Messy Cook

Why is deciding what to make for dinner so much harder than actually making it?  At our house, if you come up with the idea for dinner, it is just as good as spending an hour in the kitchen cooking the meal… well, almost.  I often turn to my husband when it comes to the age old question “what do you want for dinner?”  I have so many recipes bookmarked that I am dying to try, I find it hard to decide which one to make. 

The other day, before I even had a chance to talk to him about dinner plans, he preempts me with a request, his only request.  “I don’t care what we have for dinner as long as we have dessert.”   After several follow up questions, it turns out that his request was a little more specific.  Brownies and ice cream.  No problem, I say, and head to the computer to find a kick-ass ice cream recipe. 

We have been making homemade ice cream for a few years now.  It all started when we bought a nice ice cream maker as a gift for ourselves a few summers back.   Ever since then, we have been working our way through a Ben and Jerry’s cookbook.  Dozens of great ice creams have passed through our freezer.  While we love this cookbook, I have been itching to try some of the famed David Lebovitz’s recipes from The Perfect Scoop. 

Sitting down with a bowl of this Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream sitting atop a chewy brownie was a surreal experience.  It was so rich and creamy I could only eat one small scoop, but was completely satisfied (and for that, I consider this diet-friendly ice cream.)  The pairing of the crunchy little praline bits, the subtle saltiness, and deep caramel flavor was fantastic.  I love a chewy brownie and this one did not disappoint.  The dark brown sugar adds a faint hint caramel, so fits nicely with this ice cream.  Not to completely overshadow the brownie here, but if you opt to make just one of these recipes, it should be the ice cream.  No doubt in my mind.

I will always love my Ben and Jerry’s cookbook for introducing us to the basics of ice cream, but we have outgrown it.  This is a whole new level of ice cream that I didn’t know I could create and I am looking forward to trying many more.  Thank you David Lebovitz for opening my eyes to the hidden potential of my beloved ice cream maker.

Both recipes can be found at the links below.

Brownies:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/recipes/sup_brownies.html

Ice Cream:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/04/salted_butter_c.html