Time to Social-ice! Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and New Prizes

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

"A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large."

-- Alice P. Cornyn-Selby

Perhaps it is subconscious denial - a subliminal protest of the end of something wonderful . . . Whatever the reason, I've added drama to my life by waiting until the last day to post a final chilled creation: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

This creamy, refreshing concoction serves to mark the moment we all knew would come - when we must put down the scoop and bid a fond fare-thee-well to National Ice Cream Month, an event for which I owe immense gratitude to the late Ronald Reagan, who so thoughtfully validated my thirty-one days of frozen dessert pig-out via Presidential Order. In just a few short hours, our Ice Cream Social also ends and with it goes my excuse for using the ice cream maker at will ("I have to make some more. It's for my blog . . . !").

In a happy convergence of opportunities, this last treat not only wraps up the Ice Cream Social, it also ushers in a new period in Mr. Noodle's life. You see, he celebrated his 40th birthday this week and I could think of no better way to commemorate this milestone than to make his favorite ice cream flavor. For as long as he can remember, mint and chocolate has marked his birthday in the form of a cake (which I adapted for an earlier post to create Good Heavens! Cupcakes) and it is this sweet combination that he always chooses for any frozen goodies.

It also gave me a chance to finally make a custard-based ice cream; my previous posts offered an egg-less, no-cook version, a frozen yogurt and a sorbet. As pleased as I was with their results, it felt as if there were a glaring hole in my ice cream repertoire that needed to be filled. Fortunately, there is no shortage of recipes available on the Internet and most of them had a common premise - an ice cream made from a cooked custard with egg, cream and sugar.

In the end, my recipe choice was driven by a desire to use up ingredients that I already had in the refrigerator rather than to buy more. So, the method I selected incorporated the above ice cream-making principle with a familiar pudding recipe from the aforementioned Good Heavens! Cupcakes and a great tip for infusing mint flavor into cream, courtesy of Simply Recipes. To my blushing pleasure, Mr. Noodle declared the end result, "Excellent!"

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I'm proud to say that every single ingredient I used here was already in my pantry, refrigerator and garden. Instead of cream, I used half-n-half and 1% milk; rather than the typical 5 to 6 egg yolks in many recipes, I used whole eggs; and in place of a mint extract, I infused the custard with fresh mint leaves and added crème de menthe. Furthermore, I used less sugar than originally called for in the pudding recipe, which allowed the mint flavor to really stand out. Feel free to change up the ingredients or amounts to create your own version!

Equipment: ice cream maker

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

3 whole eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

2 cups 1% milk

1 cup half-and-half

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn and loosely packed

2 Tbsps crème de menthe

1/2 cup chocolate chips (or to preference)

To Make:

1. In a saucepan over low-medium heat, combine 1% milk, half-and-half and mint leaves. Heat mixture just to a scald, making sure not to bring it to a boil;

2. In the meantime, beat whole eggs, sugar and vanilla (if using) until creamy;

3. When milk mixture is heated, strain out mint leaves and return liquid to the saucepan, reserving 1 cup;

4. Slowly add hot cup of milk to the egg and sugar mix, all the while whisking briskly to temper it;

5. Add this mixture to the infused milk in the saucepan and stir to mix well. Over medium heat, cook until it thickens;

6. Remove from heat and pour into a container through a mesh strainer or sieve to catch any egg solids that may have formed;

7. Add crème de menthe, stirring well to fully incorporate, then refrigerate mixture for at least 2 hours;

8. Freeze in ice cream maker as directed by manufacturer's instructions;

9. When finished, immediately transfer ice cream to a plastic container and add chocolate chips, stirring well to mix evenly. Cover tightly with a lid and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

The Last Hurrah for Our Ice Cream Social!

It's been a marvelous month of delicious frozen treats. As your co-hosts, Scott of ScottySnacks, Jennifer of Savor the Thyme, and I are thrilled with your enthusiastic response to our event. The entries are truly incredible for their creativity, presentation and promised flavors. Although today is the deadline, entries will be accepted until 11:59 PM (PDT) so there's still plenty of time to send us a recipe, photo or video of your favorite chilled dessert for a chance to win some fantastic prizes!

In keeping with our promise of 'sur-prizes', I'm pleased to announce two new rewards:

One winner will receive the book Ice Creams & Sorbets: Cool Recipes, featuring delicious photos and recipes that will surely tempt anyone to keep making frozen delights throughout the year. (Image from Amazon.com)

A special prize goes to the Best Frozen Treat Photograph, courtesy of Scott: a 12"x8" Susan Kare-designed Ice Cream Cone wall graphic from LTLprints.com! (Image from LTLprints.com)

From Stonyfield Farms, the world's leading organic yogurt producer, we are pleased to offer coupons for their line of frozen yogurt and ice cream. Visit their website to learn more about their great products, history and practices. (Image from Stonyfield.com)

Penelope of neenacreates will silk-screen by hand this fantastic graphic, which she designed exclusively for our Ice Cream Social, onto an organic-cotton unisex t-shirt from American Apparel for one lucky winner. Be sure to visit her Etsy shop before midnight for an additional 10% any item - just add "#icsocial" to your order message!

The round-up of all entries will be posted on our three blogs on Monday, August 3 and the winners will also be announced. So please be sure to visit all three sites to enjoy an amazing array of desserts!

It's still summer, so get your scoop on!

Food by Friends: Cookaloca

Cookaloca's Grilled Chicken Tikka

Question: What happens when a Chinese-Indonesian foodie/ world traveller/ publishing house founder who has, at various times, found herself at home in the United States, Belgium, Spain and now the Netherlands, decides to share her travel and culinary experiences with the rest of us?

Answer: Cookaloca is born.

This extraordinary blog is the brainchild of Sari Tjio, who writes about food, culture and travel in between ushering academic and literary manuscripts to publication through [Papiroz.], the publishing house she established in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. Since her first post in late 2007, Sari has offered an intriguing mix of vivid travelogue, splendid photography, tantalizing recipes and astute commentaries on food issues that range from assessing her personal practice of local and seasonal eating to the way her definition of 'home' continues to evolve as the food she cooks and consumes is influenced by her many journeys.

Deliciously reflecting these experiences are the recipes that Sari shares, which span cultures from the Americas to Europe to Asia. While I've salivated over many of them, one in particular prompted such an immediate craving that I resolved to make it soon after it was posted: Chicken Tikka.

Grilled Chicken Tikka with Steamed Rice

In her original post featuring the recipe, Sari expressed concern that her rendition of this traditional tandoori fare would not be regarded as 'authentic' by some. While that may be so, I consider it a wonderful reflection of the adaptive and global nature of food - that an Indonesian epicure can interpret a classic Indian dish to suit a surprising obsession among the Dutch with summer barbecue grilling! Authentic or not, there is no denying that Sari's Chicken Tikka is simply delectable.

While I could certainly list many of Cookaloca's amazing recipes and fascinating posts here - Indonesian cakes baked on heated sand, anyone? - a visit to Sari's blog is an experience you shouldn't miss. Head over there right now and be sure to have your bags packed or your stove fired up: after just one post, you may just find yourself with an urge to start a gastronomic travel adventure of your own!

Cookaloca Chicken Tikka on the Grill

Except for reducing this recipe by half, I closely adhered to Sari's original recipe, which called for deboned chicken thighs to be marinated in Greek yogurt spiced with garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric (curcuma), paprika, chili powder and lemon juice. I did, however, liberally add more of the spices for the simple reason that I love their flavors! Cooked either on a stovetop grill pan or over a flame, the chicken was incredibly succulent and flavorful - a fantastic alternative to your run-of-the-mill barbecue sauce.

For the complete recipe, please click here!

. . . And Time to Say Thank You to Other Generous Friends

By now, many of you know that I am an incorrigible procrastinator - so much so that I should really consider changing my blog name to Tardy Noodle. I've been in particularly fine form recently as I have put off acknowledging properly and publicly the sweet friends who have shared their blog awards with me in the past months. As poor as my time management skills are, my gratitude and appreciation for their thoughtfulness are abundant and sincere.

I hope you'll visit these blogs and see for yourself why they deserve all recognition!

Top, from left: Friend, One Lovely Blog, Premio Meme

Bottom, from left: Premiul de creativitate, SuperDuper Chef, Kreativ Blogger

The Friend award comes from Rebecca at Chow and Chatter, a British transplant and registered dietician who cooks up delicious American, English, Indian and other international fare for her family in their Winston-Salem, NC home. Visit her blog for great recipes, the latest news in nutrition and other features, such as guides on shopping in her favorite Indian store and other ethnic markets.

Miranda of My Food and Life Encounters is the mother of two adorable little girls and her dedication to cooking tasty, healthy and fun food for them comes through in her wonderful recipes. Her joy in blogging is equally obvious - read her post on becoming more adventurous in the kitchen, then try out her Fish Tacos with Green Tomato Salsa. Thank you, Miranda, for sharing your first blog award, One Lovely Blog!

It was rather fitting when Ricardo of Rico: Tried and Tested Recipes shared his double awards - SuperDuper Chef and Premiul de Creativitate - in a post featuring a scrumptious Almond-Filled Sponge Cake he made for his twins' 16th birthday in May (my birth-month, too!) Whether it's a vegetable dish, a seafood pasta or a lamb fillet, Rico promises that his many original recipes are wholesome food that he serves his own family - truly tried and tested!

"I'm into food and I like to travel a lot." So says the appropriately named Taste Traveller of The Good Sandwich, who extended her Premio Meme to me and six other bloggers. I had previously received this meme and wrote about my 7 personality traits, but couldn't come up with another seven worthy enough to mention. So be sure to read Taste's very honest self-assessment and then check out her Bulgogi Burgers with Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fries. Given the name of her blog, how could you possibly resist?

Speaking of not being able to resist, imagine yourself seated in a lovely little restaurant for dinner with 14 of your closest friends and the food starts parading in - all thirty-five (35!) courses. Could you resist taking a bite from each plate? How long would you last? Find out how Australian blogger Trina, a.k.a. Forager of Foraging Otaku, fared with all this fare in her post, Gluttony Redefined at Perama. Then, explore her blog further, with its spectacular food photography and great restaurant reviews, to see why she deserved the Kreativ Blogger award.

Finally, I still giggle over the funniest award I've seen yet - The Bra Award, courtesy of Chef E of Food~Wine~Fun, whom many of you already know for her way of combining a love of cooking with community service, such as teaching culinary classes for underprivileged kids. Check out the posts on her recent visit to Texas, where she got together with old friends and cooked - or baked, in this case - my personal favorite, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!

Chef E/Elizabeth shared this award with six bloggers, including me, Rico and Sam at My Carolina Kitchen, who then turned around and shared it with me again! Sam writes and cooks from her home in Western North Carolina but she also travels extensively. I've enjoyed her stories of time spent in France's Provence region as well her tales of island life on Abaco in the Bahamas (the subject of her memoir-in-progress). I may not be able to hop on a plane to retrace her journeys but I can walk into the kitchen and recreate her recipes. Try Asparagus Goldenrod, which is now the only way Mr. Noodle will eat this vegetable!

My sincerest thanks go to these generous friends for sharing their awards. In keeping with my past practice, I would like to invite everyone to share in these awards and encourage you to visit the aforementioned blogs as well as the sites on my adjacent blogroll. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy reading them as much as I do!

Time to Social-ice! Tempura Ice Cream (of Sorts)

Tempura Ice Cream. Really.

In keeping with my plan to present a different chilled creation every week of the Social, I reached deep into my ice cream-loving past and recalled a dessert that became a favorite the moment the first spoonful touched my lips: Fried Ice Cream.

My first experience with this contradictory concoction was at El Torito, the venerable California restaurant chain that has been serving casual Mexican cuisine since 1954. Say what you will about the 'authenticity' of such establishments but the truth of the matter is that El Torito and - don't hate - Taco Bell were my introduction to Mexican food of any kind. My tastes have matured since then but they deserve some credit for making me aware of food beyond Asian and American, even if one of the dishes that left a big impression is a wholly north-of-the-border creation.

Mexican Fried Ice Cream (Foodistablog/Flickr)

Although it is referred to as 'Mexican fried ice cream', this particular dessert does not appear to have any antecedents in the traditional recipes of that cuisine. According to The Food Timeline, the earliest references to it in California begin only after the 1950s; however, other sources place its origins in late 19th century Philadelphia, with the ethnic tag presumably attached during the mid-1970s when it began appearing on the menus of restaurant chains such as the now-defunct Chi-Chi's and El Torito.

For a girl whose walk on the wild side of ice cream consisted of a double-scoop in a waffle cone, fried ice cream was a thrilling novelty. Full of delightful contrasts in both taste and texture, its predictable sugary sweetness was heightened by the surprise of cinnamon spice while cool creaminess hid beneath satisfying crunchiness. Above all, it was the object of total wonderment: how in the world did the ice cream stay frozen with just a thin shell of crispy, cornflake coating? Of course, my curiosity lasted only as long as the first bite - after that it was no thinking, just eating. And eat I did, ordering fried ice cream at every possible opportunity, which wasn't nearly as often as I liked. So I decided to make it myself . . .

(photo from Wikimedia)

The Great Fried Ice Cream Fiasco of 1994 could have been a whole lot worse but it was still pretty bad: the moment those cereal-covered frozen orbs were submerged in the pot of bubbling hot oil, it was Mount Vesuvius redux. The horror! The terror! The awful stink of burned cornflakes, vanilla ice cream and vegetable oil!

Fifteen years on, I've overcome the trauma to make fried ice cream once again. However, as fond as I am of the Mexican-flavored version, it's best left completely to the pros for making; instead, my second attempt involved another adaptation of this dessert - Tempura Ice Cream. Like its supposed Latin American counterpart, it has no direct roots in any Asian cuisine despite its ubiquity in many Japanese restaurants in the US (however, a 1961 New Hampshire newspaper article does mention it being served at tempura eateries in Japan [source: barrypopik.com]). Though the premise is the same, this variant uses thicker insulating layers: slices of cake enfold frozen ice cream to form a ball, which is then refrozen before being dipped in tempura batter for quick deep-frying.

Although it was a vast improvement over the near-disaster of my first try, this second g0-round with fried ice cream still fell short of expectations as the shape was too puck-like and the ice cream inside started to melt. Nevertheless, with some tweaks to ingredients and technique, and a bit more practice, I hope to find myself indulging more often in this delicious dichotomy of a dessert.

Tangled Tempura Ice Cream

The following is less about ingredients and more about method. With that said, the technique described here was not exactly a roaring success, so I've given brief explanations of my ingredient choices and any changes I would make for next time. The results, though far from the perfect examples I've had at restaurants, were still quite tasty and satisfying.

Practice will hopefully make perfect!

For a very easy and straightforward visual guide to making tempura ice cream, check out this video tutorial from About.com!

You will need:

Plastic wrap

Deep pot or sauté pan for frying (or a deep-fryer)

Ingredients

Cake slices

I used angel food cake, hoping that its spongy texture would make it easier to shape around the ice cream ball. I baked it on a cookie sheet then cut out circles with a 3" biscuit cutter; unfortunately, the slices were thicker than ideal. A popular alternative in many online recipes is pound cake sliced no more than 1/2" thick.

Ice cream

Choose your favorite flavor or make your own! For best results, scoop out ice cream into balls (mine were about 1.5" across) and lay them on a plate or cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze until they have completely hardened before assembling. This may actually require several hours but it's worth the wait: I assembled the cake and ice cream after less than hour of freezing for the latter and it may have been the reason why it melted very quickly after frying.

Tempura batter

I used a tempura batter mix but try making your own with this recipe from Jenn at Bread + Butter. Note an addendum by Robert-Gilles of Shizuoka Gourmet, who suggested using only the egg white for true Japanese tempura batter.

Oil for frying - enough to be at least 2" deep in the pot.

To make:

1. Place one slice of cake on a sheet of plastic wrap and top with one ice cream ball. Top with another slice and gently shape the cake so that it completely covers the ice cream, pinching edges together to seal. To maintain its optimal frozen state, it's best to keep the ice cream in the freezer and take them out one by one.

2. Bring edges of plastic film together and wrap the ball tightly, squeezing out any air and tying off the top. Immediately place in the freezer until completely frozen (no less than 1 hour). Repeat steps 1-2 with remaining cake and ice cream.

3. When ice cream balls are ready but before removing them from the freezer, prepare tempura batter and heat oil in pot. To test for readiness, drop in a small bit of tempura batter - if it floats immediately to the top, the oil is hot enough to begin frying.

4. Working with one ice cream ball at a time (leave others in the freezers until ready), dip it into tempura batter and coat completely, then gently slide into hot oil. Depending on the size of pot or deep pan you are using, you may fry more than one at a time but be sure not to crowd them;

5. Fry on one side until lightly golden then flip over to finish the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon or small metal strainer and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil;

6. Serve immediately with sweetened whipped cream, chocolate or fruit sauces, or your favorite fresh fruits!

Ideally, this cutout would show perfectly frozen ice cream in the center. The cake slices were much too thick but they still didn't protect the center from melting. I now know that the key to successful tempura ice cream is to completely freeze the ice cream balls before assembly and then completely freeze the entire form again before frying! As a result, you may wish to start preparing the components the day before serving.

Join Us for an Ice Cream Social

Time flies when you're having fun eating ice cream!

After weeks of indulging in all things frosty, there are only a few days left until the end of National Ice Cream Month and the deadline for the Ice Cream Social, hosted by Scott of ScottySnacks, Jennifer at Savor The Thyme, and yours truly. We've been thrilled by the response so far, demonstrating that frozen treats transcend boundaries, languages, and traditional ingredient lists. We know there are even more out there, so please keep scoopin' and share your favorites with us!

For complete Ice Cream Social entry rules, click here!

Enter to win some great prizes:

Winners will receive coupons for free pints of ice cream or frozen yogurt, courtesy of Stonyfield Farms, the world's leading organic yogurt producer.

One lucky winner will get a hand-screened organic cotton American Apparel t-shirt featuring this awesome design created especially for our Ice Cream Social by Penelope of neenacreates, an eco-boutique featuring organic and upcycled clothing for women, men and babies, as well as accessories and original illustrations. For the month of July, Penelope is also offering 10% off any item in her Etsy shop - just add the promo code #icsocial to your order message!

An Envious Appetite

Steamed Whole Trout on Bacon-Cranberry Wild Rice

"Envy eats nothing, but its own heart." -- German Proverb

Sister Nora wouldn't approve: despite the guilt she seared into my very being with her fire-and-brimstone glare during first grade, followed by ten more years of Catholic schooling, I'm not much of a regular church-goer. However, that's not to say that I haven't retained the lessons of parochial education; in fact, my attention was focused on a bit of Church doctrine this past Sunday.

What weighty religious matter had me preoccupied on a day of rest? Why, nothing less than the Cardinal Sins, known more ominously as the Seven Deadly Sins. Specifically, I was contemplating how they applied to my relationship with food: Gluttony is obvious while Greed rears it's avaricious head whenever I squirrel away the last bit of chocolate for myself. Sloth can quickly overtake me, generally in the form of laziness about cooking and blogging, but when I actually rouse myself to cook a dish praised by Mr. Noodle or manage to write a well-commented post, it is unseemly Pride that swells. The most difficult to connect were Wrath and Lust, until I considered how frustrated - angry, really - I am at myself when a silly mistake ruins a recipe, or (taking the Church's original term for the latter vice - Extravagance) how I spend those extra dollars for some exotic ingredient when a homegrown variety would do. But the sin that really struck me to the core with more than just a twinge of shame was Envy.

I'll Have What They're Having . . .

The best thing about food blogs is reading about the wonderful food experiences of others around the world; the worst thing about food blogs is reading about those wonderful experiences and wishing they were my own. This is what envy is to me.

Aristotle (Wikipedia.com)

Unlike the other vices, envy is not always an obvious trait. Like a lovely piece of fruit infested by a worm, it may appear as a relatively positive emotion: emulation. Of this desire to acquire for ourselves that which we admire in others, Aristotle wrote, "[Emulation] is felt not because others have these goods, but because we have not got them ourselves . . . [It] makes us take steps to secure the good things in question . . . " (Rhetoric Bk II, Ch 11). In fact, the modern study of evolutionary psychology suggests that envy has been beneficial for human evolution by spurring competition, innovation, and social values:

"[E]nvy's salient features - its persistence and universality, its fixation with social status and the fact that it cohabits with shame - suggest that it serves a deep social role . . . [helping to] explain why humans are comparatively less hierarchical than many primate species, more prone to rough egalitariansim and to rebelling against kings and tycoons who hog more than their fair share." (Angier)

However, emulation as a positive catalyst can turn negative when we increasingly evaluate our lives in comparison to others and find our own wanting:

"[Envy is] a reluctance to see our own well-being overshadowed by another's because the standard we use to see how well off we are is not the intrinsic worth of our own well-being but how it compares with that of others."

(Immanuel Kant, as cited in D'Arms)

And although it's been enshrined in religious doctrine as a human failing, envy - or something very close to it - may be an emotion shared by other primates, according to primatologist Frans de Waal. He observed that monkeys became dissatisfied with their cucumber treats when one of them began receiving more coveted grapes. As a result, the primates stopped working cooperatively and appeared to develop grudges against fellow monkeys who were perceived to have an advantage (Angier).

The Dish Is Always Tastier at the Other Table

(Photo by Crystl/Flickr)

Envy fosters a nagging discontentment with one's personal set of circumstances, no matter that it may be perfectly fine by any other measure, and it makes us doubt our satisfaction with what we have. Envy is the reason why I crane my neck to peer at the food being enjoyed by other diners, then fret that they made a better selection than I did or somehow received a larger portion. The saying goes that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but for someone who constantly thinks about food like I do, it's the dish that is always tastier at the other table.

It's difficult to admit that I'm an envious person, especially when Aristotle goes on to say that "envy is a bad feeling felt by bad persons . . . [and] makes us take steps to stop our neighbor having [good things]". Ouch. I would argue certain points with Dead Greek Philosopher, but there is no denying an element of truth in his words: envy can lead us to deprive others of 'good things'. It is often unintentional; when I am envious of another's good fortune, I don't plot to snatch it from them or anyone else. Yet feelings of envy may lead to subsequent actions that indirectly affect the fortunes of others.

When I recently read a comment from someone who wished they lived in a 'cool city' instead of their own mid-sized, Midwest town, my first reaction was, "Me, too." With that small thought, I managed to negate all the great aspects of Minneapolis and St. Paul, not the least of which are the wonderful quality and wide diversity of food offerings in these cities. I lamented the departure of Nate Appleman, winner of this year's James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award, from San Francisco's A16 but completely ignored the fact that the Best Chef Midwest winner was Minneapolis' own Tim McKee of La Belle Vie. I've commented on other blogs about how I'd love to stroll through the Hollywood Farmer's Market in Los Angeles or visit the Asian Night Markets in Vancouver but have never posted on my own blog about the delicious food to be found at any of the 50-plus outdoor markets in the metropolitan Twin Cities. And I've yearned to dine in other cities' urban ethnic enclaves (choose your favorite '-town' or 'Little *'), even as I dive into a steaming bowl of pho, posole or avgolemono on Nicollet Avenue, a.k.a. 'Eat Street'.

By casting envious eyes at far-off fields, I've blinded myself to the bountiful garden right before me and in doing so, I've deprived local farmers, merchants, chefs and other dedicated people of the 'good things' they rightly deserve: attention, acknowledgment and respect.

So the next time a mention of LA's Kogi Taco Truck sparks a want, I'll grab locally-sourced beef tongue tacos and goat's milk ice cream from The Chef Shack at the Mill City Farmer's Market instead. Before I special-order some Stichelton from Neal's Yard Dairy in the UK, I'll pick up some robustly pungent, aged Danish-style Tilsit from Eichten's Hidden Acres, just a short drive northeast of Minneapolis/St. Paul. And while I wait for the chance to eat Fish Ball Noodles at a Singaporean hawker center, I will enjoy fresh-caught Wisconsin rainbow trout over Minnesota wild rice, hand-harvested by the Scenic Waters Wild Rice Company.

Who knows? As I explore and share my appreciation for the culinary delights to be found in the Twin Cities, some of you might even come to envy me!

Works Cited:

Angier, Natalie. "In Pain and Joy of Envy, the Brain May Play a Role." New York Times Feb. 17, 2009. n.pag.

Aristotle's Rhetoric. Online compilation by Lee Honeycutt from translation by W. Rhys Roberts.

D'Arms, Justin. "Envy" Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edward Zalta (ed.) 2009.

Other Sources:

Gastroanthropology: Neal's Yard Dairy

me Hungry - Richmond Summer Night Market

SippitySup - Market Matters: Hooray for the Hollywood Farmer's Market

Wikipedia - Seven Deadly Sins, Wild Rice

Bacon-Cranberry Wild Rice

Wild rice is many things, but rice isn't one of them! It is actually a grass seed (Zizania palustris) that is native to the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States, but its particular abundance in Minnesota has earned it the title of state grain. I purchased a batch at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market from Scenic Waters Wild Rice Company, a family-owned business which collects naturally growing wild rice from local streams and lakes in northern Minnesota using centuries-old traditional methods of hand-harvesting. Unlike commercially cultivated versions that are found in many grocery stores, truly 'wild' rice is organic, lighter in color and cooks a bit more quickly. The end result are firm grains with a slightly chewy bite and light, nutty flavor that is excellent in combination with crisp, salty bacon and tender, sweet cranberries. For this dish, I decided to borrow techniques for making Filipino fried rice.

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice (yields 3-4 cups cooked rice)

2 - 2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth

1/2 cup dried cranberries, soaked in 1/4 white wine

1 small shallot, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4-6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

2 Tbsps fresh herbs such as parsley, oregano, and basil

Salt and pepper to taste

To make:

1. In a heavy saucepan, bring 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water or broth to a boil; in the meantime, wash wild rice thoroughly, rinsing well at least twice, then add to boiling water;

2. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 25-30 minutes; when done, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. For best results, prepare rice the day before and store in the refrigerator;

3. In a pre-heated skillet, fry chopped bacon until fat is rendered. Add minced shallots and garlic, and fry in bacon fat until soft and fragrant;

4. Add 3-4 cups of cooked wild rice and sauté until just heated through;

5. Reserving the wine, drain cranberries and add to rice mixture, stirring well to incorporate. If the rice has dried out a bit from being in the refrigerator, add reserved wine a few tablespoons at a time until desired texture is achieved;

6. Just before serving, add fresh herbs and stir well. Serve hot with your favorite meat, fish or poultry!

Steamed Fresh Trout

Located about an hour northeast of the Twin Cities in neighboring Wisconsin, Star Prairie Trout Farm has been raising their namesake fish since 1856! Although it is a much larger operation today, the farm prides itself in the same cold spring waters in which their trout were raised then as they are now, producing the lovely specimen that I purchased, already cleaned, at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market this past Saturday. Learn more about Star Prairie Trout Farm in this great article in the Twin Cities-based online food magazine, The Heavy Table.

Of all the choices for preparation, I decided to steam the fish whole, stuffing it with slices of ginger and sprigs of Thai basil, topping with lime slices and seasoning it with salt and pepper. I then wrapped it in banana leaves and set it inside my bamboo steamer, cooking for approximately 30-35 minutes. The trout had a delicate flavor with hints of the ginger, lime and basil, as well as the banana leaf, and its tender flesh was a perfect match for its bed of chewy, nutty wild rice.

Time to Social-ice! Summer Garden Toppings

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt topped with Sweetened Cucumbers

in Ginger-Lime & Mint Syrup

I get by with a little from my friends,

Gonna try with a little help from my friends.

The Beatles, "With a Little Help from My Friends"

By definition, a 'social' is about coming together in companionship as a community or group through commonalities such as, say, a love for ice cream! But while similar experiences and interests may bring us together, we're also exposed to new and unique perspectives that help expand our horizons a bit beyond what they were before. This is what Scott of ScottySnacks, Jennifer of Savor The Thyme, and yours truly hope to achieve with our Ice Cream Social - an opportunity to meet new friends with a shared love of food (particularly ice cream et al.) and a different way of approaching it. So far, the response has been gratifyingly enthusiastic and the entries are remarkable for their originality, sense of fun and downright temptation!

Knowing that there would be such incredible creativity on display, I set out to post one new frozen concoction for every week of our event and challenged myself to truly think outside the icebox. So, although I'm quite proud of my Candied Brazil Nut Ice Cream and Calamansi-Basil Sorbet, they were simple twists on classic favorites; now, I wanted to make something . . . different. Not knowing exactly what that was, I went in search of it.

Vegetable Muse

(From Lisaiscooking)

Invoking the spirit of the social, I turned to our online food community for inspiration and found a double-dose of it from Lisa at Lisa Is Cooking. With the perfect combination of vivid photography and smart, concise writing, this Austin-based site is a master course in culinary blogging. Over the Fourth of July holiday, Lisa was motivated to create a Mediterranean menu by the variety of cucumbers she received from her CSA (community supported agriculture) basket. One look at the creamy tzatziki she had prepared - a lusciously thick Greek yogurt sauce, studded with crisp cukes - and her vegetable muse sparked a similar epiphany: I'll make cucumber frozen yogurt!

While it may not seem to be a typical flavor for dessert, cucumbers are closely related to watermelons and muskmelons - they are, in fact, fruits (Answers.com). As an ingredient for a creamy treat, Cucumis sativus is quite the popular gourd, with a profusion of recipes, news stories and blog posts readily available online. Yet, the unhappy realization dawned that by making a cucumber fro-yo, I would just be repeating an oft-repeated dish. Even if it meant some miniscule, negligible change, I wanted to do something . . . different. And wouldn't you know it: Lisa came through once again. As I mulled over what could be done, she posted her Tin Roof Sundae. This time, the spark wasn't the chocolate sauce or the salted peanuts or any particular ingredient. It was, instead, the entire crowning glory - the topping!

Whether it's chocolate-covered bacon, unctuous olive oil or herb-y matcha, the most unusual ingredients paired with ice cream are usually blended into the mixture. But if you've ever been to a real world ice cream social, you'll notice that the tubs of goodness often contain just your run-of-the-mill chocolate and vanilla flavors while various toppings of candies, nuts, fruits, syrups and sauces are arrayed on a table, waiting for individual creativity and preferences to assert themselves. This is the spirit that I would like to capture for this week's Social-ice frozen treat - a topping that you could have as much or as little as you want, or none at all. Whatever you prefer, it's your journey.

'Beets Are So Sweet!'

So off to market I went, in search of the cucumbers that were my first choice; but as I perused the produce, my eyes were inexorably drawn to some darn ugly roots. Golden beets, the sign above read, and I felt yet another spark. Just the day before, over coffee with my dear friend Mimi, the subject had turned to summer produce and now, her words came back like a clarion call as I stood in the grocery aisle: "Beets are so sweet!" I picked up one bulbous form and nearly put it right back down; after all, I had never cooked with beets before, much less made a dessert sauce out of one. But wasn't this precisely what I was searching for? Wasn't this . . . different?

I'll leave that up to you to decide as I present the fruits of my over-analyzed efforts: not one, but two, Summer Garden toppings - Sweet Cucumber and Golden Beet Sauce - representing the season's bounty and inspired by friends near and far whose fresh approach to food and cooking continues to broaden my scope of knowledge every day.

Sweet Cucumber

As I mentioned earlier, my first idea was to create a sweetened frosty version of tzatziki by making a frozen yogurt mixed with shredded cucumbers. But I started to fret that all of my chilled concoctions thus far are quite, er, pale in color. So, when I saw Lisa's Tin Roof Sundae post, the idea of a topping seemed the perfect solution - a way for the bright green of the vegetable to stand out. I marinated the cucumbers in a white wine and sugar mixture then tossed it with a ginger-lime-mint simple syrup. Use it to top your favorite frozen dessert or feel free to fully blend it into your ice cream or fro-yo. Either way, I think you'll enjoy its refreshing flavor.

Ingredients and instructions

1 English cucumber, sliced to 1/8" thickness then diced into smaller pieces (about 2 cups)

3 Tbsps dry white wine

2 Tbsps superfine or caster sugar (not confectioner's or powdered!)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1/2" piece of ginger

1/2 tsp of lime zest

2-3 fresh mint leaves, torn

1. In a small bowl, combine cucumbers, wine and superfine sugar and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour;

2. In a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved;

3. Remove from heat, strain out ginger, zest and mint pieces, and allow to cool completely;

4. Drain cucumbers completely then transfer to a small bowl or container. Add cooled simple syrup by tablespoons until desired consistency is reached*. Refrigerate remainder of simple syrup to use in cocktails or other desserts.

5. Spoon on top of your favorite ice cream or check out the frozen yogurt recipe below.

*Note: I used enough to coat the cucumbers but not enough to have them swimming in it!

Golden Beet Sauce

It was meant to be: these root veggies were nearly obscured by the adjacent bunches of lettuce, but somehow, they managed to catch my eye in all their dirt-covered, misshapen glory. Despite having no clue about how to prepare them, the idea of a dessert sauce was stuck in my head. I did not follow any one recipe, although I took note of methods, especially about roasting, that were repeated throughout various sources. The end result was a gorgeous, vibrant yellow-orange color and a pleasant, if still somewhat 'earthy', flavor. Next time, I will add some sort of spice - nutmeg or cinnamon, perhaps?

Ingredients and instructions

3 small golden beets, approximately 6 oz

2 Tbsps orange juice

3 Tbsps simple syrup (use recipe above or make plain syrup, omitting flavorings)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F;

2. Wash beets thoroughly, then slice off tops. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until beets are tender;

3. Remove from oven to cool and peel when cool enough to handle;

4. Cut into quarters and place in a food processor or blender. Add orange juice and purée well;

5. Transfer to a small bowl or container, then stir in simple syrup;

6. Spoon on top of your favorite ice cream or check out the frozen yogurt recipe below.

David Lebovitz's Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

I love this recipe! Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks calls it nothing less than "a frozen yogurt recipe to rival Pinkberry's recipe." Having never tasted the product in comparison, I can't validate her assessment but I will say that this is an incredibly easy-to-make and deliriously delicious fro-yo. Just three ingredients - Greek-style yogurt, such as Stonyfield Farms' Oikos, sugar and vanilla extract - are combined, chilled in the fridge and then prepared in your ice cream maker. Originally found in that compendium of frosty concoctions, The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, the complete recipe is available at 101 Cookbooks.

Join Us for an Ice Cream Social!

It's mid-July and our Ice Cream Social is in full swing! Please join me, Scott and Jennifer in celebrating July as National Ice Cream Month by sending us your favorite frozen recipe, a photo of that scrumptious sundae or a video of your visit to a local dairy/creamery or favorite ice cream venue. Any kind of frozen dessert - from ice cream and frozen yogurts, to halo-halo and ais kacang - is welcome for entry and you don't need to actually make it yourself.

For complete Ice Cream Social entry rules, click here!

Enter to win some great prizes:

Winners will receive coupons for free pints of ice cream or frozen yogurt, courtesy of Stonyfield Farms, the world's leading organic yogurt producer.

One lucky winner will get a hand-screened organic cotton T-shirt featuring a design created especially for our Ice Cream Social by Penelope of neenacreates, an eco-boutique featuring organic and upcycled clothing for women, men and babies, as well as accessories and original illustrations. For the month of July, Penelope is also offering 10% off any item in her Etsy shop - just add the promo code #icsocial to your order message!