Herbed, Roasted Chicken Salad Fresh Raspberries, Crumbled Gorgonzola, Praline Pecans, Chopped Fuji Apple, Shaved Red Onion, Spring Lettuce Mix, + Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

Springtime is quickly approaching the South, y'all. This can only mean that I can enjoy the weather outside on our porch for hours on end, go to the local farmer's market, and make yummy meals that are so fresh that they don't weigh you down. It's truly a gorgeous sight to see when all of Buckhead's flowers begin to bloom and I can actually enjoy it with the top down of my convertible. So when we went to the grocery store yesterday, we were craving something light and refreshing, and ultimately a salad is what we decided on. It begins with herbed, roasted chicken that is unbelievably moist. The rest of the recipe is easy-peasy. You just add all of the ingredients into a large salad bowl and toss it together. I love the balance of flavor that you get when adding fruit and cheese... one is slightly acidic + sweet while the other is creamy + salty. Raspberries and Gorgonzola just seems to be a match made in heaven, quite honestly. And hey, all cheese pairs beautifully with apples as well. But the other ingredients play their part as well, the thinly shaved red onion gives the dish a pop, the praline pecans give it some crunch, and the spring lettuce mix just soaks all of that goodness up. I love to pair creamy poppy seed dressing with any kind of fruit salad, so I made a classic recipe that is boosted up with some garlic, lemon zest, and white balsamic reduction. Really all you have to do is toss the salad together and enjoy :)

For the Herbed, Roasted Chicken:

2 Skin-On, Bone-In Chicken Breasts

2T Dried Herbs (we used a mixture of basil, thyme, oregano, & cilantro)

2T Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

2-3T White Balsamic Reduction

¼C Fresh Herbs (we used a mixture of basil, thyme, parsley, & oregano

¼t Dried Red Pepper Flakes

For the Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing:

¾C Mayo

¼C Buttermilk or Heavy Cream (you can add a little more or a little less if you want it thicker)

3T White Balsamic Reduction

6T Sugar

8t Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Lemon, Zested

1 Garlic Clove, Finely Grated using a Microplane

4t Poppy Seeds

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

For the Salad:

Prepared Herbed Roasted Chicken, Pulled into Pieces

6oz Spring Lettuce Mix

8oz Fresh Raspberries

1C Praline Pecans (roughly chopped)

½C Crumbled Gorgonzola

½ of a Red Onion, Thinly Shaved or Sliced

1 Fuji Apple, Diced

Prepared Poppy Seed Dressing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with Pam.

2. For the Herbed, Roasted Chicken: Start off by washing and drying the chicken breasts and then toss them in the mixed dried herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the chicken breasts in the prepared pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Once they have cooled, discard the skin, remove the meat from the bones, and pull the chicken into bite size pieces by hand. Place the pulled chicken into a small mixing bowl and toss it with the white balsamic reduction, fresh herbs, and dried red pepper flakes. Season it to taste with more salt and pepper if needed. Set the chicken aside while you assemble the salad.

3. For the Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing: Put the mayo into a mixing bowl and whisk until it is smooth with no lumps remaining. Slowly drizzle in the milk, whisking to combine; until you have reached you desired thickness. Finely grate a lemon for its’ zest and a large clove of garlic using a Microplane, and add it into the mayo mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to your liking. Set aside while you make the salad.

4. For the Salad: In a large salad bowl, add in the spring mix, fresh raspberries, chopped praline pecans, crumbled Gorgonzola, shaved red onion, diced Fuji apple, and herbed roasted chicken. Toss those ingredients together until they are evenly distributed throughout the spring lettuce mix. Lastly you can either add the dressing, and then coat the entire salad with the dressing or you can serve the salads individually and drizzle the dressing over the top of each portion. 

Caramelized Sourdough French Toast with Mixed Berry Compound Butter, Macerated Blackberries, Homemade Whipped Cream, & Buttered Maple Syrup

