everyone loves a waffle iron

Maybe it's just me, but I think of waffle irons as one of those kitchen devices that everyone thinks that they will use, but inevitably ends up collecting dust in the basement with the deep fryer and other cool but non-everyday kitchen devices. I mean, I can think of probably two times in my life that my mom has used hers, so I was hesitant to buy one of my own, considering the limited storage space in my NYC apartment. Clearly, no matter how many delicious waffle recipes are out there to tantalize me, this was not something that I needed..... but alas, good sense and practicality lost out to the sheer force of desire and a tiny $10 waffle iron on sale at Target.

strawberry sour cream pie

I made this for the 4th of July, if you couldn't guess based on the patriotic table cloth. For the second year running, I went up to my friend Kristina's house in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Her mother has amazing patriotic decorations, and this table cloth only scratches the surface.

cheesecake ice cream

So pretty much all my ice cream recipes come David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, which I received pretty much exactly a year ago from Tenli and Marie. I can't believe that this time last year I was still days away from getting my jaw unwired after five weeks of total misery. Compared to that, this summer was an absolute dream. A brand new job, plenty of sailing, a two week vacation in California and general good times in the city. I feel very blessed.




I made this ice cream as a housewarming gift for Jess and Kristen, who I have basically known my whole life, and their new roommate Janet, who is totally fun and awesome. Sadly, Kristen just moved out this past weekend, but revisiting this ice cream brings back plenty of good memories. I wish I had taken photos of the spectacular pizzas that Kristen made us with all these fancy Italian ingredients that Janet brought back from her job at a food importing company. A thing of beauty, and so delicious.

This ice cream wasn't QUITE as successful, but through no fault of the recipe. My container of kosher salt is mostly empty at this point, so I have to tip it pretty far over to get any out. Unfortunately, I tipped it a little too far and a little too fast, and wound up with MORE than a little too much salt. Whoops. I added some extra sugar to compensate, but it didn't really do the trick. I made Janet toss in some fresh cut strawberries to try and disguise the saltiness, and that actually helped a lot.

All the same, I'm going to have to have a do-over on this one. This ice cream is cinch to make, and it tastes incredibly rich and creamy, just like cheesecake. It deserves better than a salty slip of the hand.

Cheesecake Ice Cream, Philadelphia Style
(from David Lebovitz's One Perfect Scoop, published 2007)

8 ounces cream cheese
1 lemon
1 cup sour cream
½ cup half-and-half*
⅔ cup suar
pinch of salt

Cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Zest the lemon directly into a blender or food processor, then add the cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half, sugar and salt, and purée until smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator according to the manufacturer's instructions.

* I actually had some almond milk on hand, and that worked as a perfectly serviceable substitute. Of course, using a dairy free milk is almost laughable when the other primary ingredients in the dish are sour cream and cream cheese, but I suppose it would work in other ice cream recipes if you wanted to make them vegan.

brown sugar and sour cream raspberry gratin

I went home for the weekend when they opened my jaw and replaced the wires sealing me shut with rubber bands. When I came back, there was a giant crate of raspberries in the fridge, which Laura encouraged me to help her finish. Twist my arm a bit, why don't you?


raspberry gratin with sour cream and brown sugar

So, one morning I made us breakfast by popping these super easy brown sugar and sour cream raspberry gratins under the broiler for a few minutes and then topping them with homemade vanilla ice cream. Part of a well balanced breakfast, obviously, and perfectly soft and swallowable for a broken jaw.


raspberries topped with sour cream, brown sugar, and broiled until crisp and melty

All you have to do in top a layer of raspberries with a layer of sour cream, a sprinkling of brown sugar, and then broil it until the brown sugar caramelizes and everything get warmed through. It takes like five minutes from start to finish, and its predictably delicious. Ooey gooey fresh fruit, creamy and with a touch of brown sugar, you'll absolutely inhale this dish.

I made mine in individual ramekins, which would be a great dinner party dessert, especially topped with ice cream or fresh whipped cream. I assembled mine the night before, which made a quick breakfast even more achievable, and such a technique would work beautifully if you were serving this to a large group.

I went a little light on the brown sugar, because I didn't want it to be too sweet, but if you want a more substantial crust, feel free to add more. Enjoy!