Peas and Carrots "German Style"

Peas and carrots mixed together always bring me back to my childhood. It was my absolutely favorite vegetable my mom prepared, and to this day, it holds a special place in my heart. It is a super kid friendly vegetable mix, and my children have loved it since they were little babies and were able to start eating table food. This is another one of my mom's recipes that I made sure to acquire as soon as I moved out, and it has been a staple in our home ever since.

The dish is reminiscent of creamed vegetables without the heaviness. It starts by sauteing diced onions in a bit of olive oil. Cleaned, chopped carrots are added and sauteed for a minute. A little bit of water is added along with a vegetable bouillon cube, salt, and pepper. Frozen peas are thrown into the mix, and everything is cooked until the carrots are soft, but still have a bit of bite left to them (nothing worse than mushy vegetables). A couple tablespoons of heavy cream along with freshly chopped parsley add the finishing touch. This recipe is certainly not difficult to fix, chopping the vegetables will be the hardest "chore" in this dish. After that, it is finished in no time.

I especially like to serve this along side mashed potatoes or simple boiled potatoes and a protein. Anything from a steak, to chicken or pot roast will be delicious. It is a very mild vegetable that is always incredibly well received, and despite the few ingredients, it tastes fresh and flavorful. So, if you are still guilty of heaving canned peas and carrots in your pantry, go ahead, and try this from scratch version, you might never go back to store bought again!

Peas and Carrots "German Style"

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cups carrots, diced

1 cup water

1 vegetable bouillon

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups frozen peas

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion to the olive oil and saute until the onion turns translucent and slightly soft. Add the carrots and cook for another minute. Add water, vegetable bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, add the frozen peas, turn down heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until the carrots have the desired consistency. Add the heavy cream and parsley, taste for seasonings and serve!

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Family Recipe

Ice Cream Fridays: Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream

Welcome to another edition of Ice Cream Fridays. Every Friday you can look forward to a new ice cream recipe which will hopefully inspire you to break out your old dust covered ice cream maker that is hiding somewhere in a closet (yes, I'm talking about you). Since I'm always looking for inspiration and ideas, feel free to leave me a comment here on my blog or on my facebook page, and let me know what ice cream flavor you would like to see. Who knows, you might just get lucky and it will be featured the following week.

I blame my husband for this flavor. He had checked out my open TasteSpotting site and this recipe caught his eye. He was sold then and there! I on the other hand, was not convinced about adding bacon to an ice cream. But hey, this is my blog, and I can at least try everything once, right? Isn't that what being a food blogger is all about? Trying new things and stepping out of your comfort zone for recipes that you might not have made normally? See, I knew you would all nod your head in agreement.

The ice cream starts by taking some bacon (I used center cut), laying it out on a foil covered baking sheet and sprinkling it generously with brown sugar. The bacon is baked until dark and caramelized. Once crisp, it is set aside to cool and firm up on a baking rack before chopping into little pieces.
Meanwhile I got started on the brown butter ice cream. I made a few ever so slight changes to the recipe to bring out more flavor. First up, butter is melted in a saucepan, I actually let it get brown (the recipe did not mention this step) before adding in brown sugar and half-and-half. Once the mixture is hot, you proceed as you do with any custard based ice cream. After the mixture has thickened, I strained it into the rest of my half and half and added brandy, vanilla, and cinnamon. This mixture is then chilled before churning it in an ice cream maker until thick. During the last few minutes, the cooled, caramelized bacon bits are added.

So, what did we think? Well, despite all of my reservations, I have to give credit where credit is due, this was surprisingly delicious! My husband loved this flavor (it doesn't get more "manly" than with bacon),  and my boys loved it as well. I thought the base was amazing with the brown butter flavor and I did like the crunch the bacon provided, but was slightly thrown off by the smokiness left after each bite. The only one who absolutely did not care for this flavor was my teenage daughter. She was totally revolted after her first and only bite. Will I be making this ice cream again? Maybe. In the right entertainment setting, it could be fun to serve, but I certainly won't be stocking it in my freezer. If you are adventurous go ahead, give it a try, and let me know what you think about this one!

Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream 
(adapted from Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck and as featured on TasteSpotting)
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients:

For the bacon:
5 strips bacon (I used center cut)
approx. 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the ice cream base:
3 tablespoons (45 g) salted butter
3/4 cup (170 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 3/4 cups (675 ml) half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons brandy (whiskey or dark rum will work too)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Preparation:

For the bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the strip of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon.  Bake for 12 -16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that's collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until deep brown (watch carefully during the last few minutes). Remove from oven and cool the strips on a rack.
Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces.

For the ice cream base: Melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Cook the butter, watching carefully, until caramel colored. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the half-and-half.
In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens. Pour the cooked custard through a strainer into a large bowl containing the rest of the half-and-half (1 1/4 cups). Add brandy, vanilla and cinnamon (if using) and whisk together.

Chill the mixture for about 5 hours in the refrigerator. Once thoroughly chilled pour into ice cream maker and chill according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the bacon bits during the last couple minutes of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

Swiss and Bacon Dip

There isn't much I can say about this dip besides the fact that it is good, really good. The combination of Swiss cheese, bacon, and smoked almonds is delicious. It is also a very "manly" dip. With football season only a few short weeks away, this is the perfect dip to be served on football watching days (Go EAGLES!). If football isn't your "thing", and you are more into book club meetings and a glass of Chardonnay, well then you are in luck as well since this dip tastes fantastic for any kind of entertaining.

The dip is made very quickly by mixing cooked bacon bits with cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, scallions, and of course Swiss cheese. The dish is then baked until golden and bubbly. Then, right before serving, it is topped with chopped smoked almonds. Easy enough, even my teenager could make this. You can also kick this recipe up a notch by adding a couple of teaspoons horseradish into the mixture before baking. I made sure to only add almonds down the middle of the dip since not everyone cares for them, and this gave people an option to choose with or without nuts.

I served this dip with fresh baguette slices and carrots, but any kind of cracker, flat-bread, or crostini would be wonderful served along side. This dip was very well received with everyone who tried it, and has now gotten a permanent spot in my recipe file. I know I will be making this recipe a lot in the coming months, especially considering all of the entertaining events fall will bring. I really hope you will give this dish a try, it is truly a wonderful combination that you don't want to miss out on!

Swiss and Bacon Dip
(adapted from Rachael Ray)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 slices center cut bacon, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 rounded teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
2 rounded teaspoons horseradish (optional)
1 1/2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
Baby carrots and a selection of breads or crackers for dipping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown bacon in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Drain crisp bacon bits on paper towels.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish (if using), Swiss cheese, and scallions with cooked bacon. Transfer to a shallow small casserole or baking dish and bake until golden and bubbly at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Top with chopped smoked almonds. Place dip on a platter and surround warm casserole with breads and carrots for dipping.