I-scream! You scream! We all scream for your ice cream. And seeing as how July is National Ice Cream Month here in America, we’ll be screaming for delicious cold ice cream treats all month long. With countless ways to enjoy ice cream from cones to cups or even cakes, and with infinite flavor choices like classic chocolate or nutty pistachio, we wanted to know how our fellow food bloggers were enjoying their ice cream.

So, we asked them:

July is National Ice Cream Month in America. What’s your favorite way to enjoy ice cream? Share your recipes for your best ice cream or ice cream treat!

And here is what they answered…

The only time I really feel that I like ice cream is when it’s paired with a fruit or berry dessert, particularly something crispy or crumbly. I’m not a fan of sweets in general and most store bought ice cream definitely doesn’t do it for me. Homemade, however, is wonderful, especially plain old vanilla.

I don’t have any ice cream recipes of my own, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who knows where to find them… David Lebovitz!

I concocted this ice cream sundae last fall during persimmon season. I was so smitten, that it has officially become my favorite ice cream dish. That is unless my dad makes homemade pizzelle cookies, in which case, my favorite is ice cream dish is ice cream pizzelle sandwiches. Enjoy!

Check out my recipe for Persimmon, Gingersnap and Caramel Sundaes here (make sure to scroll down!)

Since I was born and bred by the Jersey shore, to me, ice cream is best enjoyed in its quintessential New Jersey form: as a vanilla-chocolate softserve swirl in a wafer cone, devoured while walking along the boardwalk! While I can’t say I have ever made softserve myself, I can say that if you ever find yourself by the Jersey shore, this is one delicacy that cannot be missed! Sure, it exists elsewhere, but softserve isn’t the same anywhere else!

It appears you have tapped into my favorite food of all time and this recipe for my licorice ice cream is no exception! Enjoy!

In a waffle cone, walking around “sight-seeing” or people watching or taking in the rays along a beach. Oh…and inside the cone…hazelnut & Rocky Roche at Hollywood Gelato or Pistachio or Cherry Garcia or….you can see some of my ice cream adventures here and here.

I love ice cream eaten just on it’s own. My favourite flavours are hazelnut, pannacotta and Belgian chocolate. If I have to choose a recipe, it’s got to be my >Chocolate ANZAC ice cream sandwiches, everyone I serve loves them!

It might be National Ice Cream Month in America, but I confess my favorite ice cream involves a trip to Bangkok or Chiang Mai. I’m a sucker for iberry, quite possibly the world’s best ice cream. It’s super-creamy and vivacious with an unparalleled lineup of tropical flavors. Everything from fun to sophisticated: green tea, paradise tea, black sesame, red bean, spicy green mango, passionfruit, banana and cheese. Let’s just say I have a serious thing for iberry. I look forward to two big scoops (complementary flavors, side-by-side in a cup) all day long when I know I’ll be eating dinner in an iberry neighborhood. It’s the perfect Thai dessert.

Unfortunately, I’m not big on making my own ice cream but I do have plans for one recipe this summer. It belongs to the author of hsa*ba, an excellent resource on Burmese food. If her avocado ice cream tastes anything like the rich and flavorful avocados I ate in Yangon, I may have a new favorite.

I recently got a mini waffle cone maker and I’m now addicted. Tiny waffle cones make for perfect portion control. I love having a little handheld ice cream snack! If I want something a bit more decadent, there is always the ice cream cupcake! Earlier this year, I made maple peach ice cream cupcakes that I loved!

Post your own favorite way to enjoy ice cream in the comments section below!

Our Top 5 Ice Cream Recipe Picks:
Fried Ice Cream
Chocolate Chili Ice Cream
Truly Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake

Need cookware to accompany these delicious recipes? Want to test the products we recommend here at Chew on That? Now you can find all of these items all in one place: The Recipe4Living Cooking Store! The perfect accompaniment to our site, you can access the store at any time by clicking on the tab you see above.

Check out our favorite cookware, cookbooks, food items and more!

