Ready, Steady, Cook Challenge: Dessert Apricot Ice Cream spiked w/ Cinnamon & Chile and Chickpea & Apricot Thumbprints

Well....I'm up to the final course in my Ready, Steady, Cook! Challenge menu- Dessert!  And no...I did NOT work green beans into my dessert.  This ice cream sandwich was big enough to split down the middle and share...but you could have made smaller cookies...or eaten the whole thing by yourself.  I mean, you could even just scoop the ice cream into a bowl and eat the cookies on the side if you so desire...I just wanted it this way.  These thumbprints were inspired by the Mantecadas I made recently for my Big, Fat Puerto Rican meal!

Apricot Ice Cream spiked with Cinnamon & Chile

yield: just under a quart

4 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. milk

1/2 c. Apricot Jam (see Main Course...made enough for both)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.

In a small heavy saucepan over low to medium-low heat, add milk. Slowly bring milk just to a gentle simmer or until it begins to bubble around the edges. Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk scalded milk into egg mixture....a bit at a time at first to temper it.  Pour it back into the saucepan. Over low heat, stirring constantly, heat until the custard mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (napé), approximately 7 to 10 minutes.  Carefully stir in the warm jam, cinnamon, and chile powder.  Take off heat and let cool ~1 hour.  

Cover and transfer to refrigerator for a few hours.  Transfer to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer directions.  

Once your ice cream maker has stopped, sandwich a thick layer of ice cream between two cookies recipe follows, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.  Or simply eat it as is, or freeze for a firmer ice cream.

Chickpea and Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

yield: ~1 dozen lg. cookies

1 c. flour

1/2 c. chickpea flour*

1/4 c. sugar

pinch salt

pinch cinnamon

4 oz. cold butter, cut into chunks

2 eggs

Apricot Jam (see Main Course...prepared big batch)

Preheat oven to 350° F.  In a large bowl, mix together flours, sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Work the butter in quickly with your fingertips to form a crumbly dough.  Stir in eggs until mixture comes together.

Roll dough into balls the size of golfballs and set on a lined baking sheet.  Press down in the center of the cookie with your thumb.  Place ~1/2 tsp. Apricot Jam in the center of each.

Bake ~25-30 mins., until golden around edges.  Let cool on rack.  Eat as is or use for Ice Cream Sandwich cookies.

*to make Chickpea flour, I ground dried, unsoaked chickpeas in my food processor...adding just a few at a time...adding a few more as they started to turn to powder...until I had as much flour as I needed.  Strain through a sieve to remove any large bits that may not have broken down.

*If you'd like to see everybody else's entries...click HERE!


My other two courses...click on starter to see my 7 assigned ingredients plus my pantry/free items...

 *Starter

* Main Course

Ready, Steady, Cook Challenge: Main Course ...with far too long a title to list

Now on to the Main Course of my menu for the Ready, Steady, Cook! Challenge...this was the part of the meal that seemed to flow from my mind the easiest. I posted my starter yesterday in case you missed it...where you can also see my list of pantry and free items and the seven items that I was allowed when planning my menu.  I almost feel like a shmuck for using the chicken breast.  I mean...how can you screw up a breast?  BUT, I did.  I used the breast.  Can I get bonus points for at least contemplating using the livers?  Seriously, I almost made a paté...but in interest of using all of my ingredients somewhat wisely, I ended up choosing the breast.  I actually ended up adoring the presentation of the dish...so colorful...so vibrant...just beckoning to be eaten outdoors on a patio here in the thick of summer.  I did wonder, though if it would be a bit too frou-frou for a manly man to feel like he could dig into.  Mexi put my mind at ease when, after setting his plate in front of him, he said MmMmm. That looks great!  Aw.  Then he proceeded to eat it.  With manly-like gusto.  And go back for seconds.  Nice.  Well, I do know my man and his tastes, so...  Since chile powder is on my list of pantry items, I decided to combine the smokey heat of chipotle chile powder with the natural sweetness of apricots.  I'm thinking this is one of my new favorite taste sensations! (All of the recipes on this page are set to serve three.)  I made a half recipe of apricot jam and divided it amongst this course and my dessert course...no nail-biting here...it uses all regulation ingredients.  Let's not even talk about those pesky green beans...

Grilled Chipotle Apricot Glazed Chicken Breast

3 boneless, skinless Chicken breasts
~1/2 c. Apricot Jam started a night in advance using this recipe (apricots, sugar, juice of a lemon)
1/2 of a small Sweet Onion, grated
1 Tbs. Chipotle Chile Powder
salt & freshly ground pepper

Start the coals on a charcoal grill (or alternately preheat a gas grill or even a grill pan).  With the jam still warm from the stove, stir in the grated onion and chile powder.  Set aside.
Once the grill is hot and ready, season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.  You will probably want to spray the grates of the grill with a cooking spray or brush them with a bit of oil to prevent sticking and make for good grill marks.  Lay the chicken breasts down and let cook until nice grill marks form on bottom.  Flip over and brush the cooked side with a very heavy slathering of the spiced jam.  Continue to cook until the inside temperature reaches ~155° F. Flip once more and brush the tops with another good slathering of the spiced jam.  Watch closely, because the sugars in the jam will burn quickly...it'll just take another couple minutes for the breast to reach ~160° inside...at which point you want to remove the chicken from the grill and let it sit for another 5 minutes or so, to let the temperature come up to about 165°.
Serve whole or sliced.

