THEY ARE COOL

Anyone can scoop out a bowl of ice cream, but for a last-minute twist on summer tradition, turn store-bought ice-cream treats into fabulous desserts.
These no-bake goodies take less than 15 minutes to create and are simple enough for children to make. At the same time, desserts made from freezer favorites such as ice-cream sandwiches and fudge bars can be sophisticated.
"You use the freezer treats from your childhood, but add ingredients like pistachios or white chocolate to appeal to adults who want more than something cold and sweet," says chef Andy Broder, owner of Andyfood, a Culinary Studio in Scottsdale, Ariz.Broder created three freezer desserts, no-bake creations that can be made in the morning and frozen until ready to serve.

Other ideas for quickly turning ice-cream treats into desserts:
Cut an ice-cream sandwich in half. Stack halves diagonally and top with whipped cream and fresh, sliced strawberries.
Fill a parfait or wine glass with alternating layers of crumbled fruit-flavored ice pops, chocolate syrup and blueberries.
Top chocolate-covered ice-cream bars with caramel syrup and crumbled Heath candy bars.

Ice Cream Sandwiches, No Longer Frozen in Time
* The ice cream or sorbet should be just soft enough to spread on the cookies. You can use it right out of the machine, but press very gently with the top cookie to avoid smushing it over the edges.
* Freeze pre-made sandwiches on a large baking sheet (without stacking, or again, you'll smush) until they're hard, then wrap individually in plastic wrap for storage.
* Self-defrosting freezers are the bane of ice cream sandwiches. As the temperature fluctuates to prevent frost, ice crystals build up in ice cream or sorbet -- a familiar sight in a store-bought carton after a few weeks. Store sandwiches for no more than a week.
* If you're buying the cookies for the sandwiches, look for large, soft, chewy cookies. Best to go to the bakery at your supermarket and see what they've got. Remember: A crunchy cookie means ice cream in your lap.
* If you're buying the ice cream or sorbet, go for the premium varieties, most often in one-pint containers. There's less air beaten into the frozen dessert, so it's creamier and smoother.
* If you're buying both cookies and ice cream, select cookies of about the circumference of one-pint ice cream containers. (If you're making the cookies, use the carton lid as a cookie cutter.) Turn the container on its side and use a sharp, serrated knife to slice right through the carton, making 1/2 -inch-thick rounds that fit on the cookies. Peel off the carton and you've got wheels of ice cream for sandwiches. Some slices will be narrower than others, because the pint container tapers, but the difference is slight -- and a little less ice cream only means more cookie per bite.
* Keep the ice cream-to-cookie ratio at 2-1. You don't want it too thick, like a club sandwich; you should be able to easily bite it.
* Feel free to accessorize: Roll or press the sides of the sandwich in sprinkles, shaved chocolate, chopped nuts, coconut or granola.
* Be bold with colors. Sugar cookies with vanilla ice cream and a dusting of coconut would be a tad white-on-white-on-white, but sugar cookies with raspberry frozen yogurt and colored sprinkles would be a small slice of rainbow.

By Andrea Sachs Washington Post

IT'S HARD NOT TO LOVE A GOOD TART

A tender, buttery crust combined with just the right amount of fruit, custard or chocolate is beautiful to look at. But most tarts sold in bakeries and delis let you down when it comes to taste.

The pastry can be hard or stale, the cream stiff and overly sweet, the fruit doused in a syrupy glaze. So I recently began learning how to make tarts at home in the hopes of having a dessert just the way I like it.It's not as hard as one may think, but it does require a little understanding of the process, specifically how to make the shell.

Here's what I learned both at a cooking class and through trial and (tasty) error.

Keep it cold.

When mixing the dough, the most important thing is to keep everything cold. This prevents the fat (usually butter) from melting into the flour. In the oven, the bits of fat trapped between layers of flour and water will melt, and the moisture will expand into steam, evaporate, and leave behind tiny air pockets, making a tender flaky crust.

