Name: Limeade Popsicles
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: juice of 4 limes; zest of 2 limes; 1 cup sugar; 1?2 cup sweetened condensed milk; 2 cups water

Creamy Lime Popsicles

July 10, 2014

These creamy lime popsicles are easy and refreshing. They’re a perfect frozen summer treat and only take a few minutes to throw together!

Several years ago, a friend introduced me to a drink she and her husband had at a restaurant, called “Brazilian Lemonade”. I think the correct spelling might be limonade because this drink is made with limes, not lemons. Specifically whole limes, pureed in a blender with sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and water then strained.

As I was trying to think of some great frozen desserts to make this summer, that drink came to mind. I remember turning up glass after glass of it and thinking it was one of the best things I’d ever had to drink. It seemed like it would be a perfect popsicle, so I set out to make it such.

Turns out creamy lime popsicles weren’t so simple as all that. I started by following the basic recipe and freezing it in my popsicle molds. Big no. They were terrible. So bitter I couldn’t get past the first bite.

So, I melted all the lime popsicles down the drain and made another batch, this time adding a ton more sugar and quite a bit more sweetened condensed milk, but still pureeing the limes, rind and all, and straining the mixture before freezing. The result? A perfect texture and still a terrible, bitter taste. In fact, the experience made me question why I ever liked the drink in the first place; the pith under the rind was clearly making the mixture incredibly bitter. Another batch down the drain-literally.

Finally, I decided to skip the pureeing process, opting instead to use more limes for juice and using the zest-but not the pith!-from two of them. I kept all the sugar. It’s a lot of sugar, but I realized that sugar is the secret to perfect popsicle texture because it keeps the mixture from freezing solid…which means that it doesn’t get all icy when you’re trying to eat it (and I have some work to do to fix up the popsicle recipes that I made up last summer!). By the way, alcohol does the same thing….so if you are so inclined you could replace a little of the water here with some tequila for a margarita “poptail” (I wouldn’t do too much, though, or the texture will be negatively impacted).

For a great summer treat, try these creamy lime popsicles!

Mary

Yield: 10 servings
Limeade Popsicles
10 minPrep Time:
10 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients
juice of 4 limes
zest of 2 limes
1 cup sugar
1?2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups water
Instructions
Whisk together the lime juice and zest, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk until the sugar is dissolved.
Whisk the water into the mixture until completely combined.
Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for several hours. Remove from the mold and quickly transfer any popsicles you do not eat/serve back to a freezer bag to store.
Notes
Prep time does not include freezing time.
7.8.1.2
318
https://chattavore.com/lime-popsicles/

National Ice Cream Soda Day

June 30, 2014

Who knew that National Ice Cream Soda Day was a thing? There’s a day for everything…but these ice cream sodas really do deserve their own day.

When I was a kid, I thought that Baskin-Robbins was just the best place to get ice cream. I remember when there was one in the mall (any of my Chattanooga people remember the BR in Northgate?) and was pretty sad when they closed. 31 flavors for the win! I loved their ice cream cakes (and though many I know think it’s a sacrilege to say this, I still prefer their actual cake & ice cream combo cakes to DQ’s ice cream and….ice cream combos) and my grandmother used to buy their ice cream pies all the time. I haven’t thought about this until literally right now, as I’m typing this, but I should really figure out how to make their mud pies and turtle pies and the like.

Anyway, I had never heard of an ice cream soda until I was probably nine or ten years old and went to a Baskin-Robbins here in town with my grandparents. I thought that “ice cream soda” sounded intriguing (I’m sure I figured it was basically a float) and I ordered it. The lady behind the counter told me, “You don’t want that. It’s not what you think. Ice cream soda is something that old people drink.” Okay…I ordered something different. But as I thought back on that exchange years later, it annoyed me a little bit. I hate when adults tell kids “you won’t like that.” Maybe I wouldn’t have, but why not let me try something different? Kids’ palates are not always as limited as we think…and I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Years later I tasted Italian soda at a coffee shop on the campus of my hometown university that I used to frequent with a friend (I was in high school still but she was in college so going to the coffee shop on campus was obviously the coolestbut sadly the place closed before I started attending school there). You know what? I discovered that I loved simple sodas made from flavored syrups and soda water. Then I remembered the ice cream soda story and decided that I did indeed like ice cream sodas and no, ice cream sodas are just “something old people drink”-maybe it’s just that they know where it’s at! Both of these syrups are made with fruit out of my yard (blueberries) or my neighbors’ yard (cherries). And when I found out that June 30th was National Ice Cream Soda Day, I knew I had to use some great ingredients to make some recipes to share with you!

