vanilla bean

(Classic) Vanilla Ice Cream

By in Cool, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

vanilla ice cream

Everyone needs classic recipes in their lives. This vanilla ice cream is definitely a must and worthy of the classic title. As my 16 month old daughter looks at this picture she’s humming “mmmm…. mmmm” with a tiny smile on her face. She knows a good thing when she sees it. My mother in law deemed this one of the best ice creams she’s ever eaten. I agree, it is so much better than anything you will ever get in the freezer section.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, no fear. David Lebovitz (the king of ice cream) has a great tutorial on making it by hand. I’ve done it this way and, while it takes more work, it’s a fun project when you’re in the mood.

I got an ice cream maker for my birthday this year. It’s one of my all time favourite presents. I love ice cream but have always found the store-bought ice creams make me feel a little sick after. Not so with homemade ice cream. I know exactly what’s going in, so there’s no aching teeth or tummy aches.

With the hot weather approaching (or already here) vanilla ice cream is a great thing to have on hand in the freezer. It goes well with virtually every dessert and can cool off your day in an instant. We enjoyed sandwiching ours with ginger crinkle cookies. They were bliss.

Get this classic in your life. It’s more than worth it.

Vanilla Ice Cream

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put milk, sugar, salt, 1 cup cream and vanilla bean (with seeds) into a medium saucepan. Heat through just until steaming. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a medium-sized bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer over top. Set aside.

Fill a large bowl, or your sink, partway with ice water. This will be to cool down the custard quickly once it’s cooked.

To make the custard: Whisk together egg yolks. Slowly pour warm milk into the eggs, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour mixture back into the saucepan. Set over medium heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of the spatula (you should be able to draw a visible line with your finger). Remove from heat and pour through the sieve that you set over the cream. Put the bowl into the ice bath (making sure the ice water only goes partway up the sides of the bowl) and allow to cool, stirring often. Once cooled, stir in the vanilla extract and place the vanilla bean back into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Once your ready to make the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean from the custard and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.

Makes approximately: 1 quart

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

By in Creamy, Sweets 9 Comments Tags: , , , ,

I know. I know. Rice pudding? It”s not really something that gets people clambering up walls and banging on doors. When I was growing up rice pudding was our go-to when we had leftover rice hanging around. We”d heat it up with some sugar, milk and raisins mixed in. I always looked forward to it. I realize that, that rice pudding, although good, is nothing to write home about. Let me reassure you, this is not that rice pudding – this is post-worthy rice pudding. If rice pudding could be considered gourmet, this would be it.

I always love little flecks of vanilla seeds in white desserts and they make this pudding look like something special (or like dirt if you”re unfamiliar with vanilla beans). Since vanilla beans are so expensive I like to use them in recipes where they really shine. And, that”s just what they do in this recipe. The cream and vanilla give this such a creamy-dreamy-vanilla flavour and consistency. I love it warm but you can also serve it cold with a little bit of extra milk mixed in to get the consistency you like. It”s hard to describe just how delicious and comforting rice pudding can be, I guess you”ll just have to try it out for yourself to know what I”m talking about. ;)

P.S. If you don”t access to vanilla beans you can substitute it with 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

1 cup arborio rice (or other short grain rice)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split open and seeded
1/2 cup sugar

Place rice in a medium-sized saucepan, cover with cold water. Bring just to a boil then strain in a fine mesh sieve, rinsing with cold water (this is to remove some of the starch). Place drained rice back in the saucepan along with milk, cream, vanilla bean and seeds. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until rice is cooked and mixture is thick and creamy (it will thicken more as it cools). Let cool slightly and serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold with a bit of milk stirred in to loosen the consistency.

Serves: 6

Adapted from Tartelette.

Blueberry Vanilla Bean Applesauce

By in Condiments, Kids, Snacks 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Blueberry Vanilla Bean Applesauce

I don”t know why it took me so long to make applesauce. Well, maybe I do – because somehow in my mind it seemed like a laborious difficult process. But it really shouldn”t have taken me so long because it couldn”t be easier.

