No-churn Brown Sugar Peach Ripple Ice Cream

Now that I’ve discovered an easy no-churn way of making creamy ice cream, my head is constantly buzzing with ideas for flavors. Peaches are all over the markets right now, so a seasonal double peach ice cream was top of the list.

Years ago when we lived in Brazil, I asked my sister to bring me an ice cream maker when she came to visit. Ice cream was crazy expensive there and we missed it terribly because I just couldn’t bring myself to pay the price. Unfortunately, I didn’t think things through because, once I had the maker in my possession, I discovered that cream was the real culprit and it was going to cost me more to make my own than the expensive store-bought stuff cost. Deep sigh. When we moved to Houston, the ice cream maker came with us but it never got out of the box. Because: Blue Bell. If you live in Texas, you get to eat Blue Bell! Some of the very best ice cream in the country. But now that I’ve caught the ice cream making bug, thanks to my friend, Jenni, I started digging through our storage area over the washing machine and located said never-yet-used ice cream machine and hope to use it for the first time. Coconut ice cream, at the request of my younger daughter, is first on the list. Do you have an ice cream maker? What’s your favorite flavor?

Ingredients
3 medium peaches (about 1 lb or 450g total weight)

1/4 cup, firmly packed, or 50g brown sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml honey
Good pinch salt
1 teaspoon butter
1 2/3 cups or 400ml whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup or 200g sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons aged rum (I used Ron Zacapa which is almost sweet, it is so mellow.)

Method
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Cut them into pieces.

Put one chopped peach in a small pot with the sugar, honey and salt and heat to a slow boil over a medium flame. Stir frequently.

Cook at a slow boil until the peaches are very soft and the sauce thickens.

If you are a candy thermometer person, and I highly recommend you become one if you aren’t already, heat till about 225°F or °C.  Add the butter and stir while it melts. Set aside to cool. I poured mine into another bowl so it would cool faster then added the butter because I was in a rush to get this ice cream in the freezer.

In your stand mixer or with electric beaters, whisk the cream and cream of tartar until the cream thickens.

Add the condensed milk and whisk until stiff peaks form.

You can see that the cream is already pretty thick.

Add the vanilla and rum and whisk again.

Very stiff now!

Reserve some chopped peaches and peach sauce to add on top of the ice cream.  Ever so gently, fold in the rest of the fresh peaches and peach sauce. I spooned the sauce in all over the surface so it would be easier to fold in and not be completely lost in the folding.

Put the mixture in an airtight container, top with the reserved peaches and sauce and freeze for several hours for soft serve or overnight for firmer ice cream. I had guests coming for dinner so mine was on the softer side, as you can see from the photos.

Enjoy!

Chief instigator ice cream maker, +Jenni Field is also making ice cream today! Have a look at her wonderful Speculoos Cookie Milk Ice Cream! 

Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Buttermilk Muffins #MuffinMonday

Simple, buttery cinnamon muffins, sweetened with dark brown sugar, smell gorgeous in the oven and taste even better once you get them out.

I gotta tell you. Summer’s hard. I want to be everywhere, see everyone, but it just doesn’t seem to happen like I’d like it to. A good friend from my Kuala Lumpur days was in Houston this week and things piled up and I completely forgot about her Facebook message and missed seeing her. Now I don’t even know how to apologize. Because I did dearly want to spend time with her and “I forgot” seems like the worst insult, however unintentional.

Houston is home base for a few weeks each summer, and I make sure that the whole family sees all the doctors and dentists, etc. for annual check ups. That way the medical records have continuity despite our expat status and many moves all around the world. Our girls have seen the same eye doctor since elder daughter was three years old and she is now 23. Same with the dentist and pediatrician (although they’ve moved on from the pediatrician) and I still see the OB/GYN who saw me through my pregnancy with her. And my own childhood dentist. It just makes sense, but it does make for a hectic few weeks, getting all the appointments scheduled, while trying to spend quality time with friends and family and doing the shopping for new clothes, shoes, etc.

So, to my friends in Houston: If I haven’t seen you yet, you are on the list! And if you don’t hear from me, don’t hesitate to call or send me a message. It’s not that I don’t love you. I’m just busy chasing my own tail.

And, on Mondays, I'm making muffins.

Ingredients
For the muffin batter:
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
3/4 cup or 170g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup or 180ml buttermilk (or 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar and top up to 3/4 cup with milk)
1/2 cup or 115g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs

For the topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your 12-cup muffin pan or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl mix together your flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk your buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and eggs.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Using a scoop or a tablespoon, distribute the batter among the muffin cups.

Mix the three tablespoons of sugar with one teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle liberally over all of the muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Remove the muffins from the muffin pan and cool further on a rack.

Enjoy!  How do you spend your summer holidays?

Potato and Leek Bake

Side dishes that can be served straight from the baking pan are so easy to bring along to barbecues and potlucks. Best of all this creamy, cheesy dish with potatoes and leeks is as delicious at room temperature as it is piping hot. Just don’t leave it unrefrigerated too long before eating. 

Despite my years abroad as a child, in some ways I led a sheltered life. Vegetables that are staples and taken for granted in other countries, like parsnips, leeks and fresh artichokes didn’t cross my radar until I was a grown up of 24 years old, already married and living in Sydney, Australia. That said, my family ate quite a few things that were perhaps unfamiliar to other people, like mirleton, collard greens and sweet spaghetti. (Full disclosure: The grownups ate spaghetti with sweet cheese sauce, made with sugar and melted American cheese. I thought it was nasty but my mother, father and grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. loved it.)

My food repertoire has expanded greatly since those days (although I still eschew the sweet spaghetti) and leeks have become one of my favorite things. Their mild oniony flavor makes them an excellent addition to any potato dish. I am going to give you approximate measures of what I use but know that one more potato or one more leek – or even if you want to hum a few other vegetables in with the leeks as they sauté – it’s all good.

Ingredients
2 large leeks, hard green parts removed (about 10 oz or 285g)

1 large knob butter (about one heaping tablespoon)
Drizzle olive oil
4 medium potatoes (about 10oz or 285g)
3/4 cup  or 180ml heavy cream
1 egg yolk
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4-1 oz or 25-30g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method
Wash your leeks thoroughly and then dry them as best you can in a colander or on a towel. Slice off and discard the ends with the roots. Cut them into lengths of about 1 inch or 2 centimeters.

Peel your potatoes, cut them in chunks.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease a casserole dish big enough to hold your leeks and potatoes in a single layer.  Set aside.

Put your butter in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and add the leeks. Sauté over a medium flame until they are turning golden in places. This will get rid of any extra water from the washing.

Now add the potatoes to the skillet and sauté for a few minutes until they are also turning golden in places.

Spoon the leeks and potatoes into your prepared baking dish.

Whisk your egg yolk into the cream and season with a good sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour the cream/yolk mixture over the potatoes and leeks.

Top with the Parmesan and another sprinkle of black pepper.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes in your preheated oven or until the cheese is well browned and the dish is bubbling.

Enjoy! Hope this rich side dish becomes your family favorite as well.