Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

I don't really talk much here about products that I love (but maybe I will from now on....maybe someone "in charge" would see that I loved their products and send me some freebies.....maybe not) but I've got to tell you about this ice cream.

I'll get to the ice creams themselves in a minute, but first a little about Jeni....

"Jeni Britton Bauer became inspired to make artisan American ice creams while working at a French pastry shop.  Drawing on the practices of a traditional pastry kitchen, Jeni and her small team carefully craft each batch of ice cream in her airy production kitchen.

Jeni's ice creams are made with exquisite, grass-grazed Ohio cream and finished with just-picked produce, herbs and fresh cheeses from surrounding frams or fairly traded exotics such as fragrant Ugandan vanilla beans.

Jeni Britton Bauer and her husband Charly Bauer, co-founded the company in 2002.  Together with their team, they make every batch of ice cream, hand pack them into pints and ship them out fresh each day."

So, couple all that with the fact that she graduated from THE Ohio State University, and I knew I'd love her ice cream......just not HOW much I'd love her ice cream.  And OMG....the flavors are genius.  Here's what I ordered.....

Honey Vanilla Bean....amazing cream flavor is lifted up and exalted by subtle hints of honey and vanilla

Queen City Cayenne....rich chocolate slowly reveals hints of spice.  Finish is pleasantly tingly

Pistachio and Honey....pure and true pistachio flavor; very lightly sweetened for a savory finish

Thai Chili....complex flavors of hot, salty, savory, and sweet melt to provide a satisfying treat.  Spicy finish lingers.

Bourbon Buttered Pecan.....subtle corn mash notes come first, followed by rich and savory pecans, a charming hit of Bourbon finishes.

Mackenzie Creamery Goat Cheese with Roasted Red Cherries....sweet-tart roasted Michigan cherries are balanced by the tang of pur goat cheese,  Like a cherry cheesecake but even better.

Riesling Poached Pear....a surprisingly rich sorbet; pure pear flavor with unique pear texture; sweet Riesling notes shine on the finish.

The Buckeye State....our version of Ohio's favorite confection.  Rich and salty peanut butter yields to the crunch of exceptional dark chocolate for perfect balance.  Total comfort for Buckeyes and Buckeyes at heart.

Rhubarb Rose....pleasantly pink!  Creamy with a burst of sweet wine flavor and a hint of not-too-sweet rhubarb.

My favorites have to be the Queen City Cayenne and the Thai Chili just because they're so freaking unique and I love the contradiction of the cool ice cream sliding down your throat followed by the heat of the spice.....you just keep eating to have that sensation over and over!  Right behind those two are The Buckeye State (duh!) and Pistachio and Honey....so creamy and so pistachioy!

So if you don't live in Columbus (several locations) you can order Jeni's here.  And make sure you check out her blog, Salty Caramel for recipes and events.

I'm off to run for the next several hours to work that shit off.  It was worth it!!

TWD - Apple-Apple Bread Pudding

I like bread pudding, I really do.  I just don't love it because so many times it tends to be dry and not that flavorful.  Unfortunately, this one fell into that category.  Not so much dry as just not flavorful.  I was serving this to friends so I did a little taste test after it cooled just to make sure.  You know.....you don't want to serve something crappy to your friends.  I thought it needed something else.......but what?

I had some of Jeni's Splendid Honey Vanilla Bean ice cream in the freezer that I knew I was going to use (more about Jeni's tomorrow) but I thought it still needed something else so I made some of David Lebovitz's Rich Caramel Sauce and added a little extra sea salt.  OMG.

So with some fabulous accoutrements this turned into a really great dessert.  I'm not sure I'd make the bread pudding again (sorry, Dorie) but that caramel sauce?  I'm serving that on everything from now on.  And I mean everything!!

Thanks to Elizabeth of Cake or Death for this week's pick.

Here's the recipe for the caramel sauce....

Rich Caramel Sauce

David Lebovitz "Ready for Dessert"

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt, or more to taste (I used one teaspoon sea salt)

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to caramelize, then turns dark amber in color and begins to foam a bit (it should smell and look like it's just on the verge of burning).  Remove from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream.  Stir until the sauce is smooth, then stir in the vanilla and salt.  Let cool, then taste, and add more salt, if desired.  Serve the sauce warm.

Exclusive Resorts - Grand Cayman

So I've been home a little less than a week and I already want to go back!!  This was our second trip to Grand Cayman and it's easily becoming (another) one of our favorite ER destinations.  For one, it's fairly simple for us to get to.....just a little over a two hour plane ride from HotLanta and then once you land, it just a short 15 minutes and you're officially vacationing!  Easy peasy for us Southerners.

The ER homes are on the same property as the Ritz Carlton and while we don't have the ocean views of the Ritz, is a couple of minutes in your golf cart and you can enjoy all the amenities of the hotel......great restaurants including Eric Ripert's Blue, state of the art workout facility and a fabulous spa.

We had a four year old and a seven month old along on this trip so, for us, carting all of the shizzle they require was a little cumbersome to go to the beach every day.  The beach access for the Ritz is actually across the street from the main portion of the hotel, so it's quite a haul, even after you park your golf cart at the front door.

That being said, that beach is the mack-daddy!!  The water is amazingly clear and they've got some of the best adult "toys" of any resort beach I've ever been to.  I've got to find out where they get these floating tables and chairs!  Are those sweet, or what??  They also had covered beds floating out there big enough for at least two!  So fun.

And if the water's not your thing, the sand is awesome for building forts!  At least that's what these two thought.  

Since we had Emma, who requires shade, we did rent one of the covered beds on the beach.  They were $100 for the day.  I'm not sure if you can reserve them....it wasn't busy when we were there so it wasn't an issue, but if you're going during the high season you may want to check with your concierge about that.

So for the homes......they are located on the golf course, just down from the tennis courts on a gated street.

We have stayed in the same house, #9, both times (totally a coincidence), so I don't have any experience to speak of other than this house.  #1-#9 are on the left, which means the back sides are mostly facing East, so we got great morning sun at the pool which meant by late afternoon we were getting some much appreciated shade for cocktail hour!

I think we saw two golfers the entire week, so it was really quiet and private.

The interior of the homes are fabulous, too.  Four bedrooms....two king rooms downstairs...and two rooms upstairs, one with a king bed and one with two doubles.  We had plenty of room.

For the most part, we just hung out and played in the pool and enjoyed the family time.

And we all might have done some of this......perfect place to recharge your batteries.  Although this guy's retired and living the good life, so I'm not sure what he's recharging, exactly!!

We checked out Georgetown one afternoon and made fun of the drunk cruise ship dwellers at Jimmy Buffett's restaurant!  Got to get your entertainment somewhere!

And we did spend one afternoon on the boat.  This one was part of Cayman Luxury Charters and I would highly recommend them.  We just went out for half a day since we had Reece, but we got to swim with the stingrays.,

find starfish, snorkel and jet ski.  A really fun afternoon.

And the highlight of Reece's and Mr. B's week might have been when the SpongeBob Ice Cream truck pulled up on the street.   They were in heaven!!  It doesn't take much for those two.

All in all, everyone had a great time at another great ER location.

And if you're in need of a good chuckle, watch this video of Nan trying to feed Emma her green beans.....and trying to get her first words to be "nan nan nan nan"!

Barefoot Bloggers - Spring Green Risotto

I feel like the only recipes I've posted lately have been of the sweet variety so I was thrilled when this month's BB selections were announced and both were savory.  I was even more thrilled when one of them happened to be risotto.  Ina knows risotto.  This one might be my favorite.......slightly crunchy veggies, tangy lemon and creamy mascarpone.  Nom, nom, nom.

I get asked a lot about making risotto by people who seem to be really intimidated by it.  It's really not hard, but it does take a little bit of time and your full attention.  My best piece of advice for full proof risotto is good preparation.  Have all your ingredients chopped, measured and ready to go before you start cooking.  Actually this is good advice for all recipes, but it's really important for this.  If you've got what the professionals call mise en place, everything in its place, then you can devote all of your attention to the slow addition of the liquid and the stirring.  Which is how you get creamy risotto.  And happy eaters.

Thanks to Kimberly of Indulge and Enjoy for a perfect Spring choice.  Here's the recipe.

Spring Green Risotto

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Ingredients


1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped fennel
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 pound thin asparagus
10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving


Directions


Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

TWD - Quick Classic Berry Tart

I'm back from vacay.  You're thrilled, right?  Thought so.  I always have a fabulous time on vacation, but am always happy to get home, too.  Except for the unpacking part.  Hate that part.  It leads to the laundry part.  Which I try to avoid.  Hence, the unpacked bag still sitting in my bedroom right now.  Hopefully, I'll tackle that by the weekend.

I did find time to get this week's TWD selection made, however.  I've been eyeing this tart in Dorie's books for a long time.  I love fruit tarts and this one is deeeeelish!  Although, I think this crust could make feet taste good.  So flaky and almost impossible to screw up.  Even for me.

Although Dorie recommends eating this the same day it's made, someone in the P&Q section recommended lightly brushing the baked crust with melted white chocolate if you wanted to assemble the tarte a little in advance.  And while I thought this wouldn't last long here, that just sounded like a great idea.  White chocolate on anything sounds like a great idea, right?  It was.  I also added a half teaspoon almond extract to the pastry cream, because that sounded like a great idea too.

Thanks to Cristine of Cooking with Cristine for hosting this week.  Loved the pick.  Check out her site for the recipe.

Happy Mother's Day, Nan!

Happy Mother's Day, Nan.  This is your 50th year of being "The Mother".  NOT of me, but still.......

Since you'll be spending the day in an airport, celebrate on Monday!  It's on me.  Your NOT 50 year old child!!

Love you!!

Cayman Vacay.......

In case you've missed me, and I prefer to kid myself and think you have, I'm vacaying in the Cayman Islands this week.  Eat your hearts out, bitches!  We haven't seen a cloud all week.

We're here for a little family bonding so we brought the 'rents along!

And these two little squirts......

Those eyes.......they'll melt your heart!

And because we're too lazy to attend to all their needs, we brought their 'rents, too.

We've played in the ocean,

swam with some stingrays,

and pondered the ugliness of the iguanas.

Things will be back to normal next week, hopefully.  But I'll bet Miss Emma will miss her great grandpop.

And I'll miss seeing babies in teeny weeny bikinis that don't have to worry about sucking it in.

Have a great weekend!