Ice Cream Cake Roll
Ice Cream Cake Roll
I was looking for a seasonal dessert for dinner with friends. Since the weather has been getting warmer I decided to make a cake roll and fill it with ice cream. I used homemade strawberry ice cream, recipe follows. You could use store bought ice cream, if you prefer. Start with the sponge cake roll recipe below and use whatever flavor ice cream you like. You’ll need about a quart of ice cream- or a little more.
Sponge Cake Roll
This sponge cake roll can be filled with whipped cream or ice cream, or use your favorite filling.
5 eggs, separated
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup cake flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons melted butter
Beat egg yolks until thicken and lemon colored; gradually add 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Beat egg whites until almost stiff then gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold yolk mixture into whites. Sift dry ingredients into a separate container; add to egg mixture, folding in carefully. Fold in melted butter. Pour batter into waxed paper-lined 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Turn onto a clean kitchen towel which has been generously dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Trim edges, if necessary; roll cake up, towel and all, while still warm. Let cool completely. Unroll and fill with whipped cream or ice cream then re-roll cake. The trick is to let the ice cream soften up a few minutes before spreading it on the cake. But don’t wait too long. Rather than trying to let the ice cream get soft enough to spread I used a spatula to sort of cut slices of ice cream and place them on the cake. Store ice cream cake roll in freezer until ready to slice and serve.
*If you don’t have cake flour you can make your own. Measure out a cup of all purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. For larger amounts place 7 cups of flour in a bowl and combine with 1 cup of cornstarch. Mix well or even sift together. Store in an airtight container.
Roll up cake in a towel while still warm
Spread softened ice cream over cake and re-roll.
Keep in freezer until ready to slice and serve
Strawberry Ice Cream
2 c. chopped strawberries
1 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 c. cream or half and half or a combination. You can also use some milk or even almond or rice milk.
Additional sugar to taste
Place strawberries, vanilla and sugar in saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and chill. Combine chilled berry mixture with cream. Add additional sugar if you like. Remember that once it is frozen the ice cream will not taste as sweet so make this mixture a little sweeter than you want the final product to be. How much sugar you add varies with personal taste and how sweet the berries are. Place in an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. Once finished put in an sir- tight container and place in freezer. Makes about 1 quart.
Just in Thyme Potato Salad
Just in Thyme Potato Salad
I find myself looking for more and different salads all the time. I love potato salad. Honestly, I love potatoes pretty much any way they are prepared. With my herb garden growing like crazy right now I thought this was the perfect dish to make. This salad can be served warm or cold and goes well with so many dishes. I find when I have leftovers I’ll even brown it in a skillet and serve it like hash browns with eggs for breakfast.
Just in Thyme Potato Salad
2 lbs. boiling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces*
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook potatoes until tender. Drain and toss with the rest of the ingredients and serve right away or chill to serve later. Serves 6-8.
* You can really use any potato you like. I often bake the potatoes whole and then peel and cut up. Cook them any way you prefer.
Chive Blossom Vinegar
Chive Blossom Vinegar
One of the ways I preserve my herbs every year is by using them to flavor vinegars. It is easy to do and you’ll have great flavored vinegars to use all year round. You can use the vinegar in salad dressings or in marinades and sauces. Chive blossom vinegar is one of my favorites. I often use white wine vinegar but you can use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even white vinegar. The blossoms give the vinegar a beautiful color, too.
All you need is a clean jar, chive blossoms and vinegar (5% acidity). The acidity is listed on the label. For every cup of blossoms add 2 cups of vinegar to the jar. Close the jar and put it in a cupboard for a couple of weeks, or longer. When ready to use, strain out the blossoms. Pour the strained vinegar through coffee filters or layers of cheesecloth to get out any sediment. The end result is clear and quite pretty. Store in a cool, dark place for best color and flavor.
