30 Days of Creativity - Day 18: Blackberry Gelato

I'd like to believe that you have all been waiting patiently to hear about how our homemade gelato came out. Before I get into those details let me just say - I am not longer to refer to this creation as gelato. It's custard. I don't think that gelato uses so much creme and whole milk.

I could be wrong, but personally I consider gelato to be "more healthy" than custard or ice cream. Maybe because it's an Italian thing. Or maybe just because I'd like to believe that this delicious treat is indeed healthy. It's got calcium right?

The anticipation is over. This custard turned out AMAZING. I was so surprised with how creamy and fruity it tastes. We'll be eating it for some time to come - as it made much more than I anticipated.

Here is the recipe that we used:

1 c sugar

3 c whole milk (eeks!)

1 c whipping cream (double eeks!)

6 egg yolks (!)

1 t vanilla

3 cartons of frozen blackberries

Put sugar in sauce pan. Stir in milk, cream and egg yolks. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Add vanilla once mixture thickens.

Place sauce pan in ice water. Let cool and stir occasionally. Chill mixture in fridge overnight.

The next morning thaw out blackberries. Blend berries together until smooth. Be sure use A SIEVE to remove the seeds. (I forgot to do this step out of excitement). Then stir the blackberry puree into the chilled custard mixture. Put mixtures in containers of choice (old ice cream tubs work great :)) and freeze. Then ENJOY!

We will continue to enjoy this treat. I am already hoping to make another batch. Maybe strawberry this time. Or lemon. Or peach. Or something. It'll have to be a smaller batch.

Random Baking Desire. 100th Post!

I don't know if there has ever been a time in my "baking" life that I have ever wanted for a recipe to turn out as badly as I do now.

If you know me then you know that I am a huge lover of ice cream. If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life I think it would be ice cream. My parents have an ice cream maker, and since I have a birthday in the summer I always requested that we made the ice cream. I loved churning it, sprinkling in the salt, and ultimately eating the final product.

We do not have an ice cream maker. I guess I should have thought of that when we did our wedding registry. Oh well. The other day I made custard over the stove top. I also blended a portion of our blackberry load in order to make it a blackberry gelato. It is now in the freezer waiting for judgement day. I am hoping that tonight we get to judge if it turned out well or not. (I did sample it, and if it tastes anything like the sample we will be in business).

Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue. But can't the freezer freeze any faster? Come on!

Also - today we are celebrating our 100th post!! Woot woot. Any words of wisdom of what you'd like to see / hear more of? We're taking orders. :)

Big city, small world

Note: This is not a tilt-shift (boy, it would be nice to have one of those lenses!). It's a photo of a miniature.

I guess this particular photo makes me think about how small we are in relation to everything, yet how interconnected everything is at that same time. Our existence in the universe is a mere dust spec, but our impact can be so much greater.

I am often reminded about a family trip to Italy. As we meandered through many long and narrow streets in quest for the city's "best gelato," I happened to run into an old friend from college. What are the odds that on a small street in Rome I'd run into a friend from across the big pond? Well, slim to none. Not to mention that my family and I were completed lost, my friend was not. It certainly was very pleasant surprise. Even if the gelato place had already closed for the day, it was a sweet reunion with a friend. :)

It's an experience like that which reminds me of just how small the world really is. You can live in a big city surrounded by strangers, but then venture out some given day and run into a familiar face. It's truly fascinating!

Where is the most random place you have run into someone you know?