Cookstuff

A sweet luxury

Pamper yourself or treat the new bride and groom with the Padova ice cream scoop designed by Elsa Peretti -- and pretty enough to wear.

Padova ice cream scoop, $195 from Tiffany & Co.

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Shapes of the unexpected

Add a touch of whimsy to your desserts with this stainless steel scoop, which makes it easy to arrange a plateful of ice cream hearts -- or go Cubist with a square scoop by the same German manufacturer.

Stockel ice cream scoop, $39.95 from Sur la Table.

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Vanilla ice cream

Total time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 3 hours chilling time or overnight. (Pastry chef Kimberly Boyce recommends 24 hours.)

Servings: 6

2 cups cream

1 cup milk

1/2cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean, sliced in half and scraped

4 egg yolks

1. Bring the cream, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium saucepan.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks together.

3. Once the cream mixture has come to a rolling boil, turn off the heat. Take 1 cup of the hot cream mixture and stream it slowly into the yolks, whisking.

4. Slowly pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk. Turn the flame on low and cook until the base thickens slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, as the mixture will curdle.

5. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and chill for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Each serving: 403 calories; 104 mg. sodium; 256 mg. cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0 fiber.

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Honey almond ice cream

Total time: 50 minutes, plus 2 hours steeping, plus 2 to 3 hours chilling

Servings: 6

1/2 cup almonds, unblanched

2 cups cream

1 cup milk

1/2cup honey

4 egg yolks

1/2teaspoon almond extract

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and toast the almonds on a cookie sheet until dark brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Chop the almonds until medium coarse and set aside.

2. Bring the cream, milk and honey to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the almonds. Steep for 2 hours.

3. Strain the cream mixture into another pot to remove the almonds. Bring the strained mixture to a boil over medium heat and temper the yolks by slowly whisking them into half a cup of the hot cream mixture. Return the egg yolk mixture to the pot.

4. Cook until the base thickens slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Strain, add the almond extract and chill for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Each serving: 426 calories; 56 mg. sodium; 256 mg. cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.06 grams fiber.

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Boysenberry ice cream

Time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour standing

Servings: 6

Note: Make a batch of Kimberly Boyce’s vanilla ice cream first, using 1 1/2 cups cream and 1 1/2 cups milk.

1 pound boysenberries

2/3cup sugar

3 cups vanilla ice cream

1. Make a boysenberry puree by tossing the berries and the sugar together and setting the mixture in a warm place to macerate for 1 hour. You can heat the mixture in a 200-degree oven for 30 minutes to speed up the process. Blend with a stick blender or pour into a food processor to puree, then strain. You’ll have 2 to 2 1/2 cups of puree.

2. Stir 2 cups of the puree into the vanilla ice cream. Chill, ideally to 38 degrees, 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Each serving: 473 calories; 106 mg. sodium; 232 mg. cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 4 grams fiber.

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Boysenberry compote

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

1/2cup sugar

1/4cup water

2 tablespoons brandy

5 cups boysenberries

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water to make a slurry

1. Mix the sugar and water in a medium stainless saucepan. Dip your hands in water and use them to wipe down the sides of the pot to remove sugar granules and prevent crystallization.

2. Cook the sugar-water mixture without stirring over high heat to a light golden caramel, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the brandy and half of the berries to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook; you want the berries to remain whole.

4. Remove from heat and strain the berries over a bowl. Return the juice to the pan and bring to a boil over a high flame. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Boil until thickened and clear, about two minutes.

5. In a bowl, gently combine the cooked berries, the remaining fresh berries and the thickened juice.

Each serving: 145 calories; .39 mg. sodium; 0 mg. cholesterol; 0.47 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 6 grams fiber.

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Roasted apricots

Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Servings: 6

12 small to medium apricots, halved and pitted

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons ( 1/4 stick) butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the apricots cut side up in a 10-inch skillet so they fit close together. Drizzle the honey over the apricots. Put a small piece of butter in each apricot cavity. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the apricots. Place in the oven.

2. After 15 minutes, raise the temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the apricots from the oven and baste them with the pan juices, then return to the oven. Continue to baste the apricots every 10 minutes. Roast until the apricots begin to caramelize and the liquid is reduced to a saucy consistency, about 45 minutes total.

Each serving: 106 calories; 3 mg. sodium; 10 mg. cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 2 grams fiber.

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Nectarine jam

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

1 cup sugar

1/4cup water

2 pounds (about 7) nectarines, sliced

1. Combine the sugar and water until it’s the consistency of wet sand. Cook the mixture over high heat to a light golden caramel, about 10 minutes.

2. Add half the nectarines. Stir the fruit in a figure-eight pattern with a wooden spoon, keeping the heat as high as possible without splattering juice on your arm. It is important to stir quickly. This will prevent splattering and, most important, the fruit will maintain a fresh flavor, not a cooked caramelized taste.

3. Cook to a jammy consistency, about 7 minutes. Stir the remaining nectarines into the warm jam.

Each serving: 114 calories; 0.2 mg. sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0.35 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1 gram fiber.