Dessert
Potato Chip-Crusted Ice Cream Pie
March 16, 2011 | 
Author 
I was able to celebrate two holidays on Monday — sometimes a girl gets to have way too much fun, eh???
First of all, it was the famous Pi Day: March 14, otherwise known as 3/14, otherwise known as 3.14 — pi, that endless (thus far — it’s been calculated to a trillion places and is still going strong!) number that most of us haven’t used since high school unless we happen to be math teachers.
It was also National Potato Chip Day, an occasion that simply couldn’t be overlooked.
Did I indulge in chips ‘n’ dip, followed by pie for dessert??? Heavens, no! That wouldn’t be very adventurous, now would it?
So I combined the two foods … yes, I did. You’ve had chocolate-covered pretzels, right? Same concept, just a variation on the theme.
I made a chocolate-drizzled ice cream pie. It has a crust made from — surprise, surprise! — crushed potato chips.
And you know what? It’s really, really good!!! It is! Jeremy said that the crust was his favorite part; it was even better than the ice cream, of all things!
The pie has that sweet-salty thing goin’ on, with each complementing the other and forming an entirely new taste experience. It’s cold, it’s creamy, it’s crunchy … all good things blended into one.
So let me tell you how to make this gorgeous specimen. It’s easy — you just have to start a day ahead and allow some time first for the ice cream to melt somewhat, and then for it to re-freeze.
But this is well worth the investment of waiting — remember, patience is a virtue even when impatience is trying to rule the day!
Chocolate Drizzled Potato Chip ‘n’ Ice Cream Pie
1/2 cup crushed lightly salted potato chips
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Breyers Snickers ice cream, very soft
8 large, unbroken, lightly salted potato chips
1 pint Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream, very soft
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Combine the crushed potato chips and butter; press into the bottom of a 7″ foil pie pan. Freeze for 10 minutes to set the crust.
Spread the Snickers ice cream over the crust.
Carefully place the intact potato chips around the perimeter, like petals. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Spread the Dulce de Leche ice cream over the Snickers ice cream. Freeze for 45 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle the chocolate over the top of the pie. Freeze overnight, or the ice cream will not be fully set and it will ooze out over the chocolate drizzle … trust me, I know what I’m talking about!
Cut the pie, pulling the edge of the foil pan down if needed to remove slices. Makes 8 slices.
“floo·zie \ˈflü-zē\: a usually young woman of loose morals.” Thus a Food Floozie is not a woman who can be seduced by virtually any man, but rather a woman who can be seduced by virtually any food (other than sushi).
For more blathering about recipes, restaurants, beverages, ingredients, and anything else even tangentially related to food, please come visit me Monday through Friday at Food Floozie or check out my mostly-regular Tuesday posts on AnnArbor.com.
A Most Decadent Delight
Is that a gorgeous photo, or what???
Let me assure you — as beautiful as that fruit tart looks, the visuals can’t begin to compare to how luscious it was!
Tom had gone to our favorite bakery, Decadent Delight, to pick up some Luv Bugs — the adorable filled and frosted pastries we’d enjoyed so much last Valentine’s Day that we absolutely wanted to have them again for our celebration.
But — gasp! Decadent Delight was closed that day; they had been swarmed over the weekend, but we hadn’t thought to go shopping quite that early … we’d thought mid-morning on the day itself would be sufficient. Nope — the word has gotten out, and pastry chef extraordinaire Bryant Stuckey’s treats are now in high demand!
The Luv Bugs had made my AnnArbor.com listing of 5 Fabulous Favorite Foods Found in Ann Arbor as well as my Food Floozie 10 for ’10 top ten list for the past year. They’re sorta glorified and sophisticated Twinkie-like goodies, cakes with filling and frosting and adorable little faces. Alas, we will have to wait until next year … 
But he also came back with two other treats, consolation prizes to relish instead of the Luv Bugs — the gorgeous fruit tart above and one featuring caramelized pears.
The berries on the tart were so plump and so juicy that one could almost feel transported to summer when eating them. The colors were deep and intense, as were the flavors. And the pastry cream supporting them was truly a perfect complement — thick, creamy and not so sweet that it competed with the stars of the show.
And then there was the crust, which was flaky and crumbly without shattering when broken either by a fork (if one is civilized) or by teeth (when one is so zealous that she picks up the tart to simply eliminate any barriers between her and her beloved!). It held its shape and supported the filling just as it should without making a mess. This excellent crust also made an appearance in the pear tart, which — believe it or not — even surpassed the fruit one … who could have thought it possible?
The pears were perfectly cooked, just barely resistant to the bite, not mushy and not crisp. Pears, of course, have perhaps a 10-minute window in which they are neither hard as rocks nor slimy goo. To work within that brief time span and also poach them to an ideal consistency without overcooking them requires skill.
There was not a heavy, thick caramel layer in this tart, but rather a hint of sweetness to enhance the subtly flavored pears. And the buttery crust which wonderfully supported the fruit and pastry cream in our other lovely dessert also served the pears ideally.
So, whether you’re looking for breakfast, for a treat to go with coffee, or simply an indulgence, I assure you that Decadent Delight will satisfy any whim.
416 West Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-761-8740
info@decadentdelight.com
“floo·zie \ˈflü-zē\: a usually young woman of loose morals.” Thus a Food Floozie is not a woman who can be seduced by virtually any man, but rather a woman who can be seduced by virtually any food (other than sushi).
For more blathering about recipes, restaurants, beverages, ingredients, and anything else even tangentially related to food, please come visit me Monday through Friday at Food Floozie or check out my mostly-regular Tuesday posts on AnnArbor.com.
Posted in Dessert, Shopping | 
Tags: Decadent Delight, Dessert, food, fruit, pastry, tart | 
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King Cake
Last weekend, a friend of mine and I decided to make a King Cake (sometimes called “King’s Cake”). Even though it’s called King CAKE, the recipe is essentially a rich, egg-y and buttery brioche bread, with icing. This was the first time either of us had made a King Cake, and neither of us had much experience baking any kind of bread recipe, but it turned out quite delicious.
King Cakes are generally served either on Epiphany (Twelfth Night) or Mardi Gras, or both. But you might also find King Cake at any get-together during the entire Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras. This year, the late timing of Easter and Lent means that the Carnival season between Epiphany and Mardi Gras is particularly long — more King Cake for everyone!
The King Cake takes its name from the three kings who brought gifts to Jesus. Usually a plastic baby (or bean or dime) is hidden inside the dough prior to baking, and the person who gets the slice with the baby is supposed to make the next King Cake or throw the next party. I’ve also heard that getting that slice brings good luck for a year, and sometimes the person who finds it wins a party favor or prize. The colors on the cake are the highly recognizable and festive colors of Mardi Gras – purple (for Justice), green (for Faith), and gold (symbolizing Power).
Many recipes you might find for King Cake call for a filled cake, usually with a cinnamon sugar filling rolled into the dough. The recipe my friend and I used came from the Junior League of Lafayette, LA, “Talk About Good II” cookbook, and it does not call for filling. Here is the recipe we used, with a few changes based on our experience.
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 stick butter cut into slices and softened, plus 2 tablespoons more softened butter
1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 dried bean (or you can use a plastic baby, found in party favor supply or cake decorating stores, such as Party City)
Plus frosting and sugars, see below.
Directions
Pour the warm water into a small shallow bowl, and sprinkle the yeast into it. Stir gently to mix. Set bowl in a warm place for ten minutes, or until yeast bubbles up and mixture almost doubles in volume.
Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in lemon zest.
Make a well in the center and pour into it the yeast mixture and milk. Add eggs and egg yolks, and with a wooden spoon gradually combine dry ingredients into the liquid ones.
When mixture is combined, switch to an electric mixer or food processor. (We used a Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook.) Beat in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat 2 minutes, or until dough forms a ball.
Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Incorporate up to one more cup of flour if necessary. Knead until smooth and elastic – approximately 10 minutes.
Brush the inside of a large bowl with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Set dough in bowl and turn it so as to butter entire surface. (At this point, you can refrigerate dough overnight, but we didn’t do that.)
Cover bowl and set aside for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Brush a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon butter. Punch dough down on lightly floured surface. Knead.
(Note: you can divide the dough in half to make two “skinnier” cakes. We kept the dough in one batch and made one gigantic cake, but we decided we would make two the next time.)
Pat and shape the dough into a cylinder about 14 inches long. Place on baking sheet and form into rings. Press baby or bean or dime into the dough so that it is hidden. Set aside to rise for approximately 45 more minutes. (In our trial, the dough didn’t rise very much during this second rising, but rose a LOT in the oven.)
When ready to bake, brush the top and sides of the rings with the egg-milk mixture. Be generous to get a nice golden crust!
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. (In our trial, 25 minutes was enough time, and we decided that if we had made two smaller cakes, the required baking time would have been even less. In other words, keep an eye on it.) Remove from oven and slide onto wire rack to cool.
Icing
Prepare the icing after the cake has cooled, and right before you are ready to frost. Once you pour the icing on, you have to work quickly to sprinkle with the sugars. They won’t stick if the icing has set up at all.
Ingredients
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 – 6 tablespoons water
Colored sugars: Purple, Green, Gold/Yellow. These are available in specialty stores or online. You want to find very bold, deep colors – not pastel.
Combine the confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of water in a deep bowl and stir until mixture is smooth. If too stiff to pour, beat in more water, a few drops at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Pour the icing over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides.
Sprinkle the colored sugars over the icing immediately, forming rows of purple, yellow, and green stripes, each about 2 inches wide.
(We made extra icing by adding a little more sugar and then a little more water. Particularly if you are doing two cakes, you might want more icing than this recipe makes. It depends on how thick you like the icing.)
Enjoy with coffee, mimosas – and definitely with friends!
Foodnuts in Flanders
Last spring we traveled to Europe and went on a river cruise on the Rhine and Mosel Rivers. We started in Basal, Switzerland, and ended in Bruges, Belgium. We thought we’d share some of our food experiences from that trip, in no particular order. So, for our first post, we will showcase a dinner in Bruges. Belgians love to eat good food and there are places all over that serve spectacular food. It has been said that Belgium serves food of French quality in German quantities. Diners can expect high standards of ingredients and preparation but with a lack of pretentiousness of presentation. A number of traditional Belgian dishes use beer as an ingredient. For a rather small country, Belgium produces a huge number of beers in a wide range of different styles. It has more distinct types of beer than anywhere else in the world. You can drink different beers depending on whether you’re having fish/seafood, white meat/chicken, dark meat or dessert, much like you would choose different wines to complement a meal.
For our dinner in Bruges we ordered a typical Belgian dish, Flemish beef stew. Flemish beef stew is very similar to French boeuf bourguignon but uses beer instead of wine. The beer is representative of the region so the stew we had in Bruges was made with a dark beer from that area. Since there are so many different regional beers in Belgium, if you were to have Flemish beef stew in another area it would be prepared with that area’s typical beer and taste different from the one we had in Bruges. The restaurant is La Dentelliére. Their website is http://www.ladentelliere.be
Here is a picture of our dinner of Flemish beef stew.
Some diners had mussels.
And don’t forget dessert.
Here is a picture of typical Belgian waffles. They’re HUGE! No syrup. It’s whipped cream on top along with fruit or chocolate.
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Loaf!
Posted in Blogging, Dessert, Dishes, Foodies, Fun Stuff, Gluten-free, Holidays, Recipes | Tags: cooking-free, gingerbread, gluten-free recipes, Victoria Murdoch | 2 Comments »