Ice Cream, You Scream, We all Scream for this Ice Cream

Ice cream, two words that can excite most people. As you think back, what is my favorite ice cream? Is is different than what I liked as a child? Am I open minded about changing my favorite ice cream to something other than just chocolate or vanilla? My answer is yes. Recently I borrowed a cookbook, Cucina Simpatica-Robust Trattoria Cooking, from our friend's R's. This is the same great cookbook that gave us pizza just a few weeks ago.

While I had the cookbook, I copied a number of recipes, including this one. As all cooks know, some recipes sound good, while others call to you. This ice cream recipe called out loud! I was expecting a nice strawberry ice cream, what I got was a soft, sweet, bright and fresh ice cream. This ice cream is pink, and the smell is amazing, but it isn't a very sweet ice cream like you would get at the store. This is a unique (in the good way) ice cream. Please enjoy!

Cucina Simpatica-Robust Trattoria Cooking

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 pint strawberries, hulled, pureed, and strained
2 tablespoons Meyer's liqueur de fraise (optional)

1. Scald the cream, milk, sugar, and basil in a heavy saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside for 1 hour, uncovered, to steep.
2. Strain into a bowl, discarding the basil leaves. Fold the strawberry puree and liqueur and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instruction.

Makes 1 quart

Optional: I forgot to take out the basil leaves before I combined it with the strawberries. I love the flavor I got. Sweet but still savory. This is my new favorite, I know you will like it as well.

Trip Day 4 Big Sur to Monteray

Big Sur and Los Padres National Forrest

Seals and Surf

Morning in Cambria, its chilly, and the air is fresh and salty; the ocean is only steps from our hotel room. How cool! We are not in Indiana anymore! After breakfast we drove out to the Shammel Tide Pools. The beach was a combination of sand and pebbles; it was warm, but hard to walk on in bare feet. There were these tubular tan and green things and a lot of kelp scattered all over the beach.

I climbed over a lot of big rocks to see the pools. Wow, I always forget how loud the surf is, mom and I had to yell to hear each other from feet away. The surf was fast and would hit the rocks and spray everywhere; the tide came in fast, really fast. I was high on a large rock and I was getting wet, so mom and I decided to hit another beach about 15 minutes away.

Elephant seal beach, where all sizes of seals

were sleeping and molting on the beach. The seals rotate being in the water and sleeping and playing on the beach.

The elephant seals can be on the beaches for up to 6 weeks while they are molting (shedding their skin). It was so amazing, all the seals were just there, flipping sand over there bodies as sun protection. They are so large but they can really move!

After the seals, we hit the road and traveled through Los Padres National Forest and Big Sur. It is so breathtakingly beautiful. On your right, the forest, the mountains. On the left the ocean, rocks and cliffs. With the twists and turns the ups and downs, you can’t tell which way is up and which is down. What is sky and what is sea. There are areas where you can’t tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins. There is heaven between the clouds, the sky and the ocean. This is only one of two places in the world I have felt this way. This is my road to contentment and my mind went silent, the only thing I could do is be apart of the road, the mountains, trees, surf and sky. For me, this is a spiritual journey, a healing one as well. I can't tell you why I felt this way, I love nature, and most of the time during this journey we were just in the car, not connecting to the outside. We were just passengers, just traveling from point A to point B. True contentment, the only other place I have felt this was on the Hana Highway in Maui.

On the road as we where driving, I wanted to laugh, cry and just be a part of this beauty! This was my only thought during the drive through this is my heaven is, I have never been this close to God. Stop right there, just so you know, I am not religious, I don't buy into it. This area was my spirit was happy. This is my peace.

Lunch was up next, as mom and I were in Big Sur, the gas stations and restaurants were flying by, and we were running out of options for lunch. By chance we stopped at the next place we saw, Lucia Lodge. This coastal resort resort has been serving the Big Sur area since 1930's. The lodge was completed before even highway 1.

Lunch was eaten down the cliff, on a deck. The road noise was blocked by the sweet sounds of wind, birds, and the crashes of the ocean meeting the cliff, just below us. I had this awesome hamburger and mom had a salad.

I

love burgers, but I have never had such a amazing hamburger. If the food had sucked, it wouldn't have mattered, the view and the experience were worth it. Luckily for us, the food was fantastic. My cheeseburger was rich and soft, perfectly cooked. Slightly charred and very juicy. The fries were perfectly crisp and salted on the outside and melt in your mouth inside. This was my favorite meal.

