Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

The first time I had Mexican chocolate ice cream, I was at Marianne's Ice Cream in Santa Cruz, California, as a little kid. I remember there being 71 flavors and I'd spend forever tasting samples and probably driving the employees crazy. Out of 71 flavors, I'd frequently decide on the Mexican chocolate as my scoop du jour, and come on, out of 71 delicious flavors, that's saying something.

The combination of chocolate and cinnamon is fantastic. I find it in a lot of baked desserts. So it was time I tried my hand at chocolate and cinnamon in a homemade ice cream. Plus, I just purchased David Lebovitz's latest cookbook Ready for Dessert and I was in dire need to try something, ANYTHING, out of the book.

The result is an ice cream so rich, so chocolaty, that one friend said she could hardly call it ice cream. She said it was as if she were biting directly into a piece of chocolate. This is the kind of ice cream where you really only need a junior size, or a teeny tiny scoop, or perhaps even just a spoonful. You'll want it with a glass of milk or water. It is that chocolaty and rich. And delicious! A true chocolate lover's ice cream!


Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
Recipe by David Lebovitz in Ready for Dessert
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons brandy
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large egg yolks
1 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

In a large heatproof bowl, combine the chocolates, cream, and brandy. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and set a mesh strainer across the top.

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and cinnamon, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm milk-sugar mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth.

Set the bowl containing the custard over a large bowl of ice water. Stir the custard until cool, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stir the almonds into the just-churned ice cream when you remove it from the ice cream machine.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Heat the chocolates, cream, and brandy in a double boiler. Then pour into a bowl and place a strainer on top...

In a saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add some of this milk-sugar mixture to the eggs to temper the eggs. Then add all the egg back into this milk-sugar mixture and cook until it coats the back of a spatula...

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the bowl of cream-chocolate through the strainer. Then cover and chill in the fridge overnight...

Last step! Churn into amazing Mexican chocolate ice cream!

My Mother's Day Pick: Charles Chocolates

Chuck Siegel, owner of Charles Chocolates, and me!

Full disclosure: I love Charles Chocolates. Oh wait, that's the point of this post. Hehehe.

This Sunday is Mother's Day and whether you've already picked out the perfect gift for mom or you haven't, you should consider one more thing: Charles Chocolates. Truth is, you don't really need an excuse to treat yourself or a loved one to high quality chocolate. But if you buy Charles Chocolates for Mother's Day, the packaging is extra special.

Charles Chocolates, owned and run by Chuck Siegel, is a fabulous gourmet chocolate company based in San Francisco, but available online, too. They recently opened a flagship store in the big newish Westfield Shopping Center in downtown that has the beautiful Bloomingdale's and gourmet food court. This location makes me sooo happy because now these treats are convenient for the cityfolk! Turn your fantasy into a reality? Done! All of the chocolates are made in small batches, maintaining the integrity of the chocolates. And you should see how perfect each one looks as you hold it up to your magnifying glass. Because of course you have a magnifying glass you dedicate just to chocolate inspection. Charles Chocolates is perfection.


There are three gift options that are specifically Mother's Day themed. You could order the Mother's Day Edible Chocolate Box, where everything but the paper wrappers is meant to be eaten. And my Uncle Gary would probably even eat the wrapper if it had a fleck of chocolate on it. For $60, you get 18 pieces of chocolate and the gorgeous edible box they're in. The pieces include fleur de sel caramels and Chuck's famous peanut butterflies, plus more.


Another option is the $20 Mother's Day Fleur de Sel Caramel Collection in a beautiful non-edible blue and brown box. If I were a mom, I'd be thrilled to receive this gift! Future kiddo of mine, I hope you're listening!

And the third option is Three Months of Treats for Mom where you'll hook your mom up with Charles Chocolates from now until July 9th. I might have missed my chance on this one since orders needed to be received by May 5 so Mom could get her first of the three treats right away. That option is priced at $68.


There are lots of great chocolate items available year round that would also make fantastic Mother's Day gifts. One of my favorite Charles Chocolates products is the can of triple chocolate covered almonds for $12. Bite one in half, then examine the cross section, and you'll see just how thick the chocolate coating is around this almond. You will go nuts!


Good luck making up your mind what to order. It's never easy. But it's a good problem to have. Happy Mother's Day and give your mom a big kiss for me this weekend!

The Details:
Charles Chocolates Flagship Store
865 Market Street
Westfield San Francisco Centre
2nd Floor, on the Nordstrom Side
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 348-8889
Also at www.charleschocolates.com

Top Chef Season 2 Winner Ilan Hall and the Castle Cake He Made for My Friend's Birthday

Me and Chef Ilan Hall (I'm holding up a latke!)