If you make these sodas for National Ice Cream Soda Day, you will not regret it!

Mary

Yield: 1 soda
National Ice Cream Soda Day 2014
10 minPrep Time:
20 minCook Time:
30 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients
For the Cherry-Almond Syrup (Makes about 2 cups)
1 cup cherries, pitted
3?4 cup sugar
3?4 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
For the Blueberry-Lavender Syrup (makes about 1 cup)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1?2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon food-grade lavender
1?2 cup water
For the Ice Cream Sodas
1?4 cup flavored syrup of your choice
2 scoops ice cream-flavor of your choice
club soda
Instructions
To make the cherry-almond syrup: combine all of the ingredients except almond extract in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for about 10 minutes, mashing cherries with the back of a wooden spoon to release their juices. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to get all of the liquid out. Stir in the almond extract. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the blueberry-lavender syrup: combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for about 15 minutes, mashing blueberries with the back of a wooden spoon to release their juices. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to get all of the liquid out. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To assemble the sodas: Pour 1 tablespoon of the syrup in the bottom of a 16-ounce glass. Add one scoop of ice cream and pour over another tablespoon of syrup, then top with another scoop of ice cream and remaining syrup. Pour club soda to come to the top of the glass. Add a straw and serve immediately.
Notes
Prep/cook time does not include time to cool the syrups.
7.8.1.2
320
https://chattavore.com/national-ice-cream-soda-day-2014/

Banana Pudding Ice Cream

May 13, 2014

Banana pudding ice cream is everything you love about everyone’s favorite potluck dessert in frozen form. Vanilla wafers included.

Of all the desserts that I’ve eaten in my thirty-something years in the South (that is, my entire life), the one that defines the South is banana pudding. I can’t think of a more definitive Southern dessert, and the funny thing is that it’s not exactly native to the South…apparently Northerners eat banana pudding too. Actually, I found out not that long ago that warm banana pudding (usually topped with a meringue) is traditional to the South, whereas cold banana pudding is native to the North…which is odd to me since in aforementioned thirty plus years in Tennessee, in all the church potlucks, family reunions, et cetera, et cetera, that I’ve attended,I have never, ever eaten a warm banana pudding (though I do plan on trying this soon so that I can make an informed decision about which I prefer, though I suspect I’ll prefer the cold banana pudding that I grew up on).

Anyway, Nana’s Frozen Custard-the custard joint that has forever ruined all other ice cream shops for me-recently announced that they would be closing their store and operating solely as a truck at local events (like the Chattanooga Market). Needless to say, I was heartbroken. Number one, I didn’t even get to eat there one more time before they announced their closing. Number two….I hate crowds and for that reason generally avoid the market! I guess I’ll have to get over it if I want to eat Nana’s custard ever again. However, I have declared that this is a great reason for me to start cracking some codes and devising my own ice cream to ruin all other ice cream.

One of the popular flavors at Nana’s was Nana Pudding….so I decided to amp up the banana ice cream that I posted a long time ago by turning it into banana pudding ice cream. I added some banana curd from The Faux Martha and some homemade vanilla wafers from Alton Brown (though you can certainly buy them if you want!). Results? Banana pudding ice cream perfection.

Even my banana-hating husband liked my banana pudding ice cream!

Mary

Banana Pudding Ice Cream

PTH30MPrep Time:

PTH20MCook Time:

50 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup heavy cream
2-3 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup crumbled vanilla wafers
1 recipe banana curd (optional, but it really does add to the banana flavor!)

Instructions

Whisk the eggs yolks in a bowl until they are thickened and light in color.
Combine the half-and-half, the cream, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture is hot and the sugar is completely dissolved.
Temper the eggs by gradually pouring about half a cup of the hot cream/half-and-half mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Whisk the mixture back into the saucepan. Continue to cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl with a lid. Pour half a cup of the base into a ramekin and freeze; refrigerate remaining base until completely cooled. Place an 8-inch metal pan in the freezer.
When you are ready to make the ice cream, puree the frozen bananas until smooth. Whisk along with the vanilla extract and the frozen ice cream base into the ice cream base until completely incorporated. Pour into your ice cream freezer and freeze according to machine directions. Pour into the metal cake pan and freeze for at least two hours.
Layer the ice cream with the vanilla wafers and the banana curd into a freezer-safe bowl. Freeze for several hours before serving.