After mixing the flour with the other dry ingredients, blend the cold (but not frozen) pieces of butter into the flour. This can be done by hand with the tips of your fingers or a pastry cutter, or with a machine such as a food processor or stand mixer. The food processor is the quickest and easiest way, but I've had luck with the other methods as well.

Many people even place all of their equipment in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting to help keep things cold while working.

What you're striving for at this stage is a texture that resembles coarse sand. The French call this process "sablage," or sanding.

Keep it quick

Work the dough as little as possible.

When flour and water are mixed to make a dough, the proteins in the flour begin to form strands of gluten that strengthen the dough. The more you mix it, the stronger it gets. This is great for bread, but not for pastry, which should be more fragile and crumbly after it's baked.

So when adding water, make sure it is ice cold and do so 1/2 to 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together.

I prefer to do this step by hand rather than in the food processor, because it gives more control and prevents the dough from getting overworked.

Take a break

After you've formed your dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This accomplishes two important things: First, it allows the gluten in the dough to relax, so it won't spring back when you try to roll it; and second, chilling the dough keeps the butter from melting and makes it easier to roll without sticking to the counter and the rolling pin.

You'll also want to take a second break after the dough is rolled out and in the tart pan.

Cover it with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least another 30 minutes. This is a critical step and must not be skipped.

If you are blind baking your tart shell -- that is, baking it empty before filling--skipping this step will result in a tough crust that will shrink, possibly so much that your filling won't even fit in it.

Other tips

When rolling out the dough, use a forward-backward motion with the rolling pin to create an oval. Sprinkle the counter and the top of the dough with a bit of flour, turn the dough 90 degrees and continue that process until you have a circle. But always turn the dough, not the rolling pin. The repeated lifting and turning, with sprinkles of flour when needed, will ensure that it doesn't stick to the counter.

Use a tart pan with a removable bottom. Some recipes call for oiling or buttering the tart pan. I find this unnecessary because there is enough butter in the dough to keep it from sticking to the pan. For this reason, I also don't buy the expensive nonstick tart pans.

Practice makes perfect

Aaron Jackson, Associated PressWednesday, February 6, 2008

FIND THE MIDDLE GROUND

What's your favorite treat? Come on now ? If you could eat your way out of a room filled with one kind of food, what would it be? Cake? Potato Chips? Chocolate? Cheese? Ice cream? When you know that you can never have just one potato chip, it's tempting to swear off that food forever.. Especially now that you're focused on improving your health, diet, and physique. But as many of us have found out from experience, labeling Something as "forbidden" makes it all the more appealing!

A critical step in renouncing the destructive, all-or-nothing mind-set Is knowing how to walk the line between self-denial and self-indulgence. It is the middle ground that offers the best foundation on which to build your new life. Denying yourself little pleasures such as an Occasional glass of wine or a chocolate truffle will only make you feel deprived, frustrated, and ultimately hopeless about maintaining your discipline. A temptation is a lot less powerful if it isn't totally forbidden. This is where moderation comes in.

There is room for all foods, no matter how "bad" they are; it's just a matter of being conscious and careful of how often and how much. It's fine to have a piece of cake now and then, just not every day, and not the whole cake.

The Associated Press

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BUTTER TIPS

BUTTER TIPS

Storing and handling

To preserve butter's flavor and freshness, refrigerate opened butter in a covered dish in the butter compartment. Unopened, wrapped salted butter can be stored in the refrigerator for as long as 2 months. Butter can be frozen in its original wrapper for several months. Unsalted butter is best kept frozen until ready to use. For longer freezer storage, wrap in foil or plastic. Unsalted butter can be kept frozen for about 5 months at 0 degrees. Salted butter can be frozen for about 6 to 9 months.

What are the equivalencies for these measurements?

