10 tips for a tasty weekend in Biarritz 

Biarritz had been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember. In my 20s, working the office grind in London and going for days without seeing any discernible sunshine in winter, I dreamt of buying a van and moving there to surf the endless waves and drink Ricard (pastis) around a beach bonfire. Instead I stayed in my safe job and…

Biarritz had been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember. In my 20s, working the office grind in London and going for days without seeing any discernible sunshine in winter, I dreamt of buying a van and moving there to surf the endless waves and drink Ricard (pastis) around a beach bonfire. Instead I stayed in my safe job and displayed the surfboard my friend left behind our sofa in the living room (being Australian by birth, it is a shame that I cannot actually surf).

When I finally got around to visiting the ship had well and truly sailed on the camper-van fantasy, however it was still very easy to embrace the surf town vibe that Biarritz offers. Built on the Atlantic coast with a view to the Pyrénées, in the French Basque countryside, it is around 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the border with Spain. There’s a vibrant food scene and the town is a mix of high-low with luxurious boutiques (there is a Hermès boutique just behind the seafront) and chic homeware stores next to surf rental outlets and oyster shacks.

Continue Reading 10 tips for a tasty weekend in Biarritz ...

Goat Milk Ice Cream with Goat Milk Caramel Swirl

A friend recently sent me a link to an ice cream recipe that used cornstarch, rather than eggs, as a binder and thickener. That prompted me to think (and write him back) about an ice cream-making technique I learned about when writing The Perfect Scoop. Talking to Faith Willinger, an expert on Italian cuisine, she told me that some Italian ice creams (namely in Sicily)…

A friend recently sent me a link to an ice cream recipe that used cornstarch, rather than eggs, as a binder and thickener. That prompted me to think (and write him back) about an ice cream-making technique I learned about when writing The Perfect Scoop. Talking to Faith Willinger, an expert on Italian cuisine, she told me that some Italian ice creams (namely in Sicily) are thickened with starch rather than eggs, because it was so hot in the summer, that people in the south of Italy didn’t want to the richness of egg yolks in their gelato.

Continue Reading Goat Milk Ice Cream with Goat Milk Caramel Swirl...

Vanilla Ice Cream

This homemade vanilla ice cream is made with a custard base, sugar, cream, and real vanilla beans. So classic and so good! Serve it topped with caramel sauce or alongside a slice of apple pie. Continue reading “Vanilla Ice Cream” »

This homemade vanilla ice cream is made with a custard base, sugar, cream, and real vanilla beans. So classic and so good! Serve it topped with caramel sauce or alongside a slice of apple pie.

Continue reading "Vanilla Ice Cream" »

Caffe Panna Ice Cream Shop

Someone from San Francisco told me that now, there were now too many ice cream shops in the city. I didn’t think that was possible, but I guess things have changed since I moved away. (There are also some amazing bakeries there as well, which I don’t think is anything to grouse about either.) Just like in San Francisco, not only has the baking scene…

Someone from San Francisco told me that now, there were now too many ice cream shops in the city. I didn’t think that was possible, but I guess things have changed since I moved away. (There are also some amazing bakeries there as well, which I don’t think is anything to grouse about either.) Just like in San Francisco, not only has the baking scene in New York really ramped up, but the ice cream scene as well, including Caffè Panna, the latest addition.

[NOTE: Caffè Panna will be making a special sundae of a flavor combination that I inspired, with buckwheat ice cream, buckwheat honey, dark chocolate, and French whisky. I’ll be there this Saturday, October 12, from 2pm to 3:30pm. More info at the end of this post.]

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Strawberry + Liliko’i Ice Cakes

We’ve had a heat wave here in Minneapolis, which I’ve welcomed with open arms for two reasons: last year we were robbed of a fall (it rained and was cold and the sun rarely shone and we never got our bright, crisp, Autumn days) and I’…

Ice Cake

We’ve had a heat wave here in Minneapolis, which I’ve welcomed with open arms for two reasons: last year we were robbed of a fall (it rained and was cold and the sun rarely shone and we never got our bright, crisp, Autumn days) and I’m not ready to let go of summer quite yet. I’m still drinking an Iced Americano through out the day, my windows are flung wide open from dawn to dusk, and I’ve tried to keep baking to a minimum so as not to have to turn the air conditioning back on (it just feels wrong in September). I also made these ice cakes from Alana Kysar’s beautiful new cookbook, Aloha Kitchen, to cool us off in the afternoons. I am enamored with Alana’s book – it is a gorgeous collection of recipes: favorites from her childhood growing up in Hawai’i, along with modern twists, and accompanied by her stunning photographs. She also gives a brief history lesson on the Hawaiian islands, the food culture of the islands, and some political history as well. Her introduction to the book has stayed with me for months; giving me much food for thought. She writes: “This Hawaiian word […]

The post Strawberry + Liliko’i Ice Cakes appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Raw Fruit Crisp (10 Minutes!)

