Cuisine Eric

I used this ice cream to make a red, white and blue 250th anniversary 4th of July celebration ice cream pie for a July 4th family gathering. I topped a shortbread base in a springform pan with the ice cream and then topped it with macerated raspberries and blueberries. A dollop of whipped cream adorned the berries. So many people complimented the ice cream. A simple, but big hit. 1½ cups whole milk ¾ cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp honey ¼ tsp fine salt Zest of 1 lemon 2 cups heavy cream 2 tsp vanilla extract 3 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon) The day before churning the ice cream, freeze the ice cream maker churning bowl for at least 12 hours. Warm the milk with the sugar, honey, salt and lemon zest in a small pot to about 125F, stirring often. Remove from heat and let the zest steep for half an hour. Pour milk mixture into a bowl and whisk in the cream and vanilla. Refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 2-3 hours. Install the turning bowl onto the ice cream maker. Stir the lemon juice...

These delicious cheesecake squares are a riff off of Natasha's Kitchen (check out that great food blog!). I've tweaked the ingredients to my liking; they're rich, flavorful and just a bit decadent. All great for the Memorial Day BBQ we attended! Make sure you make then enough in advance to chill in the refrigeerator for at least several hours. Graham Crust: 7 oz graham crackers 1/4 tsp salt 1 Tbsp sugar 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted Cheesecake: 4 bars cream cheese (32 oz), softened to room temperature (important!) 1-1/4 cup sugar 5 large eggs, room temperature (important!) Zest of 1 lemon 2 Tbsp sour cream Juice of 1 Lemon (2-3 Tbsp) 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt 12 oz fresh raspberries Preheat oven to 350F.   Oil a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper for easier removal of cooked & cooled cheesecake. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until grainy. Pour into a 4 cup measuring cup. You should have 2 cups. Adjust accordingly. Stir in the ...

This is a crowd pleaser and a relatively healthful dessert chock full of apples and raspberries. It goes wonderfully with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for a tad more decadence! Dry Ingredients: 3/4 cup flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt Wet Ingredients: 2 large eggs 3/4 cup granular sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 4 large apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1/2-3/4 inch pieced (I used 2 Honeycrisp and 2 Granny Smith) juice of 1 lemon zest of 1 lemon 1 pint raspberries 2 Tbsp coarse brown Turbinado sugar Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter a 10-inch springform pan. Toss the cut apples with the lemon juice and zest in a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.   Whisk the eggs in another bowl until frothy. Add the other wet ingredients and mix well. Now mix half the butter with the wet ingredients. Stir in half the dry ingredients and mix well. Repeat with the remaining butter and then remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the apple...

Need a quick refreshing dessert? This comes together in minutes and always pleases. It holds in the refrigerator well so you can prepare well before mealtime or guests arrive. I'm usually not a fan of fruited yogurts because they usually have far too much sugar. You could use plain yogurt, but the fruited yogurt works very well for a dessert. I have also served the berries over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 2 cups peach yogurt (or favorite fruit yogurt) 1 pint fresh raspberries 1 cup fresh blueberries Sprigs of fresh mint Divide yogurt in four Ramekins.  Distribute fruit evenly on top of yogurt beds. Garnish with mint. Serves 4.