Dessert to go, we got ice cream. You as what this is? It's-It. 2 oatmeal cookies covered in chocolate and mint chocolate chip ice cream in between. A San Fransico treat since 19

28. Yum, but not the best car food!

As we continued through Big Sur on highway 1, the views were breathtaking. Sky to mountain, mountain to sea. The fog, the cliffs, the art of Earth. On this drive, we pulled over a few times to get pictures, there are small places to stop. There are 2 famous bridges, we stopped to take pictures of. These are the bridges that you always see in car commercials. Beautiful and dramatic.

This picture was taken once we had driven past the bridge. We pulled off and I got out to get the pictures. There were no barriers, no fences, just dirt and plants, and rocks. To get this picture (below) I shimmied down from the parking lot. Holding on to a rock, I tried to reach out just to get the picture. But I had to give up and slide (on my bottom) to the next flat space, a few feet down, to get the shot. Was it worth it, hell yeah!

There were 2 or 3 times during the day were I was either about to fall off the cliff, following lunch, we climbed down the path to the cliff. I wanted to take pictures, but I am terrified of hights, with my mom holding me on one side and my legs turning to jelly, I hung over the cliff just to get a few great shots. This was a long, amazing, unique day, and today was my favorite day of the trip. Looking back, I still can't believe what I did, like a dream. Sitting in at my desk, I am remembering how crazy it was, how fun and how my legs still feel like jelly just remembering. Big Sur, Los Padres National Forrest, I will be back!

Cambira, Elephant Seals

What is an elephant seal? A deep-sea diver, a long distance traveler, an animal that fasts for long periods of time, elephant seals are extraordinary. They come together on land to give birth, mate, and molt but at sea they are solitary. Tremendous demands are placed on their bodies.

In Cabmbria we saw elephant seals on the beach. The seals are loud; they make honking/barking sounds called roaring.

The seals are huge and ugly, but I loved watching them. The seals were really big and you can't believe how fast something that big can move.

According to Friends of the Elephant Seals, The Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris , is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5000 feet deep for periods of fifteen minutes to two hours, and migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting and rest. The Piedras Blancas rookery, on Highway 1 seven miles north of San Simeon on the California Central Coast, is home to about 15,000 animals. The area is open for viewing every day of the year. Elephant seals are sexually dimorphic, that is the males are much larger than the females. Females grow to 9-12 feet and weigh between 900-1800 pounds. Males grow to 14-16 feet long and weigh in at 3000-5000 pounds, or more. Female elephant seals give birth for the first timearound 4 years old, though the range is between 2-6 years of age. Females are considered physically mature at age 6 with a life expectancy of 20 years. Males enter puberty around 4 years of age, at which time the nose starts to grow. The nose is a secondary sexual characteristic, like a man's beard., and can reach the astonishing length of 2 feet. Males reach physical maturity around 9 years old. Prime breeding age is 9-12, and they have a life expectancy of 14 years.

The seals were molting during the time we were in California. The mottled coats are the older coats of skin and hair and the new coats are shiny and silvery. In some of my pictures you see the seals flipping sand over themselves, that is a form of sunscreen to protect the new coats.

Sleeping Beauty

According to CA.Gov (parks) ... Molting Pinnipeds, like other mammals, must replace old skin and hair. Most animals shed hairs year-round, but elephant seals do it all at once. The molting process is so abrupt in the elephant seal that is called a catastrophic mold. During spring and summer months, elephant seats return to... for their annual molts.

• April to May- Females and juveniles
• May to June- sub-adult males
• July-August- Adult males- we saw the larger males (2 large males play-fighting)

Getting Ready for Julie and Julia

Mastering the Art of French Cooking with Julia Child

Poulet Poele a l'Estragon (Casserole-Roasted Chicken with Tarragon)

When a chicken is cooked this way, it is trussed, browned in butter and oil, then set to roast in a covered casserole with herbs and seasonings. It is a lovely method, as the buttery, aromatic steam in the casserole gives the chicken great tenderness and flavor. While oven cooking is more even, the top of the stove may be used if your casserole is heavy; then the chicken must be turned and basted frequently, and the cooking will be little longer than for oven cooking.

For 4 people

Estimated roasting time: 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes for a 3-pound bird.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

3-pound ready-to-cook roasting chicken

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

2 tablespoons butter

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon of dried tarragon

Season the cavity of the chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Insert the tarragon leaves, or sprinkle in dried tarragon. Truss the chicken. Dry it thoroughly and rub the skin with the rest of the butter.

A heavy fireproof casserole just large enough to hold the chicken on its back and on its side

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil, more if needed

Set the casserole over moderately high heat with the butter and oil. When the butter foam has begun to subside, lay in the chicken, breast down. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes, regulating heat so butter is always very hot but not burning. Turn the chicken on another side, using 2 wooden spoons or a towel. Be sure not to break the chicken skin. Continue browning and turning the chicken until it is a nice golden color almost all over, particularly on the breast and legs. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to keep the bottom of the casserole filmed.

3 tablespoons butter, if necessary

Remove the chicken. Pour out the browning fat if it has burned, and add fresh butter.

1/2 cup sliced onions

1/4 cup sliced carrots

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Cook the carrots and onions slowly in the casserole for 5 minutes without browning. Add the salt and tarragon.

1/4 teaspoon salt

A bulb baster

Aluminum foil

A tight-fitting cover for the casserole

Salt the chicken. Set it breast up over the vegetables and baste it with the butter in the casserole. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the chicken, cover the casserole, and reheat it on top of the stove until you hear the chicken sizzling. Then place the casserole on a rack in the middle level of the preheated oven.

Roast for 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes, regulating heat so chicken is always making quiet cooking noises. Baste once or twice with the butter and juices in the casserole. The chicken is done when its drumsticks move in their sockets, and when the last drops drained from its vent run clear yellow.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter and discard trussing strings.

Brown Tarragon Sauce

2 cups brown chicken stock, or 1 cup canned beef bouillon and 1 cup canned chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch blended with 2 tablespoons Madeira or port

2 tablespoons fresh minced tarragon or parsley

1 tablespoon softened butter

Add the stock or bouillon and broth to the casserole and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up coagulated roasting juices. Then skim off all but a tablespoon of fat. Blend in the cornstarch mixture, simmer a minute, then raise heat and boil rapidly until sauce is lightly thickened. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more tarragon if you feel it necessary. Strain into a warmed sauce boat. Stir in the herbs and the enrichment butter.

To serve

Optional but attractive: 10 to 12 fresh tarragon leaves blanched for 30 seconds in boiling water then rinsed in cold water, and dried on paper towels

Pour a spoonful of sauce over the chicken, and decorate the breast and legs with optional tarragon leaves. Platter may be garnished with sprigs of fresh parsley or -- if you are serving them -- sauteed potatoes and broiled tomatoes.

AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE:

If the chicken is not to be served for about half an hour, make the sauce except for its butter enrichment, and strain it into a saucepan. Return the chicken to the casserole. Place the aluminum foil over it and set the cover askew. Keep the casserole warm over almost simmering water, or in the turned-off hot oven, its door ajar. Reheat and butter the sauce just before serving.

Somebody wanted to "help" in the kitchen!

Farm Fresh Pizza

A view of the R's farm!

Pizza Dough
''Grilled pizza is a sublime dish. Some people would happily forsake all other food for it. And why not?

To grill pizza successfully , you will need patience to master the technique. It may take a few practice runs before you get a pizza you want to serve, but you should persevere. Do not be timid about the preparation of this pizza. From start to finish experience the bold act will reward you with a first-rate pizza.
there obstacles are several obstacles that you will overcome with experience. To begin with, be sure you start with a hot wood or charcoal fire. Gas grills, even fueled with by wood chips, will not do. They simply do not get hot enough, and the success of the dish depends on the unique flavor of smoke absorbed by the dough.

Build your charcoal fire on one side of the grill. During the cooking process you will want a cool area in order to add the toppings without burning the bottom of the crust. If you have a hibachi, build the fire on one side. For kettle-type grills, place a brick in the center of the bowl and bank charcoal on one half. If you have a small grill and cannot accommodate a 12-inch round of dough, divide it and make 2 or 3 small pizzas.

Be careful not to stretch the dough so thinly so thinly holes appear. Don't despair, however if small holes do appear. Though you cannot repair them, you can work around them. To avoid flare-ups, do not drizzle any of the oil or filling into these holes.

When you are lifting the dough off the cookie sheet, it will invariably stretch; do not try to compensate for this my moving you hands apart. Work as close to the grill as possible so the the dough is without support for a minimum amount of time. If after 8 minutes the cheese has not melted and the toppings is not bubbling, either you have been too cautious in you approach to the coals or you have used too much cheese and topping. More time on the grill will only dry out and toughen the pizza. The ideal crust should be both chewy and crisp.

The following recipe will make enough dough for for four 12-inch pizzas. Each pizza will serve 4 as an appetizer or 1 as a main course.
They are so irresistible, however, that you may want to have extra dough on hand in case your guests demand an encore. Any leftover dough can be wrapped and refrigerated overnight, but remember to bring it to room temperature before grilling. We don't suggest freezing the dough, It toughens and does not spread easily to achieve the thin crust characteristic of grilled pizza. Before you become expert with the technique, make sure you have extra dough on hand for mishaps. After you are experienced, you'll be able to judge just how much dough to make. This recipe may be halved or doubled.

You can also use this dough to make grilled bread. Follow steps 1-4... In step 4, flip the dough over, drizzle it with olive oil, and sprinkle it with kosher salt, and fresh herbs if you like. Allow the underside to brown without charring. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve immediately. The bread should be crisp with a chewy interior, a cross between a pita and tandoori bread.''

Cucina Simpatica-Robust Trattoria Cooking

Grilled Pizza Dough
1 cup warm water
pinch sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup johnnycake meal or fine-ground white cornmeal
3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. After 5 minutes, stir in salt, johnnycake meal, whole-wheat flour and oil. Gradually add white flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough has formed.
Place dough on a floured board and knead for several minutes, adding only enough additional flour to keep dough from sticking.
When dough is smooth and shiny, transfer to a bowl that has been brushed with olive oil. To prevent a skin from forming, brush the top of dough with additional olive oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until double in bulk, 11/2 to 2 hours.

Grilled Pizza Margarita

6 oz Pizza Dough

1/4 cup olive oil for brushing and drizzling

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/2 cup loosely packed shredded fontina

2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano

6 tablespoons chopped caned tomatoes in heavy puree

8 basil leaves

The way we did it:

6 oz Pizza Dough

2 - 2 1/2 cups fresh corn, taken off the cob

1/4 cup olive oil for brushing and drizzling

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/2 cup loosely packed shredded fontina

2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano

6 tablespoons Garden Tomato Sauce

8 basil leaves, sliced

a drizzling of Hot Pepper -Infused Olive Oil, you can serve it on the side as well

To form the crust:

1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire, setting the grill rack 3 to 4 inches above the coals.

2. On a large, oiled inverted baking sheet, spread and flatten the pizza dough with your hands into a 10-12-inch free-form circle, 1/8 inch thick. Do not make a lip. You may end up with a rectangle rather than a circle; the shape is unimportant, but do take care to maintain an even thickness.

3. When the fire is hot (when you can hold your hand over the coals for 3 to 4 seconds at a distance of 5 inches), use your fingertips to lift the dough gently by the 2 corners closest to you, and drape it onto the grill. Catch the loose edge on the grill first and guide the remaining dough into the into place over the fire. Within a minute the dough with puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks will appear.

4. Using tongs, immediately flip the crust over, onto the coolest part of the grill. Quickly brush the grilled surface with olive oil. Scatter the garlic and cheeses over the dough, spoon dollops of the tomato sauce and corn over the cheese Do not cover the entire surface of the pizza with tomatoes. Finally, drizzle the pizza with 1 to 1/2 tablespoons of hot chili oil,

5. Slide the pizza back toward the hot coals, but not directly over them.

Using tongs, rotate the pizza frequently so that different sections receive high heat; check the underside often to see that is not burning. The pizza is done when the top is bubbly and the cheese melted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Serve at once, topped with basil leaves and additional olive oil, if desired.

Garden Tomato Sauce
Taken from Cucina Simpatica

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
12 to 15 Italian plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat the olive oil in a heavy saute pan. Add the garlic, and saute until golden. Add the tomatoes and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the salt. Set aside until ready to use. The sauce may be cooled to room temperature, covered, and refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 2 cups of sauce.

Hot Pepper -Infused Olive Oil

Taken from Cucina Simpatica

3 cups olive oil
1/4 cup hot Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup crushed red-pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed

Combine all ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to very low, and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes so the flavors continue to infuse the oil as it cools.

Strain the oil into a clean jar. When it has cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

About Me!

About Me:

Hello, I am Kate. Welcome! 
Not Just Vanilla is really about the spice of my life. I will share favorite foods and new foods, travels and lots of photos. NJV is everyday living in Lafayette Indiana, with my friends and family, home and work and well, just really good food. I am an avid recipe collector and amateur gourmet and photographer. I have loved spending time in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. My mom and bubbe (grandmother) taught me to cook and bake and I haven't stopped. Enjoy and welcome to my world! 

L.A. to San Fransico

Rainer and sweet red cherries

Cucumbers and squash at the farmers market.

Big Sur Bridge

Big Sur Bridge, closer

Sea Lion on a pier in Monterrey

Lunch and a view in Big Sur

Elephant Seal near Cambria

Shammel Tide Pools, Cambria

Rolling "hills" Pasa Robles

OK, here are just a few of the highlights from my trip to California. I know I have not posted anything in over a week, but I hope this helps to make up for it. I will be posting later this week with the rest of the trip.