arabic coffee ice cream

This ice-cream recipe is based on the traditional Middle-Eastern drink that combines ground coffee beans with whole cardamom pods. Cardamom is one of my all-time favorite spices. It's related to ginger, but instead of tasting spicy or bitter it has a smooth, subtle flavor and an overwhelming fragrance that carries you away to another time and place. Together with coffee and sugar, it creates a blissful bittersweet balance.

Certain Arabic coffee recipes incorporate other spices, including ginger, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, and saffron, so feel free to experiment with the recipe below by adding whatever spices you fancy.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

11/4 cup coffee beans

20 to 25 whole cardamom pods

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

You will also need:

cheesecloth (to strain)

ice cream maker

Method

Place coffee beans, whole coriander pods, and any other spices you wish to include in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and place on a firm surface. Beat the contents of the bag into submission using a wooden spoon or other solid, forceful device. This is not only an effective method of quickly breaking the ingredients down into tiny pieces - it's also a wonderful way to relieve any aggression you might be experiencing.

Next, we want to infuse the milk with the coffee and spices. To do this, combine all ingredients in a medium pot over high heat. The beans and cardamom will create an intricate mosaic in the milk. Bring the milk to a simmer and then immediately remove the pot from heat.

Let the pot sit, covered, for an hour. During this time, the milk will absorb the aroma and flavor of the coffee and spices.

After an hour, carefully strain the mixture through cheesecloth into a medium-sized bowl, separating the cardamom and coffee bits from the now-infused milk.

Cover the bowl with saran wrap and refrigerate the mixture for 2 hours.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions and serve to your sure-to-be grateful guests. My sister said the final taste reminded her of a macaron from Paris' exquisite sweet shop Ladurée, so prepare to be delighted!

emily's christmas tart

Mirabella's Auntie Emily made this stunning fruit tart for Christmas and I thought it was so beautiful I had to post her recipe here. I'm sure it was delicious, too, by the sound of the ingredients, and wish I could have shared it with her!

This tart just looks so fresh, sweet, and full of dynamic, contrasting flavors. The filling is made of almonds, and the exotic melange of fruits she used includes kiwis, berries, and apples. I love the way the raspberry sauce glistens in the light, intensifying the dazzling array of colors produced by the fruits and berries. It reminds me of some enchanted dish from a fairy tale.

Auntie Emily studying her medicine books with Princess Mirabella

Ingredients

For the crust:

6 T butter

1 T oil

3 T water

pinch of salt

1 to 1.5 c flour

4 T sugar

For the filling:

1 c ground almonds

1/2 c sugar

1-2 thinly sliced granny smith apples

1 c mixed berries

2 thinly sliced kiwis

2 T butter

2 T lemon juice

3 T raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Heat butter, oil, salt, and water in a pan until the butter melts. Set aside to cool. Add 1 cup of the flour and all the sugar to the butter mixture, mix in and then add more flour slowly until the dough forms a ball that doesn't stick to the pan.

Press dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Put in the oven for 5-8 min until crust is lightly brown. Remove and let cool.

Combine the ground almonds and 1/4 c sugar and place into bottom of tart crust. Arrange the fruit on top. Sprinkle with another 1/4 c sugar and 1 T lemon juice to moisten and keep the fruit fresh.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Combine jam and 1 T lemon juice in a small pan and heat. Brush over the top of the baked tart. Let it cool before cutting, and enjoy!

sesame ice cream

I first had sesame ice cream at Matsuri in Paris, a magical dream-come-true restaurant where sushi revolves around a conveyer belt before your very eyes. When I started searching for recipes, I mostly came across French- or custard-style approaches, which involve slowly heating raw eggs in order to create a thick custard base. I tried a few of these recipes with disastrous results. The eggs cooked too fast and I just couldn't get the consistency right. The actual frozen end product actually tasted good once you got over the frozen-then-blended omelette texture, but I prefer this simple Philadelphia-style no-egg recipe that I came up with.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup cream

1 cup whole milk

Directions

Toast the sesame seeds in a fry pan. Make sure you don't burn them - when they start to smell aromatic you know they are ready.

Blend the toasted sesame seeds with the sugar, cream, and milk until smooth. Refrigerate for an hour and then freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds when serving.