Mozzarella Ice Cream with Tomato Jam and Candied Basil #FWCon #WiswconsinCheese

Mozzarella Ice Cream with Tomato Jam and Candied Basil #FWCon #WiswconsinCheese

Yikes! Has it really been two weeks since my last post? Where has the time gone? In all honesty, I have been pretty busy with my daughter finishing up her school year and I was eating a lot of heat and serve dinners Mrs. Stuntman purchased from Costco. There's nothing wrong with them, but they're not appropriate to publish here.

In addition, my summer schedule significantly changed a couple of weeks ago when Mrs. Stuntman and I agreed that I would make a return trip to the Food and Wine Conference next month. I have very fond memories from last year's conference because I was able to connect in person with so many people I had been speaking to online and because I won a recipe contest with a filet mignon dish.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

Speaking of recipe contests, Wisconsin Cheese has sponsored one for the 2015 Food and Wine Conference and this is my entry. The rules stated that each entrant develop an original, easy summer recipe, so per (what has become) my standard operating procedure, I consulted my copy of The Flavor Bible which suggested pairings with wine, bread, and fruit. I had originally planned to prepare either a crostini or bruschetta, however one evening I was replicating the caprese pasta dish I published last autumn and thought that the flavors of mozzarella, tomato and basil might work here, but I knew that a plate of sliced tomato, mozzarella and basil drizzled with some balsamic would be insufficient. I had always been intrigued by dessert menus at fine dining establishments that feature cheese plates, so it occurred to me concept of a caprese salad could be converted into a dessert.

Dish Details

For each component of this dish, I studied several versions I found from a google search and used similarities between them to develop these original recipes. I believe this dish could be featured on any fine dining dessert menu. One of the requirements was to use cheese produced from cow's milk from a Wisconsin cheese producer so I ensured I used mozzarella from one of these companies.

Ingredients

For the tomato jam:
2 pounds Roma Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Juice from 3 limes (approximately 1/2 cup)
1 pinch kosher salt
1 cup sugar

For the ice cream:
8 ounces mozzarella, coarsely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks

For the basil:
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 egg white
1/2 cup sugar

Method

1. Prepare the jam. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir occasionally until the jam is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Prepare the ice cream. Put the mozzarella cream and milk in a blender and blend until the cheese has broken into bits. Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a separate bowl and beat, then set aside. Combine the dairy mixture with the sugar into a medium saucepan over low heat to warm. Slowly raise the heat. Once the mixture reaches approximately 100° Fahrenheit and pour approximately 1/2 cup of the dairy into the eggs to temper them. Pour the egg yolks and cream back into the dairy and stir. Continue to slowly raise the heat and stir until the mixture reaches 175° Fahrenheit, then remove from heat and transfer the custard to a medium bowl and place in an ice bath to cool, then refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours. Transfer the custard to your ice cream machine, then churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

3. Candy the basil. Place the egg white in a bowl and then the sugar on a small plate. Dip a basil leaf into the egg white and shake off any excess, then dredge the leaf in the sugar on both sides, then place on a parchment-lined sheet pan to dry, approximately 10 to 12 hours. To plate, spoon some jam on a cold plate, top with a scoop of ice cream and garnish with candied basil leaves.

Final Thoughts

The 2015 Food and Wine Conference will be held July 17 through 19 at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida and will connect bloggers with small business owners, winemakers, chefs, public relations professionals, traditional media, new media, authors and brands. Topics of discussion will range from search engine optimization, marketing and promotion on social media, and effective writing to publishing a cookbook, working with public relations agencies and food photography. I invite you to attend and recommend you use the promotion code available from any of the 33 brand ambassadors to receive a $50 discount off of a conference ticket. Even if you are not attending, I encourage you to stay updated by following the #FWCon hashtag and by giving the Food and Wine Conference facebook page a 'Like', adding the G+ page to your circles, and following the twitter and pinterest pages. Furthermore, please 'Like' Wisconsin Cheese on facebook and follow them on twitter, pinterest and Instagram.

Deconstructed Pollo di Parmigiana

Deconstructed Pollo di Parmigiana

Recently, I was made aware of a recipe contest sponsored by Dei Fratelli Tomato Products to celebrate National Tomato Month which was in October. Dei Fratelli called it a Ripened Recipe Contest. In the interest of full disclosure, ingredients were provided for recipe development. No further compensation was given. All opinions, text, and photos are my own.