Recently we’ve been suffering from a serious case of lazy cook syndrome.
The kind of thing where you want food but you can’t even. Yeah, that’s where the late summer heat has us: hungry and helpless. Has that ever happened to you?
Li…

Raw Fruit Crisp (10 Minutes!)

Recently we’ve been suffering from a serious case of lazy cook syndrome.

The kind of thing where you want food but you can’t even. Yeah, that’s where the late summer heat has us: hungry and helpless. Has that ever happened to you?

Like for instance, recently I was eating dinner and wanted fruit crisp for dessert but couldn’t be bothered to make a whole thing of it. So, I just cut up some fruit, put it in a bowl, made a “crisp” topping in the food processor, and ate half of it.

Raw Fruit Crisp (10 Minutes!) from Minimalist Baker →

Cookies ‘n Cream Puff Ice Cream Sandwiches

Pastry meets ice cream in these delightfully crunchy, craquelin-topped cream puffs stuffed with cookies and cream ice cream. Whether you call them cream puffs or profiteroles, these airy ice cream-stuffed pastries make for a truly special treat. Aa is the case with a number of my recipes, the name came well before the recipe itself, […]

Pastry meets ice cream in these delightfully crunchy, craquelin-topped cream puffs stuffed with cookies and cream ice cream.

Whether you call them cream puffs or profiteroles, these airy ice cream-stuffed pastries make for a truly special treat.

Cookies 'n Cream Puff Ice Cream Sandwiches

Aa is the case with a number of my recipes, the name came well before the recipe itself, this one a clever play on words sort of like one of those “Before & After” puzzles on Wheel of Fortune. Cookies ‘n Cream + Cream Puffs = Cookies ‘n Cream Puffs. Get it?!?

So I knew what I was going to call them. Now I just had to figure out how to make it happen.

I first set out to make these Cookies ‘n Cream Puffs with a cookie-infused pastry cream filling. At least that was the original idea.

While my craquelin-topped cream puffs turned out great the first time (surprising as it was my first time making craquelin!) my pastry cream didn’t quite set up as firmly as I would’ve liked. And when I tried to pipe it into the center of the puffs, the chunks of cookies kept clogging up piping tip. I’d squeeze harder to dislodge the clog, and the pasty cream would start oozing out the backside of my piping bag. And when I finally got one filled, the molten pasty cream would come oozing right back out of the hole in which I piped it.

Needless to say, it was a big ol’ mess.

At one point as I was trying to force this too-soft pastry cream into a cream puff, I got frustrated to the point where I just wanted to smash something. And as it turns out, a cream-filled pastry is awfully fun to hulk smash (oh yes I did).

Cookies 'n Cream Puff Ice Cream Sandwiches

But don’t worry, other than the one that got demolished with my fist, none of that first batch went to waste. I filled the rest with plain (cookie free) whipped cream and brought them to my ceramics class where they were readily devoured.

I also froze a handful of unfilled puffs, planning to attempt the filling again the next day. But I didn’t feel like trying (and failing) again, so I ended up just cutting the puffs in half and filling them with a scoop of ice cream. Which turned out to be such a good solution that I did a complete 180 on this recipe, nixing the cream filling entirely in lieu of cookies ‘n cream ice cream.

And ok ok I admit, usually when they’re filled with ice cream they’re actually called profiteroles, but then I couldn’t use my clever name anymore. Ice cream is still technically cream, so cream puffs still works in my opinion.

So there you have it. Cookies ‘n Cream Puffs. Not quite how I originally imagined them, but delicious nonetheless.

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Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

This easy summer dessert recipe can be made in less than 20 minutes and is the perfect way to celebrate fresh peach season. Warm, juicy, quick-grilled peaches.  Cool, refreshing, melty vanilla ice cream.  A generous drizzle of the world’s most delicious hot bourbon caramel sauce. I’m officially calling it — this wins as our favorite dessert of […]

This easy summer dessert recipe can be made in less than 20 minutes and is the perfect way to celebrate fresh peach season.