Ah, Saturday night. I attended a friend's birthday held at The Gorbals, a restaurant-bar in downtown LA run by Bravo's Top Chef Season 2 winner Ilan Hall. You might have heard about Hall's somewhat controversial menu item: bacon-wrapped matzah balls. His father is from Scotland, his mother is from Jerusalem. Go figure! As I don't eat bacon, I didn't order these daring matzah balls and can't testify to their brilliance or ridiculousness. But! I did try the latkes with applesauce and honey and wow they are amazing! I think I might have to drizzle some honey on applesauce every time I eat it from now on!

A menorah is parked at the restaurant's cash register
reminding you of some of the menu items

Plus, the cocktails are unusual and feature bourbon and gin in interesting flavor combinations, and the beers on tap are great. I ordered a pale ale that went down light and easy, and then a beer called the Abbey, which was significantly stronger and served in a rounded lowball tumbler glass probably more appropriate for scotch. So fun and unexpected!

The open kitchen allows you to watch Chef Ilan Hall in action

Besides the menu, the atmosphere makes The Gorbals an awesome venue. The Gorbals is located inside the historic Alexandria Hotel of 1906 so be sure to get intentionally lost on your way in or out so you can see some of the neat architecture and design touches (though with plenty of a feeling of abandonment from this no-longer-functioning hotel). The interior of the restaurant includes an open kitchen so you can watch the chef do his thing, and there's a long communal table in the middle of the place for you to sit at unless you opt for a more private dining experience at a table for just your group. The waitress we had was spectacular, super attentive and kind, always offering us water, and making sure we were happy. Hall looked like he was having a great time balancing cooking with stepping out of the kitchen and mingling with the party folk. He's a very friendly guy.

And speaking of friendly, Hall is friends with my friend, the birthday boy. So naturally, what is a chef to do when his friend hosts his birthday party at his pal's restaurant? Hall made a giant castle-shaped bundt cake, deep fried it, drenched it in some sort of vanilla glaze, sprinkled powdered sugar on top, and then finished it off with sparkler candles. Deep frying the entire cake basically resulted in a giant donut. And it was delicious!

The castle cake Ilan Hall made for my friend's birthday

To top off an already fun evening, I said a little hello to some comedians who came out for my friend's party, sending my celeb interaction quota for the day off the charts. You see, my friend is in the comedy business. In fact, I was told there were plenty more comedians in the room, but unless they're from Zoolander or they're about to host the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, they just look like the next guy to me.

I highly recommend you grab a drink and order some small plates at The Gorbals. And say hello to Ilan Hall. If you two hit things off and become fast friends, maybe he'll make you a giant castle birthday cake donut thingy, too!


The Making of the Giant Castle Birthday Cake Donut Thingy in Pictures:

Deep frying the castle cake

Pouring the glaze over the hot, just fried cake

Sprinkled with powdered sugar, the cake gets some sparkler candles

The candles are lit and the Happy Birthday Song is about to commence!

The Details:
The Gorbals
501 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90013
(213) 488-3408

The Container I Swear By to Store My Homemade Ice Cream

I have been making ice cream from scratch for a few years now. Until recently, I was storing the ice cream in airtight Tupperware containers. It worked fine enough. But one day not too long ago, my mom bought me an ice cream container from Crate and Barrel that advertised it could keep a pint of ice cream frozen for 90 minutes outside the freezer. What!!! Turns out the Crate and Barrel container was just repackaged for the store, but it's actually a Zak Designs Ice Cream Tub. It has insulation in both the tub and the lid that keeps the ice cream from melting! And I know it works as I've tested it! The tub comes in four colors: green, orange, blue, and white, and costs about $12. The lid twists on and off easily. Plus, isn't that spoon on the lid adorable?

Let's just pause for a second on the fact that you can keep the ice cream out for 90 minutes. That's life changing! Earth shattering! It means you can bring it to a picnic and it won't melt right away while you eat your sandwich and potato salad first. It also means you can drive with it to a party, even a party that is 50 miles away, and it won't melt in the car! It's also great at home when you're hosting a party, ice cream social or any theme, and you want to leave the ice cream flavors out so people can serve themselves. Before this tub, I'd take my Tupperware container out, serve everyone at once, and then put the container back in the freezer so the ice cream doesn't melt. If anyone wanted seconds, they'd have to take it out of the freezer. See! Colossal!

Most of the time, I only make one ice cream recipe at a time, but last week I made a few ice cream flavors and only had the one white Zak Designs tub my mom got me at Crate and Barrel. It was then I realized I'd need to place an order for some more tubs...stat! So I went to Amazon and purchased the orange and the blue. I'm still holding off on the green, despite LOVING the color, because sadly it's the one color that is not eligible for Amazon Prime and I refuse to pay for shipping when I don't have to.

