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A Sweet Little Recipe: Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sundae

VEGAN SALTED CARAMEL ICECREAM SUNDAE My husband has a crazy sweet tooth, but I generally try to keep sweets and junk food out of the house.  But the other day, it was me who was craving ice cream and I just couldn’t get THIS delectable confection out of my head.  Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand, so I dusted off my seldom-used ice cream maker and whipped up a batch of salted caramel icecream. And because I hate doing things halfway, I also made a delicious caramel syrup to go on top, borrowing from a previous recipe HERE.

But enough chit-chat. It’s time to queue the ingredients!

vegan-salted-caramel-icecream INGREDIENTS

Ice Cream

  • (3) 14 oz. cans of coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup of unrefined coconut palm sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt 
  • 1 vanilla bean 

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup of unrefined coconut palm sugar
  • 1/2 cup water 
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt 
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional, but highly recommended!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Refrigerate coconut milk overnight.
  2. When you open the cans the next day, the solids and liquids should have separated.  Spoon the milk solids into a small mixing bowl.
  3. Add coconut sugar, salt and the seeds and pulp from 1 vanilla bean.
  4. Beat until well blended with a hand mixer.
  5. Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker and let mixture freeze for at least 3 hours.
  6. For the caramel sauce, bring the coconut sugar, water, salt, and cayenne pepper to a boil in a small saucepan.
  7. Once the liquid has reduced to a thick syrupy consistency, add the vanilla extract and remove from heat.
  8. Allow to cool a few minutes and spoon over ice cream before serving.

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I still never cease to be amazed by all the different ways you can transform coconut milk (like THIS, for instance). This dessert turned out to be way more delicious than I expected, and I can’t wait to give other types of vegan ice cream a try!

Now for the burning question: how do you pronounce caramel? I used to be a ‘car-mel’ girl back when I lived in Detroit, but now I sound it out into three syllables.  No judgment either way, just curious…

Lifestyle Product Reviews Recipes

Experiments in Molecular Gastronomy w/ Uncommon Goods

molecular-gastronomy-reverse-spherification

If you haven’t heard of UnCommon Goods, I highly suggest checking them out, especially as the holiday season approaches.  They have a great selection of personalized gifts (here) and anniversary gifts (here), as well as a carefully curated collection of items just for women (here). It’s also where I scooped up my now infamous “cookie-bandit” mug a while back. I had the pleasure of hearing the CEO speak on a panel a few years ago and was thoroughly impressed with the company’s mission and core values. Uncommon Goods strives to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people. Operations are run out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal, including its warehouse where the lowest-paid seasonal worker starts at 50% above the minimum wage.

My friends and family know that I’m always down to host a dinner party.  And when I do, I always like to throw in a little something “extra” to surprise and delight my guests.  With that being said, I was completely stoked when the generous peeps over at Uncommon Goods sent over a Molecular Gastronomy Kit for me to test drive. And in case you’re wondering what the heck molecular gastronomy is, here’s a simple definition:

Molecular Gastronomy blends physics and chemistry to transform the tastes and textures of food. The result? New and innovative dining experiences. The term Molecular Gastronomy is commonly used to describe a style of cuisine in which chefs explore culinary possibilities by borrowing tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry.  

Think “caviar” pearls made out of chocolate or lemon-infused foam placed artistically atop your halibut. I always wondered how those fancy-schmancy restaurants pulled off these culinary feats, and I was beyond excited to see what I could recreate in my own kitchen.

Here’s a peak at all of the tools I received in my kit, including a deluxe hardcover cookbook:

molecular-gastronomy-kit-1molecular-gastronomy-kit-4

Not gonna lie, my initial experiment with Deconstructed Cocoa failed abysmally.  However, I had tons of fun in the process and eventually mastered the art of Reverse Spherification (trust me, it sounds way more complicated than it actually is) which allowed me to churn out these amazing little vanilla yogurt spheres that burst with flavor in your mouth when you bite into them.

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And of course I just couldn’t resist playing with my food the entire time that I was cooking…

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I decided to pair the yogurt spheres with freshly sliced strawberries.  These were a snap to prepare once I got the technique down, and I think they’ll make an excellent amuse-bouche at my next fête!

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The kit contains just about everything you need to create the yogurt spheres (just add yogurt and milk), plus a few other dishes as well.  But do note that you may need to invest in an immersion blender and perhaps some additional food additives if you want to take full advantage of the cookbook that’s included. You can check out the video below for a full breakdown of the reverse spherification process:

Thanks so much to the team over at Uncommon Goods for allowing me to play the part of a mad chef/scientist in the kitchen!
Stay tuned for my next creation!

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Recipes

A Savory Little Recipe: Guacamole & Homemade Tortilla Chips

Holy Guacamole
I’m always on the lookout for ways to make homemade versions of my favorite snacks.  I’ve been making my own guacamole for ages, but this time around I also tackled making homemade tortilla chips… BEST. DECISION. EVER!

They were seriously so easy and delicious.  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to tortilla chips out of the bag again.

Now, queue the ingredients!

Guacamole Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
Guacamole

  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepped, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped

Tortilla Chips

  • 1 cup masa harina
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 1 cup of canola or corn oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Toss the avocado and lime juice in a large bowl.
  2. Add salt, cayenne, and cumin and mash together until smooth.
  3. Stir in garlic, jalapeno, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro.
  4. Allow the guacamole to sit at room temperature while you get started on your tortilla chips.
  5. Mix the masa harina and salt in a bowl. Add hot water, a little at a time, and mix until a dough forms that’s smooth and neither stcky not crumbly
  6. Form the dough into a ball and let it sit for atleast 30 minutes.
  7. Divide the dough into 8 sections and roll into balls.
  8. Place each ball between two pieces or parchment paper or plastic and flatten each ball into a thin 1/8 inch thick circle.
  9. Preheat oil in a large skillet.
  10. Carefully peel off the paper or plastic, and drop each circle into the hot oil.
  11. Cook each side for 1 minute until the tortillas start to puff.
  12. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil
  13. Cut each cooked tortilla into 4 segments and brush each side very lightly with oil. 
  14. Spread out the triangles on a baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees until crispy and golden.
  15. Allow chips to cool, and serve with guacamole.

Bon Appétit!

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