Ben & Jerry's Bonnaroo Buzz

New Flavor over at Ben & Jerry's: Bonnaroo Buzz.

FAIR TRADE COFFEE ROCKS!
The chunkiest ice cream in the world is now caffeinated with fair trade ingredients -- coffee harvested at Fair Trade farms Huatusco co-op in Mexico. Coffee ice cream, mixed with malt ice cream, whiskey and English toffee, jams each pint with the fun buzz of the world famous Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Ben & Jerry's works to make the best possible ice cream in the best way possible.

Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie: National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day

Today is National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day.  Rocky Road ice cream was 'invented' in Oakland,  CA, which makes it pretty special to me, since I live in the Oakland/Berkeley area. One story goes that the Rocky Road ice cream flavor was created in March 1929 by William Dreyer in Oakland, CA. He cut up walnuts and marshmallows with his wife's sewing scissors and added them to his chocolate ice cream that reflected his partner Joseph Edy's chocolate candy that used walnuts and marshmallow pieces. Later the walnuts were replaced by toasted almonds. Fenton's Creamery in Oakland claims that William Dreyer based his recipe on a Rocky-Road style ice cream flavor invented by his friend, Fentons' George Farren, who blended his own Rocky Road-style candy bar into ice cream. I still love going to Fenton's Creamery. It's an old fashioned ice-cream parlor. So however it came into existence, be sure and have a scoop of Rocky Road Ice Cream today... or make a Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie! Here's an easy recipe.

ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM PIE

Ingredients
2 cups vanilla fudge swirl ice cream, softened
2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
2/3 cup miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped and divided
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (or lightly salted peanuts)
*Chocolate Pie Crust (see recipe below) Prepare first**

Directions
1. In large bowl stir together ice cream, marshmallows, 1/2 cup chopped chocolate and toasted almonds or peanuts. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chopped chocolate.
2. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours or until firm.
3. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting.

*Chocolate Pie Crust (good for lots of pies)
2 cups chocolate wafers (in a pinch use Oreos)
6 tbsp butter
Melt the butter.
Put the chocolate wafers in a plastic bag. Close bag and crush with spoon or rolling pin until you have tiny pea-sized chocolate bits.
Combine melted butter with chocolate bits.
Press ingredients into 9-inch buttered pie pan. Be sure and go up the sides.
Bake 10 minutes at 325°F.
Cool completely before adding ice-cream.

Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cake: National Hazelnut Cake Day

Some times you feel like a nut! Well today's the day. It's Hazelnut Cake Day, so it's time to get a bit nutty. Did you know that a hazelnut is also known as a cob nut or filbert nut according to species? O.K. I don't know from cobs, but I do know about filberts. A filbert is a little more elongated. I've always thought that hazel nuts reminded me of acorns, and I know you can't eat acorns, or at least we don't. Let the squirrels have them. But hazelnuts are fabulous, and they add texture and taste to many dishes and cakes.

I'm always looking for a gluten free cakes, and the following two cakes fit the bill. Ground nuts or nut flour give these cakes a bit of texture and a lot of taste. Well, since today is National Hazelnut  Cake Day, I thought I'd add chocolate and celebrate the day with not one but two easy recipes. Both cakes are dense and decadent.

The first Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cake recipe is adapted from Jill Wilcox (appeared in the Toronto Sun), who adapted the original recipe from Gourmet Magazine. Flourless chocolate cake is my go to recipe (I've posted recipes HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE), and you'll love the additional hazelnut flavor. Want to make it even more delicious. Splash some Fra Angelico in the sweentened whipped cream topping before serving!

I. Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup sweet butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1/3 cup finely roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
sweetened whipped cream
Fra Angelico

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2. Place the chocolate in a double boiler along with the butter. Stir until the butter and chocolate is melted and smooth.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until smooth.
5. Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
6. Fold in the hazelnuts
7. Spoon into the pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the top has formed a crust
8. Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate.
9. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream that has been flavored with a spoonful of Fra Angelico

If one recipe is good, two are even better. Here's another recipe for Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cake-- this time the Fra Angelico is in the batter! Adapted from Bon Appetit!

II. Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup hazelnut liqueur such as Frangelico, divided
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, at least 60 per cent cacao--75% is even better!
3/4 cup sweet butter, cut into chunks
1 cup finely ground hazelnuts (aka filberts)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup chilled whipping cream

Chopped toasted hazelnuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 9-inch springform pan, line bottom with parchment paper and wrap outside with three layers of heavy foil.
2. Whisk eggs, brown sugar and 1/4 cup liqueur in large bowl to blend.
3. Combine chocolate and butter in metal bowl over simmering water. Whisk until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4. Add to egg mixture and whisk. Add ground nuts and salt.
5. Transfer batter to pan. Place in large roasting pan (water bath) and pour in enough hot water to reach halfway up side of springform pan. Tent loosely with foil. Bake until center is set and top is dry to touch, about 1-1/2 hours.
6. Remove from pan; remove foil. Cool cake in pan on rack. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight, covered.
7. Using electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1/4 cup liqueur until soft peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes.
8. Run knife around pan to loosen, release and cut into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

Almond & Macaroon Museum: National Macaroon Day

May 31 is National Macaroon Day.  I did a post on Chocolate Museums the other day for National Museum Day, I forgot to mention the Almond & Macaroon Museum  in Montmorillon, France. This museum pays homage to the generations of craftsmen who built the reputation of Montmorillon, Cité of Macaroons.  The Museum reveals the history of the macaroon, from the culture of the almond tree (and the multiple uses of almonds), to the arrival of the macaroon in France.

There are informative panels, interactive terminals, and machines and old instruments used in the kitchen. At the end of the exhibition, a film summarizes the broad outlines of the visit, and dwells on the arrival of the Macaroon of Montmorillon, and on the creation of Rannou-Métivier House. The visit culminates in the opportunity for tasting in the Winter Garden of the museum.

The Macaron (French spelling) or Macaroon (English spelling) 1) is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. 2)It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

Macaroons can be Italian merinque cookies such as amaretti or fancy and colorful French sandwich cookies filled with ganache or jam, according to The Nibble. Their common ingredient is almonds, though the nut may take the form of ground almonds, almond paste, or almond liquor. Although they originated in Italy, France is the country that has an Almond and Macaroon Museum – Musee de l’Amande et du Macaron – in Montmorillon. Spain makes its own version with hazelnuts; India uses cashews.

There are many stories about the origin of the macaroon. There's one that says they were created and served at the wedding of Catherine de Medici. Another story is that they were created by monks in France in the 18th century. The term "macaron" has the same origin as the word 'macaroni' meaning fine dough, so maybe we should have macaroni to celebrate National Macaroon Day. In any case, the first macaroons were simple cookies made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites. At the beginning of the 20th century, marcaroons went 'double-decker' with wonderful chocolate panache to stick them together. Certainly the sandwich concept for macarons was created in France by Pierre Herme, the Picasso of Pastry.   

Here are links to three CHOCOLATE MACAROON RECIPES:

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS
  
CHOCOLATE FRENCH MACARONS

CHOCOLATE CHIP MACAROONS