2 cups = 4 sticks = 1 pound = 32 tablespoons

1 cup = 2 sticks = 1/2 pound = 16 tablespoons

1/2 cup = 1 stick = 1/4 pound = 8 tablespoons

1/4 cup = 1/2 stick = 1/8 pound = 4 tablespoons

How to make whipped butter

Cream slightly softened butter in a mixer or processor at medium speed or with on/off pulses of the processor until light in color and slightly fluffy. Continue mixing at high or process continuously until butter is fluffy.

How to make clarified butter

Clarified or drawn butter is clear, melted butter separated from its milk solids and water. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Remove white froth as it forms on top. When the milk solids separate and settle at the bottom of the pan, carefully pour off the clear, yellow butter and discard the milk solids. Compared to regular butter, clarified butter can be heated to a higher temperature without burning and can be stored longer. One pound of butter makes 12 ounces of clarified butter.

Prevent butter from going rancid

Properly storing butter in the refrigerator or freezer and tightly wrapping butter to minimize its exposure to air will help keep butter from going rancid. Exposure to oxygen increases the risk of rancidity. When oxygen comes in contact with the unsaturated fatty acids in butter, off-smelling and off-tasting compounds can develop. Rancid butter is safe to eat.

The best way to soften butter

For 4 tablespoons of butter, place the butter in one piece on a small microwave-safe plate. Place the plate in the microwave and heat for 1 minute at 10 percent power. Press on the butter with your finger to see whether it is sufficiently softened; if not, heat for an additional 20 seconds at 10 percent power. This method also works with whole sticks.

Can I substitute whipped butter for stick butter in baking recipes?

Whipped butter is made by incorporating air into butter. Manufacturers do this to increase the butter's spreadability, especially for slathering on toast. Adding air increases the volume of the butter, not the weight. In other words, a 4-ounce stick of butter measures 1/2 cup in volume, and 4 ounces of whipped butter measures 1 cup.

Unsalted whipped butter makes a fine substitute for unsalted stick butter in baked goods, but do not make the swap in uncooked applications, such as frosting. And remember to make the substitutions based on weight, not volume. A standard tub of whipped butter weighs 8 ounces, equal to two sticks of butter.

Why shouldn't I cook or bake with salted butter?

Originally, butter was salted to preserve it, but its flavor keeps people coming back for more. It's fine for your toast, but we strongly advise against cooking with it for three reasons:First, the relatively high amount of salt in the recipe can unbalance a recipe's salt content. Secondly, salted butter tastes different than sweet cream butter. The salt masks some of the delicate nuance, especially once cooked.And lastly, salted butter almost always contains more water. Water content in butter can range from 10 percent to 18 percent. (By law, fat content in butter must exceed 80 percent.) In baking, the butter with the lowest water content (sweet butter) is preferred, because excess water from butter can interfere with the development of gluten in the flour.

Why wait for butter to stop foaming in the pan before cooking?

The simple answer is that it's an easy visual cue for the cook to know when the melted butter is ready for cooking. To be more specific, when the foaming stops, it's an indication that all the water in the butter (which is about 80 percent fat and 20 percent water) has evaporated. Melted butter starts out near 212 degrees, but as the water cooks off and the foaming subsides, the fat in the pan will continue to get hotter, starting to smoke when it reaches 250 degrees. Saut?ing food in butter is most successful when the fat is at a higher temperature, which can be reached only when most of the water has been removed. Additionally, cooking food in the presence of water could produce unwanted steamed or boiled flavors rather than the dry-heat flavors and browning produced by straight-up fat.

Sources: National Dairy Council and Cook's Illustrated

SENSATIONAL SUBSTITUTIONS

For Baking

Instead of Try

½ cup Butter or margarine - ¼ cup applesauce(or prune puree) + ¼ cup canola oil, butter or margarine

1 egg - 2 egg whites. ¼ cup liquid egg substitute.

Sweetened condensed milk - Lowfat/nonfat sweetened condensed milk Evaporated milk - Evaporated skim milk

1 cup all-purpose flour - 1 cup finely milled whole wheat flour. 1cup “white” whole wheat flour. 7/8 cup all-purpose flour + 2 tbsp. soy flour.

