Breakfast for Cupcakes!

This last weekend I attended the 17th Beatnik night over at my old house. Beatnik is a night, cheekily named, where friends and strangers are welcomed into someone's home (in the past it's been my old house or a neighboring "boys" house) and asked to share something with all who have gathered. It once started as a place to read and explore prose and literature - but has evolved in to a night of sharing inspiration both prepared and on the spot. So being that inspiration and preparation are now integral parts of Beatnik's festiities - I thought I'd come with my most current form of inspiration. Food. 

February 7th "Night of" Images

Here are more images from the following night when we served everyone! Enjoy. 

All photos courtesy of Grayson. 

February 7th - Recap Images of Six Course Menu Based On Love

So last Sunday we did our last YBF Two Week Dinner, for awhile, for eight of our family and friends. It was a grand time. Tyler and I have been planning on taking March off for awhile now (from doing our dinners) to rethink, re-brand, and re-focus this blog and our dinners. So this last meal needed to be a fun one. I knew I wanted to do something with the theme of love, but in a more ironic or witty way than making everything heart shaped and pink. Also, Tyler had been working tirelessly on a few bread recipes, so I knew I wanted to be able to utilize his fresh bread the best I could. He also surprised me, late in the game, with making his own cheese. 

Ginger Lemon Chocolate Sherbet, Browned Anise Marshmallow, Salted Dulce De Leche, Cacoa Nibs

Here's the 3rd post from the Sundae courses from our Home Alone themed dessert. Enjoy!

Photo by Laurel Dailey.

Brown Butter Ice Cream with Powdered Toast and Hickory Candy Spears Recipe

Recipe number 2! This was my favorite ice cream of the night. When it comes to brown butter - I can't help myself.

Photo by Laurel Dailey.

Ingredients

for Ice Cream

2 eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup milk  
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butter (you won't need this till the day after you make the ice cream bases btw)

for Powdered Toast
3 or 4 slices of day old bread, crusts left on

3 tablespoons butter

Hickory Candy Spears
3 3/4 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1 cup hicory wood soup (hickory chips and water)
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Directions

For Ice Cream combine Brown sugar, milk, cream and vanilla extract. Heat over medium/low heat till bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat. Place eggs in a mixing bowl and slightly whisky to combine. Add a small amount of hot milk and cream mixture to the eggs while beating rather vigorously. Continue to add the hot mixture to the eggs till fully combined. Refrigerate over night. The next day churn in ice cream maker for 20 or so minutes. While the ice cream is churning heat butter in skillet over medium heat until it is fully melted. Allow butter to brown and remove from heat as soon as you notice a change in color and smell. When Ice cream is just about done (around the 20 minute mark) pour in the browned butter in a steady stream. Let the ice cream maker mix awhile longer. Then remove and enjoy!

For Powdered Toast place slices of day old bread in the oven at 185 degrees for an hour or more until it's totally dried out. The place bread slices in a food processor or blender and grind until a fine powder. Melt butter in pan and allow to just slightly brown. Add bread crumbs and stir constantly until all the bread crumbs have turned a golden brown color. 

For Hickory Candy Spears start by making the hickory wood soup. Combine hickory wood chips in enough water to submerge. Boil covered for 20 minutes or so, then remove the cover and boil an additional 10 minutes or until the water has reduced by half. You can continue to add water and cook until you reach 1 cup. 

Next, combine sugar, corn syrup, wood soup and liquid smoke. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Without stirring, heat to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and pour on to a pan lined with silpat. Let cool and then break into tiny shards. 

To complete, sprinkle a small amount of the toast powder in a line on a square plate. use a butter knife to help shape the line. Then scoop out a small portion of the brown butter ice cream and place in the middle. Top with 1 or 2 hickory spears.

Enjoy!

Pine Mint Gelato with Pine Oil and Olive Oil Powder Recipe

This is the first of 3 recipes I'll be posting from the Home Alone themed dessert tasting menu I did way back in December. Took me long enough! These are from the "Keep the Change" Sundae courses. (Kelsey - this one's for you. Don't think I forgot...)

Photo by Laurel Dailey.

Ingredients

for Gelato

2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh pine needles 
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup fresh mint leaves

4 egg yolks

for Olive Oil Powder
2 cups Tapioca Malodextrin (give or take)
1 tablespoon Arbequina Olive Oil (or other pungent and fragrant olive oil)

for Pine Oil
2 cups fresh pine needles
1 cup light tasting olive oil

Directions

For Gelato put first 5 ingredients in sauce pan over a low heat, stirring often with a whisk. When bubbles start to form around the edges, remove from heat. Place egg yolks in separate bowl and whisky slightly to break them up a bit. Pour hot cream and milk mixture through a sieve to strain out the needles and mint into separate bowl, reserve the herbs. Pour a small amount of the, still hot, strained milk and cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking. Continue to add the liquid while whisking until thoroughly combined. Taste the custard base to see if it needs more pine or mint. If so, add the used herbs plus a few more handfuls of fresh herbs for this last potion. Return the pan to the stove and heat for about a minute - just until the custard thickens a tad. Strain once again and refrigerate overnight. Churn in ice cream maker for about 20-25 minutes till thick and creamy. 

For Olive Oil Powder add 3 tablespoons of Malodextrin to olive oil. Continue to add malodextrin tablespoon by tablespoon until it thickens in to a powder. Pass through sieve to fluff.

For Pine Oil place pine needles and oil in blender and blend on high until liquified. Pass through a sieve or strainer. 

To complete, scoop out a small portion of gelato, spoon powder over top and garnish with dots of pine oil. 

Enjoy!

Review: Teriyaki Bistro, Whittier Ca

Let's go get a burger soon! Yes?

4 out of 5 stars  

Yelp!