Brownie Sundaes with Cherry-Port Sauce

Bob and my dad both LOVE cherries, so for Father's Day several years ago, I made these Roasted Cherry Brownie Sundaes with a Cherry-Port Sauce.  We all thought they were great, especially the Cherry-Port Sauce. I didn't save the recipe because I knew the source, but as I went back to the blog to retrieve it (years later at this point) the ingredient list is missing. I hunted around and found a similar recipe that I've included below.  The amounts sound familiar so I'm going with it. I'm glad I remembered this recipe because it needs to be made again soon!

Roasted Cherry Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 pound fresh cherries, stems and pits removed, cut in half or quartered
1/4 cup port wine

Your favorite brownie mix (such as Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownies)
Ingredients to prepare brownie mix according to package directions (oil, eggs, water, etc.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.

1. Place cherries in a small baking dish with the port. Roast for 30 minutes, until the cherries are very soft and the port has slightly reduced (you'll have 2 - 3 tablespoons of liquid). Set the cherries aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, prepare brownies according to package directions, reducing oven heat according to your brownie recipe.

3. As the last step in making the brownie batter, stir in the cherries and accumulated juices and then transfer to the baking pan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride (now called The Brewer and the Baker)


Brownie Sundaes with Cherry-Port Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cherries, stems and pits removed, and coarsely chopped
1 cup port wine
3/4 cup sugar

Brownies - from a homemade recipe or boxed mix (such as the Roasted Cherry Brownies above)
Vanilla ice cream - homemade or store bought

Directions:

1. Add the cherries to a small saucepan with the port and sugar, cooking over medium-high until it begins to boil.

2. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 35-40 minutes, until very thick and syrupy.

3. Serve brownies topped with a scoop of ice cream and a spoonful of warm cherry-port sauce.

Leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for several days, serve rewarmed.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride (now called The Brewer and the Baker) and The Gilded Fork

Ice Cream Cake - Dairy Queen Copycat

One of my and my sister's favorite cakes growing up was the Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake. We often requested it for our birthdays. I thought it would be fun to try this homemade version. You can make this with homemade ice cream if you like, but I chose to go the easy route and use store bought. We really loved this homemade version of the DQ ice cream cake - in fact, we think it's even better than the store bought version!

 

Ice Cream Cake (Dairy Queen Copycat)

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 - 1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream, slightly softened (or homemade ice cream)
1/4 - 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, slightly softened (or homemade ice cream)
8 ounces Cool Whip

For the Hot Fudge Sauce:
2 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine 2 cups crushed Oreos with melted butter and sugar. Press into a 13x9 pan or two 9-inch round springform pans. Freeze for 15 minutes.

2. Spread a layer of each ice cream on top and freeze for 3 hours.

3. Combine first 4 ingredients of hot fudge sauce in a a saucepan and bring to a boil for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Cool to room temperature.

4. Spoon sauce on ice cream and freeze until firm.

5. Spread Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with Oreo crumbs or colored sprinkles. Freeze for 3 hours.

Source: Adapted from relative taste

Apple Pie Floats

Do you ever find yourself looking for ways to use up that big container of apple cider? I always buy a big gallon of it at the apple orchard each year and then end up scrambling to finish it. This idea for an ice cream float with apple cider is fantastic! I've never thought of it before. I made one of these for Bob and I to share. Not knowing the name of this recipe, Bob took a sip and said "it tastes like apple pie!" :) He did comment that he would prefer a tad more ginger ale, so I've made a note in the recipe below to adjust to your own taste. Happy Fall!!!

Apple Pie Floats

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup ginger ale, or a little extra depending on personal preference
1 - 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, or any seasonal flavor such as cinnamon or apple pie
ground cinnamon and nutmeg for sprinkling
1 - 2 tablespoons jarred caramel sauce

Directions:

1. Pour apple cider and ginger ale into a glass.

2. Add vanilla ice cream.

3. Sprinkle on nutmeg and cinnamon to taste and drizzle caramel sauce on top.

4. Serve immediately with a straw and a spoon.

Source: Our Best Bites

Cinnamon Ice Cream

I hope everyone is enjoying fall! It seems to be zipping by for me. I was able to celebrate my birthday this past weekend by visiting a local winery for an Octoberfest celebration. The weather here was perfect!

The smell of cinnamon always reminds me of fall - whether it's being added to an apple pie or mixed into a pumpkin treat. Ice cream seems like the perfect accompaniment to a warm apple dessert, and what better version than Cinnamon Ice Cream?!

This ice cream is a bit more work than your typical ice cream recipe, but it's worth the work. Infusing the cream with cinnamon sticks provides the perfect cinnamon flavor, and cooking the custard ensures that it's safe for you and your family to eat!

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
8 - 10 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups heavy cream, divided
5 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks, and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (should reach 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

5. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Yield: About 1 quart

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Although July in St. Louis tends to get unbearably hot, especially this year, it's also the month when one of my favorite fruits reaches its peak - peaches! A local farm sells the best peaches around, and each year I look forward to a fresh peach pie. And what is best served alongside a fresh peach pie? Vanilla ice cream of course! My dad has been asking why I haven't made him any ice cream this summer, so this was the perfect opportunity.

I turned to my trusty Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book for this one, and it turned out fantastic. Ultra-creamy with a nice, pronounced vanilla flavor. This recipe uses raw eggs, so avoid if you fall in a high-risk group for food-borne illness, but if you're not and it doesn't bother you, the eggs add a nice richness to the ice cream. I would think that the equivalent amount of a pasteurized egg substitute might work as well, but I'm not certain.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy or whipping cream

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluff, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend.

2. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 1 quart

(Serve with fresh peach pie!)

Source: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Raspberry Sorbet

One of the biggest reasons I wanted the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is for homemade sorbets. When I saw raspberries on sale at the grocery store, I knew that Raspberry Sorbet was in order. My Ben & Jerry's cookbook had a recipe that really intrigued me, particularly because it has red wine in it.

I had some trouble with this recipe, but I think I've worked out the kinks, and it should be perfect the next time I make it. My first problem was that the recipe says to gently stir the ingredients and then dump in the ice cream maker. It felt wrong not to mush up the raspberries or blend them in a food processor, but I went with it. Big mistake. The raspberries started to freeze and the sugary liquid stayed liquid. I tried smashing up the frozen raspberries, but by that time the ice cream machine was starting to thaw. I finally just ended up putting the mixture in the fridge, re-freezing the ice cream maker, processing the mixture in the food processor the next day, then putting it back in the ice cream maker. This worked very well.

Bob and I both loved the flavor of this sorbet! We thought the red wine added a great flavor, although it's not a prominent wine taste, which is a good thing in my opinion. If you don't like wine, I'm sure you could add either grape juice or water in its place. Our only complaint was the raspberry seeds - they were so annoying! Next time I will strain them out before freezing. Then the sorbet will be excellent!

Raspberry Sorbet

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup cold water

Directions:

1. Combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour.
2. When ready to freeze, add the red wine, corn syrup, and water, and stir gently until blended. Here is where I disagree. I recommend transferring to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. I also recommend straining the seeds at this point.

3. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

4. Transfer the frozen mixture to an airtight container and freeze until ready to enjoy. I preferred the texture of the sorbet after it had been frozen at least overnight.

Make 1 quart.

Source: Adapted from the Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book