Fall Flavor of the Week: Caramel Coconut Pie

 

   So, the leaves haven't deepened to their rustic hues and the temperature still has not dipped to those crisper, I-love-this-weather-so-all-my-windows-are-open-kind-of-days yet. But here at Shireshack, we like to think it has, and Fall it gloriously lingering just over the hills.
   When this season annually arrives, an array of desserts appears that we just don't see in any other part of the year. What I anticipate so eagerly are the pies. OH, the Pies! And the Thighs!
   Pies can be done so many different ways, and are truly inspiring. I am a firm believer in the nostalgic and believe we, as humans, are always trying to return to our childhoods. So, I use things from my earlier years, things that brought me joy and fond memories at the table with my family, as inspiration for my ice creams.
   My mother used to make this ice cream pie for my brother's birthdays; it was his favorite. We were not versed in the art of ice cream making then, so she simply used store-bought vanilla ice cream, let it soften, mixed it with cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk; topped it with coconut and caramel. It was a pie. It was childhood. It was ridiculous. It was good.
   Thus, with the colloquialism of the Shirey Brothers, we resurrected a childhood favorite, and froze it; and Caramel Coconut Pie ice cream was born.

Caramel Coconut Pie - perfectly toasted coconut ice cream ribboned with caramel and cinnamon-graham cracker crust and studded with fudge covered pecans

   I recently purchased a book. A magical book. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Slap me on the butt and call me, Charlie! Jeni knows what she's doing. And what she's doing is right.
   So, Jeni does not use eggs in her ice cream like I do. At first I eyed her with skepticism. But that quickly changed when I began to read about why she did what she did, and completely shattered when I tried her method for myself.
   Jeni uses science to make her ice cream perfect. And perfect it is (though I haven't exactly tried it yet, only tried her method). By brother in NYC has tried the real thing, and said it was fantastic. See, in NYC they have all the latest trends. Here in Tuscaloosa we have last year's trends.
   So, this new method uses milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, cream cheese, and corn starch. Jeni had my same views of Today's ice creams being too sweet, so she reduces the sugar amount. The corn syrup is a way to sweeten the ice cream with less sugary strength. I thought the cream cheese was crazy because it would give the ice cream a cheesecake flavor. But the amount is minimal, and instead it acts as a major emulsifier. The hero is the cornstarch. Corn starch acts as a water shepherd. When it is added it forces any stray water in the mixture to bind with itself, and therefore eliminates all chances for that water to turn into icy particles. How neat is that?
   That's pretty neat.


 

   The process began by toasting coconut in the oven until it golden tipped and its fragrant aroma filled my apartment. That's the best air freshener. I then steeped the coconut into the hot milk and cream for thirty minutes. This allowed the milk to wick out the flavor of the toasted coconut, leaving me with a slightly tan, coconut milk-cream. I could have stopped there and I know everyone would have still been satisfied with the taste.
   But I didn't.
   I strained most of the coconut out before I put it into the ice cream maker. I wasn't successful in straining all of it out, but I thought that the sparsely populated strands would be little flavorful presents for those lucky enough to find them in their pint.
   My new experimental way of making the ice cream turned out far better than I ever expected. If Jeni uses it in her ice creams, then I knew it was good enough for me. The texture and consistency was perfect, better than any store-bought or scoop shop ice cream I've had. It was creamy and smooth and no trace of ice could be found.

   It seems as though I have finally got my foot on my arch-nemesis, Isie. But that does not mean I will let up. I must press on to other flavors, unknown, and untested. Happy Eating and Happy Fall.

 
-Reese O'Shirey, Esquire

Fall Flavor of the Week: Beenut Butter Crunch

   In anxious anticipation for the leaves to fade to golds and reds and browns and fall from their canopy homes to garnish the lawns and sidewalks, which we traverse to class everyday, I have decided to pay tribute to my favorite season with flavors that evoke such feelings and responses as the cool, crisp weather and rustic colors so do.

