Stout & Root Beer Float with Wattleseed Ice Cream

The first ice cream floats were served at soda fountains inside pharmacies as far back as the 1920s. It is no surprise that ice cream and penny candy were peddled in a place that also doled out tonics, salves, prescriptions and elixirs to improve wellbeing. The soda fountain treats in their tall, solid glasses must have given the takers, perched atop their stools, some cheer when the rising foam and bubbles from a tasty ice cream submerged in soda burst lightly in their mouths. Could they dare consider this medicine?

This summer, I have been experimenting with our Exotic Ice Cream parfums and their perfect liquid mates. One of the best is this Stout & Root Beer float. Stouts often have chocolate notes, which match well with the hazelnut and coffee flavors of the Aboriginal wattleseed. After some sipping, I found an extra splash of root beer was needed to add a touch of sweet against the stout’s bitterness.

 A little tip… if you like an extra foamy float, put the ice cream in your glass first and pour the liquid over top. If not, drop the ice cream in at the end. Try both ways… you will see a big difference!

I like these floats in mini glasses served alongside dessert or as a surprise on a sweets buffet with long silver spoons for guests to sip and roam at a standing party.

Root Beer & Stout Float with Wattleseed Ice Cream

Stout ( I like Guinness)
Root Beer (I like Virgil’s)
Wattleseed Ice Cream

Fill the glass 1/3 of the way with ice cream, 1/3 with root beer and 1/2 with beer.

Sufganiyot – Traditional Jewish Doughnuts

Fried Dough. Really, what could be better? It must be the  3 Rivers Festival and 10-year-old memories of eating elephant ears from the Red Barn. There is just something about Carni’ food that tickles the nostalgia button and stimulates the salivary glands. I have such vivid memories of reaching through that sliding window to grasp my hot dough with the background music of the squeaky tilt-a-whirl and screaming kids.

In fact, it was fried dough oozing with chocolate that gave inspiration to the name Vosges Haut-Chocolat. While I was a culinary student in Paris, I longed to dine at the famed Michelin three star restaurant,  L’Ambrosie, in the Place des Vosges. Chef Patrick Terrien of Le Cordon Bleu called ahead to have the restaurant staff take special care us- thus I quickly found myself (and my palate) in the adept hands of Bernard Pacaud of L’Ambrosie. It was there that I had my first chocolate experience. This epiphany of chocolate came in the form of a truffle beignet–- a rich, dark chocolate truffle encased in light, fluffy beignet batter and fried golden to turn the molten center into a burst of liquid chocolate upon the sinking in of my teeth. In a bite, it was all at once crisp, soft, hot, rich and gushing, a chocolate moment unparalleled. When I was thinking about what to name my chocolate company, I continued to recall my first true chocolate experience in Le Place des Vosges. So it had to be and Vosges Haut-Chocolat was born.

So, I take you from the Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s 3 Rivers Festival to Paris’ Place des Vosges and now to Jewish doughnuts in Chicago.

Awhile back, I tore this recipe for Sufganiot out of a magazine. They are traditional, Jewish doughnuts usually served at Hanukkah. My husband, a Hebrew man that likes the Grateful Dead and fried food always inspires me to make him happy. So, I often find myself on a quest to master traditional recipes and serve him familiar and meaningful foods. Though I doubt he has ever had a Sufganiot, it was fried and sweet, and seemingly his perfect treat.

Though Sufganiot are usually jam-filled, I unsurprisingly altered the recipe substituting a warm chocolate center, distantly reminiscent of the truffle beignets that changed my life in the Place des Vosges in Paris years ago. I also experimented with an apricot conserve and cocoa nib filling that was delicious but only if you use preserves the likes of June Taylor’s pluot conserve or Harvest Song’s Armenian Apricot preserve.

As shown in the photo, I experimented filling each with a different square of our Exotic Candy Bars and traveling the world through doughnuts we shall go.

Sufganiyot

3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for coating
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
peanut oil, for frying plus more for bowl
1/4 cup apricot or blackberry jam or conserve or a Vosges Haut-Chocolat Exotic Candy Bar of your choice

1. In a large metal bowl, stir together warm water and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt; mix until well combined. Add egg yolks and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour. Mix until combined, then knead dough in bowl until all flour is incorporated. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead a few minutes until smooth. Knead in margarine until incorporated.

Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl; turn dough several times to coat entirely with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to form doughnuts, remove dough from refrigerator to let come to room temperature. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into an 11 inch square about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out about 24 rounds, dipping cutter in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Re-roll scraps and cut out about 16 more rounds.

Line a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Brush edge of a dough round with egg white, then mount 1/2 teaspoon jam or chocolate bar pieces in center, or both. Top with another round and press edges to seal. Repeat process with remaining rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; let doughnuts rise until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat a few inches of oil in a large (4-5 quart) heavy pot until it registers 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer or a scrap of dough sizzles upon contact. Working in batches of 4 to 5, carefully slip doughnuts into hot oil. Fry, turning once until golden brown about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain.

Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. While doughnuts are still hot, toss them in sugar, turning to coat. Serve immediately.

Modena – Strawberry – Cocoa Nib – Shortcake

When you make something that has varied textures and aromas and it tastes delicious, it is rewarding. When that something is also a feast of color, shape and texture and appeals to the tongue’s want for variety of notes from sweet to acidic, it is amazing. When that SAME something happens to have a variety of healthy benefits as well… it is a guiltless bliss. Well, maybe I am going a bit far on healthy, but let’s go with it.

