Sticky Toffee Pudding

Any good food (recipe) blog has three essential elements:

1. Decent writing.

2. Good recipes.

And the bane of this blog's existence,

3. Drool-worthy photos.

I am so not a photographer, but I never knew quite how much skill I lacked until I started blogging. 

With the help of online tutorials and guidance in the form of Foodgawker rejections, my skills have gone from nonexistent to adequate, but photos definitely remain the "work" of this food-blogging hobby. 

Case in point? For a recent post on MotherEarthNews.com, I scrolled through 65 sticky toffee pudding photos over and over for two days of toddler naps, narrowing them down little by little until I finally shrugged my shoulders and went for what I hoped was a winning closeup. 

Not sure if I picked the best one, but, boy, did I get hungry in the process.

Here are a few of the finalists that didn't make the cut.

If you found those at all drool-inducing, be sure to grab the Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe from Mother Earth News, and feel free to let me know if you think I picked the glamour shot.

Cappuccino Cheesecake

Human nature is such a funny thing. Why is it that when we know we can't have something, we want it that much more?

When I found out I was pregnant, I gave up coffee. Yes, I know it's considered safe to have one cup a day, but that's like telling an alcoholic to just have one drink--this would have to be an all or nothing approach. The withdrawals weren't too bad because I'd been slowly weening myself off the strong stuff in hopeful anticipation of that little pink plus sign, and for the first few months, I didn't miss it much at all.

Once morning sickness subsided and hunger was renewed, however, I began experiencing severe coffee envy every Sunday when my husband's fragrant mug wafted tantalizing aromas from the cup-holder next to mine on the way to church. Such a bummer.

I'd been craving cheesecake like crazy, too. Now cheesecake, as long as it's been cooked through and is fairly fresh, is not so much a pregnancy no-no. But I am lactose intolerant, and while not as bad as downing a glass of milk on an empty stomach, cheesecake has been known to make my tummy rumble both before and after consumption. Double bummer.

After a few weeks of experimenting with goat-cheese cheesecakes and ordering decaf soy lattes (both totally delicious but not entirely craving-curbing), I finally decided I had to risk a little tummy trouble and give in.

A cappuccino-inspired cheesecake was the answer to both callings, and it did not disappoint. With less than one serving of coffee spread among eight servings of cheesecake, I get all the flavor and none of the worry. And as for my lactose issues, well, that's my incentive not to eat all eight servings at once.

Cappuccino Cheesecake
8 oz plain chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Newman's Own, but homemade would be excellent as well)
2 T butter, melted
10 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
1/2 cup freshly brewed, dark-roast coffee or espresso
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
whipped cream, cocoa powder, and ground cinnamon for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Very lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 6-inch springform pan, and wrap the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil so that the foil comes up just under the outside rim of the pan, not extending to the inside.

Place the chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process or pulse to combine, making sure to scrape around the bottom at least once for even mixing. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.

Beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even beating. With the mixer on med-low speed, VERY GRADUALLY stream in the warm coffee, pausing to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl about halfway through. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until there are no visible lumps. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until completely incorporated.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust and place the springform pan inside a tall-sided roasting pan. Very carefully add enough water to the roasting pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the springform pan--be sure not to splash any water into the cheesecake.

Bake for 55 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the cheesecake to remain inside the turned-off oven as it cools (at least one hour, up to two).

Very carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and lift the springform pan out onto a dry kitchen towel. Gently unwrap and discard the foil. Place a dry paper towel over the top of the pan (not touching the surface of the cheesecake) and cover with a clean sheet of foil. Place in the fridge to chill until serving, at least one hour, up to five days.

To garnish, dollop or pipe little stars of freshly whipped cream (sweetened to taste with powdered sugar and vanilla) over the top of the cheesecake. Place about 1/4 tsp cocoa powder and a dash of ground cinnamon in a fine mesh sieve and gently dust over the whipped cream.

Serves approximately 8.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

At Home with Jeni's...Part Two: Kona Stout

The Setting: A bit brighter inside than out, but if the thunderstorms hold off, I'll be happy.

The Soundtrack: Birds chirping, children playing.

Steaming up the Oven: Brownies.

The Scenario: More incredible ice cream from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Come have a scoop--and invite your dad!

One of the many cool (minor pun intended) things about JSICAH is that Jeni organizes her recipes by season.

In the spring, for instance, you might try "Passion Fruit Frozen Yogurt" or "Toasted Rice Ice Cream with a Whiff of Coconut and Black Tea." Autumn might be filled with scoops of "Gorgonzola Dolce Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts" or "Roasted Pumpkin 5-Spice Ice Cream," while winter might dish up "Black Walnut Divinity Ice Cream" or "Banana Ice Cream with Caramelized White Chocolate Freckles."

But right now it is summer (whether the solstice has decreed it so or not), and Father's Day is on the horizon.

Jeni says her Kona Stout Ice Cream, flavored with dark-roasted Kona coffee beans and deep, malty Russian Imperial Stout, pairs perfectly with chocolate cake, barbecue, whiskey, and "your dad."

That sounds like the making of a pretty happy Father's Day (or any summer grill-out) to me.

And after receiving the "When can we have this again?" seal of approval from Hoosband, Kona Stout Ice Cream will definitely be making an appearance at this and future Father's Day celebrations at casa de Crumm.

...In fact...I'm growing so in love with it myself, we might have to keep it on hand for my favorite daily celebration: dessert.

Kona Stout Ice Cream
"Roasted malt and coffee beans impart a chocolaty nose to this rich, refreshing ice cream."

2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons dark-roast Kona coffee beans, coarsely ground
1/2 cup Barley's Russian Imperial Stout or other very dark stout I have used both Old Rasputin Imperial Stout and Sam Adams Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, both were excellent

PREP  Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened--microwave for 10-15 seconds if necessary--otherwise whisking it is nearly impossible, and it could cause your ice cream to be clumpy.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK  Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the coffee, and let steep for 5 minutes.

Strain the milk mixture through a sieve lined with a layer of cheesecloth. Squeeze the coffee in the cheesecloth to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the grounds. The second time I made this ice cream I didn't have any cheesecloth. Instead of grinding the coffee beans, I very coarsely chopped them with a knife (some remained whole) so that the pieces would not be small enough to pass through my sieve. To compensate for the decreased surface area of the beans, I doubled the amount of beans and increased the steeping time to 10 minutes.

Return the cream mixture to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL  Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the stout and blend well.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes. You could refrigerate the mixture overnight at this point if desired.

FREEZE  (Snip the corner off your Ziploc bag and...) Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Makes about 1 quart.

Excerpted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan Books). Copyright 2011.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.