pistachio ice cream
Posted: September 7, 2015 Filed under: desserts | Tags: almond extract, eggs, heavy cream, milk, pistachio, salt, sugar, vanilla bean Leave a comment
This One’s For You, Dad
Back in the 1970s when we made homemade ice cream we crafted it by pouring the cream mixture into an old-fashioned hand-crank machine container and surrounding it with some ice, rock salt, and a whole lotta love.
Losing my Dad when I was 15 years young was a nightmare I hate to remember. Luckily I knew Dad long enough to cling to special things about him that I hold near and dear more than 30 years later:
- His love of the Texas Coast including key essentials like how to hypnotize a Texas crab, how to transform a cola can into a mini “bait bucket” you can wear around your neck (no kidding), and of course the joy of wade fishing.
- How to properly shave by wetting your finger and wiping it across your lips to remove any shaving cream that covers your lips (this trick I noticed before I was old enough to begin shaving).
- The love of outdoor grilling.
- And Dad’s love of pistachio ice cream.
While ice cream makers have advanced over the years, I know for certain that this Cuisinart recipe would have been one of Dad’s favorites. I hope you try your hand at this creamy, lip-smakin’ pistachio-y bowl of awesome!
foodie tips ~
❤ This ice cream kept extremely well in my “third pan” in the freezer for more than a week. After that the highly coveted ice cream was all gone … POOF!
❤ 2 ¼ cups of pistachios? You will enjoy a lotta nutty goodness in every single bite! You’ll also enjoy more pistachio taste than what you’ll get from store brand ice creams.
i. ingredients
2 ½ cups | whole milk
1 | whole vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped
⅔ cup | granulated sugar, divided
2 ¼ cups | unsalted pistachios, shelled, roasted and divided
2 cups | heavy cream
a pinch | salt
6 large | egg yolks
¼ teaspoon | pure almond extract
to make | a cuisinart® ice cream maker … or your favorite hand-crank ice cream maker
ii. what to do
1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, stir together the milk, vanilla bean (including the pod), half of the sugar and 1 ½ cups of the pistachios. Bring the mixture just to a boil. Remove from heat; let mixture steep for 1-2 hours. After steeping, add the cream and salt and gradually return the mixture just to a boil over medium-low heat.
2. When the pistachio-cream mixture is reheating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat until everything is pale and thick.
3. Once the pistachio-cream mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about ⅓ of the hot mixture into the yolk-sugar mixture then the final ⅓. Add another ⅓ of the mixture, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir everything constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. This mixture must NOT boil or the yolks will overcook. This process should only take a few minutes.
4. Stir in the almond extract and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the vanilla pods and pistachios. Bring to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours, or overnight.
5. Turn on your Cuisinart ice cream maker. Pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thick, about 20 minutes. When the ice cream is almost done churning, add the remaining toasted pistachios through the opening at the top of the ice cream maker. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is preferred, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.
To serve, remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving; if you’re lucky you’ll see creamy globs of awesome form on the ice cream.
Enjoy the greatness!
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
texas praline cake
Posted: February 28, 2015 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking powder, brown sugar, butter, cocoa powder, eggs, flour, heavy cream, instant coffee, pecans, salt, sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
Texas Praline Cake (before it’s frosted)
Texas : It’s A State Of Mind
Growing up in Texas I had no clue the true passion folks have for our country state. Nowadays it seems like most everything comes in the shape of Texas these days.
Blocks of cheese. Stepping stones. Sunglasses. Pencils. Coasters. Coffee Tables. Swimming pools. In the kitchen some of my most prized possessions include a Texas-shaped cutting board, ice cube trays, pasta, cookie cutters, a hamburger press and my very, very special Texas waffle maker. I’m not kidding!
My Very Own Chocolate Chip Pecan Waffle. Mine! Mine! Mine!
PS ~ I just ate the Texas Panhandle!
For this recipe, when I saw “Texas” in the name I instinctively knew what I had to do – cut the cake into my favorite shape.
But sadly, when I realized this cake is actually made from a bundt pan (not a sheet cake), I decided to spare you all my creative talents attempting to “Tex-afy” this dish.
foodie tips ~
❤ If this were “fight club” turned “cooking club” the 1st rule of cooking club would be to clearly list all ingredients in your ingredients list! This is not the first time I skimmed a recipe (below), rushed to the store to fill-in my ingredient holes then when making the dish I discover that there were more ingredients buried deep, deep down in the recipe’s body copy. [ insert angry face here ]. This is my own fault of course and I hopefully will remember to read recipes from A-to-Z next time. Just note that I included all ingredients below – including those for the Whipped Cream Imperial – to make it easy for you to have the ingredient essentials at the ready. [ insert happy face here ].
❤ Instant coffee granules? Me, either. But surprisingly they worked magic in this dish. What else am I missing here? Coffee granule brownies? Instant coffee toffee (if only)? Chili con carne con coffee? That’s just wrong.
i. ingredients
for the cake
2 sticks (1 cup) | butter, softened (my Grandmother Nanny insisted on Falfurrias brand butter)
1 cup | Imperial brand brown sugar
½ cup | Imperial brand granulated sugar
4 | cage free eggs
1 ½ teaspoons | vanilla
1 ½ cups | water
1 tablespoon | instant coffee granules (this is not a typo)
4 cups | all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon | cocoa powder
5 teaspoons | baking powder
1 teaspoon | salt
1 cup | pecans, coarsely chopped
for the cream topping
1 cup | heavy cream
⅛ teaspoon | salt
½ teaspoon | vanilla
½ cup | Imperial brand brown sugar, sieved (sifted or strained)
ii. what to do
0. Heat It Up: Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Make Dough: In a large mixing bowl using low speed, cream butter with the brown and white sugars until well combined. On high speed, add the eggs and cream them about five minutes. Add the vanilla, water and coffee granules and mix on low speed just to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add the dry mix to the wet mix on low speed just until all ingredients are well combined. Stir in the pecans by hand.
