Photo:  stu_spivack

Last week I found something new – Casina Rossa Honey & Hot (Acacia Honey with Hot Pepper) – that I simply must share.  Honey as beautiful as it is sweet and hot.  A delicious addition to vanilla ice cream – sure to be a hit on corn bread, cheese cake, goat cheese, the tip of your finger.  Use your imagination, but beware, this stuff is hot.

As creamy and soothing as vanilla ice cream can be, a little drizzle of this fire adds elegance and spark to even the most mundane of evenings.  For all of you who like the hot stuff, this is something you simply must try.

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Categories:	Entertaining • Sauces • Seasoning & Spices • Sweets • Uncategorized • desserts	5 Comments
Tags:	acacia • chili • honey • ice cream

In December of 1989, just after Christmas, my father and step-mother dropped me off at a little pensione in Siena, Italy where I was to meet my study-abroad group. I knew no one. We said our goodbyes, and I watched them fold themselves back into their tiny rented Fiat Uno and drive off. I stood in the middle of the road waving after them – tears streaming down my face and gulping down the calzone-sized sob that was climbing up my chest.

What a whimp!

Within an hour I met two girls who would become my life-long friends, Nina and Cherie, and discovered a frozen confection so divine its powers instantly washed away any twinge of homesickness: gelato. In Italy, this cultural favorite is not just for summer, it’s a year-round treat.

Unlike North American ice cream, most (not all) Italian gelati are made with whole milk and egg yolks instead of cream, making them deliciously dense. Whole milk in Italy tends to be richer than in the United States, so many recipes here add a bit of cream to compensate.

While our domestic versions of gelato can be quite yummy, nothing compares to eating the true thing in the “Old Country.”

Before embarking on your gelato adventure, here are a few basic tips:

1. Use the freshest ingredients possible: get your eggs, cream and milk at your farmer’s market
2. If using fruit, buy what’s fresh and seasonal
3. Opt for vanilla bean instead of extract
4. Bring eggs to room temperature: you’ll stir less and prevent air from getting incorporated
5. Strain your custard: use a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander
6. Eat it fresh from the machine or, if frozen, let it soften before serving

Gelato alla Baccello di Vaniglia (Vanilla Bean Gelato)
The following recipe is from the August 2008 issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine. We changed it a bit and used 1% milk thinking it would make it a bit lighter, but holy cow!, it still resulted in a Mamma-mia-uber-rich gelato! Molto delizioso!

5 large egg yolks, brought to room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 ¼ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla pod, sliced in half lengthwise
Pinch of salt

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick (about 2-3 minutes).

In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring over medium heat, until bubbles form and pop around the edges. Remove from heat.

Slowly whisk about ¼ of the warm mixture into the egg mixture; then add it all back into the milk mixture in the saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture is slightly thickened and begins to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Be sure to not simmer.

Fill a large stainless steel bowl with ice and water.

Strain the custard through a fine sieve (or a cheesecloth-lined colander) into a smaller stainless steel bowl, then set into the ice bath. Stir occasionally and let chill until completely cooled.

Transfer mixture to an ice cream machine and follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Best when served immediately, although it will keep in the freezer for up to a month.

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fruit • Italian • Uncategorized • desserts	2 Comments
Tags:	cream • Dessert • Food • foodista • gelato • ice cream • Italian • vanilla bean

Many of you may think I’m talking about the scandalous former mayor of Washington, DC, Marion Barry, but I am not. I’m talking about the succulent Pacific Northwestern fruit, the marionberry.

The marionberry was introduced in 1956 at my alma mater, Oregon State University, and developed in Marion County. While they grow throughout the Pacific Northwest, 90% of the world’s crops are grown around the Marion County area. There are few spots in the world where caneberries (the blackberry family) grow and thrive, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon provides the perfect climate: a moist spring followed by hot summer days and cool nights.

These aren’t just any old ordinary blackberry, their flavor is far superior, even to Boysenberries. The marionberry is a cross between two hybrids – the smaller, tasty Chehalem and the larger high-producing Ollalie – and is big, fat and distinctively sweet.

Marionberries usually reach their peak around mid-July, but since we experienced a much colder spring this year in the Pacific Northwest, all berries are just starting to come out in their full glory. Soon marionberry aficionados like myself will be out picking ’til our lips, tongues and fingers are stained purple. Our pantries will be filled with marionberry jams and syrups, and our tables laid with pies and fresh home-made ice cream.

Oh, summer in the Pacific Northwest is grand!

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Fruit • Sweets • desserts	5 Comments
Tags:	berries • blackberries • Dessert • Food • foodista • ice cream • jam • jelly • Marion County • marionberries • oregon • Oregon State University • Pacific Northwest • pie • preserves • syrup • Willamette Valley

I’m not talking Rice-A-Roni here, the San Francisco treat I’m referring to is IT’S-IT Ice Cream. When I was a kid we’d often pass the IT’S-IT factory perched on the edge of Highway 101 near the San Francisco airport. I would beg my parents to stop, but alas, it never happened. I still threaten to stop…perhaps some things are best left as a mystery. So, to satiate my desires I hop into the nearest Draeger’s and pick up a box.

The Original IT’S-IT Ice Cream Treat, once named the official food of San Francisco, started in 1928 and has since become a legend. The recipe has never changed; a scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies then dunked in dark chocolate.

I don’t care how old you are, you’re never too old to beg for one of these.

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Categories:	Sweets • Travel • desserts	9 Comments
Tags:	california • Chocolate • cookies • Food • foodista • ice cream • san francisco • Sweets • Travel