Warm, juicy, quick-grilled peaches.  Cool, refreshing, melty vanilla ice cream.  A generous drizzle of the world’s most delicious hot bourbon caramel sauce.

I’m officially calling it — this wins as our favorite dessert of the summer! ♡

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, we’ve been making this 10-minute bourbon caramel sauce on repeat this summer, drizzling it on everything from ice cream to brownies, cheesecakes, fruit crisps and more.  But our favorite pairing — times ten — has been to serve this caramel sauce over hot grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream.

It’s super-duper easy to make on an outdoor grill or inside on the stove with a grill pan.  It takes just 20 minutes to make, or less than 10 if you have prepped the caramel sauce beforehand.  It’s easy to scale up for a big crowd or down for just a serving or two, and customize with your favorite toppings.  And most of all, it is just crazy delicious.

So if peaches happen to be in season wherever you are right now, bring home a few and let’s get to grilling!
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Fig Leaf and Honey Ice Cream

In terms of favorite ice cream flavors, it’s likely that Fig Leaf Ice Cream isn’t at the top of your list. But once you taste it, you’ll probably add it. It’s tricky to provide an exact description of the flavor, which is coconutty, and references figs, but is its own flavor in and of itself. Living in a city, I don’t have a fig tree,…

In terms of favorite ice cream flavors, it’s likely that Fig Leaf Ice Cream isn’t at the top of your list. But once you taste it, you’ll probably add it. It’s tricky to provide an exact description of the flavor, which is coconutty, and references figs, but is its own flavor in and of itself.

Living in a city, I don’t have a fig tree, unfortunately. There are some around town that I’ve had my eye on, but it’s probably best not to go around defoliating trees that aren’t yours. You might just need six leaves to make this ice cream…but what if fifty other people want to make it at the same time? Yes, it’s that good.

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Banana Fudge Chunk Ice Cream

With ample chunks of chewy chocolate fudge in a creamy banana custard, this homemade banana fudge chunk ice cream really hits the spot! Inspired by one of my favorite ice cream flavors from years ago, this recipe uses extra ripe bananas and high quality dark chocolate for an intense and sophisticated flavor profile. Years ago […]

With ample chunks of chewy chocolate fudge in a creamy banana custard, this homemade banana fudge chunk ice cream really hits the spot!

Inspired by one of my favorite ice cream flavors from years ago, this recipe uses extra ripe bananas and high quality dark chocolate for an intense and sophisticated flavor profile.

Overhead shot of three scoops of Banana Fudge Chunk Ice Cream on a pewter platter with three spoons on the side.

Years ago I recreated one of my favorite ice cream flavors from college.

At that time, however, I simply tossed in some chopped dark chocolate at the end of the churn. Which is great and all, but fudge chunk and chocolate chunk are not the same thing. Fudge, to me, implies a softer chocolate, something you can really sink your teeth into and chew instead of chomp.

I’d done something similar for my Sea Salt Fudge Chunk ice cream (which is still one of my favorite ice cream recipes ever).

I changed up the process a bit for this banana version. Rather than spreading out the fudge mixture onto a baking sheet, I found piping out 1/2-inch logs of chocolate was easier to to cut into uniform chunks, easy enough to warrant washing the extra piping bag.

In the end, you’re rewarded with chewy chunks of rich dark chocolate swimming in a creamy banana custard base.

(And yes, I know this recipe leaves you with 4 leftover egg whites. These can easily be frozen for a later time, or if you’re looking for something quick to use them up now, a double batch of my Soft Amaretti Cookies would be perfect!)

Sheet pan with scoops of Banana Fudge Chunk Ice Cream and a partially-full carton.

This was also the inaugural run of my new ice cream machine.

Previously I used (and loved) the KitchenAid ice cream attachment, which worked great, but I hated having to freeze the bowl a full 24-48 hours before I could churn a batch of ice cream. And if I needed to churn two batches (testing recipes I’ll often make 2-3 variations at the same time to see which is best), it was simply too long to have to wait. So I splurged and treated myself to a compressor-based ice cream machine, which can easily churn multiple batches back to back.

If you make homemade ice cream with any regularity, and have the storage space (it’s a good deal larger than the freezer bowl versions), I highly recommend a compressor-based machine. It’s a game changer!

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