One of my favorite childhood memories is creamy fruit salads made with various combinations of grapes, cherries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, or apples, sometimes with crunchy nuts mixed in. The creamy part also varied, often made with sour cream and cream cheese or whipped topping, but all were sweet and sometimes tasted more like dessert than a dinner side dish. As far as my sweet tooth and I were concerned, creamy fruit salads were as good as it gets.

Don’t judge me.

Mom still makes one or two when we come to visit, and if my brothers and sister are present we inevitably go off on a nostalgic romp of our favorite childhood dishes. This week Mom served a classic grape salad during our visit, lightened up using less sugar. My version uses low-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and I even tried mixing in some dill which added bright flavor. Some versions of this salad use both granulated and brown sugar, almost 3/4 cup total. Mom cut it back drastically, and we still enjoyed the sweetness without giving us a sweet toothache. I plan to continue playing with this recipe using stevia as a sugar substitute.

More Light Salads

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Sassy Radish – Spring Salad with Roasted Asparagus

101 Cookbooks – Spring Wild Rice Salad

Taste Food – Spring Salad Three Ways

Life’s Ambrosia – Apple, Gorgonzola, and Pecan Salad

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With Labor Day weekend upon us, we’ve reached the unofficial end of summer. School starts next week and the pool closes, two signs that summer is over, but we’re stretching it out a bit with this gelato based on one of my favorite candies from childhood, Whoppers. The inspiration for this gelato came from two sources: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, and Making Artisan Gelato by Torrance Kopfer (both books in my personal collection). Lebovitz has a recipe for malted milk ice cream in his book, but I wanted to make it into a gelato, so I followed Kopfer’s methods to make the gelato base and used Lebovitz’s instructions for mixing the malted milk powder. If you enjoy gelato and want to learn how to make it at home, I highly recommend Kopfer’s book because it has so much helpful information on how to get that creamy gelato texture or at least approximate it with common home ice cream makers.

My boys saw the box of Whoppers on the counter, a sweet they had not tried before, and curiously asked for one. That one taste was all it took and they got very excited about the “Whopper ice cream.” I’ll be the first to admit that these little chocolate coated balls aren’t healthy and would probably rot your teeth and make you gain five pounds if you ate the whole carton, but we’re talking moderation here. If you share the gelato and the Whoppers, you’ll be fine.

MALTED MILK GELATO

Adapted from Making Artisan Gelato by Torrance Kopfer and The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart/1 liter.

Equipment

medium saucepan
instant-read thermometer
whisk
2 nonreactive 3-quart bowls
4 or 5–quart bowl
stick or immersion blender (optional, though helpful)
fine-mesh strainer
ice cream maker (review)

Ingredients

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 g) malted milk powder (i.e. Carnation brand)
1 vanilla bean, split in half with seeds removed
2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
1-1/2 cups (150 g) malted milk balls (i.e. Whoppers or Maltesers), quartered

Preparation

1. In one of the 3-quart bowls, stir together the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and malted milk powder. Set aside.

2. Put the split vanilla bean and its seeds in the bottom of the saucepan, then add the milk and 1/2 cup (100 g) of the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer registers 170° F/77° C. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

3. Remove the vanilla bean pod and return the pot to the burner. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until the thermometer registers 170° F/77° C.

4. In the other 3-quart bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar until the mixture is foamy and slightly thickened.

5. Temper the egg yolks by adding about half of the hot milk mixture one ladle at a time, whisking continuously. Whisk the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and return to the burner. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the thermometer registers 185° F/85° C. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from heat and insert the immersion blender into the hot liquid. Blend (aka emulsify) until smooth. (Note: You can also use a whisk and vigorously whip the mixture, or use a blender.)

6. Make an ice bath in the large bowl and set the bowl with the heavy cream mixture on top. Place a fine-mesh strainer on the rim of the bowl and carefully pour the custard through the strainer. Stir the custard about every 5 minutes until the mixture is cooled, about 30 minutes. Remove the bowl from the ice bath, dry the bottom, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.

7. About 30 minutes before churning, set the bowl in the freezer to get the mixture as cold as possible without starting to freeze. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions for processing. Add the chopped malted milk balls during the final 2 minutes of churning.

