Mint Chip Ice Cream

I've mentioned in previous posts that San Francisco doesn't have a traditional summer.   It's pretty much the exact opposite.  June, July and August around here rank as some of the coldest  months in the year.  Fog, fog, fog.  It's kind of funny actually.   But it kind of sucks too; especially when you hear about clear, blue skies just 20 minutes outside of the city.  Oh well, can't really complain when you live in one of the best places on the planet.  

July is National Ice Cream Month.  Did you know that?  To celebrate this distinction I pulled out my ice cream maker from the cupboard and made some mint chip ice cream. 

This isn't like the mint chip I grew up.  You know, the kind that was tinted bright green? This ice cream is naturally flavored and colored using actual mint leaves, hence the pale color.   When you take a bite the first thing you notice is the distinct, yet subtle mint flavor followed by a hit of bittersweet chocolate.  So refreshing!

White Peach Pate de Fruit

My brother has a white peach tree in his backyard that seems to explode with fruit every summer.   Kind of ironic that its bounty is so abundant since he doesn't really tend to it that much.  When the fruits are ripe everyone in the family stops by his house to pick peaches fresh off the branches.  This year's harvest seemed to ripen a lot quicker than usual.  Not wanting all that juicy goodness to go to waste I used the white peaches to make pate de fruit, a French fruit jelly.    

The pate de fruit and I have a checkered past.    A few Christmases ago my sister and I  read about them on Alexis Stewart's blog.  We then suffered from delusions of grandeur and foolishly thought we could make a few batches to give away as holiday gifts.  Easy, right?  Easy, wrong!  Little did we know that it wasn't so  simple and unfortunately it was a costly lesson.  Down the trash bin went our hard earned money in the form of gourmet frozen fruit purees, glucose and tartaric acid cooked to a hard, sticky goo.

But this time was different: a) the peaches were free and the only special ingredient I had to buy was Certo liquid pectin (five bucks at my local Safeway), and b) I used a recipe from the queen of all yummy things, Helen from Tartelette.  Once again her recipe was fool proof and the pate came out fantastic.  Exactly the right texture and flavor I was looking for.  Think the pate de fruit and I have reached an accord.

Blueberry Scones

Sunday is the best day to do nothing.  Going back to work the next day is daunting enough so I literally make Sunday my day of rest.  I normally start the day by reading the paper and listening to Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. 

If I've put off cleaning my flat, which I often do, I'll then have some breakfast.   For something quick and easy I turn to a bowl of fresh fruit topped with greek yogurt and granola.  If I'm craving protein I'll go with eggs and toast.   For something baked, but not too sweet, I like to make these blueberry scones.

Scones are definitely a favorite of mine.  They're like a cross between a biscuit and a muffin.  I love them for breakfast but equally as much for afternoon tea with some clotted cream and jam.  Yum!

This recipe is really versatile and you can substitute the blueberries with currants or other dried fruit.  If you omit the fruit altogether it would be absolutely delicious as the base in a strawberry shortcake.

¡Viva España! Macarons

2010 has been a stellar year so far for Spanish athletes.  One of my favorite tennis players, Rafa Nadal, won the French Open and Wimbledon.  And the Spanish soccer team defeated the Netherlands today to win the World Cup for the first time in the country's history.  They'll be partying for days from Madrid to Malaga, and all points in between.   

In celebration of Spain's thrills of victory I made a red and yellow macaron in homage to their flag.  I actually had a ton of leftover egg whites in my freezer so I thought I'd make macarons this weekend, in five different flavors.  As providence would have it once I filled the macarons I was left with one lemon shell and one raspberry one.   Octopus Paul himself couldn't have predicted that one.

¡Viva España!