Spiced Sweet Potato Ice Cream

This was fantastic. (Here is the original recipe, which I am copying in its entirity, but I'm not sure how well Vern ended up following it.)

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• Table salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of ginger
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of the cream with the milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Warm the cream mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a smaller metal bowl (one that holds at least 1-1/2 quarts) in the ice water. Pour the remaining cup of cream into the inner bowl (this helps the custard cool quicker when you pour it in later). Set a fine strainer on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

In a steady stream, pour half of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof rubber spatula until the custard thickens slightly (it should be thick enough to coat the spatula and hold a line drawn through it with a finger), 4 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 175° to 180°F at this point. Don’t let the sauce overheat or boil, or it will curdle. Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. Press firmly on the strainer with the spatula to extract as much flavor as possible.

Cool the custard to below 70°F by stirring it over the ice bath. Stir mashed sweet potato, vanilla extract, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon into the cooled custard.

Refrigerate the custard until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Then freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container, and freeze for at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks.

Blackberry Fennel Pizza

Our year of Unique Pizzas has come to an end.

Our final pizza is this Blackberry Fennel Pizza, and it was delicious. (Original recipe found here.)

• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• 1 small bulb fennel thinly sliced (reserve the fronds for garnish)
• 8 ounces fresh gorgonzola
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 -2 tablespoons honey
• pizza dough

Top pizza dough with the blackberries, fennel and gorgonzola.  Sprinkle the thyme and hazelnuts over the top and bake at 400 degrees until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved fennel fronds and drizzle with honey.  Let stand for a few minutes before slicing and serve while still hot.

Artichoke, Goat Cheese, and Chicken Pizza

This was not that great. (Original recipe found here.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked.
4 ounces goat cheese
1 cup nonfat ricotta
1 whole-wheat pizza crust (12 inches)
1 cup rinsed and drained canned artichoke hearts, halved
2 large plum tomatoes, diced


Mix goat cheese and ricotta in a bowl; spread evenly over pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with chicken, artichokes, and tomatoes; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Indian Mulligatawny Soup

This was so super amazing, oh my gosh, you have no idea. Absolutely loved it.

(Here is where I got the recipe, and I followed it pretty much exactly.)

• ¼ c. butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 red jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. peeled and minced ginger root
• 2 small firm apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• ½ c. red lentils (uncooked)
• 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• ⅔ c. canned unsweetened coconut milk
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• ½ c. roasted cashews
• ½ c. chopped scallions

1. Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and jalapeno, then saute for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, apples, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Saute for another 3 minutes, then add in all of the spices and toss to coat. Add in the lentils and broth and let the contents come to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Puree about 75% of the ingredients using either an immersion blender or by transferring a portion of the contents to the bowl of a standard blender. Leave some of the chunks whole, as it adds a nice texture and consistency to the soup. Return the soup to the pot if needed, then stir in the coconut milk. Taste, and adjust salt and black pepper as needed.
4. Serve topped with cashew and scallions along with naan bread for dipping.

Turkish Pizza

This was good and tasty.

(Original recipe found here.)

• 12 oz of minced beef or lamb
• 1 big onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2 cups of fresh curly parsley
• 1 cup of fresh mint
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 tsp of chili pepper
• 1 jalapeno 
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp of cumin (optional)
• salt according to your own taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pizza Dough

Brown the beef with onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, then put on the pizza dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.