Suzi's Blog
Cold Sweat Ice Cream: Chile, Ginger and Lemongrass
Cold sweat. You’ve probably had one or two in your life. Not pleasant. Usually associated with a period of high stress or danger.
It’s time to change the whole meaning of the phrase. Now let “cold sweat” stand for something good, possibly even divine. This ice cream, from the kinkily wonderful new book The Icecreamists, is a mixture of flavors you normally don’t associate with ice cream: chili, ginger, and lemongrass. Okay, ginger ice cream is unusual but not unheard of. But this combination? No, this recipe is different, deliciously different.
What flavor do you get with all these things? It’s going to depend on you. I found my batch to be ginger with final notes from the chili and the lemongrass. Depending on the characteristics of you ingredients, and just how carefully you measure, you might have a flavor profile this different, hotter, with more tang on the tongue.
The recipe, like all those in The Icecreamists, is brilliant. Tomorrow, there comes a cocktail using this ice cream. Next week, I’ll give you a tour of The Icecreamists. If you get just one ice cream book a year, then this is the year of The Icecreamists.
Cold Sweat Ice Cream
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon superfine or granulated sugar
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
- Thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 stick of lemongrass, fine chopped
- Chili oil, to serve
- Crystallized ginger, optional
Preparation:
Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to steam but not boil.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and whisk until pale and slightly fluffy. Gradually and slowly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling — this technique is called tempering. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat, stirring frequently, until the custard thinly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let boil.
Add the chili, ginger, and lemongrass to the custard and blend until smooth. [At this point, you can let the custard stand, the longer you do, the more flavor you add]. Strain twice through a strainer or cheesecloth to remove all fibers and seeds. Pour back into the bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooled to room temperature. For more rapid chilling, use an ice bath.
Once cooled, cover and refrigerate, ideally for overnight but at least for 6 hours. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream machine and process and then store as you normally do.
When serving, you can drizzle chili oil on top for one more bang.
Or, you can do what I did and top with pieces of crystallized ginger.
Source: The Icecreamists by Matt O’Conner
Photo Information: Canon T21i, EFS 60MM Macro lens, F/5.6 for 1/60 second at ISO 3200 [no flash]
Red Velvet Cake Roll from Flo Braker
“What do you think of this?” Suzen showed me a picture. Quite an attractive picture.
“You know I’m color blind,” I said.
“Blue-green. Not red. You don’t run red lights.”
“Not with you in the car,” I said.
“So? What do you think?”
“I think it’s spectacular.” Actually, I could barely contain myself. This recipe is called a cake roll but I much prefer the French roulade. So romantic as the syllables roll out of your mouth. So delicious as each bite goes into your mouth. I always want my Buche de Noel, a chocolate roll that adorns many Christmas day tables. To get a roulade in April seemed to be a late holiday miracle.
Suzen was prepping for a family party, one where folks who had not seen each other in a decade would gather. She, and I, wanted something spectacular. To the eye and to the mouth.
Flo Braker ranks in the very top tier of dessert cookbook authors. Personally, she is a charmingly warm woman, intelligent and skilled. Her books are wonders. They are filled with well-tested, clearly written, and sumptuously delicious recipes. Her latest book, Baking for All Occasions, is a seminal work. I’ll write more about the book and incredible spectrum of treats it offers tomorrow.
Today, here is Flo’s Red Velvet Cake Roll that Suzi made and presented at that family party. Good party. Good, great cake. Our thanks, once again, to Flo.
Red Velvet Cake Roll
Yield: 1 15-inch rolled cake, 12 to 14 servings
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider or white vinegar, 5% acidity
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
For the White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Filling:
- One 9-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 5 ounces white chocolate, melted
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract [or vanilla]
- 1 cup red raspberries, picked over for stems or leaves
For Decoration:
- Powdered sugar
- More red raspberries
Preparation:
Before baking: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375⁰ F. Coat a small area in the center of a 15 ½ by 10 ½ by 1-inch pan (jelly-roll pan) with nonstick spray. Line the pan with aluminum foil, pressing the foil into the contours of the pan and leaving a 2-inch overhang at each short end (the spray anchors the foil in place to make buttering easier). Butter the foil, then flour it, tapping out the excess flour. Have all of the ingredients at room temperature.
To make the cake: Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. Ina small bowl, stir together the milk, vanilla, and apple cider. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. Continue to beat until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in two or three additions alternately with the milk mixture in one or two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing after each addition only until incorporated smoothly.
Stop the mixer after each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Maintaining the same speed, add the food coloring and mix well to color the batter evenly. Without delay, spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is set on top and springs back when lightly pressed in the center, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack. If necessary, run a thin knife blade around the perimeter of the pan to loosen the cake sides. Then pull up on the foil overhang and carefully transfer the cake to a wire rack. Without delay, place a sheet of foil over the cake and manipulate the foil to make a shallow tent (a tent holds in the moisture as the cake cools, but prevents the foil from sticking to the cake). Let cool for about 45 minutes, then proceed to assemble the dessert.
While the cake is cooling, make the White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Filling: In a bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-low speed until smooth. Pour in half of the chocolate and beat until smooth, stopping the mixer occasionally and scraping the mixture clinging to the sides into the center of the bowl. Pour in the remaining chocolate and beat just until combined. Add the butter and then the sugar and almond extract and beat until smooth and creamy.
Use right away, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator. When ready to use, remove from the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and beat with a rubber spatula, small whisk, or fork until smooth and creamy. You should have about 1 ⅓ cups.
To assemble the cake: Remove the foil from the top of the cake. Transfer the cake on its bottom sheet of foil to a work surface, placing it so that one of its long sides is parallel to the edge of the surface closest to you. Place another long sheet of aluminum foil on the work surface nearby. Using an offset spatula, spread 1 cup plus about 2 tablespoons of the filling evenly over the cake, leaving a ½-inch border uncovered on the long side farthest from you. (The leftover filling, along with a few berries, makes a good kitchen snack for the baker.) Place the raspberries, if using, randomly on the filling along the length of the cake.
Begin rolling the cake by flipping the edge nearest you over onto itself. Then, with the aid of the foil that extends beyond the short sides, roll up the cake lengthwise until you reach the far long side. As you work, wrap the foil around the roll to assist in rounding the shape
(otherwise the cake will stick to your hands). Place the roll in its foil across the bottom third of a 24-inch-long piece of parchment paper. To compress the cake, pull the rest of the parchment paper up and over the cake towards you. Use a long ruler or a sheet pan to press forward towards the cake on the top of the bottom sheet of the paper while pulling forward towards you on the top sheet.
Carefully lift the roll in the aluminum foil and set it, seam side down, on the fresh sheet of foil. Wrap the cake securely in the foil. Transfer the foil-wrapped roll to a baking sheet or shallow tray and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to help set the filling.
To serve: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and peel off and discard the foil. Carefully lift the roll onto a serving plate with the aid of a long, wide spatula or a rimless baking sheet. (If not serving right away, cover loosely with plastic wrap to keep the cake’s surface from drying out and return to the refrigerator to serve the same day.) Dust the cake with powdered sugar. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut the roll into ½-inch thick slices. Center each portion on a dessert plate. Accompany with the raspberries.
Source: Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker
