Roasted Nectarine & Lavender Sorbet (AIP, Paleo, Vegan variation)

Let there be much rejoicing: I finally freed enough space in my freezer to make a frozen dessert! This is quite a feat, since my freezer is usually so full of broth and veggies and meat that I really ought to post a “watch for falling objects” warning on the door handle. Someday, one of my big dreams is to live somewhere that I can have a separate deep freeze.

But alas, even with a small amount of space available in my freezer, I still haven’t been able to fit my ice cream bowl attachment in it. Thankfully, with this no-churn sorbet, I was able to make a delicious frozen dessert without needing my ice cream bowl.

Last year, I never fully enjoyed summer produce, as I had to adopt an AIP + Low FODMAP diet for a few months (and stone fruits are high in FODMAPs). This summer, I’m extra thankful that pesky SIBO seems to be behind me & that I can once again sensibly enjoy summer fruits, like nectarines and peaches and cherries. Organic nectarines were on sale a few weeks ago & I picked up a bunch, knowing we would eat some of them on their own & that I’d perhaps make some sort of frozen treat with them too.

I may have a bit of an obsession with lavender…. We diffuse lavender oil at bedtime, many of my natural beauty and bath products are scented with lavender, and I love the flavor of lavender, especially when combined with stone fruits like peaches or nectarines. A couple of years ago, before I learned dairy and I are not friends, I made a fabulous batch of roasted peach ice cream (not AIP). This sorbet is sort of inspired by that roasted peach ice cream and by my love of peach lavender jam (not AIP).

I halved the ripe nectarines, drizzled them with a tiny bit of honey (though you could totally skip this step to keep the dessert completely free from added sweeteners), and sprinkled them with a little bit of culinary lavender buds before roasting everything in the oven. Roasting helps to concentrate the flavors & also to evaporate some of the water out of the fruit. Probably because of the roasting & the addition of a little coconut milk, when I flaked the dessert with a fork, it did not hold icy shards like granita-type frozen desserts do. Instead, it became more sorbet-like.

Desserts with lavender may sound as though they’d taste like soap or potpourri, but I promise this sorbet has just a hint of lavender flavor. It’s the perfect floral accent to the summer-y flavor of nectarines.

No-Churn Roasted Nectarine & Lavender Sorbet (AIP, Paleo, Vegan variation) 
yields 4 to 6 small servings

Coconut oil, for greasing the baking pan 
5 nectarines, ripe (mine weighed 541 g *with* their pits) 
21 g (1 tablespoon) honey
1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender buds, plus additional for garnish, if desired  
pinch of sea salt  
56 g (1/4 cup) coconut milk 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a baking pan (I used a Le Creuset oval gratin dish) with coconut oil. 
2. Cut the nectarines in half & arrange them, cut side up, in the greased baking pan. If the pits are challenging to remove, leave them in until after the baking process. 
3. Drizzle the nectarines with the honey, if desired, and sprinkle with the culinary lavender & sea salt. 
4. Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. 
5. Allow to cool at room temperature and remove the pits. Cover & refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld. 
6. Puree the roasted nectarines & lavender with the coconut milk in a food processor or high speed blender. Pour into baking dish (I used a 6-cup pyrex) & freeze, uncovered, until solid.
7. Once the nectarine lavender mixture is solid, flake with a fork. The pieces will not hold in icy shards like granitas do, but can be stirred together to form a sorbet-type texture. 
8. Portion into cups & serve with a few extra lavender buds. Store leftovers, covered, in the freezer & re-flake with a fork before serving. 

Notes:

• The nectarines may be peeled, if desired, but I like the color, texture & extra fiber the skin provides. 
• Peaches (or other stone fruits) may substituted for the nectarines. 
• Honey may be omitted, especially if the nectarines are really ripe. 
• To make the recipe vegan, substitute maple syrup 
• To make the recipe coconut free, use avocado oil for greasing the pan & add water or fruit juice when blending. 
• This recipes can also be turned into popsicles by pouring into a popsicle mold after pureeing. 

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International Waffle Day 2014

Happy International Waffle Day!  Not be confused with National Waffle Day in the US--that’s celebrated in August. Perplexed much? Me too. But I’ll take whatever excuse necessary to celebrate waffles!

I’ve been out of town and/or sick the past week, so in lieu of a new recipe, I thought I’d post a waffle round up. We really like waffles around these parts. I make them at least once a month. Just because you may have missed out on celebrating International Waffle Day for breakfast doesn’t mean you have to miss out entirely--you can always fire up the waffle iron for “brannier” (aka breakfast-for-dinner).

One final note before we get to the main event (copious amounts of waffles), not all these recipes were originally gluten free, but if you’ve made a batch of Jeanne’s GF AP flour mix, you can substitute that in equal amounts for the AP flour in any recipe to make  that recipe GF.  Pretty nifty.  And vice versa.... if you’re not GF but the recipe is, just substitute regular AP flour for the GF flour and you’ll be all set.

Confetti Waffles a la mode

Zucchini Bread Waffles with Maple Cream Cheese 

Coconut Waffles 

Almond Flour Waffles with Honey Butter Syrup and pears (GF) 

Cranberry Waffles with Orange Sauce (GF) 

Banana Waffles (GF) 

Cornmeal Waffles with Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote (GF) 

Chocolate Waffles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce (GF) 

And who could forget the waffle doughnuts

Vanilla Bean Waffle Doughnuts (GF) 

Pumpkin Spice Waffle Doughnuts (GF) 

Hopefully that gives you a few waffle recipe ideas? And hopefully I won’t be sick for too much longer & can get back to the kitchen soon.....

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Roasted Peach Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches

Greetings from Chicago! I’m at the tail end of a trip back north to visit family.  I intended to post several times during this time away.  I made things--photographed them even--but I seem to balk when it comes to the actual writing and posting.  So I’m going to keep this one shorter on the writing!

Snickerdoodle cookies are one of my absolute favorite cookies, if one can really pick a favorite cookie.  I have very fond memories of making them with my mom and sisters as a young child--snickerdoodles also happen to be one of my dad’s favorites, so I’m fairly sure we made them for him on many occasions.

This particular snickerdoodle recipe is a bit different than the traditional one I made in my childhood.  The cookies turn out a bit flatter and crispier, which I think is perfect for turning into ice cream sandwiches.  I made both a gluten free version, using my favorite Gluten Free Flour Mix, and a regular version using all purpose flour. There was virtually no difference between the two! In fact, I almost had to make a second batch of Gluten Free cookies because I couldn’t stop eating them!

I’ve been hearing about Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for a couple of years now, but it was only this past spring in Birmingham that I had the opportunity to try a flavor.  The texture (not to mention the flavor) is absolutely phenomenal, and I knew I needed to try one of her recipes at home.  I unfortunately do not have access to buying any of Jeni’s flavors near where I live.  I roasted some white peaches & yellow nectarines, pureed them and mixed them into the plain ice cream base.

One tip if you plan to make ice cream sandwiches out of homemade ice cream: spread the freshly churned ice cream onto a plastic-wrap lined baking pan.  Cover the pan completely with plastic wrap & freeze for a couple of hours.  The ice cream can then be cut to size with a circle cutter, placed directly onto the bottom of the first cookie, and topped with the second cookie.  So much easier than scooping!

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches with Roasted Peach Ice Cream

Roasted Peaches
16 oz pitted   peaches & nectarine combo (I used 2 nectarines & 2.5 white peaches; weight after they had been pitted) 
1/3 c Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.  
2. Cut peaches in half, remove pits.  Place into an ovensafe baking dish.  Sprinkle with the sugar. 
3. Roast until soft, approximately TIME
4. Cool completely, then peel.  
5. Process the roasted, peeled peaches in a food processor until completely pureed. Pour into an airtight container & refrigerate until cold.  

Ice Cream Base 
Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream via Saveur 

63g / 1/4 c Milk
11 g/ 4 tsp cornstarch

420 g/ 1 3/4 c Milk
290 g/ 1 1/4 c Heavy Cream
4.7 oz / 2/3 c Sugar
43 g / 2 Tbl Light Corn Syrup
1/4 tsp Salt

