Click! Coffee

The theme of this month’s Click! contest is Coffee/Tea.  You may recall my earlier post about David Lebovitz’s Coffee Ice Cream .

Since then, I’ve made this silky coffee treat at least once more AND I took pictures.  So I’m righting the omission from the previous post and showing you what those beautiful beans look like after they’re done swimming around in that creamy pool of half and half.  The liquid takes on a slightly mocha color.

Really, you should dust off your ice cream maker for this. You will not be disappointed.  Ok, maybe once you devour all this creamy coffee goodness and the container is empty, and you and your spouse tussle over the last few melted drops, then you might be disappointed.

Today’s Count

If you read my July 1st post, you are already aware of my problem when it comes to collecting recipes.  Just to illustrate how in need I am of an intervention, I thought I’d share with you the recipes I found today.

Easy Doughnuts from The Amateur Gourmet
Lower Fat Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake courtesy of A Mighty Appetite
Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs – a test recipe for CI
Chilled Teriyaki Glazed Salmon and Jasmine Rice Salad from the Washington Post
Oven Fried Onion Rings and Well Done Hamburgers on A Charcoal Grill from Cook’s Illustrated
David Lebovitz’s Green Tea Ice Cream as posted on Use Real Butter
Shortuct Basil Aioli at Orangette
Chocolate Butter Cake and Vanilla Buttermilk Cake at Smitten Kitchen

That would be 11 recipes going home with me today.  And I didn’t even include the Paul Deen poundcake that slipped out of my printer yesterday.

When will I have the time to actually make these?  Who knows…except that I do need to test the Short Ribs and respond to CI before the 9th…thank god for a deadline.  But the next time I’m looking for something to do with Salmon, I’ve got a plan.

David Lebovitz Trifecta

I thought I would round out my homage to DL with his take on Frozen Yogurt which just so happens to be the only project which fit into my busy weekend. Unlike ice cream, frozen yogurt doesn’t need a cooked base. No fiddling or fussing necessary. Just find some lovely berries, sugar them up a bit, go do something else for two hours, mix in plain yogurt*, process, chill, and churn. This recipe could not be simpler.

*It is worth noting that his notes discuss using French yogurt but that Greek style yogurt is a perfectly acceptable substitution. Have you ever tried Greek yogurt? It is simply divine. Thick with a slight tangy sweetness. I imagine that if you can’t find Greek yogurt (I used the Fage brand) you could improvise by straining regular plain yogurt through a towel lined sieve to eliminate the extra liquid. I was worried that the base would be too thick but once you introduce the berries and their juice to the yogurt the consistency is just right.

Ice Cream Man

Spring will soon give way to summer and nothing says summer quite like ice cream. I’m continuing my David Lebovitz thread with a modified version of his recipe for Coffee Ice Cream. Feel free to use whole milk instead of half and half. Either way, be prepared for some mind blowing, brain freezing, good ice cream.

I made this once while SFC was gone and thought it would be a great welcome home dessert. And then weeks went by with no time to make it. This week I finally got my act together and viola, we have ice cream.I don’t have any pretty pictures of either the process or final product. And I thought it better not to take a picture of SFC licking his spoon for the last little bit of melted coffee goodness. Suffice it to say that he’s enjoying it immensely. And you will too!

Where I’ve Been

Silly me. I thought that after Scotland and once SFC was home I’d have all kinds of time right off the bat to sit down and share stories. That so has not happened.

I’ve only just today put the finishing touches on my Scotland pictures. As much as I think Flickr and Picnik are my new bff’s, they are needy and take a lot of time. So I think we need a break from each other for a while. But I don’t want them to feel unloved so please do mosey on over to Flickr and check out the pictures. There’s a direct link in the sidebar or you can use this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmf1852

In the moments when I haven’t been Flickring or Picniking or working, I’m being quite domestic. I won’t bore you with the mundane. Instead, I’ll share what I’m calling “Cracktastic!” Once you try this, you’ll know why. I divided a batch between home and the office. The office bag got devoured in one morning. The home stash lasted a little longer only because I hid it from myself and SFC.