I know, I know. It’s early in the morning and you’re already drooling over a dessert. I’m sorry, but I had to share this one, especially just in time for Father’s Day on Sunday! I kind of consider this an all-parent dessert since I actually made and photographed it for Mother’s Day with the intention of posting it for Father’s Day. I have to work ahead over here so I’m often doing odd things like celebrating 4th of July in June or Christmas in September. This Pistachio Semifreddo with Nutella Magic Shell Topping would be good for any occasion, but I made it with my Dad in mind.

My Dad loves ice cream, but I’ve made him so many ice cream desserts over the years that I wanted to try something different. I’ve also always wanted to try a semifreddo, which to me tastes like ice cream mixed with whipped cream that’s been semi-frozen. The creaminess of the semifreddo with the crunch from the pistachios was an addictive combination. It would be delicious if you just left it at that. But I could never, ever in good conscience discourage you from topping the pistachio semifreddo with this Nutella magic shell! Adding coconut oil to the Nutella makes it act like that amazing magic shell topping you can buy in the bottle where the topping hardens when it touches the ice cream. This Nutella topping starts to harden as soon as you pour it over the semifreddo and will harden to completion if you just pop it in the the freezer for a little bit. Whacking off big hunks of the hardened Nutella to eat with the creamy semifreddo felt downright sinful. And so, so good.

The recipe seems like a lot of steps, but it’s actually fairly simple. A lot of the comments on the original recipe were from people who said they don’t cook or bake often and they were surprised at how easy it actually was to make. You are basically whipping a meringue base, whipping a whipped cream and folding them together with the chopped pistachios. Then it goes into the freezer for at least eight hours so you will definitely want to plan ahead.

You all know I love my food memories so of course I have some to share about my Dad and pistachio ice cream. The first is that my Dad’s company always had an ice cream sundae party every summer – and still do! My Dad is retired, but they still do the ice cream parties. Back when there weren’t as many people they would have everyone vote on the flavors by marking their vote on a printout of the flavors from the local ice cream shop. My Dad and another guy who worked there loved the pistachio ice cream and somehow that flavor would always win even though everyone else made fun of them for liking an “old man” flavor. I will always think of it as an “old man” flavor even though now I love it. I guess that makes me an old man? Anyways, my second memory I want to mention is when I got accepted to Boston College my Dad and I went to visit the campus that weekend. Of course we had to check out the closest ice cream shop, which is White Mountain Creamery. Funny enough, I don’t remember what flavor I got, but I remember my Dad got the pistachio ice cream. I was so happy in that moment being on a high from excitement to go to Boston College sitting there eating ice cream with my Dad.

Now even though I made this dessert with my Dad in mind it kind of backfired on me. For those of you that don’t know, my Dad can be very picky. He’ll eat everything, but he will finish the meal saying that it was good, but he prefers his classic favorites. This was one of those times. He liked it, but thought it was a little too sweet for him and wanted it to be ice cream – haha – but everyone else had seconds so I think it’s safe to say that 98% of your guests will go nuts for it. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and make lots of delicious food memories with your loved ones! Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome Dads out there, especially my Dad, Lee, and my father-in-law, Floyd!

Pistachio Semifreddo with a Nutella Magic Shell Topping

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

for the semifreddo

• 1½ cups shelled pistachios
• ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups heavy cream, kept in the fridge until ready to use
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

for the Nutella magic shell

• 1 cup Nutella
• ⅓ cup coconut oil

Directions

for the semifreddo

1. Line an 8½” by 4½” loaf pan with plastic wrap so it hangs over all the sides then set aside. Roughly chop ¼ cup of the pistachios and set aside.
2. Pulse ¾ cup pistachios with 2 tablespoons of the sugar until the pistachios are finely chopped. Add the remaining ½ cup pistachios and pulse a few times until the pistachios are very roughly chopped and large chunks still remain. Set aside.
3. Whip the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until there are soft peaks. This mean the peak is just barely holding its shape and would flop if you lifted the beater. Increase the speed to high and add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar a little at a time. Once the sugar has been added continue to beat until the egg whites are holding stiff peaks. This means the peaks hold their shape completely straight even when beaters are lifted.
4. In a different bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cold cream and the almond extract on medium speed. Carefully increase the speed to high and beat until you have stiff peaks. Carefully fold the egg white mixture into the cream mixture, then gently fold in the pistachio mixture. Pour and scoop into the prepared loaf pan. It will probably go over the top of the pan. Just keep adding and smooth to create an even surface on top. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 8 hours.
5. Remove the semifreddo from the freezer. Invert onto a serving dish (or plate/container that will fit in your freezer if you aren’t serving right away) and carefully remove the pan and plastic wrap. Top with the Nutella magic shell. Look harden slightly then sprinkle the reserved chopped pistachios on top. Return to the freezer until ready to serve. Let soften slightly before serving

