Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

For the longest time I didn't stock vanilla beans in my pantry.  Sure, I had vanilla extract, but I am not a huge fan of vanilla-flavored things, so I didn't think vanilla beans were a necessity.  I mean at $2.50 each, they are a bit pricey.  But at a recent family gathering we talked about making our own vanilla extract and how it was so easy and economical.  So I bought some vanilla beans for that.  I kept one aside for making those Browned Butter Peach Bars, and then my dad sent my some, so I've had a good supply to experiment with.  While I found the vanilla flavor a bit over-powering in the Browned Butter Peach Bars (I'm thinking of making those again but with a lavander-peach jam instead of the orange-peach combination), the vanilla in this ice cream is perfect.  Perfect.  This whole ice cream is perfect, if you like premium, custard-based ice creams, and boy, do I!  The texture is smooth and creamy. Immediately out of the churn, it was a soft-serve consistency.  A few hours and a few days later it is perfectly scoop-able.  The sweetness is just right, not cloying or overdone.  The vanilla is pleasant without being overpowering.  It is the perfect thing to serve atop a summer fruit dessert and the perfect background to all sorts of mix-ins.  (I chose brownies, because those brownies that I complained about a month or so ago, remember them?  They have a really pleasing, chewy consistency when frozen.  Of course, I had already run out of that batch when I made this, so I had to make a new batch of brownies.  This time I chose a Hazelnut Brownie, which we'll get to soon enough.)

Plan to start this ice cream the evening before you plan to serve it.  I know that seems like a lot of lead time, but if you plan ahead you can integrate the steps into your life and get it done without it feeling like a chore.

All summer I've shied away from custard-based ice creams for reasons:  not wanting to throw together a batch of merengues with the leftover egg whites, and not wanting to stand over a hot stove stirring the custard constantly for 10 minutes or more.  Maybe I've had some bad experiences with custards in the past, but when I started this one my mind went through a mental checklist: Whisk.  Check.  Rubber Scraper.  Check.  Mesh strainer. Check.  Egg yolks in a glass measuring cup.  Check.  Tall glass of water in case I get thirsty.  Check.   Something to read in case this goes on too long.  Check.  Thermometer.  Where is that thermometer?  Maybe I should dig it out.  Oh, but the heat is already on and I am supposed to be stirring constantly.  Wait...  Before I could even get through the checklist the custard had thickened.  I don't know why it happened so fast, except that when the custard part of the process starts the milk has already been heated with the sugar, and a vanilla bean has been steeping in the mixture for an hour, so it is still warm.

David L's Vanilla Ice Cream
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1 cup whole milk
A pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 egg yolks (the original recipe calls for large, I used medium)
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.  Scrape vanilla bean seeds out of vanilla bean pod.  Add vanilla seeds and pod to milk and cover.  Let the mixture infuse for 1 hour.

2.  Prepare an ice bath by placing a medium size bowl or measuring cup (1 1/2 quarts) into a large bowl filled with some ice and water. Pour cream into medium bowl and set mesh strainer over bowl.

3.  In 2-cup glass measuring cup or small mixing bowl whisk together egg yolks.  Return vanilla-infused milk-sugar mixture to the heat.  Do not remove vanilla bean yet.  Heat the milk until steaming.  Then gradually pour some of the milk into the egg yolks to temper them.  This keeps them from becoming scrambled eggs when you mix them into he hot milk.  Stir at least half of the hot milk into the egg yolks. Then return pan to the heat and gradually pour the tempered egg yolks into the remaining milk, stirring gently as you do so.

4.  Heat the custard over low or medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens to coat the back of a spoon.  (Dip a spoon in the custard, then pull your finger along the back of the spoon, if the line where the custard was removed remains distinct, the custard is ready.)  Depending on the temperature of your stove, this may take as little as 5 minutes or as much as 20 minutes.

5. Pour custard through strainer into cream.  (You are removing the vanilla bean, as well as any scrambled-egg clumps.)  Use a spatula or whisk to gently stir custard in strainer and encourage it to strain through.  With clean utensil stir in vanilla extract and continue stirring to cool mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and let ripen overnight or up to 24 hours.

6. In the morning or afternoon of the following day, churn custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  Twenty minutes in my Cuisinart gives it a soft serve consistency.  Pack in a quart size container (layering in up to 3/4 cup mix-ins, if desired).  Freeze at least 2 hours before serving for perfect scoopability.

Miso-Glazed Squash

Sometimes a quick stir-fry is incredibly satisfying, but sometimes it is incredibly boring.  I think the secret might be in the sauce.  If a trip to the Saturday morning farmers market has left me famished--and if I am not in the mood for eggs and potatoes--my go-to meal is a vegetable stir-fry.  In the summer it might consist of zucchini, onions, mushrooms and a little diakon radish with teriyaki sauce, but this weekend I picked up a hunk of some kind of deep orange winter squash and a big bunch of celery.  Oh, and I completely forgot to get onions; that is going to bother me all week!

