i love crème brulée. i love the contrasting textures and the distinctive cracking is just so satisfying in itself. creamy, smooth with a little bit of crunch. i have always thought it would be a trickier dessert than it is. but, i guess if you can make a crème anglaise you can make a number of things.

i purchased some blueberries at the farmer’s market and wanted to use them in something creamy. i have made blueberry frozen yogurt and my ice cream machine gets plently of use, so crème brulée it was. plus i just bought some new ramekins that i have been itching to put to good use. i added some cinnamon and cardamom for a bit of spiciness. the smell was delicious and they tasted pretty good as well. sean really loved the flavors and declared that he liked this particular creme brulee more than the standard. i liked it, but i disagreed…i love the classic.

spiced blueberry crème brulée

1/2 cup blueberries
1/8 tsp each cinnamon and cardamom
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar divided
4 lg egg yolks
1 vanilla bean

turbinado sugar

preheat oven to 325 F

place blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon and cardamom, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan. heat over medium until sugar is melted a blueberries burst. strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.

heat cream and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan until just before boiling. turn off heat and allow vanilla to steep for 15 mins. whisk yolks and remaining sugar until thick and creamy. turn heat back on if cream has cooled too much. remove vanilla bean (and rinse if saving) and temper into yolks and sugar. strain through a sieve if desired and fold in blueberry sauce. divide into ramekins (i did about five, it can depend on the size of ramekins being used) and place into a roasting pan with hot water that reached about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. bake for about 55 mins until custards are just set. allow to cool completely and chill in the refrigerator. at least 3 hours.

sprinkle sugar in an even and thin layer over tops of chilled custards. brulee the sugar with either a torch or under the broiler. serve immediately.

…making macarons. these chocolate and hazelnut macarons with salted caramel were a bit of a triumph for me. not very pretty and not very dainty, but i have to say that i am pretty proud of my first attempt. i intended to make an espresso ganache, but it didn’t come together for me and i only had milk chocolate, which was not really what i wanted. so, in went the leftover walnut caramel. i have to admit i have never made macarons before and they have been on my to-do list for the entire summer. melly over at one messy kitchen is hosting this months shf event and when i discovered that it would be meringue i was more than a little excited.

after deciding on a fairly simple flavor combo, i got to work. for the recipe i turned to helen (as i so often do) and i simply subbed ingredients. i did leave them in the oven a few minutes longer, as they were a bit larger than i would have like due to my inexperienced piping skills.

i was nervous that the macarons wouldn’t develop the coveted foot that i hear about so often…but they did! i squealed a little when i pulled them from the oven. this caused sean to wander into the kitchen to see what the ruckus was about..which may have been a mistake on his part since he had to listen to me chatter away about the ‘foot’ of the macaron for a lot longer than he probably would have liked. after he got a taste, i think he felt it was well worth it. he said they were like little caramel hamburgers. the shells were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and even though my espresso ganache failed, the walnut caramel added a bit of saltiness which did not disappoint.

i threw this crisp (or crumble–i’m never sure what the difference is) together last night out of necessity. i literally had some plums on the counter that needed retiring (the necessary part) and some raspberries in the freezer. i also had a palmful of almonds and a half container of amaretti (and this post also inspired me) that needed using. the juice of one orange, the insides of one vanilla bean, a few tablespoons of flour and butter and this crisp was born. it came together so quickly and easily that i had very low expectations. but, it was sweet and tart and crunchy and had a beautifully jewel toned, bubbling syrup. my expectations were wrong, but that made for even more enjoyable results.

crisp topping
in retrospect adding orange zest would have been nice in the topping. dang.