for the Nutella magic shell

1. Microwave the Nutella and coconut oil in a small microwave safe bowl until melted. I start at 30 seconds, stir then continue microwaving and stirring at 15 second intervals. Once the mixture is melted and smooth let cool slightly at room temperature before using.

Notes

This recipe contains uncooked egg whites, which may be a concern if salmonella is a problem where you live.
Using a metal mixing bowl for the egg whites and heavy cream makes a big difference, especially if you can chill them in the freezer, along with the metal beaters, before using. If your egg whites or cream isn’t coming to peaks it may be that your ingredients or bowl wasn’t cold enough so I always chill mine.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! I have a delicious sweet treat for you today. Chocolate covered strawberry frozen yogurt. Also known as strawberry frozen yogurt with stracciatella. This frozen dessert is bursting with strawberry flavor and since it’s on Lemon & Mocha, it is of course also chocolatefied.

Valentine’s Day weekend is always especially meaningful for Matt and I because our anniversary is on the 15th! Tomorrow will mark 7 years since we starting dating, woo-wee! I’m going to keep it short and simple today so my Valentine’s Day present to you all sweet readers is this recipe and a bunch of drool-worthy photos. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

 

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Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• Chocolate covered strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions

1. Slice the strawberries then toss in a medium bowl with the sugar. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve then cover and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
2. Using a blender or food processor puree the entire contents of the strawberry bowl, the yogurt and the lemon juice. If you would like to get rid of any seeds push the mixture through a mesh strainer.
3. Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour then pour into your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.
4. While the mixture is in the ice cream maker, melt the bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler and stir until it's smooth. Transfer the chocolate into a measuring cup with a pouring spout.
5. During the last couple minutes of churning in the ice cream maker pour the melted chocolate into the ice cream maker in a thin stream to create the stracciatella swirl.

Notes

Although this is a frozen yogurt, to me it had more of a sorbet texture. It is still delicious, but just wanted to give a heads up so you weren't surprised by the texture.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

It is part two of the Lemon & Mocha honey series! Weren’t you just sitting there in anticipation since Wednesday’s sweet and sticky honey baked wings? I won’t be upset if you weren’t. I will, however, be upset if you don’t shout with joy now that you are finally reading the second honey post. No pressure.

Honey is found in many desserts from honey cakes to sticky buns. My grandma uses honey to amp up her oatmeal cookies. One of my favorite ways to eat honey at dessert time is in ice cream. No surprise there.

This honey ice cream with candied almond crumble is sweet, smooth and crunchy all at once. The honey flavors comes through very strong, which is perfect if you want a bold dessert featuring honey. If you are not a huge honey fan you can either use a more subtle honey or substitute half the honey with another flavoring of your choice, such as peanut butter.

Did I mention the almonds yet? They are coated with a sugar syrup then left to cool and harden making them sweet, snackable and impossible to stop eating. But save some for your ice cream!

Honey Ice Cream with Pralined Almond Crumble

 

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Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

for the ice cream

• 1½ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup good-flavored honey
• 1½ cups whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks

for the pralined almond crumble

• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup whole almonds, unblanched and untoasted
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

for the ice cream

1. Add the heavy cream and the honey to a large bowl. Place a fine mesh sieve over top and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low whisk together the milk, sugar and salt until warm. Meanwhile whisk together the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Carefully pour the warmed milk mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the whole mixture back into the medium saucepan.
3. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture while stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Make sure the mixture never reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and pour through the fine mesh strainer into the large bowl.
4. Place the large bowl in an ice bath. Slowly add the cream and continue to stir while sitting in the ice bath until cool.
5. Once cool, remove from the ice bath then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
6. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, pouring in 1 cup of the pralined almond crumble with 5 minutes left.