Place blossoms in a jar with vinegar
Tomatoes and Tobacco
No, this is not a new recipe post. There is a connection between tomatoes and tobacco that you might not know about. It is really good to know if you grow tomatoes and are also a smoker. Some of the tobacco in cigarettes contains a disease called tobacco mosaic virus. Tomatoes are susceptible to this disease. If you are both a tomato grower and a smoker it is important that you wash your hands before going out to the garden or you could transmit this disease to your tomato plants.
Some hybrids are resistant to the virus. If there is a letter “T” after your tomato’s name it means it is resistant. Roma tomatoes are resistant. Hybrids will often have other letters after their names like VFNT. Means they are resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Nematodes and Tobacco mosaic virus. That is what those letters mean.
So, if you smoke wash your hands before going out to the garden.
Chocolate Crepes
Chocolate Crepe
After making dessert crepes the other day I decided to make a batch of chocolate crepes, too. I still had strawberries so that is what I used to fill them, along with some whipped cream. Truth is, you can fill them with all sorts of stuff. I had fresh berries so that is what I used. I added some Kahlua to the batter for a little extra flavor and it worked out just great. Here is the recipe.
Chocolate Crepes
1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
¼ c. cocoa
3 T. sugar
¼ c. Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur or ¼ c. strong coffee
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 1 tablespoon of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.)
Crepes can be made day ahead or even frozen between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 18.
Strawberry filling: I just sliced a couple of pounds of berries and added a little sugar- about ½ cup- a tablespoon of vanilla and a healthy dash of cinnamon.
When filling the crepes I spooned some berries down the center of the crepe and added some whipped cream. Folded over, topped with a few berries and another bit of whipped cream.
Cooking the crepe
Adding the berries
Added some whipped cream, too.
Creamy Tomato and Chicken Sauce
Creamy Tomato and Chicken Sauce
This was one of those dinners created with what I happened to have on hand. I started with the idea of chicken with tomatoes – I had chicken in the fridge and home canned tomatoes. I also had some beautiful fresh parsley and an open container of half and half I needed to use so I went from there. I cooked my pasta while the sauce was reducing. The whole dish took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I love orzo pasta, which looks like large grains of rice but feel free to try this with other pasta or maybe even rice.
Creamy Tomato and Chicken Sauce
2 T. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed, I used thighs
1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes – I used a pint of home canned tomatoes
2/3 c. half and half
2 T. flour
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. hot pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
12 oz. orzo pasta, cooked – use whatever pasta you like
In skillet heat oil and cook onion until tender. Add chicken and cook until chicken is nearly cooked through. Add tomatoes and simmer mixture for about 10 minutes to reduce the tomato liquid a little and concentrate the flavor. In jar with a tight fitting lid combine the half and half with the flour and shake until smooth. Add to chicken mixture and cook until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley and seasonings and cook on low a couple of minutes. Combine chicken sauce with hot cooked pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4-5.
Popcorn Balls
Popcorn Balls
When summer comes around I always think about amusement parks and popcorn balls. The only time I had popcorn balls as a kid was when my family would go to the local amusement park. This park, long gone, was known for their popcorn balls. I was asked to come up with a simple gift kids could make for their dads for Father’s Day. I decided on popcorn balls. Easy for the kids to work with. Once the popcorn balls were cooled they were wrapped in plastic wrap. The kids then took pieces of cellophane and wrapped the popcorn balls up to look like candy. Add ribbon and a Happy Father’s Day gift tag and we were good to go.
Popcorn Balls
9 c. popped popcorn
1 c. sugar
1 T. butter
1 T. vanilla
1 c. corn syrup*
Place popcorn in large bowl and set aside. Combine sugar, butter, vanilla and corn syrup in a saucepan. Heat and boil until thick, about 4 minutes. Pour over popcorn . Stir until well coated. Let cool until safe enough to handle. With buttered hands form mixture into balls. Store wrapped tightly in plastic wrap until ready to eat. Best eaten within a few days of making. Makes about 8.
*If you don’t have corn syrup- or don’t want to use it here is a way to make a substitute for it.
Sugar Syrup- corn syrup substitute
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 t. salt
Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook to soft-ball stage. Stir frequently.
Soft ball stage occurs at 235-245 degrees. This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water.