4 tbsp cold butter cut into pieces
10 amaretti
3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1/8 tsp cinnamon

preheat oven to 375 F

crush amaretti into bowl with hands, add all ingredients and combine with fingers until desired texture is reached, i like an uneven mixture. set aside (i put mine in the freezer) while you assemble the fruit filling.

fruit filling
makes enough for about 4 ramekins

1 cup pitted, chopped plums
1/2 cup raspberries
1/8 tsp cinnamon
a few grates of fresh nutmeg
1 orange, juiced
1 vanilla bean, seeds only
1 tsp cornstarch

coat fruits in cornstarch and add remaining ingredients, tossing to coat. spoon mixture into ramekins and top with crisp topping. bake for 20 minutes or until crisp is brown and juices are bubbling.

i love peaches. they are my fave of all the stone fruits and are a top contender as my favorite fruit of all time. my love affair with the peach began when i was really young. i am not sure how old i was, but one of my oldest memories is that of picking peaches at a u-pick farm somewhere near san francisco. i remember eating the peaches on the way home in my grandparents truck, sitting in the back seat with my mom. there really is nothing better than a ripe, juicy peach eaten out of hand, especially if the juices run down the length of your arm. well, except maybe these peaches.

i made these balsamic roasted peaches earlier this week, but i ate them all before i could make the frozen yogurt. they are so good. and the syrup from the pan, omg i could just drink it. they are amazing alone or served with a nice spoonful of marscapone. that is how i devoured the first batch.

so, i made them again today, taking care not to masacre them before i could make the intended frozen yogurt. i am glad that i held out. the yogurt is divine, so peachy with perfect compliments from both the vanilla and balsamic. the yogurt lends a nice richness and creamy mouth feel. think peaches and cream…but better.

vanilla-balsamic roasted peaches
the skins can be easily removed after roasting to reveal the beautifully blushed flesh.

3 ripe peaches
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split length wise and scraped

preheat oven to 400 F.

put sugar and balsamic in a small saucepan, add vanilla bean seeds and pod. bring to a boil and simmer until sugar dissolves and a light syrup is made.

cut peaches into halves or quarters, removing pits. toss with syrup in a bowl and arrange, cut side down, in a baking dish, pouring remaining syrup over the peaches. bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until peaches are tender and the syrup is thick and bubbling. cool (remove skins at this point, if desired) and place peaches in a container and pour off syrup (either over peaches or into another container, i did the latter).

vanilla-balsamic roasted peach frozen yogurt
i used brown cow cream top whole milk yogurt because i love it. love it.

1 1/2 cups whole milk yogurt
2/3 cup sugar
1 batch balsamic roasted peaches, divided

place half of the peaches and any juices into a blender, add sugar and yogurt, blend until smooth. roughly chop the remaining peaches and stir into yogurt mixture. freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. enjoy with reserved syrup.

i made these brownies with the best of blogging intentions. but, sean texted me at work and decided we should go on a date. well, i can’t really pass up on a date, can i? no, i cannot since we don’t really go on dates after four years of commitment. so we saw a movie and grabbed a bite to eat. nothing fancy, but really nice.

so these brownies. they are from dorie (as usual) and i wanted to make them even more decadent by adding a caramel walnut sauce. they are wonderfully chocolately and the buttery caramel sauce really added a nice lusiciousness. i like my brownies with milk poured over them, but i think that a brownie sundae would be a nice little indulgence. sean even dubbed these “the best brownies ever…” but he says that often about many things i make. it’s nice to have someone in-house that always delivers flattery.

caramel sauce
adapted from simplyrecipes

1 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

heat sugar in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan until liquid–swirling or stirring–and dark amber in color. whisk in butter completely and remove from heat. add heavy cream, it will bubble (a lot), stir in walnuts and salt. allow to cool a few minutes before pouring into a heatproof container. i used a mason jar. makes about 1 1/4 cups with the walnuts added.

classic brownies
adapted from dorie greenspan’s baking:from my home to yours
i used less walnuts in the batter since i made a walnut caramel sauce for topping.