Grilled Chipotle-Apricot Glazed Chicken Breast

Smokey Apricot Salsa

3 Apricots, diced
~¼ ea. three different colors of Sweet Peppers, diced small
2 green Onions,chopped
juice of ½ a lemon
salt
chipotle Chile powder
few leaves of fresh Basil, chiffonade or chopped

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, using a big pinch of salt and a bigger pinch of chile powder, to taste.  Tastes best at room temperature.

Smokey Apricot Salsa

Lemon and Basil scented Couscous w/ Dried Apricots

¾ c. dry uncooked Couscous

1 c. water

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

6 dried Apricots, diced small

leaves from a sprig of basil, chopped

zest of ½ a lemon

salt & freshly ground pepper

 Bring the water and olive oil to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover, turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes.  Gently stir in the apricots, basil and lemon zest.  Season to taste w/ salt & pepper.  Serve hot.

Lemon and Basil scented Couscous w/ Dried Apricots

Sautéed Green Bean and Sweet Pepper Strips

big handful of fresh Green Beans, ends snapped, cut in ¼'s lengthwise
3 different colors Sweet Peppers (~ ½ pepper ea.), julienned
olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat a sauté pan over med-high heat.  Add a good drizzle of olive oil, then toss in the beans and peppers.  Sauté quickly until just tender.  Season to taste w/ salt & pepper.  Serve hot.

Sautéed Green Bean & Sweet Pepper strips

That's that!  To serve, plate everything together and viola!

My Ready, Steady, Cook! Main Course

...coming soon- DESSERT!

Other portions of my Ready, Steady, Cook! menu:

*Starter

*Dessert

 ...to see other contestants dishes, check this page

Ready, Steady, Cook Challenge: Starter Roasted Apricot & Sweet Pepper Hummus w/ cold Green Bean dippers

You know I love a challenge, right?  Well, when Lady Raven of Add to Taste announced that she was starting up a Ready, Steady, Cook! challenge...I signed up without a second thought.  Always gettin' myself in deep, huh?  Basically, each participant is assigned a list of 7 ingredients different for each participant which they then use in conjuction w/ pantry/free items to create a three course menu.  Following is a list of the Pantry & Free items...and the list of my personal 7 ingredients that I was assigned by Jessica of Tiny Oven Adventures.

I'm gonna be honest with you here...I had a really hard time fitting green beans in with my other items... Oh, I managed to do it, I'm just not sure how well I did it.  Each course is to be posted separately, so for each, I'll highlight the course I'm sharing that day.  I'm gonna go ahead and share in order...cuz I'm totally OCD like that.

Roasted Apricot & Sweet Pepper Hummus

w/ cold Green Bean dippers

from the kitchen of girlichef

yield: ~ 1½  c. hummus

~1 c. cooked Chickpeas

2 Apricots, halved & pitted

3 small Sweet Peppers

3 cloves garlic, peeled

~2 Tbs. Olive Oil

juice of 1 Lemon

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

pinch of Cumin

fresh, uncooked green beans

sea salt

Begin by "roasting" the apricot halves, sweet peppers, and garlic on a hot comal or cast iron skillet...or under a hot broiler...until charred.

In the meantime, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.  Snap the ends of the green beans off and drop into boiling water.  Let cook just a few minutes, until al dente.  You want to be able to pick them up without having them droop.  Quickly pull out of boiling water with a slotted skimmer or strainer and transfer to an ice bath.  This will stop the cooking.  Set aside on a clean towel to dry.

Remove the roasted peppers to a bowl and cover with film.  Let steam until cool enough to handle, then slide of the skin and remove stem and seeds.

Place the chickpeas, roasted apricots, roasted garlic, and the roasted sweet peppers in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the olive oil, juice of a lemon, a good pinch or so of salt, a good grating of black pepper, and a big pinch of cumin.  Process until very smooth.  If the mixture seems a bit thick, add a tablespoon or so of water at a time until it is a good consistency for dipping.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve the hummus cold or at room temperature with the cold green beans on the side for dipping...sprinkled liberally w/ sea salt.

I love "regular" hummus...but I sincerely enjoyed the flair that the roasted apricots and sweet peppers added...an earthy, natural sweetness that the heat and char-factor brought forward...add in my best friend garlic and you have a starter course that will get your tummy rumbling in anticipation of the next course!

....watch for my Main Course and Dessert to come soon!

My other menu portions:

*Main Course

*Dessert





*To see a list of completed challenges, check THIS PAGE...Lady Raven will be updating as courses/challengers post!