When I agreed to this, I was hoping I would be sent some canned tomatoes that had not gone through extensive processing. If you have read my website for any length of time, you'll note I prefer to prepare my dishes completely from scratch. Thus, I felt uncomfortable using a jarred marinara sauce but I can't fault an ingredient list of crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, sea salt, onions, extra-virgin olive oil, oregano, basil, citric acid, spices and garlic.

Let's discuss the dish itself for a moment. I became enamored with chicken parmesan while I was on vacation in the Philippines visiting Mrs. Stuntman's family when I was still courting her. I remember placing my room service order for it on more than one occasion which provided inspiration when I replicated the dish on my first website using Pam's recipe found on For the Love of Cooking. The classic preparation for this dish is to pound a boneless skinless chicken breast to an even thickness, bread it, deep fry it, then top it with Marinara, mozzarella and parmesan in that order before putting it in the oven to melt the cheese.

I decided to divide the parts, leaving the bread whole and separate the Marinara from the chicken. I didn't have to do much with a pre-made Marinara but I did fortify the flavor by sweating an onion before simmering it.

The Challenge

Be declared the grand prize winner of the Ripened Recipe Contest sponsored by Dei Fratelli Tomato Products

The Source

This dish is a Crazy Foodie Stunts original recipe.

Ingredients

4 slices sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 thinly-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 24-ounce jar Dei Fratelli Marinara Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
All-purpose flour
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Method

1. Finish the mise en place. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Place the sourdough slices on a aluminum foil lined sheet pan. Spread an even amount of butter on each of the slices, then top with some parmesan and mozzarella before setting aside. Separately, pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season them with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the Marinara. Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion to sweat, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

Add in the Marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Maintain the simmer while the chicken and toast are prepared.

3. Sear the chicken and toast the sourdough. In a separate skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to smoke, quickly dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess, then add it to the pan. Brown the chicken, approximately 3 to 5 minutes per side.

While the chicken cooks, toast the sourdough in the oven until the cheese has melted, approximately 7 minutes. To plate, spoon some Marinara onto a plate and top with a slice of toast then chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Successful?

Like the filet dish I prepared for Food & Wine Conference several months ago, I'm unsure if I'm successful at the time I have published this. The dish was well seasoned and reminded me of the classic preparation of this dish since the original flavor profile was still present. Wish me luck!

Light Stunt: Penne alla Caprese en Crudo

Penne alla Caprese en Crudo

Hello from metro Seattle!

The #WeekdaySupper dish I published a couple of weeks ago was technically done so as a Washington resident, however it was prepared while I was still in California. This dish has the distinction of being the first dish prepared for publication in my new residence.

The dish itself? Pretty simple to prepare which is the reason why it qualifies as a Light Stunt. You can complete your prep work as you wait for your water to boil. The sauce, in this case is raw (i.e. en crudo), taking advantage of fresh tomatoes with their season just ending.

There is also a bit of Murphy's Law at work here because I was just finding a comfort zone with my pictures while I was a California resident, but that has been upset since I moved to Washington, so I am using this dish to experiment with my food pictures.

The Challenge

Find the optimum environment to photograph my dishes.

The Source

Taken from page 54 of Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali.

Ingredients

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more for seasoning the pasta water
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a chef's knife
1 pound penne pasta
10 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
1/2 pound bocconcini, halved

Method

1. Season and marinate the tomatoes. Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper in a large bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice while you cook the pasta.

2. Cook the pasta and finish the dish. While the tomatoes marinate, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook until al dente (I recommend one-third less than the box instructions. For example, 6 to 7 minutes if the box instructs 9 minutes). Once the 30 minutes have expired, remove the garlic. Drain the pasta once cooked and add to the tomatoes along with the bocconcini. Toss, then garnish with basil and serve in warmed bowls.

Successful?

I'll confess that this was the second time I prepared this dish within a week. I over-seasoned the pasta water the first time so I prepared it again. I also substituted mozzarella sticks for the bocconcini simply because I couldn't source it. From a photography standpoint, I'm still working on a best time and place to take pictures of my food.