In A Nutshell

Indescribably good! I had this flavor at an ice cream shop called La Michoacana; they have the most amazing ice cream and paletas. It’s really a sight to see! I have tried to duplicate their Three Marias and Rice Pudding ice cream flavors with varying success but I think I nailed this one. I like to use the Jenny’s ice cream recipe (with a few changes) as my base and then tinker with it for flavors such as this. 2 cups whole milk 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 1 T plus 1 t cornstarch 3 T cream cheese (room temp.- 1 1/2 oz.) 6 1/2 oz. (half the 13 oz. container) Nutella 1/2 c sugar 2 T light corn syrup 1 t vanilla paste 5 chopped Ferrer-Rocher 1 1/2 T vodka Mix around 2 T of the milk with the cornstarch in a separate bowl and set aside. Whisk the cream cheese with the Nutella in a metal bowl and fill a larger metal bowl with ice and water.  Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in a heavy saucepan; bring to a rolling boil, watch

If you are looking for reasons to buy unusual liqueurs to add to your collection, I can help. Sure, it’s true that six months down the line when you’ve moved on to other cocktails requiring different unusual liqueurs, you’ll be saying to yourself, “hmmmm.... Cocchi Americano Rosa...what do I do with that???” But still— what a collection you’ll have! 2 Luxardo cherries Mint leaves 1 oz. Cocchi Americano Rosa 1 oz. Pisco 1 oz. hibiscus liqueur 1/2 oz. lime juice Crushed ice Muddle the cherries with a mint leaf in a cocktail shaker; add the liquors and lime juice along with regular ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice and garnish with a mint leaf —and if you’re feeling generous an additional Luxardo cherry. Makes one drink.

Tomato season is glorious! I can’t get enough of the luscious garden tomatoes; like the rays of the summer sun, I just want to soak them up, revel in them and try to store away the joy they bring in order to conjure the memory during the darkest, gloomiest part of winter. I have 12 tomato plants this year and it has been fun growing some unusual varieties: Peach, Big Rainbow, German Green, Pink Brandywine as well as the standards. For this tart, I used the classic Beefsteak tomato. The reddest red with a pure tomato flavor. The recipe originates (with some adjustments) from Midwest Living magazine (June 2005); it is a classic to love and cherish. A note about the piecrust: I have tried so many different recipes, methods and techniques but in the end I love my own (very easy) recipe the most. I have been making this pretty successfully since high school and I’ve found that I only run into trouble when I try to deviate. Having said this, you can use your own recipe, one from  Smi

This recipe is adapted from Saveur magazine; it makes great use of summer fruit. I won’t give amounts for the salad ingredients— just make however much you need or want. Peaches, sliced Plums, sliced Arugula Sliced red onion (you can marinate these in a small amount of dressing if you want to take out the bite) Feta or Goat cheese crumbles Anything else you fancy: almonds, beets, dried cherries etc. Dressing : 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper 1 t honey 1 t Dijon mustard chopped cilantro (optional) 1/2 cup EVOO Whisk together and drizzle a bit over the salad. 

I got this idea from my friend Julie who was telling me about a blueberry, basil and black pepper pie one of her co-workers made. I thought it would be delicious to make a syrup with those flavors and use it in a margarita. I made this drink once using Grand Marnier and once using a blueberry liqueur which is a little more difficult to find but worth having if you love cocktails like I do. The syrup can be used for any type of drink- the possibilities are endless. If you really want to jazz it up, mix a little chili powder or Tajin in with the salt. Blueberry, Basil & Black Pepper Syrup: 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups blueberries 2 or 3 leaves of basil 1 t black peppercorns, lightly crushed Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 4 or 5 minutes until thick and syrupy looking. Let steep for 1 hour and then strain into a jar.  For the cocktail: 2 oz. tequila (I used blanco but nothing fancy) 1/2 oz.