12 Days of Meyers - Ginger Meyer Lemon Ice Cream with Honey Swirl

For Day 3 of my Twelve Days of Meyers, I'd like to introduce the lovely Mary Helen from Mary Makes Dinner.  This sweet gal was the person that first taught me how to make asian dumplings from scratch. I had no idea how easy it was to make them until I took her class. I've been hooked on those and everything else she creates in her kitchen ever since.  She makes vegetarian so doable. She crafts like a queen. She teaches cooking classes and is a local speaker - all of this on top of her day job.  And if that's not enough to make you feel tired, she's now embarking on mamahood.  Her sweet personality shines through in her smile and her beautiful food photos will leave you drooling.  I'm not at all surprised that she chose ice cream as her contribution to this series because she is continually creating ice cream flavors that go beyond the ordinary, such as her Smoked Chocolate.  If you get a chance, go follow her Facebook page to stay up to date with all her musings, and of course, enjoy this creamy sweet Meyer treat. 

Ginger & Meyer Lemon Ice Cream with Honey Swirl

I love meyer lemons in desserts. Their mellow tartness and floral aroma have a wonderful way of tempering the richness of heavier ingredients like cream, custard, and butter. This makes them ideal for lemon bars, cream pies, and cake filling, but if you ask me, ice cream is where lemons really shine. Any trace of bitterness and acidity is softened in ice cream, allowing the sunny flavor and delicate aroma of meyer lemons to prevail. The result is a magical dessert that is somehow both light and indulgent.

The addition of ginger gives this ice cream a slightly spicy note, making it just a little bit more interesting than your everyday lemon ice cream, and the drizzled layers of honey provide a sweet, chewy surprise between bites. This aromatic custard can be devoured right from the pint, but I like it best when its packed into a crispy wafer cone. I suspect that it would also make an excellent topping for a simple baked dessert, like pound cake or angel food. If you’re feeling adventurous, try making a Ginger Ice Cream Parfait by packing the ice cream between layers of lemon cake or angel food, crushed shortbread or gingersnaps, and fresh whipped cream.

This recipe involves making a special simple syrup infused with lemon and ginger. You’ll have plenty of syrup leftover. I recommend saving it in a jar in the fridge for future cocktails, marinades, and popsicles.

Ginger Meyer Syrup
Makes about one cup

Ingredients

• 2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 cup water the zest and juice of 
• 2 meyer lemons 

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, water, lemon zest, and ginger in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring the contents to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to a simmer.
3. Simmer for ten minutes, then remove from heat.
4. When the mixture has cooled, pour it through a fine mesh strainer.
5. Add the lemon juice, then mix well.
6. The finished syrup should be kept covered and refrigerated.

Meyer Lemon Ice Cream with Honey Swirl
Makes about two pints

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk 
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1 1⁄2 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream 
• 2⁄3 cup sugar 
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 
• the peel from one lemon 
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and thin­sliced 
• 1⁄2 cup Ginger Meyer Syrup 
• 1⁄8 cup honey 

Directions

1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch to form a slurry. Set aside. 
2. Whisk the cream cheese and salt
3. Combine the remaining milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, lemon peel, and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 4 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat, and slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry. 
5. Return the pot to the burner, and bring to a boil again. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for about one minute, long enough for the mixture to thicken slightly. 
6. Slowly whisk the hot custard with the cream cheese, making sure to melt the cheese into the mixture completely. 
7. Shock the mixture to cool it as quickly as possible. You can do this by transferring the mixture to a large plastic bag or large mixing bowl and submerging it in an ice bath. 
8. When the mixture cools to room temperature, transfer it to the refrigerator, and let it chill for about an hour. 
9. Remove the lemon peel and ginger slices, then pour the mixture slowly into the ice cream machine while it is already running. After the mixture has all been poured in, add the Ginger Meyer syrup. Allow the mixture to churn for 20 ­ 40 minutes, or until it firms up and starts pulling away from the sides of the tumbler. 
10. When the ice cream is finished churning, transfer it to freezer containers one scoop at a time. Drizzle thin stripes of honey in between the layers using a squirt bottle. 10. Freeze the packed ice cream for several hours before scooping. 