If you make homemade ice cream, you really should invest a couple bucks into one of these containers. It will change your life forever and the way you think about ice cream. Heck, you could even buy one for a friend, make ice cream, fill it with that ice cream, and drive it to the friend's house to present it to her with a nice big ribbon. She gets ice cream and a container out of it, plus you've just proven to her that it works as you sat in traffic for 30 minutes to hand deliver it! Ain't that sweet!

Marshmallow Failure: You Can't Win 'Em All!

The finished product before being cut into squares, and retitled Ugly Marshmallows

This is my first ever attempt at making marshmallows. It didn't work out according to plan. It was supposed to be easy. They were supposed to be beautiful and impressive. I was supposed to be triumphant. But no. It was an ugly, sticky mess and now that I'm done pouting, I'm willing to share the photos with you.


I'd like to be able to say it was 4am when I made these and I was too tired to read the instructions carefully, but honestly, I have no idea where I went wrong and it wasn't 4am. Baking mishaps happen to everyone and this is my new personal favorite. The blob in the photo at the top makes me giggle to no end! I will say, though, that the final product does taste very much like a marshmallow. You just need to be blindfolded from the hideous sight while nibbling. Better luck next time!

National Food Bloggers Bake Sale - From LA to SF

Seriously, what are the chances of what I'm about to tell you happening?

I was very sad when I realized I had booked a weekend getaway to the Bay Area during the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale - a national event where cities across the country organize their own blogger bake sales, all scheduled for the same day, and 100% of the money raised goes to charity. I would have baked and participated in the Los Angeles one had I been in town. Plus, I was sad to miss out on tasting the wares of dedicated LA foodies who I follow online.


So, as I said above, what are the chances I'd be in San Francisco with my mom on the day of the national event and stumble upon the San Francisco version of the national bake sale! Holy bujeezus! Take me to Vegas to win big! I couldn't believe I wasn't going to miss out on the event after all and was standing in front of several tables of delicious-looking baked goods, all grouped by price, and sold by their bakers. Breads, muffins, cookies, French macarons, spicy caramel corn, even cake pops!


And when I asked one of the bloggers for her blog business card so I could check out her blog when I got home, I read the name on the card and fell speechless for a moment. It was Anita of Dessert First, a blogger I've been following for years already. I was buying baked goods made by a blogger I already loved. How lucky am I? My mom and I ended up purchasing quite a few tasty treats, including a banana bread cake ball, rhubarb ginger crumb cake, a three-pack of lavender sugar cookies, spicy caramel corn, a chocolate chocolate chip cookie, and an almond tea cake with apricot pieces. Everything was outstanding.


More information about the bake sale can be found at What's Gaby Cooking, home of the blogger who ran the nationwide event.

I hope this blogger bake sale happens again. I just LOVE the idea of it!

Dairy Onion Noodle Kugel

What a kugel! Yummmmmmmy yum yum! This recipe comes from a really neat cookbook my mom and I found at a used bookstore in Mountain View, California. The book is filled with kugel recipes, some printed exactly as they were first hand-written generations ago by some Jewish grandmother from Lithuania (perhaps). Since I let my mom keep the one copy we found at the bookstore, I'm going to have to get myself a copy, too! That's because now that I've tasted a recipe out of the book - this Dairy Onion Noodle Kugel - I am sold. This kugel is that fabulous. Serve it with a salmon dinner or as the main attraction. And it yields a large amount, filling a 9x13 casserole dish to the top even after packing it in.

One note for all you kugel-clueless people out there: It calls for wide noodles. No, that does not mean you can use fettuccine or lasagna noodles. Wide noodles are a specific type of noodle often found in the kosher aisle at your supermarket, often made with egg, though there are yolk-free versions. So don't go buying your favorite Italian pasta for this dish. Or fine, do, but then you've taken the little Jewish Lithuanian grandma out of the recipe.

Enjoy!


Dairy Onion Noodle Kugel
Recipe by Nina Yellin in Kugel, Knishes,and Other Tasty Dishes
Makes 10 servings

1 pound wide noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 pound butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 pint sour cream
1 large white onion, chopped
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Pour into greased 10" x 10" baking pan (I used a 9 x 13 pan). Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and paprika, and dot with butter. Bake 1 hour.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Boil the noodles and drain...

Stir in the melted butter and softened cream cheese...

Stir in the sour cream...

Add the eggs...

Stir in the breadcrumbs (I used leftover matzah meal), chopped onion, salt and pepper...

Spread into the prepared pan, then sprinkle additional breadcrumbs and paprika if desired, and dot with butter...

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour...