Love'n Bake News in a Nutshell

Hazelnut and chocolate PLUS ice cream.  Who needs an excuse to combine the two?  Whether in a brownie, icebox cake, Bundt cake, sandwich cookie, truffles or cheesecake, they are a perfect combination. Then add ice cream – toasted Turkish hazelnuts and a delicate egg custard with big bursts of chocolate is addicting.

To gild the lily, serve this ice cream with a wedge of chocolate cake. Or for a simple but sophisticated end to a great meal, make an affogato, ice cream “drowned” in espresso. Pour a shot of espresso coffee over a scoop of the hazelnut ice cream. Top with whipped cream before serving.

To commemorate the arrival of ice cream season, here is one of three new ice cream recipes.  Pistachio Cherry Ice Cream combines the flavors of summer fruits and pistachios.

Fruits and nuts that grow together often complement one another. That’s why cherries and pistachios seem to make a pleasant pair. And as stone fruits, they share the same botanical family, prunus. Yet another reason why the delicate cherry-almond flavor of pistachios and cherries marry well. We’ve studded the pistachio ice cream with Kirsch-soaked fresh cherries. You could also add chopped pieces of bittersweet chocolate.

This is a French-style ice cream made with eggs. First a light custard is made from egg yolks, sugar and milk cooked until delicately thickened. Then the chilled base is enriched with Love’n Bake Pistachio Paste and just enough heavy cream to make the dessert pleasantly creamy without being too rich. You’ll need an ice cream machine to make this frozen delight. (If you do not have one, try our recipe for Spumoni.)

We like to serve this ice cream right from the ice cream machine. You may also pack it into a container and store it in the freezer to eat later that day or the next.

Native berries are still a month away in many parts of the country. But pears and apples stored from the fall harvest are abundant. We’ve roasted quartered pears with butter, brown sugar and some dried lavender blossoms. These add a subtle flavor without overpowering the dessert. The batter for this upside down cake is made with our almond paste to add a creamy and nutty note.

Every Mom is an original. For Mother’s Day, why not make her a tiny treat, an original from your own hands.  This is a quick and easy recipe that uses a small amount of our Almond Paste, something you might have on hand. The batter has a hint of orange flavoring and the surprise of chocolate chips.  Top it with a spoonful of whipped cream and a berry or perhaps a small scoop of ice cream.

You can fill and bake the phyllo pastry shells ahead of time and freeze them. Then thaw and rewarm them before serving.