I don't usually eat a lot of winter squash, but every fall I like to buy an assortment of squash and set them out as decorations.  Invariably, at some point I try to cook them and eat them.  Invariably, my husband complains that he hates squash, and, most often, I kind of agree.  But I still get sucked in.  And this week, one of the vendors I visit every week had these beautiful pumpkin-like squash pre-cut in approximately 1-pound hunks, so I decided to buy some to roast and cube to give to the baby.  But then, dinnertime rolled around and I didn't have anything specific planned.  And the squash was in the oven.  And my husband wasn't home to be bothered by my tofu habit, so I decided to make stir-fry.  Teriyaki didn't seem like the right accompaniment to squash, but miso goes well with pumpkin.

I am so tempted to say that if you don't like squash, this might not be the recipe for you, but you know, you might be surprised.  Ironically, my 14-month-old, who I had purchased the squash for in the first place, didn't seem to like it.  She's been a bit averse to new vegetables lately.  Luckily, I did enjoy the squash--it's vibrant flavor pairs well with the salty-sweet glaze--so I won't mind eating the leftovers that I had planned for her.

Miso-Glazed Winter Squash with Tofu


Makes 3-4 servings.
Miso is a salty, soy-based paste available in Oriental food stores and Natural Food stores.  Kept in the refrigerator, tightly covered, it will last for at least a year.  


To press tofu, lay cubes on double layer of a kitchen towel.  Fold towel over on tofu and press gently to absorb water.  This step helps tofu absorb seasoning and reduces splattering when frying.


To roast squash, cut in half, scoop out seeds.  Cut into large chunks, coat with a little oil and roast somewhere between 350º and 400º for 30 minutes to an hour, until somewhat tender.  It will finish cooking in the stir-fry.  I give a range in temperatures, because this is the kind of thing that can be done with something else.  So if you have something already in the oven, roast the squash at that temperature as long as it is in the range.  Of course, the squash will cook faster at a higher temperature and smaller chunks will cook faster than larger ones.

1/2 pound firm tofu, cubed and pressed
2 tablespoons frying oil, such as canola or peanut
2 or 3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 pound deep-orange fleshed winter squash, roasted and cubed
1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas or pre-cooked edamame

2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon water

Hot cooked rice for serving
Toasted sesame seeds to garnish, if desired

1.  Lay tofu in single layer on a plate and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon soy sauce.  Let sit a few minutes to absorb seasoning.

2.  Heat oil over medium -high heat in large skillet or wok.  When oil is hot, add celery.  Stir-fry 2 minutes to soften celery.  Add squash and fry approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Don't stir too much, or you will break up the cubes.  Let one side brown before turning carefully.  Move squash to the side of the pan, swirl so that oil coats the empty side of the pan.  Add more oil if necessary.  Add tofu.  Again, allow tofu to brown on one side before turning carefully.  Cook tofu about 5 minutes total.

3.  Meanwhile mix remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce with miso paste, lemon juice, maple syrup and water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. When tofu has browned to your liking, carefully stir in peas or edamame.  Cook 30 seconds, then add soy-miso sauce.  Let sauce bubble 30 seconds, then spoon stir-fried vegetables and sauce over rice.

Homemade Pizza I

Pizza.  Everyone loves it.  Seems as if most food bloggers have dabbled with it.  I must admit that when I first started this blog one of my goals was to find a go-to recipe for homemade pizza.  I've been making my own pizza for years, thinking it was more economical than restaurant pizza and appreciating that I had more control over the healthfulness and quality of the finished product.

Fridays are our pizza night. This started a few years ago when we lived in Kansas City with my husband's dear aunt and uncle.  Somehow the tradition of Pizza and Popcorn Fridays started and I think it was something that all of us looked forward to.  As the cook, it was easy for me, because when one makes a double-batch of crust every other week the in-between pizzas are incredibly simple to put together.  I'm sure the Mid-Westerners in the house looked forward to it as "the one night of the week when that crazy Californian isn't trying to stuff us full of vegetables."   If memory serves me correctly, I made two pizzas every Friday.  One had to be Pepperoni-Mushroom, but the other was whatever I wanted it to be:  BBQ Chicken?  Sausage with Caramelized Onion?

Honestly, I don't remember what recipe for pizza dough I used back in Kansas City.  Some time in the last year or so I discovered King Arthur' Flour's Now and Later Pizza Dough recipe, and I haven't looked back.

Well... until my daughter and I were both were not feeling well on a recent Friday.  It was the first time in years that we picked up a pizza at Round Table, and it was so satisfying, that I felt guilty for forcing my family to eat homemade pizza for all these years.  

