Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

My stars!

I love, love, love this one. If you're looking for a recipe for heavenly ice cream, I urge you to try this one.

I must say, I am not overly fond of cheesecake. For example if we're dining out I'll usually choose anything other than cheesecake if there is a choice.

I don't dislike it, in fact I have a killer recipe for cheesecake that I've been making for years ~ but it's just not my favorite dessert. So I was really surprised that I LOVE this ice cream, as it's reminiscent of a delightful, not-too-sweet raspberry cheese cake.





The ingredient list is short ~
a little cream cheese whole milk cream sugar raspberry puree  (I used frozen, unsweetened raspberries, pressed through a sieve)

Once you make it, you won't need a written recipe!
Now my mind is spinning, and I'm thinking of all of the other fruit purees that could be used in place of the raspberries... YUM!




I'm usually a "one scoop", or at the most "two scoop" ice cream girl --- but not with this ice cream. :)

I'm thinking graham cracker sprinkles might be a good finishing touch if you want to carry the cheesecake theme, but absolutely not necessary.

I hope you'll give it a go.  And if you try it with another pureed fruit, please let me know!

To get a printable copy of the recipe click HERE to go to my recipe page.

Thanks for stopping by, and for any comments you would like to share.

Have a delicious day!
~Mari


I'm sharing on Foodie Friday
and 
Pink Saturday !
http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers ~ A Bonus Post . . .

Since we at the Novel Bakers are posting about Lavender this week, I thought I would share two older posts that I did some time ago using lavender.


The first is the Lavender Blossom Martini you can find the original post HERE.




~*~*~*~*~

And then one of my ALL-TIME favorite recipes  for homemade ice cream ~ Lavender-Blueberry, which the Novel Baker organizer ~ Jain @ a quiet life blog introduced us to a few years ago. 
Oh my, it's a fabulous recipe and I'm quite sure you'll love it too.
You can add less lavender if you're not sure you'll like it, or add more if you know you love it!  
Lavender-Blueberry Ice Cream





See you back here Wednesday with some all new (for me) Lavender Recipes with the Novel Bakers.



Happy Tuesday, friends!
xo~mari

"The Circle of Kindness" by Jana Kolpen & Mary Tiegreen

Hello! 
Welcome in once again as The Novel Bakers play with the third book in Jana Kolpen's and Mary Tiegreen's Trilogy; "The Circle of Kindness".




Whew ~ Please excuse me as I'm late to the party  (computer got cranky...)
Here we go! 

We find that our main character Mlle. J. has been invited from The Villa della Luna in Italy, to Ireland:
This could well be my favorite of the three books. :)

The story is enchanting ~ the other Novel Bakers are such wonderful story tellers, so if you have visited them, I'm sure you've gotten the gist of The Circle of Kindness. 
I love the story and the message of the book, however, I got side-tracked by the food, as well. (what's new??) *grin*
Lots of bits of wisdom in this sweet little book . . .

"Through her experiences she had come to understand  the power we hold in our hands and in our hearts."




We learn that Mlle. J is invited to stay with Shannon,  in her little thatched-roof cottage, framed with roses.



"It was here in this land of many greens that Mademoiselle J. would find the generosity of spirit and compassion that turns the world."

~*~*~*~*~

The first morning Mlle. awoke to Shannon baking bread.
Shannon teaches Mlle. J.  how to bake delicious, bread . . . all the while promoting kindness, compassion and friendship . . .

So I made some, too . . .


It's not a yeast bread, it's a soda bread ~  goes together very quickly and it's delicious! If you don't have the book, here is another excellent recipe for brown bread.



I ground red wheat berries very coarsely, the texture was perfect.
(If you don't have a grinder you can probably find coarse-ground at your healthy food store.) 

After some good tea and bread, a little later we're off for an outing into town . . .
One of the stops? To visit a shop ~






 And also "The Inn Between" !



Called the "Inn Between", because it is located between the barber shop and the bakery (and it holds very odd hours.)




Fascinated by the names of the item menu, I had to make a few!



The first one:



Bubble and Squeak Cakes . . .




Traditionally made with mashed potatoes, mixed with some kind of leftovers; cabbage, carrots, Brussels sprouts, etc. And made into one large cake, then shallow  fried until crispy and brown.





No recipe in the book for this one, so I followed Gordon Ramsay's version, with Brussels sprouts.
Very good! Thumbs up at our house.



Such an adorable format!




The next item from the menu that I made was Irish Toasties.   


There are many, many versions of Toasties, limited only by your imagination. Basically it's a toasted/baked cheese sandwich, with other things . . .

Again, no recipe in the book ~ but I followed this one,  and used the Brown Bread I had made earlier.
It is very good, especially if you like the sweet and savory flavor play.  You build it on a good, sturdy brown or multi-grain bread, toasted. Smear with Fig jam, then pile a mixture of grated white cheddar cheese (mixed with, minced shallots, whole grain mustard, and beaten egg.)
Another really good recipe.
~*~*~*~*~


Teatime!!

I made Mrs. Monahan's RaggaMuffins.

No recipe in the book, but used this one, for Maple Sugar RaggaMuffins, I added some cinnamon to the filling.  (You could substitute brown sugar for the Maple Sugar.) Some like to ice them with Maple icing, but we thought they were sweet enough. 




The texture is similar to a biscuit, rather than traditional cinnamon roll.  Again, because no yeast is involved, they go together quickly and are really good with a cup of tea or coffee.

I would make them again, but would increase the amount of cinnamon to maybe 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons.
~*~*~*~*~

Happy messages, and words of wisdom about kindness are sprinkled throughout the book:




And the good changes that even the smallest kind gesture can make.



~*~*~*~*~

Ice cream really doesn't have anything to do with the book ~ but it is an act of kindness to share some, yes?


This is real, honest to goodness homemade Mint ice cream, no artificial colors.
I used David Lebovitz's recipe ~ you steep the fresh mint leaves in warm milk, cool, then combine with the egg custard mixture and chill before freezing.
His recipe goes a step further and he adds chocolate to make Mint Chip ice cream. mmmmm.




It goes really well with a little slice of Shortbread,  made with Irish butter, of course. ;-)



(My violets didn't produce many blossoms this year so I made sugared violas instead, the color is not as vibrant, but they are deliciously in mild flavor.)







If you grow mint, you know how out of control it  can become unless you contain it. 
This recipe is a great way to use up quite a bit of mint. The flavor doesn't scream mint, it is more delicate.  You could add a little pure mint extract and food color if you want it to taste and look more like the commercial product.

Thank you for stopping by today friends! I love when you leave me comments, I  cherish each one. 


I'll close with this lovely and touching sentiment from "Circle of Kindness" . . .




I'll have the recipe for the gluten-free/fat-free Amaretti cookies (from Wednesday's post) over on my recipe blog a little later today.

~*~*~*~*~
Please stop by to see the magical goodness my Novel Baker friends have in store for you!

--  Home is Where the Boat Is
--  A Quiet Life
--  Rattlebridge Farm

Have a good weekend everyone,  and spread the kindness.  xoxo

Author Jana Kolpen "The Secrets of Pistoulet" ~ A Fantasy Visit . . .

Welcome!
This week I'm joining the Novel Bakers as we share our impressions of three of Jana Kolpen's charming books,  beginning with "The Secrets of Pistoulet".

>>But first a notice<< 
This one is more picture intensive than my usual posts,  so depending upon the speed of my photo storage place, your server and your computer ~ there may be a delay while the pictures load. 
My apologies for any inconvenience, friends.



Click image to learn more about the book.

A little background information ~

From the publisher:

"Everyone who passes through Pistoulet has a story which unfolds. All who spend time there leave with their hearts and minds transformed. Some never leave.

There is magic and mystery in the farmhouse known as Pistoulet, nestled in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside. ... The Secrets of Pistoulet tells the gentle tale of the healing power of magical soups and foods, while celebrating the redemptive and sustaining nature of shared meals among friends and family. With fold-out letters, removable recipe cards and pockets, and special vellum pages..." 

and a brief synopsis from the publisher's site:

"Far away in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside, there is a small village which contains two homes, an eleventh-century church, and a very special farm known as Pistoulet." Thus begins The Secrets of Pistoulet, a charming and beautiful little book filled with food, magic, and love. Part fiction, part cookbook, this richly illustrated book is reminiscent of the popular Griffin & Sabine:  An Extraordinary Correspondence

, with its collection of letters to be removed from envelopes, and recipes tucked into their own little pockets. Drawings, photographs, snippets of diaries, and mysterious maps decorate this tale of Mademoiselle J., who arrives at Pistoulet with a broken heart. There she is welcomed by the farm's tenants: Madame Claude; Monsieur Andre; the black dog, Marcel; and a chicken that lays golden eggs. Soon, such soul-strengthening dishes as Potage of Babble (guaranteed to cease excessive chatter), Potage of Passion (Cooks beware: this soup has been known to result in marriage proposals!), and Tart of Sunshine (sure to heat both body and soul) have Mademoiselle J. on the road to recovery."

~*~*~*~*~


Okay, it's me again ... Mari ~

As you probably know I do not live in France. 
I live in a wet and wild area of the Pacific Northwest in the USA.



That being said ~ 


Help!  Please dig deep and engage your most 
concentrated and vivid imagination as I attempt to turn 
my home/property into a special, ancient 
place located in the South of France. 

Ya, sure.
*grin*


I invite you to pour a cup (or glass) of your favorite

beverage and come along as I share my (ridiculously loose) 
interpretation of some parts of this imaginative
little book into pictures  . . .

~*~*~*~*~

Ready? 

Here we go:

Please come to the back of the house, it's much cooler here
under the canopy of tall trees ~

A little nibble and chat before our meal ~

Some cheese and crackers, and perhaps a glass of chilled 
wine from our Terrior?

It's true, most of the roses have passed until the Fall flush, 
but here's a modest, casual bouquet of other flowers for our small table.







The blue cheese is local and the other is a creamy Boursin-style . . .

...  I made the Boursin-style cheese from thick yogurt and herbs from the garden,
it's creamy and tangy at the same time (and it's good for you!) Easy to make as well.








A closer look at the bouquet ...

And the local Blue Cheese ~

These are real, picked fresh from the garden, but . . .

These below are not. 

My hydrangeas are a couple of weeks
away from blooming. But this is a fantasy post, remember?!  *grin* :)

Well, the sun is beginning to shine on the table and
it's getting a little warm out here ~


Would you like to go inside to finish our repast?
It will be just a simple meal of Soup and Bread...

With freshly made butter, just for you.

And a bowl of a Potage of Passion ~ 

Vegetable Soup, with which I took a few liberties. For instance 

substituting white kidney beans for the potatoes in the recipe, and changing
up the herbs and vegetables a bit.

And we each get a herbed "Celestial Crouton"  (recipe from the book.)

My star and crescent cookie cutters are too large for these croutons, so I
made the crescents by cutting the bread into rounds with the rim of a glass,
then -off set-  cut a section (a bite) out  of the bread-round to form
 the crescent using the same glass.

Since the title of the book reminds me of the French condiment

Pistou (which I usually float as a garnish on soup), I offer a

little bowl of it to spread on our bread if you like, or you can put

it in your soup instead.

Just a humble vegetable soup, but soothing, healthful and very satisfying.

~*~*~*~

And for dessert (again, I veered away from the recipes in the book)...

But in the story we learn our main character Mademoiselle J. was invited by

"the very beautiful and gracious Nathalie to stay in her Paris 
home overlooking Notre Dame, moments from the 
best glaces in the world."


And we also learn that "Modemoiselle J. loves glaces."

So I made Fresh Peach Sorbet with a hint of sweet almonds,

I think it's close enough to a glacé. *wink*

Peach Sorbet
Just a very few ingredients, and if you have some sort of
ice cream maker this recipe is soo easy!

This recipe is identical to the one I make, which has been around for years. 

For a change I added a few drops of pure almond extract 

along with the good vanilla extract in the recipe. Almond pairs
so beautifully with the flavor of peaches.

You can make this with either fresh or frozen peaches.

Sorbets are dairy-free if you have lactose issues, 

and if you have dietary concerns about sugar 

you can sweeten it with a Stevia product.



Thank you, my friends, for coming to visit and play today!
(The next time you come by perhaps the real hydrangeas will be blooming.)

Good bye faux flowers, until I need to pull you

out of storage again.  :)

Ending with a quote from the sheath of  this sweet book:

"The earth gives us food to nourish our bodies and we prepare 
the food with love to feed our souls and we serve it 
with compassion to make us whole."

~ Le Tresor of Pistoulet"

~ gros bisous, mes amis ~

Au Revior until Wednesday when we'll be visiting
Italy.

~*~*~*~*~

And a big thank you goes out to the Novel Bakers for 

inviting me to play along with such talented ladies.

Here are links so you can visit their blogs about Jana Kolpen's books:

Home is Where the Boat is 

Rattlebridge Farm

A Quiet Life