Remove from heat. Cool and store at room temperature. It will keep well for a month or two.
Cellophane-wrapped popcorn balls
Fresh Strawberry Crepes
Strawberry Crepes
With what looks to be a great strawberry season this year I am looking forward to a lot of cooking with and just eating of fresh strawberries. One of my favorite dishes is Strawberry Crepes. The crepes take a little time but the end result is so worth the effort. These can be served as a dessert, but also for brunch or breakfast.
Strawberry Crepes
1 recipe dessert crepe batter- see below
2 lbs.fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
sugar to taste- start with 1/2 cup, then adjust to your taste
1 t. vanilla
1 t. grated orange peel
powdered sugar
whipped cream, optional
Make the crepe batter (recipe below) and cook the crepes. Toss the berries with the sugar, vanilla and orange peel. Place a crepe on your work surface and spoon berries down the middle. Fold up the sides of the crepe and move to serving dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you run out of something. I tend to put a lot of the berries in each crepe so I run out of berries and have left over crepes. How much fruit you put in each one is completely up to you and your taste. Dust filled crepes with powdered sugar and top with extra berries- if you have any left. You can also add some whipped cream on the top. I list it as optional- but I really think you’re going to want that whipped cream. Makes about 12 crepes, give or take.
Dessert Crepes
1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 T. sugar
2-T. orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, over night. Beat again, just before using.Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 2 teaspoons of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.) Crepes can be made day ahead or even placed between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 20.
Hearts and Flowers Pickles
Hearts and Flowers Pickles
I made these a couple of years ago and someone recently asked for the recipe. I had a lot of beets and turnips and wanted to do a pickled dish with them. With advice from a friend I ended up cutting slices of the vegetables into little hearts and flowers shapes. I added some carrots to the mix, too. The end result was quite pretty. A bit of work, but it dressed up some simple ingredients and made them really special. I eventually decided to slice the turnips and beets and cut them out with little cookie cutters to make Hearts and Flowers pickles. Heart-shaped beets and little flower turnips. Added carrot flowers to round it out. Just peeled the carrots and ran a knife tip along them lengthwise. When sliced, the carrots looked like flowers, too. Of course, you can just cut up or slices the veggies without the cookie cutters. Will taste just as good.
Pickled Turnips*
2 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick wedges or sticks (about 8 cups) or cut into slices
6 beets, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cups distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar (5% acidity)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons canning salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 T. pickling spice
Combine turnips with the rest of the ingredients and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer 3 minutes. Place vegetables in pint or half pint jars and cover with the hot brine. Fill to within 1/2 inch from the top. Wipe rims and seal jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 6 pint jars or 12 half-pints.
* Since I modified this from the original recipe I do store the sealed jars in the fridge- just to be safe.
Chestnut School Orange Granola
Chestnut School Orange Granola
I had the privilege of working with some of the 4th and 5th graders at Chestnut Elementary School in Painesville today. The kids were great. I was asked to come up with some healthy snack ideas for kids. We did a couple of dishes but the winner was the fresh fruit and yogurt cups with orange granola. The kids picked from several fresh fruits and diced them up and folded with yogurt. Then they topped the yogurt with some of the granola. I made this granola recipe just for this event and a lot of the kids- and adults- wanted the recipe so here it is.
Chestnut School Orange Granola*
3 c. rolled oats
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. orange peel
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. oil
2 T. honey- or add a little more if you like a sweeter granola
2 T. orange juice concentrate
2 t. vanilla
Dried fruit to equal 1 -1 1/2 cups. Some choices could include: raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, pineapple, dates, figs, apricots, bananas, blueberries etc. I used raisins.
In large bowl combine oats with seasonings. Heat together oil, honey, orange juice and vanilla and pour over oat mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Halfway through the baking time stir mixture so the edges won’t burn. Remove from oven and return to large bowl. Toss with the dried fruit and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use in 1 month or store in freezer or fridge to keep longer. Makes 4-5 cups.
* We didn’t use nuts because of potential food allergies in some of the kids, but feel free to add nuts and seeds with the oatmeal.