Caramelized Sourdough French Toast with Mixed Berry Compound Butter, Macerated 

Blackberries, Homemade Whipped Cream, & Buttered Maple Syrup

So, there was a nasty cold front that moved through Atlanta this week, and it was absolutely dreadful. Pipes were bursting, roads were freezing... all chaos ensued. It's funny how Southerners act like the world is ending when it isn't even snowing. We're all a bunch of nut cases. But really, can you blame us? We live in a world where it's a hot as hell, the cold is far too frigid. Anyway, the sun finally came out today, YAY. And it started feeling like springtime again. We all know that gives me the itch to make a decadent brunch on the porch, butofcourse. I already had a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread, so french toast was meant to be. Now, I feel really strongly about french toast. There a three keys to success when making this iconic breakfast staple... 1. Thick, THICK slices of bread 2. Perfect Batter 3. Lots & lots of gourmet toppings. First we tackle the bread. I cut my slices about two inches thick and soak them for about 15-20 minutes in the batter. Now the batter is important because that is where all the flavor is injected. So mine is flavored with heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean rum, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When you soak the thick slices of bread in this luscious batter, the middle puffs up into this almost souffle-like center, but the crusts remain crunchy + chewy. But what really puts this recipe over the top is the dusting of powdered sugar. Some of you might be wondering how I get the french toast so perfectly caramelized-- and that's because of the confectioners' sugar! I used a fine mesh sieve to lightly dust the sugar all over both sides of the soaked bread and quickly tossed them into hot butter. Since the pieces of bread are so thick, you have to cook them a good while until everything has heated through and the outsides have evenly browned & crisped. It is also very important to bake it in the oven for about 10-20 minutes to round everything out and keep it warm for serving. Onto the gourmet topping... I made homemade mixed berry compound buttered, macerated blackberries, whipped cream, & buttered maple syrup. Mixed berries + french toast are a match made in heaven, y'all. So don't leave them out... especially the compound butter... and the whipped cream... oh shit, don't leave out anything, alright?! Finishing out the meal, I served our french toast with cheesy scrambled eggs + praline bacon. Umm yumm. Well, I hope y'all make this soon because it makes Sunday Brunch that much better!! Enjoy :)

Soaking the thick slices of french toast in batter...

Ahh the dusting of confectioners' sugar...

SEE-- the PERFECT caramelization

french toast, cheesy scrambled eggs, & praline bacon

raspberry sorbet mimosa in a mason jar

For the Mixed Berry Compound Butter:

4 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

1C Mixed Berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, & blueberries)

1t Vanilla

1T Sugar

Pinch of Salt & Cinnamon

For the Macerated Blackberries:

3C Fresh Blackberries

½C Sugar

2T Balsamic Vinegar + 1T Fresh Lemon Juice

For the Caramelized Sourdough French Toast:

1 Loaf of Crusty Sourdough Bread, Sliced Very Thick

4 Extra Large Eggs

½C Heavy Cream

¼C Milk + Vanilla Bean Infused Rum

3T Sugar

2t Vanilla Extract

1T Fresh Orange Zest

¼t Cinnamon & Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Pinch of Salt

Confectioners’ Sugar, For Dusting

Unsalted Butter, For Frying

For the Buttered Maple Syrup:

½C Maple Syrup

4T Butter 

For Serving:

Prepared Mixed Berry Compound Butter, Cut into Rounds

Prepared Macerated Blackberries

Warm French Toast Slices

Prepared Buttered Maple Syrup

Homemade Whipped Cream

Directions:

1. For the Mixed Berry Compound Butter: Beat together the softened butter, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until combined & fluffy. Add in the mixed berries and beat until they have broken up and evenly dispersed throughout the butter. Spoon it onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log and refrigerate until the butter has chilled and hardened. Cut into rounds and enjoy on your French toast.

2. For the Macerated Blackberries: Using a fork or the back of a wooden spoon, mash 1 cup berries with sugar and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl until sugar begins to dissolve. Gently stir in remaining berries; let sit at room temperature, tossing occasionally, until berries are juicy, 1-2 hours.

3. For the Caramelized Sourdough French Toast: Cut the bread into 8 large wedges. Whisk the eggs, heavy cream, milk, rum, granulated sugar, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large baking dish. Add the bread and turn occasionally until soaked through, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the confectioners' sugar in a fine-mesh sieve. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the bread and dust generously with the confectioners' sugar; cook, turning and dusting often with more confectioners' sugar, until golden brown and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes (add more butter to the skillet, if needed). Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add more butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining bread. Serve with maple syrup.

4. For the Buttered Maple Syrup: Heat maple syrup in a small pot and whisk in a tablespoon of butter at a time, while whisking the entire time, until the mixture is completely incorporated. Serve warm.

5. For Serving: Serve the French toast with some mixed berry compound butter, macerated blackberries, a drizzle of buttered maple syrup, and a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Enjoy!

