CHOCOLATE DIPPED ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Come June, my head spins as end-of-the-year school functions approach with rapid fire. And this year, I also find myself in the last week of finishing the manuscript for my book, which feels very much like giving birth to a 3rd child! Life is extremely busy, and can feel like a bit of a whirlwind for someone like me who enjoys being social, but also craves slowness and quiet.

My natural clock keeps telling me it's time for summer vacation - my inner teenager wants to sleep 'til noon, laze around in the sun, read trashy novels, and gobble ice cream sandwiches while belting out, "School's out for summer... School's out forever..."

Have you tried an It's-It? Ice cream, sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies, then dipped in chocolate... that's right. That's the kind of summer treat I'm craving these days. It's-Its were created in San Francisco in the 1920s and you can still find them tucked into ice cream freezers all over the West Coast. When I saw a recipe for homemade It's-Its in Jennie Schacht's charming new book, I knew I had to make them with Lilah and her buddy, Anni.

I hummed Alice Cooper the whole time.

INGREDIENTS - slightly adapted from Jennie Schacht's I Scream Sandwich!
(printable recipe)

Oatmeal Cookies:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour {GF folks: I use Pamela's Bread Mix and Flour Blend}
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• generous pinch of sea salt
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats {GF folks: be sure to buy GF oats}
• optional: 1/2 cup raisins

Chocolate Shell:

• 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

 Ice Cream: Jennie makes her own, but I was too lazy this week.

• Store-bought vanilla ice cream for filling. For those of your who can't tolerate dairy, try Coconut Bliss... it's really creamy and good. {GF friends: be sure to check the ice cream label to be certain it's gluten-free}

Preheat oven to 350.

First, go ahead and make your cookies. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, or using a medium mixing bowl with a hand-mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla. Blend until ingredients are integrated.

In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. While the standing mixer is still whirling, slowly add the dry ingredients. Finally, add oats to the batter. Mix until batter is well blended.

Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough onto the lined cookie sheets. Jennie very wisely suggests making 24 tablespoon size cookies. (We went ahead and made 14 bigger cookies - piggies, I know. From here on out, I'll stick to Jennie's reasonable portions!) Give the cookies some room to spread during baking, and use your fingertips to flatten the dough a bit, flatter disk-shaped cookies make for more manageable ice cream sandwiches.

Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes until golden, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through baking to ensure even browning.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on their baking sheet, then transfer them to a rack to finish cooling.

Once cookies have cooled completely, scoop (slightly softened) ice cream between two cookies to make a sandwich. Stick the prepared sandwiches in the freezer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to chill thoroughly before dipping them into the chocolate shell.

Making the chocolate shell... Gently melt chocolate with coconut oil in a double boiler, or microwave. Once the chocolate is warm, liquidy, and smooth, stir and you've got your dipping chocolate.

Take each fully-frozen ice cream sandwich, and dip it halfway into the the melted chocolate. Let the drips fall away and then return the dipped sandwich to your cold, parchment-lined baking sheet.  Freeze the sandwiches again for 15 minutes, until the chocolate had chilled and hardened.

Eat and enjoy! Wrap any extra ice cream sandwiches in parchment and store them in the freezer until you're ready to munch again.

makes 12 ice cream sandwiches (we made 7 monster-size sandwiches, but I will definitely stick with a more manageable size next time)


Happy Summer everyone!!!

If you want more summer ice cream deliciousness, check out Phyllis' genius recipe for S'Mores Ice Cream on Food 52...

PRESERVED RHUBARB

This deliciously simple rhubarb recipe is from Diane Roupe's new book Blue Ribbon Country Canning. Diane is a preserving legend, having won numerous blue and red ribbons and the Iowa State Fair - the real deal in American canning country!

Last year, I was lucky enough to shoot all the photographs for Diane's book. Working on Blue Ribbon Country Canning was an amazing creative endeavor, and so different from my own book project - I loved the challenge of honoring another author's vision through photography. After 12 months, it feels fantastic to finally touch the pages and see all the work that went into the book become a reality.

When shooting Diane's book, I fell in love with her rhubarb and knew I had to share this recipe with all of you. Diane's rhubarb maintains a wonderful tart bite while being just sweetened enough by a bit of sugar. Imagine nestling little bits of puckery ruby-hued rhubarb onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream... yum!


