Beginning and End of a Great Meal

We had family over for dinner on Saturday and I made homemade bruschetta for an appetizer. It's quick and easy and it was very tasty, if I say so myself.  Summer tomatoes are the best to use if making this dish, they are rich in flavor, juicy, and the color they get from the summer sun is beautiful.  I made this bruschetta with campari tomatoes, they always taste like a summer tomato, no matter what time of year it is. The recipe is below so start chopping!

1/2 chopped sweet onion - such as vidalia, 5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small box of campari tomatoes, quartered then chopped

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp balamic vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

1 baguette, sliced to top with bruschetta.  Can you say yummy!

I Scream You Scream We All Scream For Ice Cream!

I also made Raspberry Ice Cream for dessert. Get out all your ingredients, whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and frozen raspberries.  You also need an ice cream maker.  Recipe is below.

Pulse frozen raspberries in a food processor or blender

They will look like little beads when you are done

Beat eggs and 1/3 cup of sugar until a thick stream drips from beaters

Milk, cream and 1 cup of sugar in a heavy saucepan

Combined milk and raspberry mixture

Pour into a bowl

Cover the very top of it with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or more

Pour into frozen barrel of ice cream maker and churn

Pour into a container with a lid and freeze for about 8 hours or overnight. Oh baby this stuff is soooo good! Rich, creamy and tasty and full of raspberry flavor.

RASPBERRY ICE CREAM

6 cups of frozen red raspberries

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1.  Place the 6 cups of berries in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until raspberries are like little tiny beads.

2. Combine cream, milk, vanilla, 1 cup of sugar and the salt in a heavy sauce pan. Heat on medium, until almost boiling, then remove from burner.  Bubbles will form around the sides of the pan and it will be steamy.

3. In a separate bowl use a hand mixer to beat the eggs and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until a thick stream drips from the beaters.

4. Pour 1 cup of the warm milk into a bowl and slowly drizzle in the egg mixture.  DO NOT pour all of it in the milk.  The eggs have to be tempered with the warm milk, otherwise you will have scrambled eggs.  Then, add the rest fo the milk mixture and stir.  Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the clean pot and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about ten minutes,  while stirring constantly.

5. Take the mixture off the heat and stir in the raspberries.

6. Pour mixture in a large bowl and put in the fridge with plastic wrap placed directly on the top.  Chill for 3 hours or more.  Pour mixture in the frozen barrel of an ice cream maker, it takes about 20 - 25 minutes to churn it.  When done scoop out of barrel, put it in a container and freeze for 8 hours or until firm.

NOTE:  This recipe will have to be made in 2 batches depending on your ice cream maker. To check to see if ice cream is done churning, it should be thick and churning over the top of the blender part of the ice cream maker.