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Hello, foodies…

Congratulations to Dwight, our ITKWD Road Trip Contest winner, who submitted Haab’s Restaurant in Ypsilanti, MI. Haab’s has been a beloved hometown restaurant since 1934. With things like Whiskey Ranch Steak and Hungarian Apple Strudel on the menu, it's no wonder folks love it!



A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of you who submitted entries…especially our finalists:

•    Martine & Robert on behalf of King's Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant in Torrance, CA
•    Mary Anne on behalf of Bash American Bistro in Sunrise, FL
•    Caroline on behalf of Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg, VA
•    Laura, Karlene, and Francis on behalf of Allentown Restaurant in Charlo, Montana

We had over 120 entries in all and it was incredibly difficult to choose just one winner. If I have my way, we WILL be doing this again!

Now, back to ice cream and all those delicious frozen treats we’re honoring in July. Iced coffee has always been one of my favorite summer drinks. While I usually order a tall iced coffee with a little sugar, sometimes I splurge and get a chocolaty, caramel-y, whipped cream-topped dessert drink. And it’s delicious.

If only we could make something like that at home....wait! We can!

David's Frozen Coffee
 
This recipe is prepared with the Guy Fieri 10-piece Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set (K38455).
 
Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:
 
•    1/4 lb ground coffee
•    2 qt filtered water
•    1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
•    1 cup heavy cream
•    1 cup whole milk
•    3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
•    Whipped cream (optional garnish)
•    Chocolate sauce (optional garnish)
 
Directions:
 
•    To brew the coffee, add the water and coffee to a 4-qt glass or non-porous ceramic bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

•    Strain the coffee by ladling it through a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer. Freeze half of the coffee in ice cube trays. Refrigerate the rest of the coffee.

•    To make chocolate coffee creamer, add the condensed milk, heavy cream, milk, and cocoa powder into a medium saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together over medium heat until it begins to steam, stirring occasionally. Cool and store in refrigerator.

•    To finish the drink, combine six frozen coffee cubes, 1/2 cup coffee, and 1/2 cup chocolate creamer into a blender. Blend for about 30 second or until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass, top with whipped cream, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Serve with a straw.

Just as Frozen Treat month isn’t complete without a frozen coffee, it’s also not complete unless we’ve got a recipe for a waffle cone! The folks at America’s Test Kitchen make everything seem easy...as is the case with this recipe.


Now how about a homemade ice cream recipe to put on that cone? Here’s a classic vanilla from ATK. Enjoy!

Vanilla Ice Cream
(Makes about 1 quart)

Two teaspoons of vanilla extract can be substituted for the vanilla bean; stir the extract into the cold custard in step 3. An instant-read thermometer is critical for the best results. Using a prechilled metal baking pan and working quickly in step 4 will help prevent melting and refreezing of the ice cream and will speed up the hardening process. If using a canister-style ice cream machine, be sure to freeze the empty canister at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating ice cream machines, prechill the canister by running the machine for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring in the custard.

Ingredients:

•    1 vanilla bean
•    1-3/4 cups heavy cream
•    1-1/4 cups whole milk
•    1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
•    1/3 cup light corn syrup
•    1/4 teaspoon salt
•    6 large egg yolks

Directions:

1.    Place an 8” or 9” square metal baking pan in freezer. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out vanilla seeds. Combine vanilla bean and seeds, cream, milk, 6 tablespoons sugar, corn syrup, and salt in medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is steaming steadily and registers 175 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

2.    While cream mixture heats, whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in bowl until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk 1 cup heated cream mixture into egg yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and registers 180 degrees, 7 to 14 minutes. Immediately pour custard into large bowl and let cool until no longer steaming, 10 to 20 minutes. Transfer 1 cup custard to small bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap. Place large bowl in refrigerator and small bowl in freezer and let cool completely, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. (Small bowl of custard will freeze solid.)

3.    Remove custards from refrigerator and freezer. Scrape frozen custard from small bowl into large bowl of custard. Stir occasionally until frozen custard has fully dissolved. Strain custard through fine-mesh strainer and transfer to ice cream machine. Churn until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers about 21 degrees, 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer ice cream to frozen baking pan and press plastic wrap on surface. Return to freezer until firm around edges, about 1 hour.

4.    Transfer ice cream to airtight container, press firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. (Ice cream can be frozen for up to 5 days.)

Yesterday was a GREAT day for our social media pages. Y’all are some social people! There are now 16,464 of you following my page on Pinterest, which was our social callout yesterday. THANK YOU SO MUCH! If you’re thinking of signing up and joining the fun, remember, I’ve written out step-by-step instructions on joining Pinterest and all of our social pages.

Blog question time! In honor of ATK’s vanilla ice cream, let’s’ do another poll. Which classic flavor—vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry—reigns ice cream champion in your home. See you at 8pm ET this Wednesday, foodies.

Keep it flavorful!
—David