Ginger Fig Ice Cream with Saffron Brandy Creme Anglaise
Today I just used a plain Vanilla Ice Cream and let it soften just enough to stir in my ingredients, then put it back into the freezer until everything else was ready.
If fresh figs are in season, by all means use em, but if not, I love fig preserves and use them in sauces all the time and today, they made a fantastic addition to my cool concoction. You can find them in the produce section or in specialty shops. Just ask if you can't find them, they're sometimes located on top of the fancy cheese island too.
Chop them up into small chunks and do the same with your fresh ginger.
Here's a lil tip:
Ginger is actually really easy to peel. Just use a knife or even the edge of a spoon and scrape back the skin from the "meat". It's better than cutting it off and wasting precious ginger.
Mix gently with your softened ice cream and put back in the freezer.
The next step is to "steep" your saffron, you can do this many different ways, using warm milk is one of my favorites but today I wanted to add a lil boozy goodness. Whichever method you choose, add your saffron to the liquid, cover and let sit while you prepare everything else. While I'd love to be able to always afford the good stuff, it's not always possible, so I usually pick up my saffron in the mexican spices section of the grocery store. Sometimes they have them on the end caps in the produce section or in the center of the international foods aisle. It says "Safflower" on the package and will give you close to the same flavor and color if you use a bunch of it...the poor man's saffron.
It's also the only way to go for things like cumin, chile powder and whole peppercorns, which in my opinion, are waaaay to expensive otherwise. Especially when I use my grinder like crazy! These packages are around $1 a piece...woot woot!!
Back to steeping! So I just poured a few tablespoons of brandy into a small bowl, grabbed a bunch of saffron, smashed it between my fingers a bit and tossed it into the brandy. Stir it up n let it sit.
The bottom bowl is the brandy I poured off after a while, I then added some finely chopped ginger.
Now it's time for the creme anglaise...one of my favorite things in life! The idea of a good anglaise is enough to send me into a tailspin! My first experience was at the now defunct String's restaurant. Which is so sad, because Noel Cunningham served as the catalyst for so many young chefs to get their start. So inspired, so gifted and such a true chef. Dining at his restaurant is one of my first memories when I realized I needed to do something that showed the world how much I appreciated food...because he obviously did too.
Remind me to post one of my favorite dishes of all time, inspired by Noel, Cashew Crusted Seabass with Saffron CousCous and Vanilla Buerre Blanc...it's killer!
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| Cashew Crusted Chilean Sea Bass, Saffron Couscous, Asparagus, Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise
This is clearly a terrible picture but a very inspiring dish. It brings me back to that time, probably the mid 90's, when I started to realize that food was something more than just what you need to survive. I'm sure I always knew that, but this dish really brought it home. The delicate texture of the fish paired with the silky feel of the vanilla sauce combined with the exotic flavor of saffron was definitely enough to rock my world...and start me on this quest of discovering amazing combinations and flavors. Man, I was in heaven.
This meal is where my appreciation for a good cream sauce was born. There are several variations of a creme anglaise, some adding berries, orange zest or whole vanilla beans, but today we're whipping up a quick and simple Brandy Creme Anglaise.
Heat up your milk or cream, depending on how many people you're serving, in this case it was just the 2 of us so I used about a 1/2 cup of half n half. Pour in about 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or more (I like a lot so feel free to add more)and heat on medium until you see it just start to bubble around the edges. Separate 2 eggs, reserving the yolks. Save the whites for a nice facial mask in the morning :)   Whisk them together, then whisk in 3 tablespoons of sugar. |
Slowly pour in around 1/2 of the heated milk mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking the whole time. When that's blended, pour it back into the sauce pan with the remaining milk.
Stir constantly on low until it coats the back of a spoon.
Now's the time to add the saffron brandy and stir gently.
I add a little sea salt too, this helps give it a richer flavor.
Slice it up into cubes and place it on top of your ice cream.
Serve up your ice cream and sprinkle with ground cardamom...yum.
Drizzle with caramel sauce and a pinch of sea salt then top with whipped cream and serve...bow graciously ;)