Summer Staples : Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches with Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies + Lemon Curd Center

Summer Staples : Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches with
Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies + Lemon Curd Center

I've been on a really big ice cream sandwich kick as of this summer. It's really the perfect cool treat during a hot day. Especially when you have a homemade cookie and a killer creamy-icy filling... it can't be beat! These summer treats start with Momofuku's famous sweet corn cookie that has been dialed up a notch with some vanilla bean rum rehydrated summer berries. The chilled cookie dough is then rolled in raw bourbon vanilla sugar, which gives it the perfect crackly-crunchy exterior. These cookies are truly fabulous on their own and I can guarantee you'll want to make them over and over again like I have in the last month. They taste like a mixture between cornbread + yellow cake. It's divine and you just have to make them! Better yet, make them with ice cream stuffed in between the middle. This ice cream is Southern to its core because it has the ever-so-popular buttermilk as the base. It's perfectly tangy and is balanced amazingly with the swirls of sweet berry preserves. But what I'm most excited about is the lemon curd center. With the use of my handy-dandy doughnut cutter, I was able to cut out perfectly round ice cream fillings, and then pop our the center and fill it with creamy lemon curd. It's the  best little surprise when you bite into the ice cream sandwiches and get a lemony burst of flavor! All of these components work together brilliantly and quite frankly, I can't wait to use this doughnut-ice cream filling technique for sandwiches in the future!! Enjoy :)

For the Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream:

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled Slightly

2C Heavy Cream

1C Buttermilk, Well-Shaken

6 Egg Yolks

1C Sugar

½t Salt

2T Buttermilk Powder, Sifted

1t Vanilla

2T Vanilla Bean Infused Rum (or any kind of infused booze that is clear)

1 Whole Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

Homemade Roasted Summer Berry Jam (or any other kind of preserves may be used)

Homemade or Store-Bought Lemon Curd, For the Center Filling

For the Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1 ½C Sugar

1 Egg

1 1/3C AP Flour

¼C Corn Flour

2/3C Freeze Dried Corn Powder

¾t Baking Powder

¼t Baking Soda

1 ½t Salt

½C Each of Dehydrated or Freeze Dried Berries (blueberries, raspberries, & strawberries)

2-3T Vanilla Bean Infused Rum (or just enough to barely rehydrate the berries until soft)

Raw Bourbon Vanilla Sugar, For Rolling the Cookies in

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream: In a saucepan, bring the cream, buttermilk, sifted buttermilk powder, vanilla bean pods, and vanilla bean seeds to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering milk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the vanilla bean infused rum and vanilla. Cool the custard base until completely chilled. Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As soon as the mixture is done churning, pour or scoop in one-third of the ice cream into a large container, and then spoon some of the summer berry preserves on top of the ice cream. Using the spoon, smooth it out into any even layer and swirl it some for a pretty marbling effect. Repeat this process until all of the ice cream and preserves have been use. Once it has been assembled, store in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

2. For the Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies:In a small bowl combine the dried summer fruit with the vanilla bean infused rum. Using a spoon, toss the berries and liquid together until they are completely coated. Let them sit and plump up while you make the cookie dough batter. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and cream together on medium-high for about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, corn flour, corn powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, beat no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the rehydrated berries and gently beat them in until they are just incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the cookie dough onto a Silpat-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough balls until they are flat on top. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 12-24 hours. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature or they will not bake up properly.

3. Baking the Cookies:Remove the chilled cookie dough balls from the refrigerator and immediately roll them in the raw sugar (this will give them a crackly crust, yet chewy interior). Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center; give them an extra minute if not. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days.

4. Preparing the Ice Cream Center:Using a doughnut cookie cutter, cut out rounds of the buttermilk ice cream. And then using a knife or spoon, push or scoop out the center of the ice cream. Place the hollowed out rounds onto parchment paper and freeze them again to re-harden or re-firm the texture of the ice cream. Once it has frozen again, place the ice cream rounds onto a cookie and spoon some lemon curd into the hollowed out center. Top with another cookie and enjoy before it melts!

Mixed Berry Shortcake Layer Cake with Fresh Berries, Lemon Soaking Syrup, & Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

Mixed Berry Shortcake Layer Cake with Fresh Berries, Lemon Soaking Syrup, & Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

I know that the Fourth of July has come and passed us now, but I still have one more festive recipe to post. For our meal on the 4th, we enjoyed jello shots & fried chicken and this cake for dessert. This cake is so simple, yet so flavorful. Sometimes you don't want a cake with a bunch of crazy components... you just want a vanilla cake with a bunch of fresh berries and a killer frosting. I mean the frosting was divine. I used  this frosting as the base, but I added in a whole bunch of mascarpone, so it's like ten times better than before. We were literally eating it with a spoon. And it might seem like there's a lot of the frosting on the cake, but trust me, you want it there. I love the balance of flavors in this cake. And hey, it's patriotic to boot! I know I'm a little late, but it'd be a great cake for next year's celebration!! Enjoy :)

For the Vanilla Cake:

5 Large Egg Whites, Room Temperature

¾C Whole Milk, Room Temperature

1 Lemon, Zested

2 ¼t Vanilla

2 ¾C Cake Flour, Sifted

1 ¾C Sugar

1T + 1t Baking Powder

¾t Salt

12T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature & Cut into Cubes

For the Lemon Soaking Syrup:

¼C Sugar

3T Fresh Lemon Juice

For the Whipped Mascarpone Frosting:

10T AP Flour

2C Milk

2t Vanilla

4 Sticks of Salted Butter (or you can use unsalted and just add salt to taste)

2C Sugar

16oz Mascarpone

For the Mixed Berry Shortcake:

Prepared Three Layers of Vanilla Cake

Prepared Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

Lemon Soaking Syrup

Fresh Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, & Raspberries, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 3 round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with Pam and set aside.
2. For the Cake: In a medium bowl, combine and stir the egg whites, ¼C of milk, lemon zest, and the vanilla. Set it aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed for 30 second. Add the butter and remaining ½C of milk, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1½ minutes. Scrape the side of the bowl and begin to add in the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition. Divide the batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans. Bake each cake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center (do not over-bake). Let the cakes cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a knife, and invert onto greased wire racks.
3. For the Lemon Soaking Syrup: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice, stir with a fork until the sugar dissolves. Set it aside until ready to use.
4. For the Whipped Mascarpone Frosting: In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla. While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Once it has reached the consistency you liked, gently adding in the mascarpone and beating to combine. It should be fluffy and light, but smooth.

source: fluffy vanilla cake. 

Raspberry-Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

Raspberry-Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

Hey y'all, whacha doing? Getting ready for the 4th of July (aka the best holiday ever, besides Christmas, Thanksgiving, St. Patty's Day, and well okay, all holidays are amazing). But the Fourth goes down in my book as my absolute favorite. I don't know what it is about it, maybe the combination of grillin' out, banana pudding, peach cobbler, caloric Southern food, fireworks + sparklers, those firecracker popsicles that I was obsessed with as a child, block parties, shrimp boils, beach bummin', going to the lake, loud country music, getting drunk having fun with my best friends, red-white-and-blue colored desserts, ice cold arnold palmers, dancin' the night away, baseball games... well, as you can see the list goes on & on. Now, onto the recipe. Remember that time I made those goat cheese brownies and they were absolutely delicious. Well, I made another goat cheese dessert. This time it was a cheesecake. I saw this recipe on last week's "The Best Thing I Ever Made" on the Food Network. It was all about cheese and Anne Burrell was raving about this goat cheese cheesecake she had made. So, I happened to have a bunch of goat cheese around and ended up making her cheesecake. I decided to use a chocolate cookie crust instead of the traditional graham cracker crust, add some fresh raspberries, and spread on a thick layer of dark chocolate ganache as a topping. It is an odd & quirky combination, but it totally works. Given, I have a mild obsession with goat cheese, so if you are not a goat cheese fan, then definitely don't make this. You will absolutely hate it. This cheesecake is light yet creamy, tangy but sweet, and rich but refreshing. It's a truly decadent dessert that I know we will make again & again!! Enjoy :)

A Slice of Raspberry-Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping 

Look at them raspberries :)

yummy chocolate crust + chocolate ganache topping

Always top with some fresh raspberries!!

For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:

6T Unsalted Butter, Melted

2C Chocolate Cookie Crumbs

¼C Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Espresso Powder

For the Raspberry-Goat Cheese Cheesecake:

2 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

12oz Goat Cheese

1 ½C Sour Cream

4 Large Eggs

1 ½C Sugar

2t Vanilla

1-2C Fresh Raspberries

For the Chocolate Ganache Topping:

1C Dark Chocolate Chunks

½C Heavy Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9inch springform pan with Pam. Set it aside.

2. For the Chocolate Cookie Crust: Place the cookie crumbs, sugar, salt, and espresso powder in a mixing bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Cool on a rack, and then wrap the outside of the spring form pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.  Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, make the goat cheese cheesecake filling.

3. For the Raspberry-Goat Cheese Cheesecake Filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and goat cheese together until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and continue beating until combined. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in each until thoroughly mixed before adding the next one. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and push the raspberries down into the cheesecake. Gently place the cheesecake into the roasting pan that is in the oven and pour the boiling water into the roasting pans until it comes about halfway up the side of the spring form pan. Bake for 30 minutes, and then rotate the baking sheet and bake until the filling is set, another 25 to 30 minutes. If the filling starts to color, tent the pan with aluminum foil. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife along the outside edges to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

4. For the Chocolate Ganache Topping: In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream just to a boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until smooth.  Pour the ganache over the top of the cooled cheesecake, smoothing with a spoon and allowing some of the ganache to drip over the sides of the cheesecake.  Return to the fridge to chill an additional 3 hours or until the ganache is shiny and set.

Mixed Berry-Balsamic Cobbler with Homemade Goat Cheese Ice Cream

I have recently discovered a flavor combination of berries, balsamic vinegar, and goat cheese for dessert. I thought that is was really interesting, and certainly odd... but, I knew that I should try it. I ended up buying some blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries at the grocery store, and I decided to make a mixed berry cobbler with a balsamic reduction. I wasn't quite sure how I would incorporate the goat cheese at first, but finally it hit me that I wanted to make a Goat Cheese Ice Cream to place on top of the warm cobbler. Wow, I never thought I would like it, but I loved this dessert! All of these crazy components somehow worked. The balsamic reduction syrup gave it a really nice acidity and balanced out all of the sweetness from the berries. I especially loved the homemade ice cream. It doesn't necessarily scream goat cheese, but had the signature tang that I crave. It almost tasted like a cheesecake ice cream. And that's never a bad thing. If you aren't a fan of goat cheese, then you can always substitute it with vanilla ice cream. But that's boring, so if you have an ice cream maker, definitely try this unique flavor. We placed a large scoop of the cobbler in a bowl and topped it with the ice cream, and finally finished it with a drizzle of leftover balsamic reduction!! Enjoy :)

Mixed Berry-Balsamic Cobbler with Homemade Goat Cheese Ice Cream

The ice cream is starting to melt.. this is the best part

Look at all that sticky-balsamic-fruity filling

For the Balsamic Reduction:

¾C High Quality Balsamic Vinegar

¼C Brown Sugar

For the Mixed Berry-Balsamic Cobbler:

1C Fresh Blueberries

1C Fresh Raspberries

1C Fresh Blackberries

1C Fresh Strawberries, Chopped into Bite-Sized Cubes

2T Cornstarch

2-4T Prepared Balsamic Reduction (to your taste… I used 3T)

2T Honey

1T Sugar

Pinch of Salt

1 Lemon, Juiced & Zested

For the Cobbler Topping:

1 ½C AP Flour

¾C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1 ½ Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

¼t Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

For the Goat Cheese Ice Cream:

2C Whole Milk

1T + 1t Cornstarch

½C Goat Cheese (or about 4oz)

3T Cream Cheese (or 1 ½oz)

¼t Sea Salt

1 ¼C Heavy Cream

2/3C Sugar

¼C Light Corn Syrup    

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish with Pam. Set it aside.

2. To Make the Balsamic Reduction: Bring the vinegar to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer. When it reduces halfway, add in the brown sugar. Simmer some more until the vinegar become thick & syrupy and sticks to the back of a wooden spoon, about 15-20 minutes. As it cools, it will also thicken up. Set it aside until it has thickened and the berry filling is ready.

3. For the Mixed Berry-Balsamic Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, lemon zest, and cornstarch. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all of the different berries until they are mixed evenly throughout. Sprinkle the cornstarch mixture over the berries and toss to coat. Next, drizzle in the balsamic reduction and honey over the fruit, followed by the lemon juice and toss to combine until completely coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

4. For the Cobbler Topping: In a mixing bowl, using a pastry blender, combine the flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt together until it forms large clumps of dough. Refrigerate them for 1-2 hours.

5. Once the cobbler topping has chilled, crumble it over the fruit filling until completely covered. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and serve with the homemade Goat Cheese Ice Cream and an extra drizzle of Balsamic Reduction.

6. For the Goat Cheese Ice Cream: In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry. Set it aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the goat cheese, cream cheese and salt until smooth. Set it aside. Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Using a 4-quart saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and boil for exactly 4 minutes (the mixture will rise as it boils, so keep an eye on it). Remove from the heat. Make sure your cornstarch slurry is still well mixed. Slowly drizzle the slurry into your hot milk mixture while whisking vigorously (otherwise, the slurry will form a film on the bottom of the pan). Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring vigorously, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Pour the custard into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes to an hour. Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker, and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer the ice cream into a storage container and press a sheet of parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream and cover with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Once frozen, serve a scoop of the goat cheese ice cream on top of the warm mixed berry-balsamic cobbler with a drizzle of some more balsamic reduction as garnish.

source: jeni's splendid ice cream. cobbler.