There is always one thing that comes to mind whenever I think of ice cream: the Good Humor man who used to come to down my street every night around 6:30 p.m. when I was a child. I'm sure I'm not the only one to remember the bells ringing on the truck, announcing its arrival. We kids would line up on the curb desperately hoping the truck wouldn't run out of our choice by the time it was our turn.  

Love for ice cream doesn't fade when you reach adulthood, nor do we not crave it less during the cooler months of the year.  Nowadays, creative chefs and ice-cream artisans are making and selling the most glorious ice creams in flavors we'd never have thought of years ago. I love ice cream and wanted a chapter dedicated to these frozen treats in my new book Ten.  I made sure to include classics like summery strawberry and cool mint chocolate chip, as well as delicious new choices like Key lime and burnt orange.

Happy scooping!

Bill Gross's Burnt Orange Ice Cream

makes 5 cups

Bill Gross, who was executive sous chef at Café Gray in New York City, was kind enough to create this recipe for me-and it is simply delicious. The technique is fascinating, but it does require some careful watching while the sugar caramelizes. The oranges are prepared two days ahead, and the ice cream one day ahead-and the waiting is well worth it!

My Favorite Ice Creams and SorbetFor the oranges:

2½ cups granulated sugar

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large navel oranges (each about 6 ounces)

For the ice cream:

3 cups heavy (whipping) cream

²⁄³ cup half-and-half

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (see Note, page 402), or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 

2 large egg yolks

1. One day ahead, prepare the oranges: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Place ½ cup of the sugar on a plate. Rub the butter over the oranges, then roll them in the sugar.

3. Pour the unused sugar from the plate into an 8-inch square baking pan, and shake it around to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the oranges in the pan and bake, moving them around once to break up any unmelted sugar, until they start to color and some of the sugar in the pan starts to melt, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the oven (leaving the oven on), and using tongs and a sharp knife, carefully quarter the oranges. Place the quarters, skin side up, in the baking pan and bake until the peel is dark brown, about 35 minutes. Let the orange quarters cool slightly.

5. Remove the peel from 4 of the browned quarters, discarding the pulp. Leave the other 4 quarters intact.

6. Combine the orange peel, the 4 intact quarters, the sugar from the pan, and the remaining 2 cups sugar in a food processor, and puree. Strain the puree into a container, cover it, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 

7. The next day, prepare the ice cream mixture: Place the orange puree in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring it to a simmer.

8. While the orange puree is heating, whisk the cream, half-and-half, vanilla seeds, and egg yolks together in a large bowl. Then, whisking constantly, slowly add the hot orange puree. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate it until it is cold, 3 to 4 hours.

9. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

10. Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover, and store in the freezer until ready to serve. 

I hope you enjoy this delicious treat which makes a wonderful dessert at the end of a perfect evening with family and friends or satisfying snack while watching Grey's Anatomy.

This has been fun.

Happy Cooking,

Sheila

Sheila Lukins, author of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each, is guest blogging on Jewcy, and she'll be here all week. Stay tuned.

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Want a copy of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each?  Participate in this week's giveaway contest! Make a comment on this and other posts by Shiela. At the end of the week the authors of the top five comments will receive a FREE COPY of her book!

It's an old idea that has shot to the top of the "gotta eat it" list: grains. These nutrient- and fiber-rich staples in so many ancient cuisines have now become the bright stars in ours. Toss them with fresh vegetables, beans, fresh and dried fruits, herbs, and cheeses, then pull the combinations together with flavorful dressings. It's move over everything: We've got our new centerpieces on our tables.

Grains are an easy escape from your day-to-day cooking rut, and they are readily available in supermarkets. The recipes that I included in Ten use both whole grains and other old-time favorites. The variety is staggering; there's bulgur wheat (also called cracked wheat), and is best known as the grain in the Middle Eastern tabouleh; quinoa, a protein-rich flavorful grain from South American that I've tossed with herbs found in that continent's favorite sauce accompaniments to barbecued meats - chimichurri; Farro, from Italy, is gaining popularity on the American table and I like to serve it tossed with scallions, tomato, basil, and crumbled fresh goat cheese; and there is wheat berry, chewy and delicious.

Wheat Berry Salad with Pineapple and Cranberries

Serves 10

Wheat berries have a wonderfully chewy texture, but they require a good overnight soak and an hour of cooking before they're ready to eat. This salad is worth the planning. I first tasted a wheat berry salad at Anna Pump's Loaves and Fishes-a favorite prepared-foods shop in Sagaponak, Long Island-and it inspired this one: ripe pineapple, cucumbers, and dried cranberries combined with this special grain. Pure magic.

Wheat Berry Salad with Pineapple and Cranberries

1 cup wheat berries

½ teaspoon salt

½ hothouse (seedless) cucumber

1 cup diced ripe pineapple (¼-inch dice)

¾ cup dried cranberries

1 cup shredded tender radicchio leaves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Place the wheat berries in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain the wheat berries and transfer them to a bowl. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches, and set it aside to soak overnight.

2. Drain the wheat berries in a colander and rinse them well under cold running water. Transfer them to a large pot and add water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the wheat berries begin to soften, about 15 minutes.

3. Add the salt and cook, uncovered, until the wheat berries are tender, about 45 minutes; test them occasionally while they are cooking. Drain in a colander, and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Drain the wheat berries well and spread them out on a
baking sheet; let them dry for about 45 minutes.

4. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise (do not peel it) and thinly slice the quarters. You should have
1 cup cucumber pieces.

5. Place the wheat berries in a bowl and add the cucumbers, pineapple, and cranberries. Toss well with a fork. Toss in the radicchio and parsley. Add the oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, and fluff well with the fork. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving

I hope you will come back for some dessert tomorrow.

Sheila

Sheila Lukins, author of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each, is guest blogging on Jewcy, and she'll be here all week. Stay tuned.

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Want a copy of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each?  Participate in this week's giveaway contest! Make a comment on this and other posts by Shiela. At the end of the week the authors of the top five comments will receive a FREE COPY of her book!

There's  a nostalgic quality to meats cooked for Sunday suppers that goes back to an earlier generation and big family get-togethers. They were never light meals, but they were always wonderful meals and the dishes were memorable. For me, there are few things more comforting than a richly tender cut of meat that has cooked for hours, its wonderful scent flowing from the kitchen and perfuming the house. Now, that is my heaven.

This Osso Buco is fairly traditional, but it is such an extremely delicious preparation that in this case, I let the meat and tradition speak for themselves. Serving the Osso Buco over Saffron Orzo enhances all the flavors and makes for a stunning presentation. So whether you are trying to impress friends at a weekend dinner party, treat the family to a sumptuous Sunday dinner, or create a romantic dinner for that someone special in your life, this is a great dish to make. And it's perfect for Valentine's Day.

On another note, Marrow is one of those rare treats, and Osso Buco is a great excuse to indulge. Be sure to provide little spoons for scooping the marrow out of the bones. Enjoy it spread on toasted peasant bread.

Braised Osso Buco with Gremolata

Braised Osso Buco with Gremolata and Saffron Orzo

serves 6

6 center-cut veal shanks, cut 2 inches thick (each about 12 ounces)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup olive oil

2 ribs celery, cut into ¼-inch dice

2 carrots, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

2 cups prepared marinara sauce or
Basic Tomato Sauce (page 437)

2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade (recipe follows)

2 cups dry white wine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried

Saffron Orzo (recipe follows), for serving

Gremolata (recipe follows), for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Sprinkle the veal shanks generously with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy flameproof casserole over medium heat. Add the veal shanks and cook until browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer them to a plate and set it aside.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the celery, carrots, and onion to the casserole. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, adding the garlic during the last 5 minutes.

5. Add the marinara sauce, broth, wine, and thyme to the casserole, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Return the veal shanks to the casserole. (The sauce should reach about halfway up the meat.) Cover, transfer to the oven, and bake until the meat is very tender, 2 to 2½ hours. (Do not overcook the meat.)

7. Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully skim the fat from the surface, using a metal spoon. Serve the Osso Buco over Saffron Orzo in shallow bowls, and sprinkle a tablespoon of Gremolata over each portion. Don't forget the small spoons for scooping out the lush marrow.  

Gremolata:

makes about ²⁄³ cup

Gremolata is a fresh condiment traditionally served with Osso Buco. The combination
of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic is a refreshing, unexpected contrast when sprinkled over the meat. It adds to the dramatic and complex flavors of the dish.

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Finely grated zest of 2 large lemons

2 tablespoons finely minced garlic

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, and toss with a fork. For the freshest taste, use within 2 to 3 hours. 

Saffron Orzo and Basic Chicken Broth on the next page...

There is nothing quite like a bowl of vegetable soup. Whether it's heartiness on a cold night or the first course to a wonderful meal, soup always gives us exactly what we need.  My only advice to you when making soups, whatever the season, is to be sure to use only the best ingredients.  Don't ever skimp on quality and flavor when it comes to your fine pots of soup.

In my new book, Ten, I dedicate an entire chapter to vegetable soups.  In fact 11 of them (it was too difficult to narrow it down to only ten recipes).   The Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup is my personal favorite, and this is the perfect time of year to be serving this one.  It makes a great soup course for a winter dinner party and it's simply delicious on its own for lunch with a salad and some crusty bread.

Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

I've always been a fan of roasting winter vegetables, and there is nothing like roasting to make the ordinary extraordinary. The humble carrot and parsnip become stars when popped in the oven, where the flavors caramelize beautifully.

Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

1½ pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

1 pound parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise

1 large onion, sliced

1 piece (3 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Salt, to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

¼ cup crème fraîche, for garnish (optional)

Snipped fresh chives, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Combine the carrots, parsnips, onion, and ginger in a shallow roasting pan. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar.

3. Pour 2 cups of the broth into the pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the vegetables are very tender, 2 hours.

4. Transfer the vegetables and broth to a large soup pot, and add the remaining 6 cups of broth. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.

5. Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food
processor until smooth, adding more broth if needed. Return the soup to the pot, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and heat through. Serve each portion dolloped with a teaspoon of crème fraîche, if desired, and sprinkled with chives.   

Check in tomorrow for a wonderful main course that is stunning for a dinner party or the perfect for a romantic evening at home for two.

Until then,

Sheila

Sheila Lukins, author of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each, is guest blogging on Jewcy, and she'll be here all week. Stay tuned.

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Want a copy of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each?  Participate in this week's giveaway contest! Make a comment on this and other posts by Shiela. At the end of the week the authors of the top five comments will receive a FREE COPY of her book!

Hello Jewcers.  It's Food Week in the Jewcy Book Club!  Sheila Lukins, author of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each, is guest blogging this week about her collection of recipes for 10 all-time favorite dishes. Enjoy one new recipe each day as we progress through a five-course meal. Also, participate in our weekly giveaway contest to receive a free copy of the book!

During a lively conversation with my longtime publisher and editor, the subject came around to our favorite foods. These are foods we love to eat every chance we get and dishes we hope are on the menu when we go out to dinner. That made us think, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a book that not only featured these foods, but also featured the best recipes possible. This was a challenge that I gladly accepted.

The fruit of my labor is my seventh cookbook, Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each (Workman Publishing) which is simply a repertoire of pure crave. Ten is the ten best roast chicken recipes, including Asian-Scented Orange Chicken and Pot-Roasted Chicken Santiago. The ten best mashed potatoes. The ten best leafy salads -- my favorite is the Frisee and Apple Salad. The ten best pastas with a Rustic Rigatoni that, when paired with a Chianti Classico or Montepulciano, will score a 10 as a weeknight dinner. For special-occasion meals, I try to pull out all the stops with elegant dishes such as The Perfect Porterhouse with Herb Butter, Orange-Scented Rack of Lamb, Grey Sole with Gremolata Butter and Whole Beef Tenderloin with Mustard Horseradish Cream Sauce. And, I never neglect the sweet tooth offering such riches such as Brooklyn Brownies and Aunt Sabella's Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing, a classic Marble Cake. a slew of Fruit Desserts as well as ten recipes for Ice Creams and Sorbets. I always say, "There's always room for ice cream!"

Throughout this week, I want to share a few of my favorite recipes from Ten in hopes of giving you a little inspiration for weeknight meals, appetizers for cocktail parties, stunning main courses for special-occasion dinner parties, foods that comfort you in cold weather, and delicious ideas for side dishes.

Up first is a way to start a perfect evening whether you are hosting a cocktail gathering an intimate dinner party for friends: The Colombe d'Or Crudite with a Lemon Mayonnaise.

Colombe d'Or Crudites

Serves 4

At the Colombe d'Or in St. Paul de Vence, France, they serve decorative baskets of vegetables and eggs on the table for everyone to pass around and enjoy. There's very little, if any, prep work done to the vegetables -- and the eggs are even left unshelled. It's up to the diners to break off a piece of celery, pluck an artichoke leaf, select a radish, slice off a bite of cucumber, or shell a hard-cooked egg, and dip the selection in a dollop of Lemon Mayonnaise. The results are magical and might even transport you to the South of France.

Colombe D'Or Crudite

1 small inner celery rib

1 artichoke, cooked

4 to 6 scallions (white bulbs and 5 inches
green)

1 small Belgian endive, trimmed, outer leaves removed

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and halved
lengthwise

½ hothouse (seedless) cucumber, halved
crosswise

1 small red onion, peeled

6 to 8 radishes, preferably the long red and
white variety

4 hard-cooked eggs, unpeeled

Lemon Mayonnaise (recipe follows), for serving

Arrange the vegetables and eggs decoratively in a basket. Offer a sharp knife and small plates so everyone can help themselves to a serving of the vegetables. Place the Lemon Mayonnaise in a small bowl and serve it alongside for dipping.   

Lemon Mayonnaise

1 cup prepared mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann's

1 cup sour cream

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine all of the mayonnaise ingredients in a bowl, stir well, and refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. The mayonnaise can be made up to 1 day ahead.

Tune in tomorrow, when we move on to the soup course. 

Happy Cooking,

Sheila

Sheila Lukins, author of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each, is guest blogging on Jewcy, and she'll be here all week. Stay tuned.

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Want a copy of Ten: All the Foods We Love, Ten Recipes for Each?  Participate in this week's giveaway contest! Make a comment on this and other posts by Sheila. At the end of the week the authors of the top five comments will receive a FREE COPY of her book!