Caramelized Honeycomb Ice Cream

My friend Christine and I took our annual gorgefest stuffing of the faces eat all the things road trip up to Portland, ME on Labor Day and hit all our usual spots.  First was The Holy Donut for their Maine potato donuts.  Here we have the sweet potato ginger glazed, sea salt chocolate, pomegranate, maple bacon, fresh lemon, and triple berry flavors.  I think my favorite was the maple bacon.

Then on to Eventide Oysters for their brown butter lobster rolls (which I've tried to recreate).  We also tried the salmon poke this time, which I thought was prettier than it tasted.

Since it was such a beautiful day, and we had some time before dinner, we took the ferry over to Peaks Island to see if there was anything interesting there.  There wasn't.  But Christine did find this awesome piece of sea glass there!

After dinner at Duck Fat, we decided to grab some dessert from The Honey Paw, a new fusion restaurant next door to Eventide.  We tried the caramelized honeycomb soft serve with magic shell and honeycomb candy.

It might have been the best thing we ate that day and is definitely going on our to-eat list for future trips!

I tried to recreate it at home using one of Jeni's recipes as a guide, but I wasn't able to get that pure honey flavor that was the reason I loved the original version.  But then I realized it reminded me of Toscanini's burnt caramel ice cream, which is a very, very good thing.  I also liked how the honeycomb candy--also made with one of Jeni's recipes--added a unique texture when layered in with the ice cream.

Caramelized Honeycomb Ice Cream (adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)
makes about 1 quart

For the honeycomb candy:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon baking soda

Bring the sugar, water, honey, and corn syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  When it reaches 300°F, remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.  Pour into a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool.  Break into small pieces.  You'll only need about half the amount that this recipe makes for the ice cream, but it's great eaten on its own or coated with chocolate.  Store in an airtight container.

For the ice cream:
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Make a slurry with the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the milk and set aside.  Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Caramelize the honey in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir in about 1/4 of the cream to loosen it up and then stir in the rest of the cream.  Add the remaining milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for 4 minutes, then whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Chill the mixture in an ice bath or in the refrigerator until cold.

Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions.  Pack the ice cream into a storage container, mixing in the honeycomb candy as you go.  Freeze in your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Next:  Soy Garlic Glazed Korean Fried Cauliflower
Previously:  Macau-Style Portuguese Chicken Rice
Two Years Ago:  Ginger Scallion Lobster Buns
Three Years Ago:  Ramen Lobster Rolls

Mini Homemade Pretzel Dogs

My church held their second annual Highrocktoberfest last week and asked me if I could provide some snacks again.  Last year there was a competition for best cornbread, which I won with my Elote-Style Cornbread Waffles.  This year there was no such competition; I was just told to make something that would go well with beer.  Since I'm not a big beer drinker I wasn't really sure what that would be, but then I took inspiration from the fact that this was a riff on the German Oktoberfest. What could be more German than sausage and pretzel?

I pretty much followed Alton Brown's soft pretzel recipe but decided to skip the salt in the pretzel dough since the sausage would provide enough salt.  I also threw in some diastatic malt powder since I had a lot left over from making croissants.  You can use cocktail weiners for this, but I was able to find mini kielbasa sausages at my grocery store so I went with those.  And instead of buying pretzel salt, I just used a flaky sea salt.  I wouldn't suggest using regular table salt for the topping, and even regular kosher salt might be too fine.

Mini Homemade Pretzel Dogs
makes about 48 dogs

2 1/4 cups warm water (about 110-115°F)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
33 oz. (about 6 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon diastatic malt powder (optional)
3 oz. butter, melted
48 cocktail weiners or mini sausages
2/3 cups baking soda
1 large egg
Pretzel or flaky sea salt

Mix the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, then sprinkle on the yeast.  Let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.

Add the flour, malt powder (if using), and melted butter and mix to combine on low using the dough hook.  Once the dough comes together, adjust the speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes.  Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Divide the dough in half, then each half in half, each quarter in half, and each eighth in half.  You'll end up with 16 pieces of dough.  Divide each of these pieces into thirds so you end up with 48 pieces of dough.  One at a time, roll the dough into a long snake about 9" long.  Starting at one end, wrap the dough around a weiner until it is completely encapsulated, sealing the ends.  If you have leftover dough, just pinch it off and reserve*.

In a large pot, mix the baking soda with 10 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Working in batches, add the pretzel dogs to the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet, 1" apart from each other.

Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water.  Brush each of the pretzel dogs with the egg wash and sprinkle with the salt.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until dark golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Serve with honey mustard dip (recipe below).

*If you have enough extra dough, you can try making some traditional pretzels!

Honey Mustard Dip
makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard (I used a mix of yellow mustard and whole grain mustard)
1/4 cup honey

Mix together and serve with the pretzel dogs.

I made this dip to go with the pretzel dogs, but after all those were gone, they put out hard pretzels to snack on and it went really well with those too!

Next:  Pad Thai
Previously:  Pasta con le Sarde
Last Year:  Mochi Donuts and Pon de Rings
Two Years Ago:  Bahian Style Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
Three Years Ago:  Magical Cold Brew Coffee

Papaya Milk and Papaya Milk Popsicles

TIL that when you google "papaya milk", the second hit that comes up is, "Does ready made papaya juice made boobs bigger?"  Wut?  Is that a thing?

I don't know if it does or not, but papaya milk will definitely make you happier.  It's a popular drink from Taiwan and only consists of papaya, milk, honey (or sugar), and ice.  Somehow, that simple combination makes a super yummy, refreshing tropical drink perfect for a hot summer day.  If you've never had one, you might be surprised at the complexity of the flavors; the slight bitterness of the papaya only accentuates the sweetness of the fruit (kind of like how a little salt can also bring out sweetness in desserts).  I prefer to use honey instead of sugar since sugar doesn't always dissolve as well in the cold drink.  I wish the flesh of the papaya I had gotten was more red than yellow since traditionally papaya milk is a pinkish-peach color, but I was afraid the papaya was going to spoil if I had let it ripen any longer!

I toyed with the idea of making a popsicle version of the drink, too.  Since the drink separates upon sitting, I decided to churn it first in my ice cream machine before filling the popsicle molds.  The resulting texture was more creamy than icy, probably also helped by not adding any ice to the popsicle base.  You'll want to add a lot more honey or sugar to the popsicle base since sweetness is a lot harder to taste once something is frozen.

Papaya Milk or Papaya Milk Popsicles
makes 4 smoothies or twelve 2 oz. popsicles

2 cups of cubed papaya
2 cups milk
Honey (or sugar), to taste
Ice (for the milkshake)

If making the smoothie, blend the papaya, milk, 2 tablespoons of honey, and a cup of ice.  Add more honey and/or ice depending on your own preferences.  Drink immediately.

If making the popsicles, blend the papaya, milk, and start with 4 tablespoons of honey.  Taste, and add more honey if needed, until it is almost too sweet.  Chill and then churn in the ice cream maker until mostly frozen (you can stop before it reaches soft serve consistency).  Fill your popsicle molds and freeze until hard.  Enjoy!

Next:  Low Country Boil
Previously:  Shashuka with Polenta
Last Year:  Bubble Tea Popsicles
Four Years Ago:  Coconut Lime Sorbet

Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt

I'm back, both figuratively and literally!  I got back last week from a 2 week vacation to Europe.  My friend, Ces, and I went on a Celebrity cruise to Italy, Greece, and Turkey and then stayed an extra couple of days in Rome.  Being on a cruise, we definitely ate our fill, but the most memorable food I ate was all in Rome.

Before we had left for the trip, I had looked up the best gelato in Rome to make sure that we didn't waste any space in our tummies on inferior product.  We tried San Crispino when we were at the Trevi Fountain and Grom near(ish) the Pantheon, but the one that blew me away was Gelateria del Teatro, in between Piazza Navona and Ponte Sant'Angelo.

I chose the Rosemary Honey and Lemon and Sicilian Almond flavors and could not stop raving about them while we made our way to the Vatican.  I love almond flavored anything, and this was the first time that I had tasted an ice cream that really captured the pure almond flavor without tasting buttery or artificial.  And the rosemary was an unexpected first note that mellowed out with the honey and lemon in a way that was completely and perfectly balanced.  Ask Ces; I think I actually stopped walking several times because I was just enjoying the gelato so much.  It was so good we went back for a second round after returning from the Vatican!

I knew I had to try to make the rosemary honey lemon flavor when I got home so I pulled out Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and searched for a honey flavored base but didn't find one.  So I tried using her ice cream base, substituted honey for the sugar, and steeped the mixture with rosemary and lemon peel before thickening it.  It ended up tasting way too sweet for me, and I think the honey kept it a little softer than I would have liked.  I decided to try making it again with less honey and using the frozen yogurt base to lighten it up a little and give it a little more tang.  I was really pleased with this version; it's not an exact duplicate of the gelato from Rome, but I think it's just as good!

Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt (based on on the Frozen Yogurt Base from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)
makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup honey plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Zest from half a lemon
1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used 2% low fat, but I think nonfat and regular would work fine)

Mix about 3 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.  Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.  Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Combine the remaining milk, cream, honey, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, add the rosemary and lemon zest, and let steep for 20 minutes.

Remove the rosemary and zest with a slotted spoon.  Taste the mixture; if it's not sweet enough, add some more honey (I ended up adding about another tablespoon).  Gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture and return the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the yogurt and blend well.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath.  Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Pour the frozen yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Next:  Spaghetti Carbonara for One
Previously:  Happiness Cake
Four years ago:  Black Sesame Ice Cream