I was originally going to can some but once I tried out my first batch and realized it was so easy, I thought it would be more fun to make smaller batches and customize them to what we have on hand. Now if I have a couple of apples sitting around I get a batch bubbling on the stove while I do the dishes and my baby girl bounces away in the doorway.

I love the fact that helping me in the kitchen is my sons absolutely favourite thing to do. I”m going to take advantage of that while I can. :) (P.S. Do you see my cute  little jumping bean in the background? She”s the cheerleader.) :)

If you”re like me and are under the misconception that applesauce is difficult to make, let me break it down for you. Cut up apples (skins on), add to a pot with a bit of water and desired seasonings (or additional fruit), simmer until mushy and press through a sieve. Done! Could it be any simpler?

 

Customize it to your hearts desire and you can have a new applesauce every week. I added blueberries and a vanilla bean to my applesauce but you could also swap out the vanilla bean for a cinnamon stick or substitute a different berry for the blueberries.

This recipe is sugar-free, meaning that it”s great for the whole family, baby included! Yesterday I had no baby food left but I had a couple of apples sitting on the counter so I quickly whipped up a small batch and she was gobbling it up in no time.

Have I convinced you yet? I really want you to try it for yourself. It”s so much fun and so delicious! What flavour combinations would you try?

If you want some information about which apples are best for applesauce, check out my In Season: Apples post.

Blueberry Vanilla Bean Applesauce

For a Blueberry & Spice Applesauce substitute a cinnamon stick for the vanilla bean.

  • 2.5 pounds (6) apples

  • 1 cup blueberries

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 vanilla bean, split

Core apples and cut into large chunks. Place in a large pot with the remaining ingredients (make sure to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pot before adding the whole bean). Cover lightly and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and keep at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are mushy and releasing from their skins (about 25 minutes).

Pour contents into a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Press and stir contents until all of the flesh is pushed through and only the skins remain.

For thicker applesauce, place back in pot and cook until desired consistency.

Makes: 3 cups

Guest Post: Cherry Vanilla Bean Clafouti

By in Breakfast, Fruit, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

clafouti

This is a guest post from Theresa of The Craving Chronicles. I’ve been wanting to make Cherry Clafouti for a long time so I was very excited when Theresa shared this recipe. I’ve tried a few recipes from her site and they were all spectacular, and I know this will be no different. Make sure to take a peek at her site to get your drool on and give her a warm welcome here on Kitchen Simplicity.

Every summer I go a little bit nuts when cherry season rolls around. I buy pounds of the sweet red fruits at a time and spend hours pitting them, leaving my kitchen looking like a crime scene with cherry juice splattered everywhere. They’re well worth the effort though. Cherries are one of my favorite fruits.

Instead of just stuffing them in my face this year, I decided I wanted to bake my bounty of cherries into something. As I was paging through the June issue of Bon Apetit, the cherry clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) caught my eye. Fresh cherries baked in a custard like batter? Yes, please!

Once the cherries are pitted, clafouti bakes up quickly and easily. Since I’ve never tried clafouti before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The custard was eggy and smooth and the baked cherries were bursting with sweetness. It makes a fantastic summer time dessert! I think the eggy-ness works in clafouti’s favor too, making it a versatile dish that could be served as a sweet breakfast or brunch item as well as a dessert.

Cherry Vanilla Bean Clafouti

Clafouti is traditionally served warm or at room temperature, but I found I actually preferred it cold, straight from the fridge the day after it was baked.

  • 1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch round baking pan or pie dish with baking spray.

In a small saucepan, add milk and cream. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. add bean and seeds to pan. Heat until warm and just starting to simmer. Remove from heat, and set aside. Discard vanilla bean pod.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar & zest until fragrant. Add eggs, flour and salt. Add hot cream mixture gradually, whisking, until smooth. Arrange pitted cherries in an even layer in prepared pan. Pour custard over cherries.

Bake for 35-45 minutes at 375°F, or longer until custard is set in the middle and top is browned.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

(Alternately, clafouti can be prepared in 8 3/4-cup ramekins and baked about 30 minutes.)

Serves:8

Adapted from Bon Appetit.