INGREDIENTS adapted from Diane Roupe's Blue Ribbon Country Canning from Egg + Dart Press
{printable recipe}

• 2 1/4 pounds rhubarb
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Trim ends from rhubarb and slice stalks into 2 inch x 1/4 inch batons. Place cut rhubarb in a large stainless stockpot or dutch oven. Toss rhubarb with sugar. Cover and let rhubarb macerate for 4 hours to release its liquid. ( I occasionally stirred the rhubarb during this maceration phase.)

After 4 hours, place pot holding the rhubarb (and all of its released liquid) onto the stove top. Turn the flame to medium-high. Stir regularly while bringing the pot to a boil. Once boiling, count to 10 and remove the pan from the heat. (If you cook the rhubarb any longer, the fibers really break down and the consistency gets soft and mushy like stewed rhubarb. The flavor and texture are still delish, just not as firm as Diane's intention.)

Using a slotting spoon, immediately place rhubarb into jars and pour liquid over the top. Seal jars. For more information on this important phase of canning, please consult Diane's book, or your favorite canning guide. Keep in mind: you can also make this recipe and store the rhubarb in clean lidded containers in the fridge. Unsealed rhubarb should be eaten within 2 weeks.

Let jars cool to room temp and rest for 12 hours.

Serve rhubarb on something sweet and creamy like vanilla ice cream...






I thought you might enjoy a peek at some shots from the book...

 

ROASTED ASPARAGUS, TOASTY BREAD, SOFT BOILED EGG + CHERVIL

I cannot believe I have yet to share an asparagus recipe with you this spring! When those gorgeous spears come to market, I start buying them by the bushel, don't you? We've been scarfing down asparagus almost every day for the past few weeks.

Last Thursday, P and I went to a delicious dinner at Camino to celebrate Deborah Madison's brilliant new book, Vegetable Literacy. With Russ cooking up Madison's recipes, it was an unbeatable combination. I immediately went home and knew I needed to try my hand at one of her new recipes, and the first thing I flipped to was the asparagus section. I saw Madison's recipe for a version of the dish I'm sharing today, and I knew I had to make it pronto!



I like that Madison calls for roasting the veg - not a technique I've used for asparagus, though now I will. The roasting was easy, the asparagus tender, and the flavors delish. Instead of hard boiling the egg as per the recipe, I craved the oozy yolk of a soft boiled egg and oh man was that a good move. The mustard vinaigrette mingles with the yolk and all come together to coat the asparagus and toasty bread. I'm a fan.

I ate this asparagus salad for breakfast, but that's just me. I think the salad would make a fantastic lunch, brunch, or light supper.

INGREDIENTS  
inspired by Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy, originally from Amelia Saltsman in What We Eat When We Eat Alone
{printable recipe}

• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears
• olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 soft boiled eggs - see my technique for soft boiled eggs here
• 1-2 slices sourdough bread {GF folks: I used a GF baguette from Mariposa Bakery. In a pinch you could tear up a GF hamburger bun}
• 1 teaspoon Dijon or coarse mustard
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• chervil

Preheat oven to 400.

Trim tough ends from asparagus spears. Lay the spears in a roasting dish, or on a baking sheet. Toss asparagus with 2 teaspoons olive oil, and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Roast asparagus in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Take the pan from the oven, give it a good shake, and roast another 10-20 minutes until spears are tender, and cooked through.

In the meantime, put a small saucepan with water on the stove top to cook your soft boiled eggs. See the rest of the instructions here.

Tear bread into large, rough pieces. Place torn bread onto another baking sheet or roasting pan. Toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Place bread in the oven  5-10 minutes, until golden.

Whisk together mustard, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Then whisk in just enough olive oil for a nice emulsified dressing.

Assemble the salad by scattering the roasted asparagus and croutons on a plate. Nestle an egg or two on top. Drizzle on some dressing. Toss on a few sprigs of chervil. Break open those eggs and let all the wonderful flavors mingle.

I love this salad!

There are so many wonderful asparagus recipes floating around these days... Here are a few goodies:

• Asparagus, fennel, piave salad with Meyer lemon caper vinaigrette 
• Buttermilk Asparagus Salad
• Asparagus with Poached Eggs over Grits
• Miner's Lettuce with Soft Boiled Egg and Asparagus
• Asparagus Pesto with Herb Pasta
• Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta