Time for some Real Decadence!

A few of you may be scratching your heads wondering why on earth I have a chocolate shake in a martini glass.  Read on and all will be revealed...

For the last 2 weeks since Danni's surgery, I've been experimenting big time with a multitude of different  foods to liquidize into smooth drinks.  I've found myself peeling strawberries, pressing all sorts of fruits and berries through the strainer, I've even blended and strained shumi for crying out loud!  I've fed everything green and healthy that I could lay my hands on into my blender, which by the way is working overtime, there are simply no limits to my culinary experiments, in my quest for flavorful, interesting food that can be served as liquid, there really is very little I haven't tried.

This week Danni's fabulous friend Julie, brought over a couple of truly scrumptiously, delicious shakes for us.  Both Danni and I absolutely loved them, the shakes were flavored with peanut butter and chocolate.  The deliciousness was just too much I absolutely wanted more and had to have a go at making it.  It was really pretty easy, and OH SO delicious, but being me I just couldn't resist the urge to spice it up a bit, change a few of the usual ingredients, to make it even more special.  

The finished product was heavenly, loaded with calories, and pretty potent, so don't be tempted to over indulge, hence the martini glass rather than a tumbler.  I have a feeling that this shake could become be a regular "go to" drink onboard Daisy.

The Daisy Shake

Daisy Shake

2 cups good Chocolate Milk, ice cold

1/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (organic)

1/4 cup Nutella

1 cup Rich Dark Chocolate Ice cream

1/4 cup Baileys

Splash of cognac

Whipped Cream for garnish  (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a blender and buzz till throughly mixed, serve in martini glasses topped with a dollop of whipped cream...

Enjoy :o)

Apple Pie Ice Cream

Earlier this week I dragged out my ice cream machine, dusted off the cobwebs, and shortly after splashed out on a fabulous new book "jenis splendid ice creams at home" by Jeni Britton Bauer, which I found found in Barns & Noble.
All my children have told me of Jenis fabulous ice creams, so when I saw her book I just had to buy it.
Edi absolutely raves about the 'salty caramel ice cream', so I made a batch, carefully following her recipe, it was so easy and absolutely delicious; after having successfully made my first ice cream in 5 years, I decided to create a flavor of my own.

Everyone loves apple pie and ice cream,  so I thought "how about making an apple pie ice cream"?
This was very much an experiment, but judging by how fast it disappeared I think It's good enough to share.  It was exactly like eating apple pie and ice cream, just minus the crust.

I tweaked Jeni's recipe for the base ice cream, just a bit.  The result was a rich, creamy apple and cinnamon ice cream, with little chunks of chewy apple; the flavors and smells reminded me of Christmas, delicious...

Apple Pie Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 3/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

3/4 cup vanilla sugar, recipe follows

2 tbsp light corn syrup

seeds from 1 vanilla pod

3 apples (I like to use granny smiths)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 level tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1 ounce unsalted butter

Peel and medium dice the apples, in a sauce pan over a medium heat melt the butter and then add the apples with the lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, ground cloves and sugar, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the apples are soft but not mushy.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.


In a small bowl mix a little of the milk (about 2 tbsp) with the cornstarch to make a smooth slurry.


In a medium size bowl whisk the cream cheese and salt together until smooth, and set aside.


Mix the remaining milk, cream, vanilla sugar and corn syrup together in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.   


Continue to boil for 4 minutes.


Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cornstarch mix. 


Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook until the mixture has thickened slightly, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla seeds.


Slowly pour the hot mix into the bowl with the cream cheese, and whisk until smooth, set aside to cool for about 45 minutes.


Buzz the apple mix in a blender for about 30 seconds, just enough to puree some of the apples, but still leaving about half the mix with apple pieces.


Pour the apple mix into the cream mix, and using a spatula stir to evenly incorporate the apple with the cream.


Pour the entire mix into the frozen ice cream canister, and spin until the mix resembles thick ice cream (about 30 - 40 minutes).


Put the mix into a storage container with an air tight lid, and freeze for 2 - 4 hours.

Vanilla Sugar

1 lb fine sugar

1 vanilla bean, split

Put the sugar into a screw top jar,  push the vanilla bean into the center of the sugar, and leave for a minimum of 7 days.  


Enjoy :o)

What To Do?

So, here I am, sitting at my desk in between the hours of blending, pureeing and straining food, and simultaneously trying desperately to dream up tasty, nutritious rich liquids, that Danni can stomach, and will also provide her with all the goodness her body needs to remain healthy, without turning her stomach as she drinks it.
Because of the fractures in her jaw her teeth are wired together for the next four and a half weeks, so I need to get my game on and produce some tasty food.  I've poured over countless web sites and books for blended diets, and honestly they all seem to be so uninteresting and bland, apple and cabbage, beet and carrot, potato and kale... I've tried several of them without success,  Danni was unable to drink most of them, sipping just a teaspoon and looking at me with sad eyes because they were "nasty"!

We're currently one and a half weeks into the 6 week period, and Danni is already sick to death of the liquid diet, and I'm finding it really hard to conjure up new recipes.  Her food has to be totally smooth liquid, no seeds, lumps, or mash, or even thick liquid; it really limits the options.
Tonight however I actually hit on a successful blend, it sounds bizare and really quite unpleasant, but it was the first mix that Danni enjoyed.  I made a Chinese Hot and Sour soup, which is really more of a broth than a soup and then I added shumi, just before blending and straining, and she liked it.

Anyway I digress;  today I dragged out the ice cream machine, as I have a multitude of ideas for delicious home made ice creams, that I can serve soft to Danni so she can drink them.
So stay glued to this spot for some yummy ice cream recipe's...

No More Recipe's !

I probably won't be able to post much over the next 5 - 6 weeks,  as my daughter Daniela is recovering from jaw surgery, and has her teeth wired shut.   She's unable to eat anything other than liquid, blended food, not something any of the readers of my blog would be interested in, and as I'm trying to take care of her, I don't want to fill the house with yummy cooking smells of stuff she can't eat.

So I'm doing the liquid diet too (after all misery loves company) as a way of supporting her, it helps me understand a little of what she's going through, with the exception of not having to take the nasty tasting medicine or deal with the pain :o(

But in the meantime, I'll be making notes, and dreaming up new yummy dishes that I can post once I can start cooking again.

Happy Labor Day Weekend :o)