GRAPEFRUIT GREEK YOGURT LOAF

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/06/04/grapefruit-greek-yogurt-loaf/

GRAPEFRUIT GREEK YOGURT LOAF/CAKE
Yum! Yum!  Doesn't taste like grapefruit.  Read through comments and lots said it had a strong grapefruit flavor so maybe the ones I had weren't as ripe as they should have been?  Could add a citrus essential oil to this to make it taste more citrus.  You make in a bread pan.  This would be perfect for a brunch type meal.  You could also make into muffins/cupcakes or a cake.  

• 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (180g) Greek yogurt1
• 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable or canola oil (melted + slightly cooled coconut oil works too)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, strained
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons grapefruit zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean

GLAZE:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 T freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained

1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Once combined, whisk in the yogurt, brown sugar, oil, grapefruit juice, zest, vanilla extract, and seeds. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.
3. Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
4. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.
5. For the glaze, simply whisk the ingredients together and drizzle over cake. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for up to 5 days. I love it cold, so you can store it in the refrigerator too!

Muffins/cupcakes: prepare batter as instructed. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or use liners. Fill with batter all the way to the top. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Top with glaze. Makes about 12 muffins.

Square or round cake: This batter will fit into a 9x9 inch square baking pan or a 9-inch springform pan (it will be too tall for a regular 9-inch round cake pan). Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool and top with glaze.

SEA SALT VANILLA CARAMELS

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/10/14/sea-salt-vanilla-caramels/

SEA SALT VANILLA CARAMELS
These tasted very good but were not a caramel consistency.  Could have been the weather?  See recipe in blog folder - there is attached tips.  Used red cast iron pan.  Took about 45 minutes.

• 1 and 1/2 cups (355ml) heavy cream
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
• 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, softened (plus more for lightly buttering the pan)
• coarse sea salt for topping

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the caramel once it has set. Lightly grease the foil with butter.
2. Combine the cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a 3-quart heavy duty saucepan over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly as the sugars dissolve. The mixture will be thick and cloudy looking.
3. Once boiling, brush down the sides of the pan with a water-moistened pastry brush. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan, making sure not to let it touch the bottom.
4. Cook and stir gently every minute or so until the temperature reaches 245°F (118°C). Immediately remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, the vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, and butter. The mixture may burst and bubble, so be careful stirring.
5. Pour the hot caramel into the prepared baking pan and top with coarse sea salt. Allow to cool at room temperature, uncovered, for 4 hours or overnight (no need to cover).
6. Once set, remove the caramel from the pan by lifting out the aluminum foil. Peel the foil off and, using a very sharp knife, cut into rectangles or squares. Wrap with candy wrappers, if desired.

CINNAMON ICE CREAM - PIONEER WOMAN

PIONEER WOMAN CINNAMON ICE CREAM
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/04/cinnamon-ice-cream/
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/cinnamon-ice-cream-3/

This tasted pretty close to Roadhouse cinnamon ice cream.  We did like it better after it had sat in the freezer all night.  It was pretty soft when coming out of ice cream maker.  Have to 1/2 recipe for our ice cream maker!

Description
If you haven’t tried homemade cinnamon ice cream, you’ve missed out on a miraculous treat! Utterly divine.

Ingredients
3 cups Half-and-half
2 cups Sugar
3 whole Cinnamon Sticks (WinCo has in bulk)
1 whole Vanilla Bean (or 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract)
9 whole Egg Yolks
3 cups Heavy Cream (used heavy whipping cream)
1-½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Preparation
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the half-and-half and sugar. Stir it to combine, then add the cinnamon sticks, the caviar from the vanilla bean, and the empty vanilla bean pod. Stir the mixture around and heat it up until it’s very hot but not boiling.

Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a medium bow and whisk them vigorously for about 2 minutes, until the yolks are slightly lighter in color.

Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean pod from the saucepan. Grab a ladle of the hot half-and-half mixture and drizzle it very slowly into the yolks, whisking them constantly to temper the egg yolks. Repeat with another ladle of the hot liquid. When it’s mixed in, slowly pour the entire egg mixture into the pan with the half-and-half, stirring with a spoon. Once added, stir and cook it for 2 minutes or so, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spoon.