Don't get me wrong.  This pizza dough is good stuff.  It has an earthy sweetness from the semolina flour and, depending on how long you allow it to rest, a wonderful, character-building tang.  My only caution is that you must make sure to stretch it out well, so that the final crust is not too thick and doughy.  That and, don't try to make it from memory.  I've tried this several times and I always seem to mess up at least one of the quantities, which, needless to say, results in an inferior product.  When made correctly, this makes a great, flavorful crust for a pizza, but I am not convinced that it is the best, so, please, if you have a favorite pizza dough recipe, let me know.

Also, great pizza depends not only on flavorful, crisp crust, but also on a good sauce, which must be thick enough to not make the crust soggy, and which must have an appropriate zest.  

And cheese:  it must have the right texture and flavor.  Lately I've found grocery-store mozzarella boring.

And toppings:   Pepperoni-Mushroom is the favorite combination in our house, and there are definitely differences in the qualities and spiciness of different commercially available pepperonis.

It seems as if the search for "the best" homemade pizza recipe may go on forever, and I suppose that is ok.

Now and Later Pizza Crust

doubled and adapted from King Arthur Flour
Semolina is available in Natural Foods stores.  It has a wonderful flavor, but it is a very practical ingredient as well.  Have you seen bread or pizza recipes that tell you to dust the pan with cornmeal or semolina?  At high temperatures cornmeal burns, semolina does not.  Makes 4 pizza crusts.

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 1/2 cups semolina
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning, crushed well*
2 teaspoons sugar*
2 teaspoons yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 olive oil
2 1/4 -2 1/2 cups lukewarm filtered water

*Original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons King Arthur Pizza Dough Flavor.  I have substituted Italian Seasoning and sugar.

1.  Mix all ingredients using enough water so that the dough holds its shape.  I like to do this in my stand mixer using the dough hook, but you could do it by hand as well (or in a food processor, if yours has a large enough capacity). This dough doesn't need to be kneaded for a long time, just long enough to moisten all the flour and form a stiff dough (a minute or two).

2.  Transfer dough to a greased bowl or pitcher, cover and let rise at room temperature 45 minutes.  Then transfer to the refrigerator and allow to rest and rise slowly 4 to 36 hours.  The longer the rise, the better the flavor of the crust.

3.  Divide chilled dough into 4 balls.  One at a time, stretch balls out into circles: 9" for a thick crust, 12" for a thin crust.  Set dough rounds onto parchment paper.  If dough is difficult to stretch, let partially-stretched dough rest 10 minutes and continue to stretch.  You could also use a rolling pin to roll the dough, but the texture of a stretched pizza crust seems to be superior (read: more craggy).

4.  Preheat oven to 450º.  Let dough rounds rise on parchment 30 minutes to 1 hour.

5.  One at a time, bake rounds (on parchment--no pizza peel required) on pizza stone (if you have one): 6 minutes for a thinner crust or 8 minutes for a thicker crust.  You don't want it completely baked, just partially-baked, enough to stand up to the topping and have a bit of a head-start on browning.

6.  At this point, you can let the crusts cool to room temperature, then wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a few weeks.  (Ideally remove crust from the freezer and allow to thaw before topping and baking, though I've had no problem topping and baking frozen crusts.)

Or, to bake right away:  Top with your choice of sauce, cheese and toppings and return to the oven (on parchment, but not on the pizza stone) to bake an additional 7-10 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and browned in some spots.  Cool pizza at least 3 minutes before slicing with pizza cutter.

Pizza Tips
The sauce- should be fairly thick.  To sauce a pizza, use a large serving spoon to spoon room-temperature sauce onto the center of the crust.  Then use a circular motion to spread sauce out to the edges of the crust.  If you have an unseasoned tomato sauce that you feel is the right texture for a pizza sauce, rather than combining the sauce with seasonings (such as sauteed garlic and Italian Seasoning) on the stove top, sprinkle the crust with chopped garlic, parsley, oregano and rosemary, then top with sauce.  Or use a bottled, non-tomato-based alternative such as pesto or BBQ sauce.

The cheese- most cheeses taste good on pizza, but many (such as cheddar) are too greasy or (in the case of asiago) too hard and dry to be a pizza's primary cheese.  Until you are familiar with the textures, flavors and meltability of certain cheeses, use mozzarella (either fresh or regular, whole- or part-skim) for at least 3/4 of your pizza cheese.  Oh, and if possible, stay away from pre-shredded cheeses.  They are coated with a flour-like substance that can hinder their meltability.

The toppings-  in this part of the country, people tend to place their toppings on top of the cheese, but certain toppings may benefit from the protection that a layer of cheese can provide.  Garlic, fresh spinach and parsley are all prone to burning if exposed directly to high heat.  Precooked chicken may dry out if not protected by a layer of cheese.  Conversely, mushrooms, zucchini and other high-moisture veggies, might let off too much moisture if evaporation is stifled by a layer of cheese.  Therefore, those ingredients do better on top of the cheese.  Always distribute both cheese and toppings more heavily toward the outer edges of the pizza, as toppings are prone to slide toward the middle.

Most of all, experiment and have fun.  And please share your winning pizza tips in the Comments section.