Dessert and Decadence

Spumoni Ice Cream Cake

 

 

We’ve all had spumoni ice cream: layers of chocolate, cherry, and pistachio ice cream with candied fruit and nuts mixed in. Yum!  Well, Abby’s Grill in Phoenix has taken spumoni to a new level: spumoni ice cream cake.

Abby’s spumoni cake is made with fresh spumoni ice cream that’s hand-made at Abby’s using ingredients purchased from local Italian markets.  There’s nothing artificial about it, and that becomes obvious with the first bite.  The flavors burst with each bite, and you want to lick the plate when you’re finished.

The "secret" ingredients:
Fresh cherries fill Abby’s spumoni, rather than the candied/maraschino cherries that you’ll find in the store-bought version.   Fresh pistachios, hand-made ice cream, tasty graham-cracker-cookie bottom crust, and orange whipped cream topping make this a dessert to go searching for.  In addition to all the fresh ingredients, there are also a couple of “secret” ingredients that Tony the manager wouldn’t tell me about.  But whatever they are, they’re good!  Top it off with a good cup of coffee and you’ve got a dessert you’ll remember.

So when you’re craving spumoni ice cream, skip the grocery store and forget about the local ice creamery.  Head on over to Abby’s and have a slice of their spumoni ice cream cake.  After a big piece of it, you’ll never look at a dish of plain spumoni the same way again.

Rating: Halfway to Heaven 

Halfway to Heaven  

 
http://abbysgrillcafephoenix.com/

 

 

 

Potato Pie.....Sweet!

Sweet Potato Pie

“Once you try sweet potato pie, you’ll never go back to pumpkin!” said the eight-year-old son of a friend of mine.  “Oh, sure” I thought.  And then I tried it.  Darned if the little know-it-all wasn’t right.  It is that good, and I won’t go back to pumpkin pie.

Sweet potato pie is a traditional side dish in the Southern United States, but it’s not so well-known in  the North.  In fact, it surprised me that so few people know about it.  Sweet potatoes are sweeter than pumpkins, but not overly so. They have a delicate flavor that blends very well with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, so they make a great holiday dessert.

The secret to making a creamy sweet potato pie is to *steam* the potatoes.  If you boil them they become waterlogged (and make a soggy pie), and if you roast or microwave them, they become dry.

Make a Memorable Pie:
Sweet potato pies are good by themselves.  To make them more interesting, put toasted pecans onto the top.  The earthy flavor of the pecans combines with the sweetness of the pie for an interesting flavor combination.  Add a good cup of coffee to the mix and you have a truly memorable dessert.

Toppings: Many people add a dollop of whipped cream. I like to use Chantilly Cream, made with brandy and orange liqueur (recipe follows).  Hey…anyone can spray on that canned whipped cream, but add Chantilly Cream and your guests will be convinced you’re a dessert guru.

Pairing suggestions:

• A port that’s not too sweet goes well with it.  My favorite is La Quinta Syrah Port from San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles.
• A good Madeira.  The nutty flavor of the Madeira pairs well with the sweetness of the pie. 

Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1 unbaked pie shell

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Prick pie shell dough with fork before baking.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes without filling.
4. Combine all ingredients in any order.
5. Mix well with an electric hand mixer until all ingredients are smooth.
6. Pour filling into precooked pie shell and put into oven on 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for 35 minutes.
7. Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.
8. Enjoy!

Serves 8-10

Chantilly Cream:
Ingredients:
2/3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp brandy
1 tsp. Grand Marnier
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. dairy sour cream

Directions:

1. Refrigerate a medium-size bowl and beaters until very cold.
2. Combine cream, vanilla, brandy and Grand Marnier in the bowl and beat with electric mixer on medium speed 1 minute.
3. Add the sugar and sour cream and beat on medium just until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. DO NOT OVERBEAT.
4. Serve on top of sweet potato pie.
5. Graciously accept applause from guests.

Musical Review:

Cant Stop Loving You

Go ahead: take the plunge and try sweet potato pie this holiday season.  Who knows….you too may never go back to pumpkin.

 

 

Gettin’ Social with Pies

Is it too cold for an ice cream social?  Then hold a pie social! 

The first-ever pie social was held in Phoenix today to benefit the after school pro grams at Kenilwort h Elementary School.   The social was a community effort, so dozens of local people brought their pies, ready for tasting by discriminating judges from all over Phoenix.

 Four tables held the palate-pleasing pastries, and for a mere $10 donation we could taste up to five pies.    And since donating to a good cause means the pies have no calories, how could I resist??

 The pies came in all flavors;

• Standards such as pumpkin and apple
• Interesting combos, such as Chili Apple
• Unusual flavors, such as Schadenfraude (like pecan pie without the pecans).

 

 The winners (well, MY winners) are:

• My favorite: Pumpkin Chili.  I love cool combos of flavors!
• Most interesting: Basil Banana Chocolate S’Mores.
• Most unusual: SchadenFraude Pie.
• Best name: “Almost Vegan” chocolate crème.

 

The event was well-attended and good times were had by all.  When I left the event there was still a line of people purchasing tickets, so I’d say the first annual pie social was a success.  I’m looking forward to next year…but I hope I can get some pumpkin-chili pie before then. This is, after all, Arizona.