Ginger Ice Cream with Honey-Sesame Brittle

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently made an Ethiopian dinner for friends. While I was planning the meal, I realized I couldn't think of any classic Ethiopian desserts to make because there are none. Ethiopians traditionally don't eat dessert. But I knew my table full of robust Americans (I can say that because I was the most robust of them all), would enjoy a little something sweet. So I thought maybe an ice cream using one of the flavors from the meal would be complimentary. It was right on the money. My guests really enjoyed the assertive kick of the ginger with the sweet, crunchy sesame brittle. It's probably not going to win over the kids, but that's why we keep chocolate ice cream in the freezer (yea, that's right, for the kids).

 GINGER ICE CREAM WITH HONEY-SESAME BRITTLE

Yield: 1 quart

Ginger Ice Cream:

3 1/2 oz. unpeeled ginger root, cut into long strips

2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons honey

Honey-Sesame Brittle:

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup sesame seeds

zest of 1/2 orange

1.      Place ginger strips in small saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the ginger and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Drain the water.

2.      Mix tapioca starch with 1/4 cup of the heavy cream to make a smooth slurry. Add the salt and mix. Set aside.

3.      Combine ginger, milk, remaining 1 1/4 cups cream, sugar, and honey in 4 qt. saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil at medium high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in tapioca starch slurry.

4.      Return mixture to a boil and cook, stirring until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

5.      Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc bag or 1-quart container and store in fridge for at least 12 hours. If you like a stronger ginger flavor, let it sit longer.

6.      Make the brittle: Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with silicone mat or aluminum foil. Pour honey into a small saucepan and warm, just until liquid. Remove from heat. Add orange zest and stir. Add sesame seeds and mix together until seeds are well coated. Pour mixture into pan and spread to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, checking after 15 minutes (you want the seeds to turn golden brown). Take care to not over cook or the bottom will be dark (and not taste as good). Let brittle cool. Break into small, pea-sized pieces while ice cream is churning, ready to add to ice cream. (I use about 3/4 cup for the ice cream, but use more or less depending on your preference.)

7.      When ready to churn ice cream, pour the ice cream base through a fine sieve to strain out the ginger. Churn ice cream until thick and creamy. Add in small pieces of the brittle while putting finished ice cream into storage container. Freeze ice cream in the coldest part of your freezer for at least 4 hours.

barely adapted from food52 (by Jef)

ginger knob

sliced ginger in boiling water

ginger, milk, cream, sugar and honey

mixing tapioca starch slurry

whisking in the slurry

cooled ginger custard in a ziploc

Do yourself a favor and steady your ziploc in
a bowl before you start pouring (you just
know I learned that lesson the hard way).

orange zest

honey

heating the honey and orange zest

stirring in the sesame seeds

raw sesame brittle spread out

baked sesame brittle

breaking up the sesame brittle

I made it the day before and
stored it in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

straining the ginger custard the next day

ginger custard before churning

ginger ice cream

stirring in some sesame brittle

ginger ice cream with honey-sesame brittle

on a spoon
(white on white - great idea for a photo)

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Easy Chicken a L'Orange

I'm often drawn to long, elaborate recipes (my idea of a good time), but not this day. I think I was curious to see if I could make a tasty dinner without using my knife and cutting board. And I have to say, while it didn't knock my socks off, it was good. Solid. I probably wouldn't make it if the Queen of England was coming over. Then again, she hasn't been returning my calls lately (thank god, my curtsy is way rusty).

EASY CHICKEN A L'ORANGE

Yield: 4 servings

3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

4 tablespoons honey

1.      Preheat oven to 375º F.

2.      Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

3.      Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4.      Brush each piece of chicken with the glaze. Turn the chicken skin side up; glaze again and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170º F., brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes total. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.

from Melissa d'Arabian

browning the chicken

orange juice concentrate, honey, salt and pepper

orange glaze

glazing the chicken

glazing on the other side

baked/glazed again and ready

resting

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Sweet Potato Soup with Orange Crème Fraîche

Sure, if you want orange soup for Halloween, pumpkin is the obvious choice. But if you're suffering from pumpkin overload (maybe you're not yet, but give it two more weeks), then you might want to consider sweet potato soup (carrot soup is great too). Of course if you do make it for Halloween, you should probably use the crème fraîche to make a spider web or little white ghosts or something (instead of what I did, which looks like Valentine's Day must be right around the corner).

SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH ORANGE CRÈME FRAÎCHE

Serves 8-12

Orange Crème Fraîche:

1 cup crème fraîche (homemade or store-bought)

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Sweet Potato Soup:

1 stick unsalted butter

3 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon maple sugar or golden brown sugar

2 large leeks, chopped (white and pale green parts only)

1 1/3 cups finely chopped celery

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

10 cups low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth, plus more if needed

1 1/3 cups orange juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1.      Mix crème fraîche, 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger and orange zest in small bowl to blend. Cover and refrigerate (can be made 2 days ahead). Thin with cream if a thinner consistency is desired.

2.      Preheat oven to 400° F. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in large pot over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add sweet potatoes and sugar and toss to coat. Arrange sweet potatoes on 2 baking sheets. Roast until very tender and starting to brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

3.      Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium heat. Add leeks, celery and 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger and sauté until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add roasted sweet potatoes and sauté 2 minutes. Add broth and orange juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until leeks and celery are very tender, about 20 minutes.

4.      Puree soup using an immersion blender. Thin with more broth, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5.      Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Spoon small dollops of crème fraîche atop soup. Draw skewer through crème fraîche to form design. Sprinkle with parsley.

adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1997

Obviously I grated the ginger right after the orange peel.

adding orange zest & ginger to crème fraîche (the ginger sank)

You don't need to add any cream if you don't plan on
making a design with your crème fraîche (you can just
swirl some into your soup with a spoon).

sweet potato chunks

sweet potato chunks (already roasted)

chopped leeks

Make sure to clean the leeks really well, they can
be very gritty. I soak them in a bowl of water for
a few minutes and separate/move them around.
The dirt sinks to the bottom, then I scoop out the
leeks and give them a good rinse.

celery

leeks, celery and ginger cooking

sweet potatoes added

broth and orange juice added

ready to blend

blended, thanks to the ol' thunderstick

garnishing with orange crème fraîche

You can use a squeeze bottle if you want
more control, but a spoon does the job too.

getting decorative with a skewer

sprinkled with parsley

The parsley seems superfluous to me. I think it's only
for color. I don't think you'll miss it if you leave it off.

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Shrimp Escabèche with Orange Mojo

Here's a great cold meal for those hot summer nights. Yes, I realize it's September and there's already a chill in the air, at least here in New Jersey. (Believe me, I couldn't be happier about it.) But I made this last week when it was 88º F., so what are you gonna do.

This dish has a great, really refreshing flavor. The shrimp is marinated in a spicy citrus sauce with crunchy vegetables and fresh herbs. And if that wasn't enough, it's got the mojo magic (I can't describe that, you just have to experience it for yourself).

SHRIMP ESCABÈCHE WITH ORANGE MOJO

Makes 6 servings

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 lb. cooked deveined peeled shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

lemon wedges for garnish

tortilla chips or pita chips for serving

1.      Combine orange juice, lemon juice, and half the garlic in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pinch of salt; boil until orange juice mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Cool. Mix in crushed red pepper.

2.      Mix shrimp, bell pepper, celery, red onion, cilantro, and olive oil in bowl. Toss with orange juice mixture and remaining garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours. Can be made 8 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.

3.      Arrange escabeche in shallow bowl. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

slightly adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2004

lemons

oranges

orange juice mixture

shrimp

red pepper

chopped celery

red onion

cilantro

shrimp, red pepper, onion & celery

mixing in the cilantro

adding the orange mojo

all mixed

a closer look

even closer still

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