Mary Helen is a blogger and culinary instructor from Austin, Texas. You can find more of her recipes on her food blog, Mary Makes Dinner.

Easy Baklava?

Don't let the title scare you. Thirty-something years ago, I remember tasting my first piece of delicious baklava. I was at a Greek festival in my hometown and my Mom had told me about this flaky pastry that had layers upon layers of sticky-sweet honey and nuts. After my first bite I was hooked. It wasn't until much later while in my 20's that the thought of actually making it crossed my mind. I had worked in an office where, of course, everyone brought in mounds of baked goods during the holidays. Amongst all of those goodies, one lady had brought in homemade baklava. I was so intrigued wondering to myself "How did she make this?" After drilling her with question after question, she finally told me that it's one of those baking moments where you just have to "conquer the fear of phyllo". So with that in mind, I set off to "learn" this pastry on my own.

I did research on recipes and, yes, the phyllo dough is intimidating at first but you will quickly learn that a pastry brush and melted butter are your best friends, allowing you to easily play "plastic surgeon" when and where needed on this project. My recipe was adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookies Cookies Cookies book and then tweaked over the years. This has become my "signature" dessert for the holidays and friends and family tell me they always look forward to receiving it. I just love that it looks so labor intensive, yet, I can put it together in the same amount of time it takes for a batch of cookies. Just remember, if you're going to try your hand at this, make sure you go into it with a "pastry warrior" attitude. That way, when your passing it out to your family, or a curious co-worker begins asking questions, you too can say, "It's just phyllo dough and once you conquer it, you will see how easy it is." I'm jus' sayin'!

Yes Easy Baklava



Adapted from Cookies Cookies Cookies by Better Homes and Gardens

Preheat oven to 325

Pulse the following until fine in a food processor:
2 cups of roasted unsalted shelled pistachios
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Melt 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (set aside)

1 16 oz package of frozen phyllo dough. Defrost and lay flat with a damp paper towel covering the entire stack.

Honey/citrus syrup (recipe below)



Assemble:

Line a four-sided cookie sheet (15x10x1) with a sheet of parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, lightly paint the paper with melted butter. Take 2 sheets of phyllo and lay them on the cookie sheet (you may have a little overlapping). Brush melted butter generously over the entire sheet. Proceed 2 more times. Then sprinkle the entire nut mixture over the entire sheet. Again layer 2 more sheets of phyllo and continue until all sheets are used. Butter the top. Using a very sharp knife cut through all layers to make square or diamond shapes. This can be a bit tricky but don't get discouraged, your almost done. Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and flaky.



While your Baklava is in the oven, make the following syrup:

In a heavy pot combine the following:
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. water
1/2 C. honey
1 Tbs. lemon zest
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside. As soon as the Baklava is out of the oven, carefully take a pastry brush and paint each piece generously. Use all of the syrup.



Cool and put each individual piece in a muffin cup paper liner and serve. May be kept in an air tight container for 1 week. I do not recommend freezing.

My Twist on a Classic - The Honey Date Oatmeal Cookie

One recent afternoon, I found a container of dates in the fridge that were left over from an appetizer I had previously made. Not wanting them to go to waste, I thought about what I could make to use them up. I didn't feel like making the usual date bars. Though tasty, I was looking for something different on this day. I ended up going with a twist on a classic - oatmeal raisin cookies. Since I am not a big fan of raisins, the dates were, for me, a great alternative. Here's the recipe I came up with. Please give it a try and tell me what you think.

Honey Date Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1/3 cup Honey
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups regular oats
1 cup diced dates

Heat oven to 375. Mix sugar, butter, eggs and honey. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 min until lightly brown on top and bottom.