Pastry pie crust - Phyllo crust (use nonstick cooking spray between layers). Graham cracker crust.

1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate - 3-4 tbsp. cocoa powder + 1 tbsp. oil + 1 tbsp. sugar (for frosting or sauces). ¼ cup cocoa (for cakes or cookies)

1 cup chocolate chips - ½ cup mini chocolate chips. Chopped nuts. Chopped dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, cherries (for quick breads and muffins).

Fudge sauce - Chocolate Syrup

Frosting - Sliced fresh fruit. Pureed fruit. Light dusting of powdered sugar

source AICR

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BLUEBERRY

Blueberries, in season now, get a lot of press for nutrition (antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber), but we're going to spotlight their wonderful flavor and versatility. Sprinkled over cereal, added to pancakes, tossed into salads or turned into salsas, cold soups or dessert, they're one of summer's delights.
Here are tips for choosing and using:
* Once picked, blueberries do not ripen further. Look for firm, plump berries with smooth skins and a silvery sheen. Size doesn't matter, but color does. Reddish berries are not ripe and won't taste good.
* Refrigerate fresh berries, but wait to wash them until just before using. They can be refrigerated up to 10 days but are better used sooner.
* After rinsing the berries, let them dry on paper towels so that extra water doesn't get into the recipe.
* When buying frozen berries, make sure they are loose inside their bag. If they're lumped together, it means they've partially thawed and refrozen, compromising quality.
* Frozen berries can be used unthawed in pancakes, waffles and other recipes.
* Blueberries generally can be added to a recipe with no need to adjust the amount of other ingredients. They add bulk but no liquid.
* When baking muffins or cakes, dust the berries with some of the recipe's flour so they won't sink to the bottom.
* Instead of folding berries into pancake batter, sprinkle them onto each pancake before flipping. That keeps the berries from getting crushed and the batter from turning blue.More sweet news
* Blueberries contain disease-fighting phytochemicals, and their fiber helps reduce LDL cholesterol. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, blueberries ranked highest in antioxidants compared with 40 other fruits and vegetables. Blueberries also contain proanthocyanidins, which help fight urinary-tract infections.* A cup of blueberries has just 80 calories.
* To freeze blueberries, rinse them in a colander. Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Place the blueberries on the paper towels, cover with more paper towels and pat dry. Let the berries dry for several hours. Pack the berries in 1- or 2-cup portions in individual freezer bags, squeeze all the air out and freeze. They will keep 9 to 12 months.
* Add blueberries to yogurt, cereal and pancakes; toss them into a smoothie; pair with cheese and wine; use in salads or dressings; puree and add to barbecue sauce; or freeze and use as ice cubes in margaritas or martinis.

by Carole Kotkin - Aug. 6, 2008 McClatchy Newspapers

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THE PERFECT PIE

A perfect pie requires a perfect crustPie crusts stand in the way of many bakers and their homemade pies.Making a good one is difficult enough -- the right fat in the right combination, the correct amount of water, not over-mixing -- but having it come out of the oven tender or flaky has its own separate challenges.A soggy crust is an issue with so-called custard pies, those that contain a great deal of liquid (including pumpkin and sweet potato). The liquid soaks into the crust before the pastry has time to set, leaving it colorless, bland and wet.Pre-baking the crust makes the final pie more appealing to some bakers, but has its own issues.If the dough has been handled a lot before it is put into the pie pan, it is likely to slide down the sides of the pan as it bakes, leaving a flat disc in the bottom. Even if the dough is handled carefully, or given time to rest, it will certainly shrink a little during pre-baking.Bakers prevent this shrinking by filling the pie crust with something heavy (lining it with foil, then filling the crust with beans or rice).But that seems like too much trouble to many cooks (including me, occasionally), who try to time their precooking to get enough color and set the dough before the pastry starts to shrink, often with mixed results.

By Sarah FritschnerThe Louisville Courier-JournalWednesday, August 8, 2007

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