Barley Risotto With Asparagus – 2 versions
On one of our weekly lunch adventures, my friend Melissa and I decided to try out a risotto made from barley. Barley is a whole grain that (unless you have a wheat allergy) is better for you than rice, even brown rice. The grains are larger and chewier than rice, but they make a very good substitute. I actually like barley better than rice because the chewiness gives the dish more body.
Curry Banana Ice Cream
Curry. Banana. Ice Cream. When I found this recipe, I flipped. It sounded AMAZING. One of the best truffles I've ever had was a curry banana flavor.
And there aren't just plain old bananas in here, either. No - they are roasted bananas. And not only that, but roasted with brown sugar and butter. Is anyone else drooling right now?
These smell incredible when they come out of the oven, covered in sticky brown sugar goodness. You scrape all that sweet stuff into a blender with whole milk and your favorite sweet curry powder, then into the ice cream maker - simple as that. I am seriously in love with this ice cream.
I am also in love with this milkshake that I made with it, chocolate syrup, and Bailey's. Boozy milkshake for the win!
Curry Banana Ice Cream
adapted from Scoop Adventures
3 medium-sized ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp sweet curry powder (I used this one)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare bananas and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a small (2-quart) baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are browned and cooked through.
Scrape contents of the dish (bananas and the thick sugar syrup) into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, salt, and curry powder, and puree until smooth.
Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (4 hours). Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic container, press wax paper onto surface, and freeze until firm (about 4 hours).
Roasted Figs with Fresh Ricotta
Continuing with the theme of fresh, homemade ricotta - I made these decadent and sophisticated figs roasted in a cinnamon honey butter and spooned over thick and creamy ricotta.
Whisk honey and cinnamon into melted butter and pour over cut figs (I used Black Mission). Roast at high heat until soft and coated in syrup.
Spoon over a fresh ricotta. The honey butter is sweet enough that you don't have to add any sugar to the cheese, and some of the ricotta gets melty under the hot figs while the rest stays cold for a nice contrast. So good, so so good. Go make this. Now.
Anniversary Dinner
A few weeks ago, we celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary! We went on a lovely trip to Texas over the weekend, but our actual anniversary fell on a Tuesday. We had plans to eat at some very nice restaurants on our trip, so we decided to stay in on our anniversary and have a nice home-cooked meal. I made steak with compound butter, spinach and Gruyere souffle, and vanilla bean panna cotta with mixed berries.