The New England weather has turned. This weekend I had to put away my beloved sandals and search out my colder weather boots. Yesterday it even snowed a bit and it’s not even Halloween! The creamery closes October 30th, which prompted me to get my last licks in this weekend.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved
This afternoon I stopped for ice cream in Vineyard Haven. This delicious flavor is Almond Joy! Mouth Heaven!
Never Ask A Woman Who’s Eating Ice Cream Straight From The Carton How She’s Doing!
For those of you who prefer an electric model ice cream machine, there are machines that can be had for under $50 that make a quart. The drum will need to be frozen before starting a batch. Larger machines range from $125 to $300. Cuisinart makes a model that produces two quarts in about 30 minutes, which is the ice cream maker that I used in this video.
Stores such as Williams-Sonoma sell ice cream starters that require a few simple added ingredients put into the machine to create ice cream. Personally, I don’t think that you need these starters.
There are endless combinations of ingredients that can be added to a batch of your homemade ice cream. Have fun experimenting with different flavors and add-ins. Enjoy summer with homemade ice cream that fits your personality.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved
Often on the weekends I stop for ice cream at Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown, Connecticut. The drive from my house to the creamery is breathtaking between the countryside and beautiful historic homes. When arriving to the creamery the parking lot is typically full, but somehow everyone finds a place to park. The line is typically long, but moves fairly quickly. It’s wonderful to see families of all sorts deciding on flavors and chatting about this and that. Getting ice cream at Ferris Acres is always about happiness. Last night I ordered a scoop of “Paradise Found” which is coconut ice cream, chocolate swirls, toasted coconut, and toasted almonds. Think mounds bar in the form of ice cream. While I ate my treat I was able to watch the cows on the hillside who’s milk was used for ice cream making. Life is good and I have so much to be grateful for.
One of the great things about summertime in New York City is spotting all of the ice cream trucks around the city. It seems like there’s one on every corner!
Constitution Week – Foods of Our Forefathers Part III
The abundance of meat in America was a major change in the diet of the early settlers. Rabbits and squirrels were available year-round nearly everywhere, plus deer and other large game in many regions. As settlers moved west, buffalo gained importance in the diet. Fish, shellfish and wild fowl became common food, and they were all essentially “free.” The existence of these various forms of game was a literal life saver in times of uncertain crops and unbroken land. The game gradually diminished, of course, as the population expanded and settlers pushed west, but it provided a large share of the diet in early and frontier days.
Ham, of course, appeared on almost every settler’s table, rich or poor. It might be the only meat served at a meal or it might appear in company with more exotic roasts and fowl, but it was always there – breakfast, dinner and supper.
Corn was also a staple of the colonists, either fresh in summer, or as hominy or corn meal all year. Corn was also put to another use by an early Virginian, Captain George Thorpe, who may have been the first food technologist in America as he invented Bourbon whiskey shortly before he was massacred by the Indians in 1622.
Meal patterns for working people in rural early America were very different from those common today. Breakfast was usually early and light which consisted of bread, hominy grits, and sometimes fruit in season. Coffee, which was a new beverage at the time, was popular that is if it was available. A drink made from caramelized grain was sometimes substituted. Chicory was popular in the South, either alone or used to stretch the coffee. Tea was often made from local leaves such as sage, raspberry or dittany. Alcohol in some form was often served.
Breakfast in more elegant homes or large plantations might be later in the morning, and include thinly sliced roast and ham.
Dinner was served somewhere between midday and midafternoon, depending on the family’s circumstances, and was the big meal of the day. There was almost always ham, as well as greens (called sallat), cabbage and other vegetables. In the proper season, special dainties would appear – fresh fruits and berries, or fresh meat at appropriate butchering times.
Desserts could be simple such as a scooped out pumpkin, baked until done and then filled with milk, to be eaten right out of the shell. Or dessert could be more complex such as ice cream or other fruit flavored frozen pudding or a blanc mange. Blanc mange was prepared from milk and loaf sugar, flavored with a tablespoon or two of rosewater, thickened with a solution of isinglass (derived from fish bladder, soaked overnight in boiling water). This mixture was boiled for 15 to 20 minutes, then poured into molds to set.
If isinglass was not available (most was imported from England), homemade calves foot jelly could be substituted, but eh dessert was not as fine.
Various alcoholic beverages, including wines, applejack, “perry” (hard cider made from pears), or beer were commonly consumed.
In winter, peaches and other fruit disappeared from the dinner table, to be replaced by dishes made from stored apples and dried fruit of various sorts. Soups or broths also took their place. Milk grew scarce as cows “dried up” in the short days. Vegetables gradually decreased in variety as stored crops wilted.
Apples quickly became a staple in early America. Orchards were easy to start, required a minimum of care, and apples stored well. Housewives devised a multitude of “receipts,” including sauces and butters for off-season, as well as many using dried apples.
Supper was late and a light bread and butter, some of the left-over roast from dinner, fruit (fresh if in season, pickled and spiced otherwise), and coffee or tea.
To Be Continued…
Labor Day Weekend is the perfect weekend for a picnic. To celebrate the end of summer I’ve organized a feast of some of America’s favorites – from fried chicken to chocolate cake, cheeseburgers to homemade strawberry ice cream.
Parsley Potato Salad
Mushroom Artichoke Salad
Chile-Spiced Bean Salad
Crusty Parmesan Chicken Breasts
Deviled Eggs
Pickled Beets
Barbecued Cheeseburgers
Tomatoes
Radishes
Lettuce
Red Onions
Pickles
Olives
Chocolate Buttercream Cake
Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberries
Beer
Lemonade
Coffee
Packing the picnic: The salads can be prepared a day in advance. It’s probably not necessary to double the recipes unless you have a large crowd to feed. Be sure to include a serving spoon for each salad. The Crusty Parmesan Chicken Breasts can be served either cold or warm. Either bake it a day ahead, refrigerate it, and carry it in a cooler; or pop it in the oven about an hour before you leave and transport it hot. The deviled eggs can be made from your favorite recipes or one from Tiny New York Kitchen. They will need several hours to chill and must be packed in a cooler, along with the assortment of vegetables (each in a plastic container). Take along a basket or platter for the chicken, a tray for the eggs, and serving forks.
All of the barbecue equipment can travel in a sturdy cardboard box, if there’s room, lay the buns and cheese on top so they don’t get squished. The hamburgers and condiments should be packed in a cooler.
You can bake the cake and prepare the frosting well in advance; both can be stored in the freezer. After thawing, the frosting should be beaten for a few minutes with an electric mixer. A round plastic serving plate with a high, tight-fitting cover is ideal for transporting the cake; remember to carry along a knife and a cake server.
In a cooler, pack the ice cream custard, berry mixture, and ice, each in its own container. Take a hammer and large, heavy dishtowel for crushing the ice cubes, and rock salt for the ice cream freezer (which would be a non-electric one). Pack the fragile ice cream cones and berries for garnish last.
Keep the beer in the cooler. For the lemonade and coffee, you will need a couple of thermoses. Preheat the one for the coffee; don’t forget to take cream (kept cold) and sugar. Pre-chill the other thermos and fill it with cold lemonade.
At the site: Assemble the ice cream freezer and begin hand-cranking, taking turns so that everyone can participate. If the ice cream is ready before it’s time for dessert, remove the dasher, cover the container, and let it stay in the freezer to ripen; don’t forget to dump out the salty water and pack the freezer with fresh ice.
Fire up the barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to begin cooking. Grill the cheeseburgers when the coals are gray. Arrange the chicken in a basket, set out the rest of the food, and dig in.
Last week I attended New York City’s Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center. It was a very rainy and muggy day, but I decided to walk there from the East Side anyway. Naturally the place was packed with vendors and attendees which was exciting to see. I walked through isle after isle looking at and sampling many food items, but to be honest much of it was the same old jarred salsa, jams and ice cream. I probably spent a good 2 1/2 hours looking at everything and was getting ready to leave when I realized I had missed a “new products” isle. I forced myself to give the isle a quick run through even though I had a long walk back in the rain. I have to say that I was truly happy that I did because I ran into a new product called Mitchmallows. Typically, I am not a huge fan of marshmallows, but the bow-tie wearing guy behind the booth (Mitch) was super nice and invited me to try the different flavors that he had out for sampling. I couldn’t believe how good these marshmallows were and tried several different flavors just to make sure. There were trays of colorful marshmallows like Watermelon, Creamsicle, Pretzels & Beer, Ginger Wasabi, Banana Split, Pink Lemonade, Churros and Maple Syrup Pancake. My favorites were the Watermelon and Churros flavors.
Most of you know that I don’t write a review of a restaurant or a product unless I really like it. I am extremely happy that I ran into Mitch and his Mitchmallows. What a great idea and what a unique food product. If you’re a fan of marshmallows or even if you’re not into marshmallows you just may want to give these puppies a try. This was by far the best thing that I found at the Fancy Food Show and the added bonus was meeting the owner who was completely flip over his product. I’m not sure if Mitchmallows are sold in stores yet, but you can order them from the website. I saw the packaging and they come in cute little tins. Go to the website and check it out at http://www.mitchmallows.com/ and tell them that Tiny New York Kitchen sent ya.