Peanut Butter Gelato


It's summer, so time to break out the ice cream maker! Since it was a friend's birthday, I decided to inaugurate the season with a classic devil's food cake layered with peanut butter frosting and covered in a chocolate gaze. Not rich enough for you? How about a scoop of peanut butter gelato on the side? Said friend loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so I tried to create the ultimate "your chocolate fell into my peanut butter, your peanut butter got on my chocolate" moment.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Gelato
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup sugar

In a heavy saucepan, combine the heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the vanilla and the peanut butter. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until the peanut butter melts and the mixture begins to steam. Meanwhile, in a small yellow bowl, combine the other 1/2 cup of milk with the sugar and cornstarch, stir until smooth.

Once the peanut butter milk mixture begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir over heat until it has thickened--about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the peanut butter mixture to a heat proof container, let cool and continue to stir. Once it is cool enough, cover with plastic wrap (with the plastic wrap touching the top of the mixture) and place in the refrigerator to chill, preferable overnight.

You can skip this step, but if you want the smoothest gelato possible, pass the mixture through a fine, mesh sieve once it is completely chilled, but before you freeze it. Then, process in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers directions.

Recipe: Chinese Quinoa Salad

Recipe: Chinese Quinoa Salad
Yes, I am jumping continents and countries to pull together these flavors, but the end result is fantastic. If you haven't tried quinoa before, this is the place to start. It's the superfood grain of the Incas and is a perfect protein. But does it taste good? Um, yes. It has a nutty flavor and a great texture, a brilliant alternative to rice or other grains. Mixed with some roasted veggies and a delicious Chinese-inspired peanut vinaigrette and you have a great light supper or lunches ready for a several days.

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup rice-wine vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vegetarian fish sauce
freshly ground tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the salad:
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
5 carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
Spray olive oil
Salt
1 cup quinoa (I used red quinoa)
4 green onions, cut into 1/4-inch slices
8 oz. Baked tofu, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/3 cup of slivered almonds

To make the vinaigrette:
In a blender, combine the ingredients from the unsalted peanuts to the crushed red pepper. Process until the peanuts are pureed into the liquid, although you may have a few little bits of nuts left which is fine. Add the canola oil and the sesame oil, process until combined. Set aside.

To roast the veggies:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On cookie sheet lined with foil, arrange the carrots and broccoli on separate sides. Spray both with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt. Toss with your hands to combine and ensure they are coated with the oil. Roast for about 20 minutes and check the texture. The carrots may take a few minutes more than the broccoli, so you may need to removed it from the pan.

Cook the quinoa according the package direction.

To assemble the salad:
In a big yellow bowl, combine the quinoa with the veggies, tofu, green onion and almonds. Toss to combine. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, add freshly ground pepper and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper. This salad can be served at room temperature or you could warm it in the oven.

Jesus & Peanuts

When I was growing up we attended Plainview Baptist Church in Tulsa, OK and it was my entire life, the center of my world, from birth until ninth or tenth grade. I had friends I made in the crib as a babe (A couple I still have, including Heather at Stelliform.) and started every Sunday morning with a hug from my Mam-ma. She lived across the street from the church and when she arrived, the first thing she would do was come and find me to say hello.

Other PBC memories:

  • Krissy Hillis accidentally hit me over the head with her purse while playing tag before Sunday night church. It probably wouldn't have been a problem, but she had stuffed a giant bottle of perfume into it--which broke. Over my head. Childhood concussion number two.
  • The old sanctuary had red carpet in it, which my Mam-ma had picked out as red was always her first choice for anything.
  • Singing 'Do Your Ear's Hang Low' way too many times.
  • I was a part of the puppet ministry and we would take our puppet show to other churches and perform for kids. We made our own puppets in the spirit of "red and yellow, black and white," which isn't very PC today I guess, and I made a Black girl puppet. She was fabulous and not some stereotypical bush woman or something, but a true Black girl of the late 70s with a cool t-shirt and braids with tons of beads on the ends. When she shook it, you knew it.
  • I went on a ministry trip that involved taking a dilapidated school bus from Oklahoma to Florida in the middle of summer with two nursing mothers on board. Luckily, I got dropped at my aunt's in the panhandle on the way back and then got to fly home.
  • Mr. Peanut had something to do with Jesus.

That's right. Somehow at our church Mr. Peanut was related to the Bible and story of Jesus. Kids didn't go to regular church then, we had our own special service complete with snacks, felt story boards, kid-friendly songs and occasionally a special visitor. Sometimes that visitor was Mr. Peanut. One of the men at our church worked for Planter's and I guess they thought it would be a real treat for a "celebrity" to show up at church, so he borrowed the life-sized Mr. Peanut costume, came to the kid's service and handed out little bags of peanuts like you might get on a plane. Was there a story? Did they connect peanuts and a giant monocle-wearing peanut to the message of Jesus? According to "Facts of the Bible.com," only pistachios and almonds are mentioned in the Bible. And technically, peanuts aren't a nut so I guess that doesn't really matter.

Anyway, I don't remember the connection between Mr. Peanut and the Bible. I think I was too shocked and amazed that such a famous character would be visiting my little church in Tulsa, OK. I wish I had gotten his autograph. Like Proust's madeleine, these Mr. Peanut-shaped jars at Big Lots sent me whirling down a tunnel of childhood church memories. Thanks for coming along.