Notes

This makes a quart of ice cream; serving size assumes 1/2-cup servings. Prep time includes freezing time; depending on your ice cream maker, this could take slightly longer (my Kitchenaid attachment took 20 minutes). Prep/cook time does not include time to age the ice cream in the freezer.

https://chattavore.com/banana-pudding-ice-cream/

Cucumber-Melon Ice Pops

June 29, 2013

Cucumber-melon ice pops make the best of your favorite summer produce, turning it into a cold, refreshing, and pretty frozen treat!

If you’ve been reading Chattavore for a while, you probably know that I don’t actually live in Chattanooga. I’m from Soddy-Daisy, one of the outlying suburbs and a good twenty-five to thirty minute drive from downtown if there’s any sort of traffic.

I love the quiet of living in the suburbs, but I do feel like I live a million miles away from everything. For the last year, I’ve worked downtown, making access to the Wednesday farmers market and easy ten-minute drive from work. I’m changing schools this year to a school much closer to home….for the sake of my own sanity, wallet, and car health (all because of the commute, nothing at all to do with the school where I was teaching). I’m looking very forward to my new school and cutting my commute to one-third (timewise, anyway).

Unfortunately, at the end of this last school year we made a decision that I would stop going to the Main Street Farmers Market every Wednesday. Truth be told, as much as I enjoy going to the market it just makes more sense for us to get our local produce a little closer to home-there are plenty of produce markets and farmstands around here that sell locally grown produce every day (or most days, anyway) and we can pick up our essential Velo coffee at Velo when we are out and about downtown. The produce showcased in these photos was procured at Maw Hughes’ produce stand on Highway 153 (near Kohl’s and Academy).

Every summer I look forward to the seasonal produce that comes only with the heat of June, July, and August. Drippy, juicy tomatoes on good bread with mayonnaise and perhaps a few slivers of the sharpest cheddar….yellow squash dredged in cornmeal and fried to crispy brown…zucchini sautéed in butter, with nothing else but a little salt and pepper. And cucumbers, which I usually like just sliced with maybe a touch of salt or on top of a salad with a simple red wince vinaigrette.

Cucumbers, however, also evoke thoughts of the obsession that my younger self had with Bath and Body Works products. As a high school and college student, I acquired a very large collection of lotions and sprays-a collection through which I am still working. One of my favorite scents was cucumber-melon; fresh, clean, simple. When I decided to come up with a collection of frozen treats, cucumber-melon instantly popped into my head. No honeydew, though. It seems like the obvious choice because its color closely matches that of cucumber, but it just isn’t my favorite melon. No, no, that role belongs to watermelon, with its sweet and drippy juices threatening to stain anything light-colored that you may be wearing.

These pops are delicious, light in flavor and truly icy in texture. The stripy design looks complicated but isn’t; it just requires some patience. No doubt you could combine the watermelon and the cucumber and reduce the prep time but the resulting pops wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful, nor would they so well showcase the individual notes of the lightly honey-sweetened fresh cucumbers and melons.

Mary

Yield: 10 ice pops

Cucumber-Melon Ice Pops

12 hr, 20 Prep Time:

5 minCook Time:

12 hr, 25 Total Time:

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Ingredients

1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
juice of two limes
zest of one lime
3 cups cucumber, seeded and chopped (about 3 medium)
3 cups watermelon, seeded and chopped (about 1/4 medium)

Instructions

Bring the water, lime juice and zest, and honey to a simmer in a small saucepan. Cook until honey is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside in a measuring cup while you prepare the cucumber and watermelon.
Place the chopped cucumbers in a blender with half of the honey/water/lime mixture. Puree to a smooth consistency and pour into a separate container. Rinse out the blender and repeat this step with the watermelon.
Fill the ice pop containers 1/4 of the way with one of the mixtures-you can do them all the same or alternate. Freeze for two hours then repeat with the other mixture. At this point you can place the popsicle stick in. Freeze for another 2 hours then make a third layer, then freeze another two hours and make a fourth layer. Freeze until solid-about four more hours-then serve.

Notes

Prep time is mostly inactive freezing time.

https://chattavore.com/cucumber-melon-ice-pops/

Cucumber-melon ice pops make the best of your favorite summer produce, turning it into a cold, refreshing, and pretty frozen treat! | recipe from Chattavore.com

Macaroon Ice Cream

June 13, 2013

This macaroon ice cream is made with coconut milk, so it’s dairy free. It has chocolate chips and coconut and it tastes like a Samoa Girl Scout cookie!