   This week I created an ice cream inspired by a pie, which I saw in a magazine. When I saw the recipe, my mouth watered; and I then knew that I had to recapture that flavor in frozen form. And thus, Beenut Butter Crunch was contrived.

Beenut Butter Crunch - smooth, creamy peanut butter ice cream swirled with fudge and studded with crunchy honey comb

   As I have stated many times before, Peanut Butter ice cream is my ultimate favorite--it's what I fill out in response to those 'Last Meal On Earth' questions. However, until I made my own, I was left in a depressing state of want for better peanut butter flavor in my ice creams. I found none that captured that potent, salty flavor I so desired--the potency which gives you that burn in your throat as you eat it (ask any Shirey about that peanut butter burn and they'll tell you all about it). And that is what, in turn, lead me to begin creating my own peanut butter flavors.
   Unlike most ice cream duds, I add salt to my peanut butter base, otherwise it loses that real peanut flavor (that 'burn'). This creates a whole new experience with my ice creams; reduce the sugar, and increase the ingredients that matter, the ones that get at the realness of what flavor recreation is all about.

   I homemake everything that I possibly can. So, naturally, I had to create my own fudge sauce recipe. I wanted it to be thick, pungent, and fudge-y, not a basic chocolate sauce. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar, which I thought captured a completely different flavor base; cocoa; corn syrup; heavy cream; and a...pinch of salt...Oh?! After this melted together, I added butter and quality bitter-sweet chocolate, not that cheap waxy stuff. In contrast with most other recipes I've seen, I refused to add vanilla to my fudge sauce. What's with this ceremonial addition of vanilla in everything? What does it do? I don't add vanilla in anything that isn't supposed to be vanilla flavored. I was rewarded with a thick, dark, fudge that had a bitter-sweet flavor. Just what I wanted.
 
   What I was most looking forward to was the honey comb. I did not buy real honey comb, though that would have been really cool, and I highly doubt that honey comb can be found anywhere in Tuscaloosa. "What's Honey Comb?" I can hear them say. Well, you might find it at Homegrown Alabama on Thursday nights. Regardless, I made my own. Yeah, I did. I can't? I did.
   After looking over the recipe, I realized it was identical to making a 'brittle'. Sugar, corn syrup, honey, and baking soda. Boom. Boil it, let it expand (when the baking soda is added it gets feisty), pour it out, and let it harden.
   I am going to show you something. But don't jump out of your seat. You might think it's weird/frightening/alive, or like something the Ghostbusters would tackle down in a sewer somewhere.

 

   It was actually rather good. In fact, it was the key element to this ice cream being labeled as "better than my Salted Caramel" by 90% of those who had both. I was worried about making another flavor in the shadow of such a huge hit with Salted Caramel, but apparently I "knocked it out of the park" as they say.

"It was a smashing hit with the ladies" - Phil Deaton

"This is unbelievable. Is this real?" - Jake Reynolds

"Reese, I believe you have outdone Salted Caramel" - Joe Ziegler

  The proof is in the magic. And the magic is in the ice cream.

   The flavors worked exceptionally well with each other, all three highlighting their own uniqueness, but also accenting on the strengths and tastes of the others. The salty-sweetness of the peanut butter matched well with the fudge, obviously (peanut butter and chocolate is the best combination since Earth and Oxygen), but it went perfectly with the sweet, sweet honey comb. After eating the ice cream, Joe Ziegler pondered about what he was tasting that was so unique in the pint. I let him try some leftover honey comb, and he immediately said it was the X-Factor. It was super crunchy, like brittle, and added huge, unique flavor to the creamy peanut butter base.

  I am most assuredly going to make this flavor again, though not sure when. It will definitely be set in the Flavor Bank for future Scoop Shop usage.

  Thanks to all those who tried it, and thank you for your helpful, generous, praising comments about my ice cream. I love to share my creations with you, and I look forward, with eager anticipation, to next week's flavor. Until then,

Reese O'Shirey, Esquire