1.55 oz/3 Tbl Cream Cheese, softened 
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the first measure of milk and cornstarch to make a slurry.  Mix it enough that there are no cornstarch lumps. Set aside. 
2. In a 4 quart sauce pan, whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup & salt.  Heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return the pot to medium high heat & continue whisking for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. 
3. Place the softened cream cheese into a medium sized bowl. Whisk a little of the hot dairy into the cream cheese. Mix until there are no lumps. Gradually add the remaining dairy.  Whisk in the cinnamon. 
4. Chill the ice cream base over an ice bath until cold.  Stir occasionally during the cooling process. 
5. Once cold, add the pureed roasted peach/nectarine mixture.  Whisk to combine. 
6. Churn the base in an ice cream maker according to the ice cream maker’s manufacturers instructions.  
7. While the ice cream is churning, prepare a quarter sized sheet pan (or flat toaster oven pan) by lining it with plastic wrap.  Leave enough overhang to completely cover the pan.  Once the ice cream has finished churning, spread it evenly throughout the pan.  Smooth the top as much as possible.  Use the overhang of plastic wrap to completely encase the ice cream.  Smooth out any air bubbles (or you risk developing frost/freezer burn in those pockets. Place the covered pan in the coldest part of the freezer. Freeze a minimum of 4 hours, though overnight is preferred.  

notes: 

• This recipe can be made in a 3qt sauce pan, but it comes dangerously close to boiling over.  I suggest using the larger size pot, but if you don’t have one, just be extremely extremely careful during the cooking process.
• The original recipe called for chilling the ice cream base in a large ziplock bag, then cutting the corner of the bag to transfer the base into the ice cream maker.  I tried their recommended method the first time, but unfortunately the bag broke & spilled everywhere.  Such a mess! So, I prefer to just set a smaller bowl with the base inside a bowl of ice.  
• I spread the finished ice cream onto a lined baking pan to make the assembly of the ice cream sandwiches easier.  If you just plan to make the ice cream for scooping, not making into ice cream sandwiches, portion it into airtight containers--I find heavy duty plastic containers help prolong the life of the ice cream. 

Snickerdoodles
4 oz Unsalted Butter, softened
4.5 oz Granulated Sugar
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
6.25 oz Gluten Free Flour (I used my favorite blend, or you can substitute AP flour if you aren’t GF)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
pinch Sea Salt

2 oz (heaping 1/4 c) Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture has fully combined, has lightened in color, and increased in volume, at least 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt.  
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix just until combined.  
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon
7. Use a small cookie scoop to make equal portions of dough.  Roll each dough piece in the cinnamon sugar.  
8. Place the rounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the heel of your hand or the flat bottom of a drinking glass. 
9. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes (if baking more than one sheet at a time, bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for an additional 4 minutes).  Let the cookies stand for  3 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. 
10. Store in an airtight container until ready to assemble the ice cream sandwiches. 

Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly

1.  Remove the ice cream from the freezer 5 minutes before you plan to assemble the sandwiches & allow to stand until slightly softened. 
2. Use a large circle cutter to cut circles out of the sheet of ice cream.  
3. Place each circle onto the bottom of one cookie & top with a second cookie. 
4. Wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap.  Store in the freezer until ready to eat.  

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Waffle Weekend: Cornmeal Waffles with Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote

In a perfect world, every Saturday would allow for sleeping in and eating waffles for brunch.  But let’s be honest, those weekends don’t regularly happen.

Case in point, this past weekend. Just because we couldn’t have a leisurely brunch did not mean waffles should be entirely forgotten.  Instead, we had to change our thinking slightly.  

Waffles are equally delicious in the evening as they are for breakfast, especially this cornmeal version that is reminiscent of a cornbread/waffle hybrid.  Add a side of crunch, oven cooked bacon (not pictured, as it was still baking during these photos) and some warm Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote & we had the perfect Saturday supper.  

p.s. Don’t you just love these heart-shaped waffles? One of the many highlights of this housesitting adventure has been utilizing their adorable waffle iron.

Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote
adapted from Serious Eats

Note: I like to start the compote first so that it can be simmering while I prepare & cook the waffles.  

1c Fresh Blueberries
1/4 c Maple Syrup (the real stuff, NOT pancake syrup) 
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 c Water
1/2 c Brown Sugar
1 nectarine, peeled & sliced into thin wedges
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1. In a small stainless steel sauce pan, combine the blueberries, maple syrup, lemon juice and water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer & cook for 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
2. Add the brown sugar & nectarine to the pot. Simmer an additional 30 minutes, stirring as needed. 
3. Remove from the heat & add the cinnamon.  Serve warm. Store any leftovers for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. 

Cornmeal Waffles

adapted from Williams-Sonoma 

Note: Because I was low on ingredients and was only cooking for 2, I made a half recipe. But if you are planning to serve more than 2 people, I'd highly recommend doubling the recipe.  

