alton Brown's Serious Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients (including the beans and their pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Attach a frying or candy thermometer to inside of pan. (see note below) Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. (Note: do not let it boil.) Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the hull of the vanilla bean, pour mixture into lidded container and refrigerate mixture overnight to mellow flavors and texture.
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine. Once the volume has increased by 1/2 to 3/4 times, and reached a soft serve consistency, spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

Mmmm, vanilla... (sorry for the horrible picture-- I was more interested in eating it than photographing it.)

Labels: recipes, the sweet

posted by sheryl | 9:15 AM | comments (4)

As a Seattlelite, I love salmon, simply because it is so ubiquitous. It also has it's virtues as an easy food at home: super easy to cook, doesn't require a grocery list of seasonings, and is hard to screw up (unless you basically set out to overcook it, which, believe me, will ruin it). Yesterday I bought a half-kilo of salmon at the fish stand without knowing what I would do with it (it was Friday, it's Lent and it's fish), but got it home and accidentally stumbled on something really good. Out of laziness I usually broil the thing with whatever spices etc. fit the bill, but this time I put it in the oven on much lower heat and the whole thing came out really really nice. It seemed to be more tender all aroundthan when it is broiled, and had a little bit of a crust from the sweet marinade. And took less than half an hour to put on the table (take that Rachael Ray!) Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures because I didn't expect anything special, but after the fam devoured it, I decided that maybe, hey, I should post the recipe.

Baked Salmon with Kecap Manis*
Ingredients:
1 pound salmon fillet
2 scallions cut in half lengthwise, and trimmed to fit your baking dish
1/2 pound spinach (or any other tender greens such as swiss chard, etc.)

For marinade:
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce (often labeled 'soy sauce superior')
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons kecap manis*
2 teaspoons sugar

For sauce:
1/2 cup stock (fish stock is nice, but chicken stock is fine)
2 teaspoons salt
A few drops of sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the whole salmon fillet in a shallow dish. Combine the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the salmon. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
Arrange the scallions in a row in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Remove the salmon from the marinade and set on top of the scallions. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 120 degrees at the thickest part of the fish. (Thanks to frequent Good Eats viewership, I have a digital probe thermometer, which is really handy for everything like this, not to mention Alton Brown's excellent recipe for standing rib roast.) I had a pretty thick piece of fish the other day, so it actually ended up taking about 18 minutes to reach the 120 degrees.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the marinade with the stock, salt and sesame oil and bring to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Dunk the spinach in the sauce until it wilts slightly (this should only take a few seconds) and remove the spinach (sans sauce) to your serving dish. Add the dissolved cornstarch to the simmering sauce and allow to thicken slightly.
Remove salmon from the oven and transfer it and the scallions to serving dish with the spinach. Pour the sauce over it and serve with lots of white rice.

*Kecap manis is a sweet soy sauce from Indonesia. I was introduced to its virtues ever since moving to Holland, where it is used extensively in Indonesian cooking. It's readily available in Asian grocery stores such as Uwajimaya in Seattle, and is basically the same product as Thai sweet soy sauce.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

posted by sheryl | 12:19 PM | comments (2)