Boy, I used to hate coconut. Well, I say I hated it…but I really only hated the texture. I loved the flavor of coconut, but the texture…ick. In high school, my best friend, with whom I spent pretty much every waking second (we were kindred dork spirits), used to liken the texture of coconut to crayon shavings. And since for high school aged girls we spent a ridiculous amount of time coloring, crayon shavings were something we knew well (and I still love to color…why do you think I love teaching preschool so much?).

Anyway, I always lusted after coconut cakes with their fluffy whipped icing but wouldn’t lay a finger on them. I wouldn’t eat Samoas, those lovely caramelly Girl Scout cookies, and the mention of a macaroon did nothing but evoke thoughts of the Henrik Ibsen play “A Doll’s House” that we read in tenth-grade English (the main character, as I recall, ate a lot of macaroons, which had symbolism I could not understand at the age of fifteen). I did not develop an appreciation for true literature until much later, so I wasn’t too interested in thinking about Henrik Ibsen. For reals.

Actually, I’m not really sure when I changed my mind about coconut, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with coconut shrimp. There is just something so sublime about the combination of shrimp, with their briny sea-water flavor, and the tropical crunch of coconut that works so well. And so I was sold. Funny, though, this happened without the knowledge of my family. My mom made a cake a few weeks ago and left the coconut off of half of it (my mom takes such good care of me!).

The funny thing about this macaroon ice cream is that, well, it isn’t ice cream. I am not one to split hairs, but those who enjoy such things will argue about the fact that if it contains eggs, it isn’t ice cream….it’s frozen custard. But come on…it’s ice cream. Though my earliest experiences with homemade ice cream were amalgams of cream, milk, and sugar with some flavors, I’ve always been so much happier with the texture of homemade ice cream that includes eggs. I was amazed at how well coconut milk worked in this macaroon ice cream recipe. The flavor is like a macaroon dipped in chocolate, or (dare I say?) one of those sublime Samoa Girl Scout cookies, sans the caramel center. Fresh coconut will take it over the top (and I’ve included directions for dealing with said fresh coconut after the recipe) but if you aren’t up to the challenge (and I’m not going to lie…it’s a challenge), feel free to use store-bought. If you use sweetened store-bought coconut, though, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe to 1/2 cup.

Anyway, if, like me, you have discovered the decadence of coconut….make this macaroon ice cream. Immediately.

Mary

Yield: 4-8 servings

Macaroon Ice Cream

9 hrPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

9 hr, 20 Total Time:

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
4 Large egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup shredded coconut (toasted lightly in a pan over medium heat)
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat the coconut milk and sugar to a simmer over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks until they turn light yellow in color and begin to form "ribbons" when you pull the whisk out.
Gradually add about a cup of the hot coconut milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. This will temper the eggs and prevent them from "scrambling" when you add them to the pan.
Pour the coconut milk/egg mixture back into the pan and bring back to a simmer over medium-low to medium heat. Cook until thickened to a runny custard consistency. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any cooked bits of egg. Measure about half a cup of the custard into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze (you can skip this step but freezing a small amount to add in later will help the ice cream to freeze more efficiently). Refrigerate the remaining custard for at least four hours before the next step.
Place a metal cake pan into the freezer. Scrape the frozen custard into the rest of the custard and stir to incorporate (you will still have large chunks). Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions in an ice cream maker. When the freezing process is almost complete, add 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into the mixture. Allow to incorporate.
Scrape the ice cream into the chilled cake pan. Freeze for at least four hours before serving. Top with remaining toasted coconut and chocolate chips.

Notes

The prep time includes time to chill the cooked mixture as well as freeze the ice cream.

https://chattavore.com/macaroon-ice-cream-2/

This macaroon ice cream is made with coconut milk, so it's dairy free. It has chocolate chips and coconut and it tastes like a Samoa Girl Scout cookie! | recipe from Chattavore.com

To break down a whole coconut….

Begin by locating the “eyes”. Drill a hole in two of the three eyes.

Drain out the coconut water. You can discard this, but why would you? Have you seen how much they charge for it in the grocery store? Drink it! If you don’t like the flavor on its own, use it in a smoothie.

Bake the coconut in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes. Break the coconut open by bashing it-HARD-on a counter or a very hard surface (concrete floor?). Philip actually ended up using a machete to break this one open. This stuff is hardcore!

There’s a dark brown membrane attached to the fruit of the coconut. Peel this off, then grate. I grate the coconut using my food processor.

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