Strawberry-Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream

The other day I was preparing a gluten free strawberry-rhubarb crumble for my clients, and I got to thinking about what else I could create with this magical duo besides the standard baked confections we are all used to seeing. Well, whenever I think of pies, crisps and crumbles my mind automatically wanders to it's perfect partner: ice cream! I don't know why it had never occurred to me to take the fruit filling and swirl it into an ice cream, but I sure am glad that the inspiration finally struck. This ice cream is a heavenly marriage of sweet, creamy custard mingled with bright, fresh fruit. A wonderful dessert to usher in the warmer days of Spring!

makes 1 quart 
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup rhubarb, sliced
1 cup sugar, divided
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
 1 tsp vanilla extract

  Instructions
1. Bring strawberries, rhubarb and 1/4 cup of sugar to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until fruit is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Whisk egg yolks and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar in a bowl until mixture is thick and pale yellow.
3. Add milk, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod to a saucepan and bring to a low simmer (do not boil). When small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan remove from heat and discard vanilla pod (or reserve for another use!).
 4. Very slowly and gradually add the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return combined egg mixture to the pan and heat custard over medium-low heat to 160 degrees (custard should coat the back of a wooden spoon). Remove from heat.
5. Add heavy cream and vanilla to the saucepan and stir to combine. Pour entire mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Chill, covered, for at least 30 minutes or until mixture has cooled completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker.
6. To add the strawberry-rhubarb swirl, alternate layers of ice cream and cooled fruit mixture into the ice cream storage container. Store in freezer until ready to serve.

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Sweet Potato Fries with Beet Ketchup & Truffle Honey Mustard

Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite snacks/side dishes, but I've had a heck of a time experimenting with various cooking methods in order to get them just right. They tend to turn out limp and mushy whether they are baked or fried, cut into rustic wedges or perfectly julienned. But after several mediocre attempts at recreating a restaurant-worthy fry I finally nailed it, so I wanted to share two imperative steps that will ensure that ever-elusive crispy texture:

 1.) Soak your potatoes in water for about an hour prior to baking in order to coax out some of the starches. Starch holds moisture in the potato, and the more moisture in the potato, the harder it will be to crisp up. It may seem counter-intuitive, but just try it and see! Just make sure to get the potatoes as dry as possible using paper towels (or even a blowdryer!) before baking.

 2.) Coat the fries in a thin layer of corn starch before baking- this is EVERYTHING.

 I made two fun dipping sauces to accompany the french fries. Now, we've all had ketchup and we've all had honey mustard, but I punched them both up by adding some unexpected flavors- I just love a twist on the same old thing. I had some leftovers from a batch of homemade ketchup so I added pureed roasted beets and a bit of balsamic and ginger for a nice kick (you could easily make this with store bought ketchup though). Then I whipped up some honey mustard and mixed in a few drops of truffle oil at the end. Yum! What are your favorite dipping sauces for french fries?

Ingredients
for the fries:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1-2 tbsp canola oil
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
salt and pepper, to taste

for the beet ketchup:
2 medium sized beets, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
salt and pepper, to taste

for the truffle honey mustard:
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp honey
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp truffle oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Using a mandolin, cut potatoes into thick julienned slices. Soak in a bowl of cold water for approximately 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauces: for the beet ketchup, cut the beets into 1-inch chunks and transfer to a food processor. Add the ketchup, vinegar, olive oil, ginger, salt and pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing down on solids with a wooden spoon For the truffle honey mustard, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Set dipping sauces aside until ready to serve.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain potatoes and pat with paper towels until very dry.
4. Place cornstarch in a plastic bag and add potatoes. Secure the top closed and shake vigorously to coat potatoes. Remove from bag and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Coat fries with oil and spread fries in a single layer, taking care not to overcrowd the pan (otherwise the potatoes will steam).
6. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate pan and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper just before serving.

*Optional: add a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar to your french fry seasonings, I love it this way!

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Meyer Lemon-Honey Tart with Salted Shortbread Crust

I'm crazy for lemons in any form of dessert: lemon bars, lemon cheesecake, lemon ice cream..the list goes on. I think it's the contrast between tart acidity and cloying sweetness balancing each other out that gets me every time. So naturally I have baked many a lemon tart in my day, but I decided to give this version a try because the idea of paper-thin lemon slices nestled throughout the filling really appealed to me (no pun intended). They're really quite good, adding a pleasant textural element to an otherwise standard lemon curd filling. And the buttery, slightly salty shortbread crust takes this tart from ordinary to outrageous.

adapted from Bon Appetit
Ingredients
for the crust:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray 
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1inch pieces
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 
  
• for the filling:

• 1 Meyer lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice (approx 5 lemons)

• *Special equipment: 9 inch springform pan, mandolin

Instructions

1. Coat springform pan with nonstick spray. 

2. Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Place butter and powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is smooth. Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse until mixture resembles medium-size pebbles (dough will not come together completely). 

3. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Using your fingers, press dough evenly onto bottom and up the sides of the  pan.

4. Using a mandoline, slice lemon into paper-thin rounds and remove seeds.  Mix sugar, honey, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Add lemon slices and toss to coat. Let sit until lemon is softened and sugar is dissolved, 30-45 minutes. 

5. Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake crust until center is firm to the touch and edges are beginning to turn golden brown, 30-35 minutes.

6. When crust is almost done baking, whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl to blend. Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl; add to egg mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in lemon juice. Add lemon slice mixture; mix gently to combine.

7. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Pour filling into hot crust. Bake until filling is set and slightly puffed around edges, 25-30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool completely. Chill for at least 4 hours, then unmold. Serve cold.

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