1/2 c Flour (I used Jeanne’s AP Gluten Free Mix)

1/2 c Cornmeal

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/8 tsp Salt

1 c Buttermilk (I didn’t have enough, so I used some regular milk & mixed a little lemon juice into it)

1 egg

2 Tbl Maple Syrup (the real stuff, NOT pancake syrup)

2 Tbl Vegetable Oil, plus more for the waffle iron  

1. Preheat the waffle iron to a low setting.  
2. In a liquid measuring cup, if making your own buttermilk, mix together the regular milk with a tsp of lemon juice & set aside. 
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, soda & salt).  
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the liquid measuring cup & whisk together.  
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients & stir just until combined.  
6. Portion the prepared batter onto the greased, hot waffle iron & cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Place the finished waffles in a single layer onto a baking rack-lined sheet pan & place into a 250 F oven to keep crisp until ready to serve.  

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Nectarine Buttermilk Panna Cotta

There are different moments throughout life that really signal adulthood.  Times where you think to yourself “Wow! I really am a grownup now!.”

Some moments are major milestones, like graduations, living on your own for the first time, landing that first “big” job, getting married, having your own children, buying your own home etc. Some moments are not as glamorous, like paying all your own bills, or driving yourself to the doctor (or ER) when sick, or shoveling snow etc.

 

Recently, we have been housesitting & petsitting for some friends while they’re on vacation.  We are thoroughly enjoying this little getaway to their house, but it has been an eye-opening experience for us too.  Routine tasks like daily watering the grass  & giving the puppy a bath because she had a little too much fun playing in the yard & waking up early to feed the poor dieting cat who must think we’re starving him have all been little reminders to us of true adulthood.  

We realize just how relatively carefree we are in our pet-less, child-less apartment living.
It’s fun, though, to try out this different life for a while.  And it has reaffirmed our decision to wait to get pets until we are no longer living in an apartment--I can’t imagine trying to train a dog from our 3rd floor apartment!

Another part of adulthood, I think, is eating different foods--perhaps foods you didn’t think you liked before or foods you thought were too grown up/sophisticated/fancy.

Panna Cotta is a dessert I discovered in my adult life. It is essentially a custard that is thickened with gelatin instead of eggs.  They require only a handful of ingredients; they need very little prep time; they don’t even use the oven (a great bonus during summertime).

Panna Cotta made with buttermilk is a new-to-me flavor combination and seems like a very “grownup” option.  To balance out the tart, slightly acidic flavor of the buttermilk, I added some sweet, juicy nectarines to bottom of the panna cotta vessels.

As the base was poured in, the nectarines evenly dispersed themselves throughout the slightly thick custard.  After a short rest in the refrigerator to set the gelatin, the custards were ready.  The flavor was very reminiscent of peaches and cream, but somehow a bit more exotic.

These panna cotta custards have been the perfect ending to summer evenings at this home-away-from-home, especially after the grass and plants have been watered, and the rambunctious puppy is in bed for the night.

Nectarine Buttermilk Panna Cotta (Naturally Gluten Free) 
Serves 6, depending on vessel size 
Adapted from “The Last Course” by Claudia Flemming via  Saveur

1.5 tsp Granulated Gelatin
10 fl oz (1 1/4 c) Heavy Cream
7 Tbl (3.1 oz) Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
14 fl oz (1 3/4 c) Buttermilk 
2 medium nectarines, ripe 

1. In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin in 1 tsp of cold water. Stir together briefly (I use my clean fingers) and allow the gelatin to soften for about 5 minutes. 
2. While the gelatin is blooming, gather the rest of the ingredients & leave them out at room temperature.  Place 6 small dishes (ramekins or small dessert vessels) onto a sheet pan for easy transport & set off to the side. 
3. Add cream and the sugar into a small sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved.  
4. Pour a little of the hot cream into the bowl with the gelatin & whisk to melt the gelatin.  Pour back into the sauce pan & whisk to combine, using the residual heat from the pan to melt any remaining unmelted gelatin.  Pour into a separate bowl (preferably one with a spout for ease of pouring later)& set aside to cool slightly while preparing the nectarines. 
5. Cut the nectarines into small pieces.  Place 1/3 of each nectarine into the bottom of each small dish.  
6. Add buttermilk into the slightly cooled cream mixture & gently whisk to combine.  Divide the liquid between the 6 dishes.  
7. Refrigerate until set, approximately 2 to 3 hours. If planning on storing the custards in the refrigerator for longer, cover each one individually with plastic wrap. They will keep for several days in the refrigerator (though, the batches I have made always get eaten within 3 days!). 

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