What do a Midwesterner, a Californian, a French guy and a Puerto Rican have in common? They all competed in Episode 3 of Top Chef Masters! In the colorful quickfire, Frenchman Ludo Lefebvre disappointed tasters while Puerto Rican Wilo Benet wowed them. But the game changed when these master chefs had to serve up some awful offal ingredients. Beef heart? Tongue? Pig Ear? No thanks! But Master Chefs like these can make anything seem appealing…

Of course, the winner of this episode was the one and only Rick Bayless (of Chicago! Woohoo!) who owns two upscale Mexican restaurants in the city of Chicago. And not surprisingly, he went the Mexican route when he had to cook up and serve some offal tongue to  a hungry crowd. While I was somewhat disappointed to not see Bayless stretch outside his comfort zone, he was following the advice of his fellow chefs back home and “sticking to what he knows.” Chances are, the Masters challenge at the end of the season will restrict him from making all Mexican somehow.

Pictured here: Bayless’ Tongue Taco, Original Plate of Tongue

But I will agree that Bayless knows Mexican food well. While I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Topolobampo or Frontera, I have visited one of his Frontera Fresco locations. I like to call the experience “love at first bite”  - I tried a steak torta sandwich and the combination of flavors and textures, paired with a raspberry limeade made for one of the best Mexican dishes I’ve ever had. His admitted love affair with Mexico has served us Chicagoans well.

Cindy Pawlcyn’s Menudo

While Cindy Pawlcyn fell short with her tripe menudo (pictured above), I appreciated her dish because she brought back personal memories of my visit to San Antonio. While there, we visited a restaurant called Mi  Tierra where a local traditional dish was on the menu: tripe menudo. Intrigued by the traditional aspect, I asked for a taste. One taste (if that) was all I needed to decide I couldn’t handle anymore. The rubberiness of the stomach lining just didn’t sit well with my own stomach. I couldn’t handle taking more than one bite.

So with that said, I give Cindy credit for two things: One, for keeping tripe in one of the most traditional forms it is served.  And two, making a much more appetizing-looking menudo than the one I tried. Granted, I didn’t get to taste her menudo but with presentation, I’d at least be a lot more willing to.

I didn’t care for Ludo Lefebvre’s attitude, frankly. Every chef wants to win but he was just plain snooty about everything that I just didn’t want him to win. Not to mention, I certainly don’t want to go to his restaurant now either. Each of these chefs has to remember that this show is publicity for them - try and make it good publicity, not bad.

Wilo Benet’s Salmon Tartar

Wilo Benet on the other hand was the biggest contender for Rick Bayless. Taking the lead in the quickfire with his orange salmon tartar dish, he had a lot of promise for the elimination challenge. And with a beef heart, ham and chicken tripletta (Puerto Rican sandwich), he put up a decent fight all the having a great attitude. Wilo Benet, while I had heard of him, gave himself some good publicity and made me want to visit Puerto Rico just to try his food.

But yay for a Chicagoan headed to the finale!

EPISODE 3 RECAP:

Official Episode Title: Offal Tasty

Challenges: Quickfire - Create a dish in 30 minutes inspired by a color.

Elimination - Create a street food dish with an offal as the main ingredient (beef heart, tripe, pig ear or  tongue)

Episode Winner: Rick Bayless (assigned tongue)

Chefs Eliminated:  Wilo Benet, Ludo Lufebvre, Cindy Pawlcyn

Chefs Competing in Finale: Hubert Keller, Suzanne Tracht, Rick Bayless

For a list of ALL the Top Chef episode recaps on Chew on That blog, click here.

Next episode airs Wednesday, July 8th!

This week’s word is: panzanella (noun).

Please choose the most appropriate definition for a panzanella. (No cheating!)

a.) A pan-fried Italian stir fry with tomatoes, onions and noodles.
b.) A type of Italian omelette, either simple or enriched with additional ingredients like meats, cheese or vegetables.
c.) A traditional French stew made with eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes.
d.) An Italian bread salad made with sliced bread and fresh tomatoes often flavored with basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  The bread used should be day- to week-old.

Now, scroll down for the answer…(no peeking ahead of time!)

If you chose d.) An Italian bread salad made with sliced bread and fresh tomatoes often flavored with basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  The bread used should be day- to week-old, then you are correct!

Superspark features a droolworthy panzanella (first photo on this page) while Chocolate and Zucchini featured a sophisticated and classic Panzanella (pictured directly above) on her site.