for the pralined almond crumble

1. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat combine the water, sugar and almonds. Cook and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the liquid comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved then reduce heat to medium.
3. Continue to cook until the liquid mixture has become sandy in texture. Continue to stir the dark syrup making sure to scrape from the bottom and completely coat the almonds. Keep stirring until the almonds are shiny and glossy.
4. Remove the pan from the heat before sprinkling with the salt. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them out. Let them completely cool, breaking up any clusters as needed.
5. Roughly chop. Pour 1 cup into the ice cream mixture with 5 minutes left. Reserve the rest for topping.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Every summer my dad’s family gets together on the Delaware shore. I am always of course most excited to see all my family that I love so much. Followed by that, however, is having the tasty bites that I can only get down on the shore and associate with my many summers spent there. I read somewhere that food memories are some of your strongest memories. I read it, so it must be true.

I could fill up multiple months of blog posts with my family summer vacation food memories. Among the few standouts include eating dinner on the beach, my cousin and I obsessing over Dippin’ Dots, digging into a big cup of salty Thrasher’s french fries, waiting in huge lines for some Candy Kitchen Fudge, crunching away on a few precious pieces of Martin’s fried chicken, wondering how the tub of Fisher’s caramel popcorn is already so low, tons of cousins sharing the few fresh crabs we caught coated with Old Bay seasoning, and of course ordering midday Dairy Queen treats. Ok, I guess that was a bit more than a few, but I have difficulty controlling my food excitement sometimes all the time.

However, I saved one of the best for last:  Kohr Bros Creamsicle Frozen Custard in a cake cone. There is nothing more refreshing than an ice cream at the beach and this orange and vanilla swirl custard is creamy and light. Frozen custard differs from ice cream in that it contains a higher egg yolk percentage leading to its creamier texture.

Now this is my favorite homemade ice cream I have made. Although I’m sure my strong associations with it make it taste just that much sweeter. What are your favorite family vacation food memories?

Orange-Vanilla Frozen Custard

 

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Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1½ cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 4 teaspoons grated orange zest

Directions

1. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together ½ cup of the milk and cornstarch until smooth.
3. In a medium saucepan whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Once combined whisk in the cornstarch mixture and the remaining cup of milk. Whisk until smooth. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture while stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Make sure the mixture never reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and pour through the fine mesh strainer into the large bowl.
4. Place the large bowl in an ice bath. Slowly add the cream and continue to stir while sitting in the ice bath until cool.
5. Once cool, remove from the ice bath, stir in the vanilla, orange juice concentrate and orange zest, then cover and chill in the fridge until cold.
6. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Tuesday’s browned butter peach recipe had me inspired to keep experimenting with peaches. I had all these browned butter peaches and thought the only way I could improve upon them was to turn them into ice cream. So I did.

My favorite ice cream cookbook has a peach ice cream recipe, but I’m all about kicking it up a notch. Instead of fresh peaches I decided to use my browned butter peaches to give the ice cream base a richer depth of flavor.

I then decided that browned butter peach ice cream was too simple and was calling for a change of texture. That’s where the graham cracker crumble comes into play. This ice cream tastes like a peach crisp dessert in ice cream form.

I guess the title of Peach Crisp Ice Cream would have been a lot more concise, but I like to be descriptive. I also didn’t want to deceive people because when you think of a crisp dessert you could be thinking about one of two different toppings. There is the rolled oat topping, that I of course am not a fan of with my new oat allergy. Then there is the brown sugar crumble topping. I’m not sure which is more traditional, but this ice cream incorporates the later.

Matt has proclaimed this browned butter peach ice cream with a graham cracker crumble as his favorite homemade ice cream. Maybe it will become your favorite, too!

Browned Butter Peach Ice Cream with a Graham Cracker Crumble

 

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Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large peaches, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 sleeve of graham crackers, about 6 ounces, crushed to fine crumbs
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Begin in the process of browning the peaches by melting the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Swirl the butter until golden brown and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add the peach slices and cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to turn stir and flip the peaches over. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature.
2. Add the peaches, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla and lemon juice to a food processor or blender and puree until mostly smooth.
3. Completely chill the mixture in the refrigerator. While the mixture is chilling make the crumble. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and salt until crumbs are formed. Spread the crumbs on the baking sheet then bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
4. Once the ice cream mixture is chilled freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Layer the ice cream and the graham cracker crumble and freeze before serving.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments