a little bit more fancy

I first tasted and fell in love with honey lavender ice cream at the Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco last fall. It was about as perfect as ice cream gets, incredibly creamy with the most amazing texture. The flavors were just right and I remember thinking I'd never eaten anything quite like it. And that someday, I would try to make it.

I sort of forgot about honey lavender ice cream until (I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but there's no turning back now) one night, by myself and with a glass (or two) of wine, I was watching the movie with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin called "It's Complicated". I actually loved this movie. There, I said it. I really loved it, in fact, because it reminded me so much of my parents. My parents never got back together the way they almost did in the movie, but I guess it just reminded me of my family. My family is one of a kind. My family is crazy and loud and dysfunctional, but so lovable you can't help but just go with it and hug it out. They are like my limbs - I never feel quite right without them.


Meryl Streep's family wasn't quite so crazy and loud, but they were definitely dysfunctional and they had a mom (Meryl) who just so happened to be an amazing cook (like my mom) and would make honey lavender ice cream when she couldn't sleep. I love that idea, because making ice cream is a soothing process in itself, so I could see where she was coming from. I'm with you, Meryl. Anyway, watching the movie gave me an insatiable urge to make the ice cream. After I finished laughing and crying into my wine glass, that is. (god, I KNOW! It's ridiculous. But seriously, you should watch it.)


I've made the ice cream exactly twice now, and both times my friends have sung its praises. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if the flavor would be for everyone, but I was totally wrong. It's a hit. My friend Laine says it tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, only a little bit more fancy. I kinda like the sound of that. 


Honey Lavender Ice Cream
adapted from a recipe in Gourmet Magazine


I found this recipe from an old issue of Gourmet and decided to fiddle with the quantities of cream and half-and-half because I like my ice cream a little less rich. I used dried lavender flowers from the bulk section of a local health food store, Mama Jean's. Buy extra because you'll want to make this recipe again, I promise.


You'll need an ice cream maker. I use a Cuisinart and it works great. You might also want a candy thermometer, but you can do without if you don't have one. 


1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 cups of half-and-half
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons of dried edible lavender flowers
2 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon of salt


Using a two-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream, half-and-half, honey and lavender just to a boil, stirring occasionally; right after it reaches a boil, remove from heat. Put the lid on it and steep for 30 minutes. Take a break.


Strain the cream through a fine wire mesh strainer, into a bowl, and discard the lavender. 


In a separate bowl, whisk together the two eggs and salt. Return the cream mixture to the pan on the stove and heat until hot (this doesn't take very long - don't boil!). Very slowly pour a cup of the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking the eggs quickly. Pour the egg mixture into the cream and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 170 degrees or until the cream coats the back of a spoon. Again, don't cook too long here! Trust me, I did it the first time, and the second batch had a much better texture.


Pour the custard again through the mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cool completely. You can either put it in the fridge overnight (covered in plastic wrap) or placed in a bowl filled with ice (if you need it to cool faster). 


Put the cooled custard into an ice cream maker; once the ice cream is finished, transfer to an air-tight container to harden for at least an hour.

an ode to summer

Late August is the time of year in Missouri when everyone is exhausted from the heat, lawns are turning a lovely brown (dead) color, and all you want to do is sit inside in the air conditioning. As much as I feel ready for fall, I know I will miss summer soon enough because I am a warm weather girl. Winter is not my friend ( the season, that is - I actually do have a friend named Winter, and she's great).

One of the things I love most about summer is the abundance of peaches, corn and tomatoes that are almost not worth eating the rest of the year. I don't want to give up my peaches. Marionville is a small town near by, known for white squirrels and more importantly, peaches. They are so good. I got to the farmer's market on Saturday a little later than usual, 11:30, and I couldn't believe that almost everything was sold out - including my beloved Marionville peaches. All they had left was a handful of yellow peaches and some white ones, just enough to make a crisp for a couple of friends coming over later. 

As an ode to summer, I made the crisp from a recipe by Ina Garten who never leads me astray when it comes to desserts. I was tempted to replace the orange for lemon zest, but I resisted the urge, and I'm glad. The orange is really nice and a bit unexpected. Serve it with vanilla bean ice cream if you want to get really fancy. 


peach and raspberry crisp
adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten


I love this recipe because it's oh-so-simple to make and you get the unexpected hit of orange and raspberry in a traditional peach crisp. The crumble on top reminds me of an oatmeal cookie, which is never a bad thing. I used half yellow and half white peaches because that's what I could find, but you could use either or both. 


8-10 large peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 quart raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
zest of one orange
1 cup + 3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup oats
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and diced
good pinch of salt
vanilla bean ice cream (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a large bowl, gently combine the sliced peaches with the raspberries. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3 tbsp of flour, and the orange zest to the fruit. Fold together until the fruit is well coated. Scoop fruit mixture into an oval or rectangular baking dish (roughly 9x13 in size).


Using a mixer, combine the butter with the remaining sugars, 1 cup of flour, oats, and salt. Mix until crumbly, then scatter the mixture evenly across the top of the fruit.


Bake the crisp for an hour, or until the top is nice and brown (and crispy, just like the name). Cool for about 20 minutes and serve with vanilla bean ice cream. 

home grown

A little home grown goodness for a Wednesday that feels like it should be a Friday (to me, anyway). These pretty little cherry tomatoes were not home grown by me, although we do have a garden that is getting roached by the Missouri heat as we speak. These came from a fantastic new shop on the corner of Pickwick and Cherry, right by Tea Bar & Bites, called Homegrown Foods. It's like a farmer's market that is open every day. Between that and the highly anticipated Bistro Market downtown, Springfield is all of a sudden getting hip.