Recipes Discovered

Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe

Candied Red Beans Recipe

Shiratama (Japanese Dumplings) Recipe

There is a sushi restaurant nearby that Seth and Harry always are giddy about going to. Not for the sushi, although it’s excellent, but for the slugs. I had no idea what Seth was talking about the first time he told me about these slugs, but eventually found out that they are actually Japanese dumplings made from rice flour. The dumplings are typically served with sweet azuki beans, which are very common in Asian desserts. In this case, they are also served with ice cream, the favorite being green tea ice cream. It’s a very interesting combinations of flavors and textures. To me, the dumplings don’t really have a taste, but they are very gummy and chewy. The azuki beans are sweet, and have the typical texture of beans. The green tea ice cream has a very distinct, sharp flavor, and of course, is smooth and creamy. Together, it’s a very unique dessert. It’s not that difficult to replicate at home either. The ice cream is simply a custard based ice cream flavored with matcha (green tea powder found at Oriental markets). The dumplings are made by mixing sweet rice flour (also found at Oriental markets and some grocery stores) and water, and then boiling them just like regular flour dumplings. The azuki beans (found at natural food stores) are just boiled and then sweetened with sugar and corn syrup. So next time you want to serve a special dessert, remember, it doesn’t get much better than ice cream and slugs. >> Read more

Apple Dumpling Recipe

Cinnamon Ice Cream Recipe

One of my favorite things to get at the Bloomsburg Fair is the apple dumplings from Bissinger’s. They are served fresh from the oven with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. Unfortunately with Seth’s travel schedule, 2007 was the first I was actually at the Bloomsburg Fair in quite awhile. The apple dumplings were still as good as I remember though, and I have been craving them ever since. To put an end to this, I was determined to make my own. I asked my mom for an apple dumpling recipe, which she got from her friend, and found a recipe for Cinnamon Ice Cream in a ice cream cookbookwhich has yet to let me down.

Since the ice cream had to freeze overnight, I started with that. It’s a standard custard recipe that is infused with cinnamon sticks. I didn’t have any whole milk, so I substituted 2 cups of half-and-half for 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream. Since half-and-half is a combination of whole milk and cream anyway, it didn’t make much of a difference. Once the half-and-half, sugar, salt, and cinnamon sticks were warm, I covered the pan and let it steep for an hour. Once infused, I rewarmed the mixture, removed the cinnamon sticks, and then slowly poured the warm liquid into the egg yolks, whisking it constantly. It’s importantly to do this slowly so the eggs don’t scramble. Once combined, I poured the custard back into the pan and continued to cook it until it thickened, which took maybe 5 minutes. Then I poured the custard through a strainer, into a large bowl that had the cream and vanilla it it. I stirred this mixture over an ice bath until it cooled down, about 10 minutes, and then put it in the refrigerator it for 2 hours to chill. Once chilled, I froze the ice cream in my ice cream maker and then stashed it in the freezer. Of course, I did taste the ice cream while transferring it, and it was amazing. >> Read more