3. To Bake: Pour the dough into a 10″ tube pan that’s been greased on the bottom only. Bake in preheated oven about 55 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool your cake in the pan on a metal/wood cooling rack.
4. To Frost: To make the “Whipped Cream Imperial” topping combine by hand the four topping ingredients above (heavy cream, salt, vanilla and brown sugar). Chill the frosting mixture for 1 hour in the fridge. Beat with a chilled beater until stiff.
Serves: 12 or more slices of Texas Praline Cake
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
PS ~ If you’re still reading this recipe you may be wondering why I didn’t include a picture of the cake frosted. Well, me and my gas oven are at odds these days and I think the thermostat is shot and my cake was over-cooked. It still had a good flavor but it was dry so I didn’t frost the cake. This is my second fail proving to me that creating kitchen masterpieces is not as easy as it sounds – especially when your oven hates you. My first fail? These red candy apples. Just looking at a picture of them makes my stomach sad.
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Recipe
egg nog
Posted: December 25, 2013 Filed under: beverages, desserts | Tags: bourbon, eggs, heavy cream, rum, sugar, sweet milk Leave a comment
Egg Nog With A Christmas Kick
In college I heard about a kitchen shortcut for making egg nog – buy the cartoned stuff from the grocery store then add an equal part of it with 7-Up or Slice. It resulted in a lighter drink as the soda helped “brighten” the drink. This was in a time before I received Mom’s cookbook back from her friend Bristol and discovered this classic egg nog recipe.
This egg nog recipe came from Mom’s dear friend Lela Swinny and it packs a lotta punch since it’s made with bourbon and rum.
Egg nog is to Christmas just like barrel racing is to the the Texas State Fair; the holiday’s aren’t complete without a glass or two of nog.
Foodie Tips ~
♥ The recipe card didn’t specify when to add the rum so it looks like Mom later added a note to include the rum right after the bourbon cooked the eggs.
♥ This just in – Bourbon cooks eggs? It’s true! You can read more online about the risks of consuming raw eggs but I’ve only consumed raw eggs sparingly and have turned out just fine.
♥ Please allow advance time to make this nog – details are below.
♥ As penned this recipe will make a large punch bowl of the frothy stuff. We halved the recipe and it made a pitcher which was enough to yield 6-8 glasses.
i. ingredients
1 quart | heavy cream, whipped
12 | eggs, separated
¾ cup | sugar
1 pint (2 cups) | bourbon
½ pint (1 cup) | rum
1 pint (2 cups) | sweet milk
ii. what to do
1. In a large bowl beat the yolks until creamy, then “cook” the yolks by slowly dribbling whiskey into them, while beating. Next slowly dribble in the rum while continuing to beat the yolks while you add the rum.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whip sugar into the whites.
3. Mix the whipped cream into the yolk and whiskey-rum mixture.
4. Rinse a bowl with a pint of sweet milk and transfer the mixture to the bowl.
5. Gently fold in the egg whites.
6. The egg nog should be kept in the fridge overnight to ripen; it should have a good consistency and separate very little. You can mix it again before serving.
Enjoy!
Who is Lela?
When I was growing up Lela Swinny lived at 3006 Northridge just 2 doors around the corner from my family.
The Swinny family was a delightful bunch of folks and my family spent almost as much time at their house as our own so naturally “fooding” was a part of the times our two families shared.
Mom’s dear friend “Lela” taught me many things ~ the joy of laughing, how to swim in their awesome pool and how to cook this memorable breakfast treat called “egg in a nest.”
You’ll find a picture of Lela and me in the old family photo album here on Betty’s Cook Nook.
One great lady.
green rice
Posted: August 23, 2013 Filed under: sides | Tags: eggs, green pepper, heavy cream, onion, paprika, parmesan cheese, parsley, rice Leave a comment
Green
Where would we be without the color green?
When I close my eyes thinking of “green” transports me to St. Patrick’s Day, when Mom would celebrate her little Saint, summer days I spent mowing yards, the homemade green taffy Mom and I made with Bristol and Chris and Christmastime when I loved to pinch the branches of our tree and smell the evergreen scent.
This dish receives its flecks of green from freshly chopped green pepper and parsley. There’s a labor of love involved in making this green rice recipe but it was worth it – I loved the crunch of the green pepper and hope you do too!
i. ingredients
1 cup | rice
2 teaspoons | salt
2 ½ cups | boiling water
4 eggs | separated
1 | green pepper, finely chopped
1 | small onion, finely chopped
½ cup | parsley, minced
5 tablespoons | parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon | paprika
1 cup | heavy cream, whipped
ii. what to do
1. Add rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt to boiling water. Cover. Cook over low heat until rice is tender and all the water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.
2. Beat egg yolks. Combine the yolks with the green pepper, onion, parsley, grated cheese and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and paprika.
3. Blend mixture with the cooked rice then fold in the whipped cream.
4. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Fold into the rice mixture.
5. Turn the rice into a greased 2-quart casserole. Place the casserole in a pan of hot water. Bake at 350°F until set, about 50-60 minutes.
Yield: 6-8 portions
Betty's Cook Nook 