The whole wheat flour in these shortcake biscuits not only adds substance and a nice nutty flavor that balances the cocoa nibs and also adds additional fiber. Cocoa nibs are considered a ‘super food’ with dozens of health benefits, most particularly their antioxidant strength, and they also add a chocolaty crunch. And the honey…. oh the honey! Where to begin? Rare Volcano Island Honey has long been one of my favorites, harvested by my friend Richard Spiegel and his team, following his unique process. As for Manuka Honey from New Zealand, it has natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. Most honey has enzymes that create hydrogen peroxide. However, Manuka Honey has a second antibacterial component, which has become known as the Unique Manuka Factor or UMF.  Manuka Honey is used for digestion, on burns and cuts. In some places, it is even used as skincare, reducing wrinkles and making skin glow.  So go ahead, give yourself a honey facial, just smooth all over your face and décolleté, while creating this summertime dessert!

Modena Strawberry Cocoa Nib Shortcake

Serves 4

Shortcake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tbsp butter, unsalted chilled, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream plus additional for brushing
1 tbsp turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw
3 oz dark chocolate chips, optional

Strawberry Must
2 pints of strawberries, washed and sliced in half
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa nibs
1 tsp orange flower water, optional

Mascarpone Cream
8 oz mascarpone cream
2 tbsp volcano island or manuka honey
1/2 tsp Meyer lemon zest (no white yellow only)

Balsamic Must Garnish
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar – I recommend Academia Barilla from Emilia Romaga region (OPTIONAL) 

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the chilled butter in with a fork or pastry creamer into butter until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Stir in cream just until dough forms. Gather dough into a ball with your hands and gently knead together once or twice on a lightly floured surface.

Get out your ruler! Roll or pat out dough into a 6-inch square (at least 1/2 inch thick – be precise for a tall lovely biscuit). Brush dough with a bit of cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. THEN cut into 4 squares. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet until golden, 17 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer biscuits to a rack to cool.

While biscuits bake, blend strawberries, sugar, cocoa nibs and orange flower water in a bowl, cover and let fruit macerate at room temperature for an hour to make a delicious strawberry juice. These can be made the morning of the event.

Mix mascarpone cream with honey and meyer lemon zest. Cover and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. Mascarpone can be made the night before.

When shortcakes are cooked and slightly warm. Slice biscuits with a serrated knife. Shortcakes can be made 2 days ahead of time, just be sure to seal in an air tight container

Assembly:
Plate the bottom half of shortcake and put a generous spoon of the strawberry juice on the cake, followed by the strawberries and a drizzle of balsamic must, if you are using. Top with a large dollop (about 2 tbsp) of mascarpone cream and follow with top half of the shortcake.

Tips: Pastry blender utensil will help you cut the butter into the flour a bit easier than a fork. But both methods are fine. 

Always confirm the temperature of the oven with a thermometer. Your oven may run hot or cold and this could cause variation in recipe outcome. You can buy a decent oven thermometer at a hardware store for less than $10.00. You can make sure it is reading correctly (calibrate the thermometer) by hanging it on the edge inside of a pan with one inch of water at a full boil. Let the thermometer steam for a minute and then read it (without touching it!- its hot!). It should read as 100C/212F 

And finally, never use baking soda instead of baking powder or your shortcakes will be overly bitter and salty. I made the mistake by accident and boy was I sorry.

If Elvis Ate Organic…

It is widely known that the King had lustful cravings for fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I can envision these beauties being served to him with a scene of hankering hip swaying and an ultimate falling to the knees. If only I had the chance to serve him this version oozing with chocolate and a sprinkling of crystalline sea salt.

I love panini for their sheer simplicity. They have a slim list of ingredients and thus it is imperative to use the BEST ingredients you can find. Even if that means flying it in from Italy, France or Zimbabwe!

Last year my panini press broke at the Lincoln Park boutique and I was devastated at the thought of my pressing being temporarily halted.  So, I had to improvise. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. I began using my waffle iron to press panini and I haven’t missed that old press since. You can also place the sandwich in an iron skillet and cover it with another iron skillet. You will have to flip the sandwich with this method since heat is only coming from one side. Or, use a clothing iron on the other side.

This Organic Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Banana panini is particularly special when using a specific butter that has coarse grains of grey sea salt in the butter. It is from Isigny Ste Mere and can be found at Wholefoods or other specialty markets. If you can’t find the butter, mix some coarse Maldon Sea Salt from England or Murray River Pink Flake Salt from Australia into softened unsalted butter.

I like to serve panini wrapped in parchment paper and tied with butcher twine. Or, cut them and line them up on a wooden board at parties.  My favorite is the wine barrel lazy Susan from Vivaterra.

Further experimentation of savory and sweet panini is my wont so stay tuned for many more varietals to pop up soon.

Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Panini

Yields One Sandwich.

Equipment needed: Panini press or waffle iron or clothes iron and cast iron pan

2 Italian country bread slices about 4-5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick
2 tbsp Sea salted butter, the great French brand, Isigny Ste Mere or make your own by mixing 1/2 tsp Maldon salt and 2 tbsp of a fabulous butter. One of my favorites is from Vermont Butter and Cheese Company
Pinch Maldon salt
2 squares Vosges‘ Organic Peanut Butter Bonbon Bar
½ organic banana

Spread butter on all sides of the bread. Place peanut butter bar squares on one piece of bread, followed by sliced banana and a sprinkle of salt. Place other piece of buttered bread on top and press with Panini press until golden brown.

Tips:

-Make sure your bread doesn’t have many gaping holes or your fillings may seep through and burn on the iron.

- If you don’t have a Panini press substitute with a waffle iron as you see I did in the photos. Or try a cast iron skillet hold with a clothes iron on top – quite the contraption I assure you.

-Make sure the bread you use isn’t overly crusty or it may cut your mouth a bit when pressed. At the same time, don’t choose a overly soft bread, not a good sign of quality bread and it won’t have the rigidity needed. I suggest a crusty ciabatta or Italian peasant bread.

-Use Organic or home grown where possible.