8. Store the gelato in a plastic container. Press a layer of plastic wrap against the gelato and seal the lid on top. Freeze until fully hardened.

More Frozen Dessert Recipes

More Malted Milk Recipes From Around the Blogs

Baking Bites – Malted Milk Ball Cookies or Malteser Cookies

Adventures in the Kitchen – Malted Milk Chocolate Cheesecake

Culinary in the Country – Malted Milk Black and White Pound Cake

Culinary Concoctions by Peabody – Whopper of a Week

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When I acquired a copy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours a couple months ago, my reasoning was I needed it for whatever challenges The Daring Bakers might throw out, but really it’s because I wanted to try every recipe in the book. I’d seen wonderful samples all over the cooking blogs for so long I couldn’t hold out any longer.

Even though The Daring Bakers made Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake in March, I felt I should start at the beginning and work my way through the book, so we started with her Orange Blueberry Muffins for breakfast one morning, and they were gone in a flash. As I studied the recipe the night before, I realized I had some homemade candied orange peel stored in a jar of sugar in the pantry, and I couldn’t resist adding it. I chopped about 1/4 cup of the peel (sorry, I forgot to weigh it) and then sprinkled some of the orange sugar on top of the muffins. As it turns out, it’s a good thing I added the chopped orange peel because Top Gun was stealing blueberries behind my back, so adding the orange peel helped make up for the loss of the blueberries.

We enjoyed the extra orange flavor, and now I have to make more candied orange peel so we can have these muffins again.  The orange and blueberry combination was delicious. And as for the color, they really were that orange!

ORANGE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.

Equipment

regular sized muffin pan, buttered or lightly coated with cooking spray
baking sheet
large glass measuring cup or bowl
large mixing bowl
#20 (large) cookie scoop (3 tablespoons)

Ingredients

grated zest and juice of 1 orange
about 3/4 cup (178 ml) buttermilk (I use 1 tablespoon lemon juice + enough skim milk to make 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup (58 g) granulated sugar
2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (141 g) blueberries, fresh preferred, frozen ok (not thawed)
1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
orange sugar (from storing the orange peel)

Preparation

1. Place the baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400° F. Place the muffin pan on the baking sheet.

2. Pour the orange juice into the large glass measuring cup and add enough of the buttermilk to make 1 full cup (237 ml). Whisk in the eggs, honey, and melted butter.

3. In the large mixing bowl, rub the orange zest into the sugar until you can smell the orange. It should smell strong.

4. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to quickly and gently stir. The batter will look lumpy and bubbly, and that’s ok.

5. Gently stir in the blueberries and the chopped orange peel.

6. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle the orange sugar on top.

7. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. The tops should be golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully remove and allow to cool a few minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

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Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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This is such a wonderful time for fresh berries and cherries. We spotted some sweet cherries on sale at our local grocery store last week and grabbed a couple bags. My original plan was to make some cherry vanilla ice cream, but then I thought of cherry cobbler with all the lush cherries and juice and the soft, fluffy biscuits on top. Serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream and that would hit the spot!

When we got around to making the cobbler a few days later, the boys helped me remove the stems and find any bad cherries, of which there were plenty. Actually the cherries weren’t bad, but I realized that my three-year-old had been sneaking into the bags in the frig and taking bites out of the cherries and putting them back, just like he had done with the hot rolls back in April! We had to toss about a dozen half-eaten cherries.

This recipe combines two different cobbler recipes from Epicurious. I like the flavor of the cherry filling and the stove top method for cooking down the cherries before baking because I think it’s more efficient than cooking the cherries down in the oven. That means that I don’t have to have my oven on for so long, heating up the kitchen on a hot summer day. The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but I prefer to use White Lily Self-Rising Flour for this sort of thing because the biscuits turn out so light and fluffy. In case you can’t find White Lily Flour in your area, I’ve included the original instructions using all-purpose flour and baking powder in the Variations.

Equipment

large sauce pan
2-quart casserole dish
food processor (or large mixing bowl)
large bowl
#20 or #40 scoop

Ingredients

CHERRY FILLING
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries
1 tablespoon Frangelico or Di Saronno Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla
scant 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

BISCUITS
2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 large egg
cinnamon sugar mixture

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

***While the oven preheats***

2. FILLING: In the saucepan whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add cherries, liqueur, vanilla, and allspice and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes and transfer to the casserole dish.

3. BISCUITS: Add the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the food processor bowl and pulse 3 or 4 times. Add the butter pieces and pulse about 10 times, no more. Whisk 3/4 cup whipping cream and egg in the large bowl. Pour the flour mixture into the large bowl and stir just until the dry ingredients are wet. Gently knead the dough in bowl just until it comes together. If you overwork the dough, the biscuits will be tough.

4. ASSEMBLE: Use the scoop to form the biscuits and drop them over the cherries, spacing apart. Brush dough with whipping cream and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough. You may have some dough left over, and you can just drop those biscuits onto a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes.

5. BAKE: Bake in the preheated oven until the cherries are bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve hot or warm with vanilla ice cream.

Variations

If you can’t find White Lily Flour in your area, you can use 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon baking powder.

Resources

Wikipedia – Cobbler (food)

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Ev is my best girl friend, and she and I have been enjoying each other’s company over good food for almost 14 years. We met in 1993 in Bogotá, Colombia when I was teaching at the embassy school, and our favorite haunt was a little Japanese store and sushi bar around Calle 98 and something or other (long time ago, memory a bit sketchy on location). Asian food was scarce and expensive in Bogotá, and it was such a *treat* for us to enjoy some Japanese food. We hung out together quite a bit during our first year there, then the next year she left to do Peace Corps work in Africa, and I later headed to Saudi Arabia.

A few years later we met up again when we were both living in Chicago. She had married her Peace Corps partner from Africa, and she and I would go for a girls’ day or evening out to a local Korean restaurant and grocery store near Lincoln Square. When I got a new apartment in Logan Square, she would stop by for cocktails on Friday evenings after work and we would chat over some really good margaritas at a little hole-in-the-wall place near my apartment. We enjoyed many of those margaritas! After a couple years I moved on to the DC area and Ev and her husband and son stayed in Chicago.

As fate would have it, she and her family ended up in the DC Metro area a few years later, and once again we were able to have some great girl talk over good food. This time our spot was a tapas bar in Old Town Alexandria where we really enjoyed the sangria! After about a year Michael and I moved to Hampton Roads, and she and her family went overseas again.

When Ev and I got together again in March of this year, we had not seen each other in four years, but it didn’t feel that way at all. We picked up right where we left off, as if we had just had a girls’ night out the week before. She was in the DC area for work, and coincidentally we had moved back to the area that same week. The house was sporting that “just moved in look,” but she took it like family and stayed in our guest room, the only room in the house that we had managed to get ship-shape before she arrived. It was a bitterly cold, snowy night, but we headed out anyway for some good Asian food and conversation at a local Thai/Japanese restaurant.

We’ve woven a thread in and out of each other’s lives over the years, and I venture to say that Ev and I will still be having girls’ night out when we are grandmas, even if we’re in different parts of the world and only get to see each other once a year or so. But every time I drink sangria or a margarita or enjoy some sushi, I think about all the good times we’ve had over food and drinks. So this Cinco de Mayo weekend, I’m making sangria to celebrate our friendship and I’ll drink a glass for Ev and her family. I know, sangria is Spanish, but that’s ok. It still goes well with Mexican food.

Equipment

large glass bowl or pitcher
plastic wrap

Ingredients

1 orange, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 lemon, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine
1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
Sliced peaches, grapes, strawberries, or other seasonal fruit
Gin, Grand Marnier, or brandy to taste (I did 4 shots of Grand Marnier.)

Preparation

1. Combine the orange, lemon, sugar and wines in a large glass bowl or pitcher and stir for several minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

2. Just before serving, add the optional fruits and spirits. Serve over ice or, just before serving, place some ice cubes in a punch bowl.

Resources

More Sangria Recipes

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Source: adapted from Cooking.com (attributed to Cha Cha Cha)

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