Set a fine mesh strainer over a clean glass bowl and strain the custard. Don’t worry if it’s a little lumpy!

Add the heavy cream to the bowl, add the ground cinnamon, and stir it all together. Chill the mixture for an hour or so, then pour it into the ice cream machine and process it according to your machine’s directions. When it’s finished churning, it will be in the soft-serve stage; transfer it to a freezer container and freeze for several hours or overnight until it’s frozen firm.

Delicious!

VANILLA BEAN WHILE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CHEESECAKE

Made this for my bday (40th) 2014.  It was so yummy!  We liked how light & cool it tasted.  Jackson mentioned a couple of times how he liked the top layer.  I ordered my vanilla beans from: http://www.olivenation.com/Bourbon-Madagascar-Vanilla-Beans-P84.aspx  They were a good price and arrived quickly.  Didn't think I would like the graham cracker crust, but I LOVED it!  Next time I wouldn't cook as long (this oven cooks really fast). Maybe do 5 minutes.  I did put discarded pods in sugar.  Can't wait to try the vanilla sugar in a recipe.

Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

YIELD: SERVE 8-12

Don't throw away those scraped out vanilla bean pods (you need two vanilla beans for this recipe)! Learned from the almighty Mr. Alton Brown, I throw the empty pods into a cup of granulated sugar, cover, and let sit for a few days. It makes the most delicious vanilla sugar and I use it almost always for creme brulee. I mean, who doesn't need an excuse to make that, right? Also, here is an easy tutorial on scraping out the seeds if you haven't done it before.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake:
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream (greek yogurt would probably work too)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• vanilla bean seeds, scraped from one pod
White Chocolate Mousse:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces white chocolate baking squares, melted
Sweetened Whipped Cream:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• vanilla bean seeds, scraped from one pod

DIRECTIONS

1. For the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix; then stir in the melted butter. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and just barely up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan (could also use a 10-inch pan although all the layers will be slightly thinner). Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. For the cheesecake layer, in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with an electric handheld mixer (or stand mixer) until soft and creamy. Add the sour cream, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Mix in the vanilla bean seeds until evenly mixed. Don't overmix or the cheesecake will have a tendency to crack while baking.
3. Spread the cheesecake over the cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
4. For the white chocolate mousse, in a medium bowl, beat the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and the peaks are slightly stiffer. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, lifting and turning the cream, until the mousse is combined and creamy.
5. Spread the white chocolate mousse over the cooled cheesecake.
6. For the sweetened whipped cream, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla bean seeds and mix until slightly stiffer peaks form and the vanilla bean seeds are mixed in.
7. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the white chocolate mousse. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours before serving (or up to overnight).

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

http://stephenandnat.blogspot.com/2012/07/strawberries-cream-ice-cream.html


Strawberries & Cream Ice Cream
Ingredients
1½ c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped (didn't have)

¾ tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
¾ c. + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and pureed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine pureed strawberries and 2 tbsp. of sugar in a bowl. Place in refrigerator until needed.

2. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape in to a medium saucepan. Add in vanilla extract, heavy cream, milk, salt, and sugar. Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a very low simmer (just before it starts to boil and forms bubbles around the edge).

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks. While constantly whisking, slowly pour the heated milk mixture in to the egg mixture. Continue to pour milk while whisking. Pour the contents back to the pan and cook until mixture becomes thick and coats the back of a rubber spatula (it should also reach 170 degrees on a thermometer).

4. Remove immediately and pour through a mesh sieve into a large clean mixing bowl. Place the bowl over an ice bath to cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly (approximately 25-30 minutes).
5. Pour mixture into ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Churn for approximately 25-30 minutes. 

6. When ice cream has thickened, remove half of the ice cream from the machine and place in a freezer safe container. Pour in strawberries and continue to run machine until strawberries have blended. Pour into vanilla portion and swirl with a skewer or butter knife. Freeze for 4-6 hours before serving.