The entire East Coast seems to be in a massive heat wave, and Twilight is no exception. Clearly, it is not as bad up here as it is in New York City, where the temperature is currently 99 degrees with a “real feel” of 107. That is not a lot of fun. So, we have been spending a lot of time at the pool keeping cool, and I took Walker and his friend Jake to Zoom Flume yesterday. It is a water park in East Durham, NY. It is a pretty drive to get there and funny too, because you are driving along through very rural residential neighborhoods, and all of a sudden, there is a big water park. The boys found a nice lounge chair and then ran off to the new wave pool. We all had a blast- I finished my book in the shade, and they rode all the water rides and had funnel cakes. Zoom Flume is a great way to beat the heat, but since we can’t do that every day, we rely on the pool and ice cream sandwiches of course. Here is a great recipe for Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwiches. They are even better if someone else makes them and you can just enjoy!
Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients:
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 to 5 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
For the mint chocolate chip ice cream:
Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and 1 to 2 cups of water. Place a medium bowl fitted with a fine strainer inside the ice bath.
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and begins to steam, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Carefully whisk half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, one ladleful at a time, until the egg mixture is warmed. Whisk the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers around 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture.
Immediately strain the mixture through the fine strainer into the prepared ice bath. Stir in the extracts and food coloring, if using. Cool the custard in the ice bath until it reaches room temperature, stirring often. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or up to 1 day.
Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the chocolate chips during the last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, press plastic wrap against the ice cream surface, and freeze until the ice cream is firm and the flavor is ripened, at least 2 hours.
For the chocolate sugar cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Roll the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets and flatten with the bottom of a measuring cup to a 2-inch diameter.
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Freeze the cookies until firm, at least 1 hour. The cookies can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 1 month.
For assembly:
Top one cookie with a scoop of ice cream. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and gently press down to form a sandwich. Immediately place the sandwich in the freezer. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.
We sadly left Twilight this past Sunday, but we drove to Linville and are thrilled to be here. This view is worth any amount of driving! As I have said before, Linville in the summer always makes me think of blueberries because we used to have blueberry bushes on the hill behind the house. There are so many amazing things you can do with blueberries- full scale berry wars with your cousins and friends being at the top of the list, but there are also so many delicious recipes as well. Here is another favorite of mine for Blueberry Cream Muffins. Perfect on a crisp mountain morning.
The temperature has dropped to a very lovely 68 degrees, and I went for a great ten-mile hike this morning. Well, it was only supposed to be about 6 miles, but I got lost, and I saw a bear, so it ended up being about 10 miles. The bear didn’t have anything to do with getting lost; it was just kind of exciting. When I finally got to where I wanted to go in the first place, the view was so magnificent that the extra 4 miles were worth it. Here is the view. Also, in the last couple of weeks, we have gone to breakfast at a wonderful spot down in Phoenicia called Sweet Sue’s. I am having a hard time thinking of a breakfast that I have enjoyed more. But, by far and away, the ginger snap cookie we had as an appetizer (yes, we had a cookie as an appetizer before breakfast) was ridiculous. I could eat a lot of those cookies. A whole lot of them. While I can’t quite recreate it, here is the recipe that comes closest.
