Blackberry Chili Syrup with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I made this ice cream two weeks ago to share with Joey’s family after he blew everyone’s socks off at the performance of his composition. We all went back to his house at the conclusion, and family from here and North Carolina sat around eating dessert and drinking wine and whiskey while Joey chatted about his impending move to Solitude, New England and played us another song on his marimba (it was not wholly unlike a more clothed version of the nights that defined my co-op experienced in college). Joey convinced me that his family does not like “hot,” though he loves it, so Tory and I sat in the corner draining the jar of spicy blackberry sauce and concocting other ways to use it (with bourbon! in oatmeal! on cheesecake!) and wondering whether one could subsist on spicy blackberry sauce alone.

Today my friend Guy expressed similar enthusiasm about his ideal diet staple when he said that his ice cream maker has revolutionized his eating habits. He claims to pulverize everything in a blender, chill it, and churn it, and while I’m sure he didn’t mean salad, he most certainly meant cantaloupe, mint, and cayenne pepper, pecans and cardamom, and any number of combinations that could convince most to disavow themselves of solid foods; there was talk of creamy cashew ice cream being next. My ice cream approach has worked in the other direction—start standard but pair with something plucky—and while this week’s recipe may seem vanilla at the start, it is totally delicious and doubly so with this spicy blackberry sauce. 

Blackberry Chili Syrup

Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Makes about two cups

This syrup is quite hot! A teaspoon poured into seltzer gave me the sneezes, but gobs on top of ice cream were perfectly tempered. I’ve also mixed this with bourbon and seltzer, eaten it with yogurt and granola, mixed it with salad dressing, and poured it on a cookie. It mellows out in the fridge a bit, but why would you want it to? Hello, year-round staple.

3 dried aji cereza or guajillo peppers (If you can find them, the aji cereza peppers are the way to go since they're already fruity and fragrant. I've seen them at the bodega down the street and at Whole Foods.)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup natural sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4.5 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries

1.  Trim the stems from the peppers and tear them into pieces; add peppers along with their seeds to a medium saucepan with the sugars, water, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and, stirring regularly, continue boiling until the mixture reduces to about two cups of syrup, 20 to 30 minutes.

2.  Add the frozen berries to the boiling pot, and cook for an addition few minutes, no longer than five.  Remove from heat, and carefully puree the syrup, either with a hand blender, regular blender, or food processor (I used the later). Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, and store in the fridge in covered jars. It should keep for several weeks.


Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Adapted from David Lebovitz

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup natural sugar

A pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 cups heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, and salt over low. Scrape the vanilla beans into the pan, toss the pod in, and continue cooking until mixture is warm. Turn off the stove, cover, and let steep for one hour.

2.  Set up an ice bath by placing a medium bowl in a larger bowl filled partially with ice and water. Add the cream to the medium bowl, and set a strainer over the top. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks and set aside.

3.  Reheat the milk mixture in the saucepan over low, and slowly pour some of the warmed milk into the egg yolks to temper them, whisking all the while. Add the tempered yolks and milk back to the saucepan, and continue cooking mixture over low, stirring and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula the whole time. When custard is thick enough to coat the spatula—six to ten minutes usually—remove from heat and strain into the cold cream, discarding the vanilla pod. Stir the mixture until it’s cool, then add the vanilla extract.

4.  Cover and chill overnight, then process according to your ice cream maker’s directions.Once the ice cream reaches your desired consistency (I usually put mine in the freezer for an additional hour or two), scoop it out and cover with heaping spoonfuls of the blackberry chili syrup!

Whole-Wheat Shortbread Cookies

Tonight! The gifted musician who is my fella is premiering a composition that he wrote for marimba, string quintet, and chorus. He has literally worked his fingers to their blistering bones to write this piece, which was inspired by the water-themed African folk songs that he and his classmates studied this semester. Joey was tapped by his school to be one of two student composers debuting original work at this evening's performance, and I'm bursting at the seams with excitement for him. In the past year, he has somehow managed to learn and excel at playing marimba (with four mallets!) and learned how to use composition software that makes everything sound like a video game, and which will undoubtedly translate into some seriously beautiful and bewitching music; his future is all kinds of bright and shiny.

After this composition endeavor, Joey heads to to Vermont with his band (link to old songs) for a year of intensive writing and recording, punctuated by extensive touring. Obviously I will be sending them baked goods all the while. These cookies—a solid airmail possibility—were recently featured on my all-time favorite food blog, and they are a total snap to make. While Lottie + Doof finished his with sugar alone, I thought the coffee-sugar combo nicely complemented the sturdy wheat flavor, and the cookies topped with cinnamon tasted just like buñuelos. Joey, I see you your bright future and raise you a buttery one!  

Whole-Wheat Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Lottie + Doof

Makes about 70 one-inch cookies

Obviously this recipe calls for a scale, something that I highly recommend purchasing.  They save time, dishes, and ingredients—seriously one of the best $25 you can spend for your kitchen!

10.5 ounces all-purpose flour

5.5 ounces whole-wheat flour

4.75 ounces cornstarch

16 ounces high-fat butter (Plurga is recommended), at cool room temperature

4.75 ounces natural sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Superfine sugar, superfine coffee grinds, and ground cinnamon, for dusting

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Combine the flours and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer (or KitchenAid with the paddle attachment) until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine, but be careful not to overmix. (I did the last bits of combining with cold hands and a rubber spatula since I’m paranoid about my oft overzealous electric mixer.)

3.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a quarter-inch thick and cut into desired shapes (Tim used a two-inch cutter; I used a one-inch inverted glass); you may reroll and cut scraps. Arrange one inch apart on cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until edges have browned. Let cool on sheets for two minutes, then dust with sugar or your desired sugar mix (ratios follow). Store in an airtight container once cookies are totally cool. They’ll last a couple of days!

For coffee topping:  Combine 1/4 cup of sugar with 1 scant tablespoon superfinely ground coffee, or to taste.

For cinnamon topping:  Combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste.