Alphabet Soup

Chocolate.  Ganache.  Ice.  Cream.  I'll just get right down to business.  This stuff is amazing!! Katrina of Baking and Boys! chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.  She has my wholehearted gratitude.  ;)  Chocolate ice cream is probably my favorite when it comes down to it.  Or really good chocolate ice cream, that is.  This particular recipe starts out by making ganache, which is a French term for a smooth mixture of chopped chocolate and heavy cream.  I have to confess, I'd never actually made ganache before trying this recipe.  I can say, it's super easy!  You put your chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate).  Next you bring some heavy cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate.  After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, you start stirring and are rewarded with a beautiful, glossy, bowl of chocolate bliss.  Not that I stuck my {clean} finger in...

Happy Belated Fourth of July everyone!! Christi and her family came over yesterday, and I decided to celebrate the occasion by baking... a lot! :) She had requested homemade ice cream. I was happy to oblige that request! I tried a new recipe, which can be a scary thing when you're having company over, but this one is definitely a keeper! A friend had shared this online article about ice cream with me, and I chose to try the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe. It has some ingredients in it that I would never have thought of in ice cream - namely cream cheese and cornstarch! But they worked. With great results! If you've never made vanilla bean ice cream, you should definitely give it a try at least once - you won't be disappointed! And I can highly recommend this recipe. It is simple and easy to follow. I should also add that the size of the recipe is made for a smaller electric ice cream freezer, like the one I have . If you have a larger one, you may have to play around with d...