More Panzanella Recipes:
Italian Chicken, Tomato and Bread Salad
Tuscan Bread Salad
Italian Bread Salad Stuffed Tomatoes

Tune in next Friday for the next Foodie Vocab Lesson!

Previous Foodie Vocab Lessons:
Food Vocab Lesson 1: Verrine

Visit any participating Jack in the Box today with a receipt from any gas station and receive two free tacos!

If you’re looking for a fun night out with the girls that includes tasty drinks and tasty food, I recommend Coobah. Located in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, this Latin-inspired restaurant served up dishes to rave about while serenading us with live Bossa Nova. To find out what was so great about our meal (and to see recipes to mimic these dishes yourself at home!), read on…

To keep it plain and simple, this was the best sangria I have ever had. They use a special recipe from the Dominican Republic that somehow

Similar Recipe: Sangria

It’s caesar salad with a sweet twist! You can really taste the tinge of sugarcane used in this dressing. It’s not the most exciting dish I had there, but it was certainly a satisfying Caesar salad!

Similar Recipe:  Caesar Salad,

A friend ordered this gazpacho. Layered with lots of spices, she couldn’t finish the soup herself but it definitely entertained the rest of us with a lot of flavor. I was a fan!

Similar Recipe: Gazpacho,

This was probably the stand out dish of the evening: Crabcakes with fennel and avocado ice cream. Beautifull presented, though albeit small, this

Similar Recipes: Delicious Crab Cakes,

The beef skewers might not look that exciting but these were some of the most tender flavorful beef skewers I have ever tasted. And I was accompanied by a beef skewer connoisseur who felt the same way. Even the rice and sauce they served with something to rave about!

Similar Recipes: Grilled Meat Skewers with Bay Leaves,

I’ll admit, I actually didn’t try these vegetable dumplings. These were ordered by a friend but they were so beautifully plated, I just had to share. She enjoyed them so I’m sure I would have to! They have roasted mushrooms and ginger and they’re laying atop a chilled quinoa salad.

Similar Recipes: Mediterranean Quinoa

My friend Rachel was adventurous and ordered the Zarzuela. The menu describes it as a “Rustic Catalonian seafood dish with shrimp, mussels and scallops cooked in a saffron, white wine and roasted tomato broth served with grilled baguette”. It was to die for! My friend scarfed it up and my one quick taste was enough to win me over.

Similar Recipe: Venetian Seafood Stew,

For a mere $3, this bean and cheese tamale side dish item is quite filling and satisfying!

Similar Recipe: Good Gollee Tamales,

Another side dish: the caramelized plantains. Sweet, tangy and amazing, these were also one of the highlights.

Simlar Recipes: Perfect Fried Plantains

Coobah
3423 Southport Ave.
Chicago, IL
(773) 528-2220

]]> http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/06/25/cooing-about-coobah/feed/ http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/06/23/quick-and-easy-4th-of-july-menu/ http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/06/23/quick-and-easy-4th-of-july-menu/#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:52:32 +0000 Hillary http://www.chewonthatblog.com/?p=2527

Let’s not make things complicated this year. The 4th of July is quickly approaching and wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to throw together something simple? Enter: the Quick and Easy 4th of July Menu.  Full of mozzarella skewers, cheeseburgers, potato salads and more, this red-white-and-blue-filled menu will not steer you wrong.

Last minute menu planning for the 4th   is no problem with these fast and simple recipes!

It’s the first day of summer and with today’s freebies, you have your choice of how to celebrate:

For a FREE 12-oz.refreshing fruit and tea drink, visit Caribou Coffee!

For a FREE smoothie, visit Tropical Cafe Smoothie!

There’s nothing like thirst quenching refreshing beverages on the first day of summer, especially when they’re free! Enjoy!

This week’s word is: verrine (noun).

Please choose the most appropriate definition for a verrine. (No cheating!)

a.) A leafy green often steamed or served fresh in French salads and sandwiches
b.) A confection, originally from France, made by layering ingredients in a small glass
c.) A French vegetarian dish typically made with eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes.
d.) Originally from France, a rich slow-cooked bean stew or casserole made with herbs and meat

Now, scroll down for the answer…(no peeking ahead of time!)

If you chose b.) a confection, originally from France, made by layering ingredients in a small glass, then you are correct!

In the photo above, David Lebovitz shows us three different verrines that depict both sweet and savory applications of this artful French confection. The only criterion for making a verrine are having a glass and multiple ingredient to lay on top of one another.

Other verrines such as Tartelette’s Berry Mousse and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Verrines (left) and Apartment Therapy’s Spiced Cream and Plum Verrines (right) have more distinct layers. Each ingredient is more distinguishable than the piles in David Lebovitz’s examples but both styles can be classified as verrines.

As for myself, I have yet to make a verrine (or at least intentionally) but I think verrines make a wonderful presentation, especially if you’re entertaining guests. Perhaps I’ll try making this Strawberry Cream Salad in a glass or presenting my Nine Layer Mexican Dip in some fancy stemware. The sky, er, the glass is the limit when it comes to verrines so use your imagination!

More Verrine Recipe Ideas:
Three Layer Cranberry Salad
Layered Pudding Dessert
Layered Antipasto Salad

In episode 1 of Top Chef Masters, chefs were restricted to hot plates, microwaves and less-than-ideal cooking conditions. In this past episode, chefs were limited by their ingredients instead, having to utilize vending machine items in the quickfire and some less-than-traditional ingredients such as wild boar, papaya and exotic fish in the elimination challenge. The episode was inspired by the ABC television series “Lost,” a show about being stranded on an island. And seeing as how the judges chose the dish with the largest quantity of food as the winner - it seems they too were experiencing the hunger from being stranded on a desert island.

And the chef who served up this dish was Suzanne Tracht, owner of Jar and Tracht’s restaurants, both located in California. At first glance, her dish seems like a mish mosh of un-cohesive ingredients - a little pasta, a little risotto, some boar, some prawns, some clams, even a fruit salad! Not only did these ingredients not seem like they would work, everything was sort of piled closely together in one bowl. Even the judges were skeptical but as soon as they started eating, they all worked their way around the plate to finish the whole dish!

The best part is that when I watch Top Chef, I’m used to seeing tiny portions like the one from Wylie Dufresne as you’ll see below. I always thought maybe contestants were being conscientious of the judges having to eat a lot in one sitting, or maybe it’s just that fancy food usually comes in smaller portions. So maybe it was just me, but there was something about seeing the judges devour a big plate of food and enjoying the whole thing that was comforting. They’re human! Finally! They want a decent portion of food! They praised Tracht for having a “generosity of spirit” that came through in her food. No one wants to eat their dinner and leave feeling hungry. So finally, generosity wins.

That’s not to say that the others didn’t do a good job. Prior to the episode, I was sure that Wylie Dufresne would be a finale contender. And even though he didn’t win the episode, he still proved his skills in the elimination challenge with his dish of roasted chicken with fried egg, beets with dried corn and plantain puree. A play on “Which came first - the chicken or the egg?” judges claimed this was the best piece of chicken they have ever had. He makes chicken inspiring in a world class challenge - there is a lot to be said for that.

And Graham Elliot Bowles’ dish was just as impressive. Knocked out of the competition just behind the winner, his elimination dish of tuna three ways looked downright awesome to me. Who doesn’t want that piece of seared tuna all the way on the left? Or an amuse bouche of tuna nicoise like pictured in the middle? I thought everything was cohesive, beautifully presented and very appealing, but it’s possible the judges thought Bowles dish looked like three amuse bouches (small bites) put together as one dish. The amuse bouche challenge was the quickfire - now they’re looking for some bigger portions.

Elizabeth Falkner made boar look tender and tasty but the judges wanted a little more sauce. Again - they wanted MORE of something, rendering generosity the key to winning this episode.

EPISODE 2 RECAP:

Official Episode Title: The Lost Supper

Challenges: Quickfire - Make an amuse bouche out of ingredients from a vending machine.

Elimination - Cook an island feast for the writers and producers of “Lost” using ingredients such as wild boar, fruits, and fish.

Episode Winner: Suzanne Tracht, owner of Jar and Tracht’s.

Chefs Eliminated: Graham Elliot Bowles, Elizabeth Falkner, Wylie Dufresne

Chefs Competing in Finale: Hubert Keller, Suzanne Tracht

For a list of ALL the Top Chef episode recaps on Chew on That blog, click here.