Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/75809
By Jackie Burrell Six ways to sundae San Jose Mercury News (MCT) There's no doubt about the retro appeal of maraschino cherries, whipped cream cans and that ersatz chocolate syrup in a squeeze bottle. But it's funny to think they coexist in the same dessert galaxy with basil sorbets and pink peppercorn-tinged ice cream. Anything as gourmet as ice cream from today's trendy, artisanal parlors — the Humphry Slocombes and Bi-Rite Creameries of the world — deserves something similarly hand- crafted on top. extract County Fare & fresh BACON PEANUT BRITTLE Makes about 5 cups Note: Collect every- thing before you start, because things move quickly. 2 1/4 cups sugar 1/3 cup corn syrup 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla until very crisp, drained and finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons baking 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups roasted peanuts 2 slices bacon, cooked soda MCT photo So we turned to a trio of ice cream experts to help us reinvent ye olde ice cream social, sans squeeze bottles and quasi- fruity syrups. The results will take you six ways to sundae, with fresh lemon- blueberry syrup, vanilla butterscotch, extra-bitter- sweet fudge and even bacon peanut brittle. And if there's a cherry on top, it better be a Bing. Whimsy runs rampant at San Francisco's Humphry Slocombe, Jake Godby and Sean Vahey's trendsetting ice cream shop. It's known for eclec- tic flavors, including Elvis the Fat Years (banana, peanuts and bacon) and Secret Breakfast (bour- bon-cornflake), as well as a Hot Mess sundae, which tops vanilla ice cream with banana slices and homemade butterscotch and marshmallow sauces. "We do things some- what backward. With the Hot Mess, we came up with the name first, and then figured out what it would be," Godby says. "I always try to have a good balance of acid and salt, so you're not overwhelmed. If it was just a big gooey mess, I wouldn't be inter- ested after the first three bites." That's why most arti- sanal ice cream toppings include bitter, sour or salty notes. It's all about layer- ing flavors and textures, Godby says, but a dash of serendipity certainly helps. Take the day Humphry Slocombe's sig- nature bacon-peanut brit- tle candy was left on the stove a tad too long. Loathe to just throw away a batch of brittle, Godby and Vahey mixed it into a batch of fresh banana ice cream — and Elvis the Fat Years was born. You can stir the chopped brittle into the ice cream and serve it by the scoop, but it also lends itself to sundae-fication when the ice cream is served with sliced bananas and topped with shards of brittle. Caramel and butter- scotch are favorites of Kris Hoogerhyde, a self- styled "caramel girl" who says "chocolate was not my first love." So it's no wonder that the lines that wrap around Bi-Rite Creamery, her San Fran- cisco ice cream shop, are there for the signature salted caramel ice cream. Salt is what makes fla- Elvis the Fat Years Sundae, with bittersweet fudge sauce and bacon peanut brittle is a sundae full of eclectic flavors. It's that sweet and salty combination. People for- get that." Italy. Hoogerhyde's favorite caramel is cooked to a deep mahogany hue, but she also loves a lighter, butterscotch version. Add a little scotch or bourbon, and you'll have Bi-Rite's "boozerscotch." "The butterscotch is a caramel we don't take as far, so you're not getting that bitterness," she says. "We add butter to it, so it's really lush, and when you warm it and put it over ice cream, it cools down and becomes chewy. It's the same with our hot fudge sauce. As it sits against the cold ice cream, it get that candylike consistency, which I think is yummy." Even the most strait- laced grown-ups get excit- ed, she adds, when every- thing is homemade. Toss fresh berries with a little sugar and let them macer- ate until they release their own syrup, she suggests, or cook up a lemon-blue- berry sauce to top a creme fraicheice cream sundae. "I'm a purist," she says. "A really good vanilla with fresh strawberries makes me super happy." It's a view shared by Jeni Britton Bauer, an Ohio-based artisanal ice cream maker whose book, "Jeni's Ice Creams at Home" just won a James Beard award. Her wildly popular Farmers Market Sundaes use lemon frozen yogurt and fresh berries, macerated with Cham- pagne, port or Grand Marnier. Her Ohito Sun- dae, a play on the classic rum cocktail, draws its fla- vors from fresh mint leaf- infused ice cream, a white-rum praline sauce and a wedge of lime, so guests can squeeze the tart citrus over the entire affair, including the sprin- kling of turbinado sugar crystals. "I like things to be a contrast," she says. "Something crunchy, sweet, sour, bitter, salty, a little bit of everything. What's great about the artisanal ice cream world is you can start with some- thing more unusual, or something really well made, but very simple." As for that cherry on top, Bauer uses fresh Bings or brandied cher- ries, such as Amarena cherries imported from vors pop, whether it's on a scoop of that ice cream or sprinkled on a chocolate sundae drizzled with organic bergamot olive oil. Unusual? Yes, but pow- erfully addictive, she says. "The olive oil gives a nice silkiness to it, the berg- amot pairs so nicely with chocolate, and the salt makes your taste buds want more. People say, 'Ooh, salt on ice cream?' "I don't know how much more natural they are than maraschino, but they are so good and so beautiful," she says. "Probably maraschino cherries were supposed to be like that, but someone messed up." ___ ELVIS (THE FAT YEARS) SUNDAE Makes 1 quart 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup Bacon Peanut Brittle, chopped (see recipe) 3 ripe bananas, sliced 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup water 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon salt 3 egg yolks 1. In a medium, heavy- bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil over high heat, stir- ring often, until the mix- ture turns golden brown, 10-15 minutes (300 degrees on a candy ther- mometer). pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanuts and bacon. By Judy Hevrdejs Chicago Tribune (MCT) A trifle in England is not a novelty. Nor is a drunken fool, Bedfordshire clanger or spotted dick. They are, though, a few of England's legendary pies and puddings (what we call "desserts"). Flip through English cookbooks or Theodora FitzGibbon's "A Taste of England." There are recipes for brandy mop curls (rolled brandy snaps with whipped cream) and maids of honour (curd cheese- almond-filled puff pastry). Order spotted dick and you'll get steamed sponge pudding with raisins. Bite into the long pas- try of a Bedfordshire clanger; one end sports a savory fill- ing, the other sweet. 2. Immediately take 3. Sprinkle with baking soda, and stir the foaming mixture until evenly com- bined. Spread mixture evenly on a baking sheet. Cool completely before chopping or breaking into pieces. Brittle keeps up to 2 weeks in an airtight con- tainer at room tempera- ture. Do not refrigerate it. — Jake Godby, Sean 1. In a large, heavy- bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, combine bananas, brown sugar and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bananas are com- pletely mushy, about 10 minutes. Don't let mixture burn. Puree the mixture in a blender. 2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Set a bowl in the ice bath. Get a sieve ready. 3. Using the same saucepan, combine cream, milk and salt. Cook, stirring occasional- ly, until hot but not boil- ing. Vahey, Paolo Lucchesi, "Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book" (Chronicle Books, $19.95, 144 pages) 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF WE FEATURE Boneless, Trimmed Tri-Tips Beef 4. Meanwhile, whisk together the banana puree, egg yolks and granulated sugar until well blended. Slowly pour in half the hot cream mixture, whisk- ing constantly. Transfer back to the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula and being sure to scrape the bottom, until the liquid begins to steam and you can feel the spatula scrape against the bottom, 2-3 minutes. 5. Remove the custard from the heat, and imme- diately pour it through a sieve into the clean bowl you set up for the ice bath. Let cool. 6. Transfer to an ice cream maker and spin according to manufactur- er's instructions. Fold in the brittle, then transfer to an airtight container, cover and freeze up to 1 week. Or, serve the ice cream over banana slices, and top it with shards of brittle for Elvis sundaes. ___ NOW CARRYING Color Therapy Glasses Come by and check them out $ 13.00 reg. $14.95 Loin Chops Bone-In Pork 1 ⁄2 We appreciate your business - and we show it! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY Prices good July 25 - July 31, 2012 "Your Family Supermarket" Meat Specials Chicken Breasts Boneless- Skinless Boneless Beef Ball Tip Steaks Center Cut Pork Chops Wednesday, July 25, 2012 – Daily News 5A tasty Trifles for Olympic appetite Those names? The origins of many are lost to history, but the good eating remains. The bounty of seasonal fruit and the London Olympic Games are reason enough to try one, perhaps a trifle of jam-spread sponge cake slices layered with custard then topped with whipped cream. Add brandy or sherry, it's tipsy trifle. Or make a drunken fool with crushed sweetened fruits and a bit of liqueur swirled into whipped cream. Much more fun is Eton mess. Crumbled meringues are folded into sweetened crushed fruit and whipped cream for the pudding concocted at the legendary boarding school in Windsor. Chefs put posh spins on it, but cookbook author- TV celeb Delia Smith won us over with cheat's Eton mess made with purchased meringues. CHEAT'S ETON MESS Hull 1 pound strawberries. Puree half in a food proces- sor or blender with 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar; sieve to remove seeds. Chop remaining berries. Beat 1 pint whip- ping cream to soft peaks. Coarsely break up purchased meringues (nests or kisses to yield about 12 cups) into a large mixing bowl. Add chopped berries. Fold in whipped cream. Fold in all but 2 tablespoons puree to create a mar- bled effect. Spoon into serving dishes. Drizzle remaining atop. Serve immediately. Makes: 6 servings 384-1563 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE SPECIALLY CUT MEATS STAMPS ACCEPT FOOD WE We Accept EBT Fresh, Imitation Crab Meat $499 lb. Avocados California Creamy $199 lb. Sweet, Yellow or White Peaches $199 lb. Whole, Sweet Seedless $299 lb. Produce Specials Watermelons Fresh Express Select Varieties 6-12 oz Bags Salads 99¢ ea. Bathroom Tissue 12 ct. Double Rolls Charmin $149 lb. Paper Towels 6 Big Rolls Bounty Grocery Specials $399 ea. 2 for Dryer's Ice Cream 1/2 Quart $400 Potato Chips 10-101 Lay's /2 oz. 2 for $500 4 for $100 Diapers 23-50 Count Luv's Blueberries Kiwi Fruit $249 Pint lb. $299 Fresh lb. $699 Best Foods Mayonnaise 22 oz. $799 Western Family Ketchup 20-24 oz. Bottle $349 Mustard 9 oz. Western Family 2 for $600 McColl's Ice Cream 5 Quart Tubs $599 Sara Lee Wide Pan Breads Select Varieties $299 $139 Pepsi Soft Drinks 4 for $500 413 Walnut Street, Red Bluff • 530 528-8000 Exclusively at The Gold Exchange Mon.-Fri. 10-5:30 • Saturday 11-4 +crv 69¢ $599 18 pks $229 Bud , Miller or Coors $ 18 pks Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/nuwaymarket 1299 +crv