5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

preheat oven to 325. center rack butter and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment. place on a baking sheet.

make a double boiler (set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water) and melt butter and chocolates together until just melted and combined. remove the top bowl and whisk in sugar. add eggs one at a time whisking until combined. add vanilla and whisk before adding espresso, salt and flour. fold in walnuts with a spatula. pour into pan and smooth.

bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. the top should look dull. cool and cut into squares.

some of my favorite people were in town this weekend; my mom, my aunt, and more family and friends. they came to town for hot august nights, a classic car enthusiasts gathering that happens annually. my uncle and cousins all have cars that they show. i am partial to my cousins ’57 bel air…though i know nothing about it. sean’s friend from seattle was also visiting but his visit was fleeting and i did not get to spend much time with them. i made this ice cream for him, but he never got any. but, dang it was good.

mom and my aunt

i really like ice cream. i really like hazelnuts. and…i really like coffee. actually, i love all three. when i was a kid living in vacaville, my mom would take us to baskin robbins weekly. every visit i would order jamocha almond fudge (which, apparently has been a staple at br since 59…yes, 1959), always in a cake cone. mmm, creamy coffee ice cream, fudge and crunchy-crunchy almonds. yum.

even as a kid i loved the flavor of coffee. visits with my grandparents, as far back as i can remember, included a mug half full of coffee, half milk and loads of sugar…loads. my love for coffee has only grown (and even stepped up several levels after working for a certain mega-green-apron-donning-coffee chain a few years ago).

this ice cream was pretty good. i don’t want to sound unenthusiastic, but it is not my dream cream. too sweet, so next time i will reduce the sugar by about a quarter of a cup.. sean and his little brother, geoff (geoff is our new roomate, welcome!), both really enjoyed it…as only the scraping of spoons against the bottom of bowls can indicate. i toasted the hazelnuts in a dry pan with a pinch of salt and could hardly stop eating them from the bowl. they added a delightfuly nutty crunch to the creamy coffee flavor. i am glad it wasn’t a perfect recipe, because now i have an excuse to make more coffee steeped ice cream concoctions.

coffee ice cream with hazelnuts
i also added about a 1/8 tsp of cinnamon for a bit of spicy warmth…plus coffee+hazelnuts+cinnamon=love.

below is the recipe adjusted for less sugar. originally i used 3/4 cup of white sugar. i like to use (and drink) ground espresso, but i think any dark roast would be nice.

1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coarsely ground coffee
4 egg yolks*
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts

whisk egg yolks and sugar in a heat proof bowl until pale and thick, set aside. put milk, cream, vanilla, and coffee in a medium saucepan over med-low heat. bring to just before boiling…don’t boil! strain into a large measuring cup or bowl (to remove grounds) and temper into egg and sugar mixture. pour the custard base back into saucepan (through a sieve if your like me and crazy!) and stir constantly over low heat until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. cool completely and freeze in ice cream machine, adding hazelnuts at the end of churning just to incorporate. if you can’t strain out all of the grounds…don’t fret, they are tasty too.

*i use organic, vegetarian eggs. that is veg fed eggs. i am too freaked out to eat any other eggs…especially if i am personally purchasing and cooking with them. i also use organic milk and cream. i pretty much try (try being opperative in this sentence) to go organic as much as i can. you can use what you want. i just thought i’d note that this is how i roll.

it’s august people. this means the summer winding down, sean is going back to school (but i am not for the second year and that is weird for me), and autumn will visit us soon. i say visit because autumn is very short here in northern nevada. this is the high desert and the transition of the seasons can be abrupt. it often seems like the fall only lasts a weekend…which is a bummer since it is my favorite season hands down, no questions. but, i have already planned my annual trip to apple hill in camino, ca. yay!

but, for now…hello august.

i have been wanting to make biscotti for the past couple of weeks, but have been putting it off. i don’t really know why since it was so easy to do. i borrowed the recipe from deb over at smitten kitchen and it really is as she describes it, “a hole in one” recipe. it turns out perfectly crisp and is a perfect pair with a cup of coffee. in fact, i am enjoying one as i type.

the only things that i altered in her recipe were the flour and grand marnier. i left out the liqueur ( i didn’t have any on hand) and subbed 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour along with the regular ap flour. it still had a beautiful orange aroma as it baked from the zest and i don’t think anything was left to be desired. yum!