Piquant

Quick & easy no cook ice cream recipe

I love bargain shopping - so much so that I can't resist kitchen appliances that will let me make products I could more easily buy.

There was the fresh pasta maker I bought when a chain cooking store closed out. More recently, there was the tabletop ice cream freezer I bought for a whopping 50 percent off.

Today I broke that little ice cream churning machine in with a batch of no cook Mango ice cream. I modified a recipe for Vanilla ice cream that I found at the Eagle Brand website.

What a creamy, dreamy frozen treat!

Easy no cook mango ice cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half or light cream
• 2 very ripe mangoes, peeled & pitted
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Pour into the mixing canister of an electric ice cream freezer. Churn for 20-40 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved. Remove from canister and freeze well before serving.

Vanleeuwen's Artisan Ice Cream parks in the slope

All we can say is, "Way better than Mr. Softee." Parked near the corner of Carroll Street and Seventh Avenue, the lovely yellow ice cream truck dispenses really, really, really good ice cream made with organic ingredients including hormone free milk from Lewis County, NY cows, Michel Cluizel chocolate and Sicilian grown pistachios. Prepare to shell out for all this wholesome and tasty goodness. Two single serving cups with one super yummy topping each (caramel and hot fudge) is $10.40. Get your pint fix at Whole Foods in the tri-state area or Blue Apron, Get Fresh, Back to the Land, and the Park Slope Co-op in Park Slope. Money well spent.

Frozen yogurt dreams

http://newyork.metromix.com  credit: Sam Horine

If your teeth aren't chattering from the freezing cold and the fleeting snow flurries, hoof it over to Daydream Frozen Yogurt for a sweet -- if cold -- treat.

MetroMIx NY reports the recently opened frozen yogurt shop with its cloud-filled walls and ceiling is the perfect backdrop for its ciustom flavors.  Owner Gwen Butler rotates flavors —green tea, pomegranate—or plain versions in  “creamy” and “icy.”

The online restaurant source had this to say about Daydream: "In fact, it’s the toppings, largely whipped up by chef Greg Pena, that fly you to the Moon. Try the raspberry, strawberry and mango dust or butter rum crunch, which sports the cheekiest handwritten sign (“does contain alcohol”) this side of Prohibition. There’s even dehydrated espresso, counterproductive as that seems. Delicate white chairs and marble tables let you imagine an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, but modernity rules. Wolf down a “moffle”—a mochi waffle—to see what we mean."

For More Information:
Daydream Frozen Yogurt
110 Third Ave at 13th St.
212-228-4288

Simple and Sinful summer ice cream recipes

Simplicity is the key word to how I like things to operate in my world.  I like complications as much as the next woman.  Complexity keeps life interesting, but drama -- in the kitchen or the street -- I can do without. 

Summer time, synonymous with vacation, means giving yourself a break in the kitchen without giving up any of the perks or punches of full flavor. Fresh fruits are in abundance, semifreddos are simple, ice cream is everywhere. 

Here are a couple of favorites that keep me cool and satisfied when the heat is on.

Cantaloupe and Vanilla Ice Cream

1 well-ripened cantaloupe (the stem end should be fragrant and the melon should have a nice **thunk** to it when tapped)

I pint of any premium vanilla ice cream (I've been having a love affair with vanilla for some time now)

1 pint of fresh berries (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry)

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

2 Tbs. granulated sugar

Rinse the berries and set to rest in a sieve. After thoroughly drained, pour Grand Marnier and sugar over the berries and gently mix.  This can be prepared a day or two ahead of time so the berries absorb the liqueur.

Slice the ends from the melon, just enough to provide an even surface.  The cut the cantaloupe in half (not lengthwise).  Scoop the seeds and pulp out, then discard.   Scoop a nice dollop of vanilla ice cream into the cantaloupe's cavity.  Garnish with berries and serve immediately.

Serves 2 generously

Ginger Biscuit Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 package of Botham's Shah Ginger Biscuits

1 pint premium vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Place 1 scoop of ice cream on cookie. Press second cookie on top until scoop flattens.  Serve immediately or wrap and freeze for later.

Makes 5 sandwiches.