I'm on a diet.Don't laugh, I really am.
It's more like an aggressive mission to lose the ungodly amount of weight I've put on in the last 5 years. Hence, there hasn't been much to say about food lately. However, that'll change once I find myself on a better eating routine. Right now, food is energy and I need to limit how much energy I consume. I hate that outlook, especially since I find food so fascinating.
To keep myself from going completely crazy and risking a total binge, I'm sticking to TWD and keeping my skills honed. Hopefully, I'll find some volunteers to consume the products. Since cooking and baking are stress-relievers for me, I'll focus on enjoying the journey instead of the destination.
This week's TWD is Blueberry Sour-Cream Ice Cream (page 434), brought to you by Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity. Dorie Greenspan calls it the "summeriest of summertime ice creams" and I can't help but agree. It's as light and refreshing as a sorbet, but with the heftier weight of a regular ice cream. She says a hand-crank ice cream maker is perfect for this recipe, which is good, because I have a hand-crank maker with a cylinder that is frozen the night before.
Of course, one should not leave the ice cream in the cylinder and wander off to watch the fabulous Michael Phelps win yet another gold medal. The ice cream froze up nicely, but I didn't aerate it very much, so it's a little dense.It's also more lemon than blueberry. Dorie calls for the juice and zest of 1/4 lemon, but I have lemons that are either ridiculously tiny or giant mutants. I used the giant mutant and added too much lemon juice. The taste is awesome, but it isn't quite blueberry. There is a nice tartness reminiscent of the berries and sour cream, which goes really well with the acidity of the lemon.
We watched Henry VIII without dessert this week, but I'll have to reunite him with TWD soon. However, the light and quasi-diet-friendly dessert is totally Olympic-worthy. To stick to my portion sizes, I busted out our smallest spring-loaded scoop (about 1 tablespoon total volume) and put scoops in cute square Crate & Barrel pinch pots.Good dessert, good TV, and for this ex-swimmer, a chance to see her sport in the spotlight for a change. Go Phelps!
I myself have too much energy too! Kudos to you for the little teeny scoops!
ReplyDeleteLooks good! I like the close up one of the bluberries!
ReplyDeleteyours looks lighter and creamier than mine - i want yours!
ReplyDeletePhelps will surely come over to you house to have some of this ice cream. Looks great. Go Phelps!
ReplyDeleteHand crank machines are too cool - although I don't blame you for getting distracted...
ReplyDeleteI loved Henry VIII-the Tudors and your photos of the blueberry ice cream.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great. I can totally relate to Phelps. I can't take my eyes off of him. He is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI had to add a bit extra lemon juice than what was indicated in the recipe.
ReplyDeleteIt looks wonderful. That last picture is awesome!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty! When I can't find anyone to give my TWD desserts to, I taste them and toss them. I'm with you – focus on the process.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for continuing with TWD, in spite of your diet!
ReplyDeleteLove the mini-scoops.
ReplyDeletemmmmm, your pictures are so mouth-watering! I loved this ice cream too.
ReplyDeleteMichael Phelps makes so many things better. Nice scoops!
ReplyDeleteOoooooh no... I'm so with you! After sorting some pants tonight that "don't quite fit anymore" I decided I need to go on a diet, despite my loving to eat.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can just work out a lot? Hahahaha. Anyway, the ice-cream looks amazing, and GO MOOWIE! Best of luck on this diet.
Don't forget you have coworkers and friends you can give your fatty foods to - that's what I've been doing =P
ReplyDeleteThat blueberry concoction looks delicious! Since I tend to not have a super-sweet palate, I love blueberries in desserts, as their tartness tends to complement whatever sweetness they're paired with.
ReplyDeleteRe: "diet"-friendly, desserts, do you like soy-based ice creams? Whole Foods (at least here) carries a brand called Whole Soy & Co. which I think is the best soy stuff I've had. I don't really like their other flavors but I love their vanilla bean. With blueberries (or whatever other fresh fruit you have on hand) it's fantastic.
On the other hand, sometimes you just need real dairy. You've already tried my dairy favorite, the Straus Vanilla Bean. It's so rich I find I don't even need much more than a scoop or maybe a scoop and a half, especially when paired with something like fresh late-summer peaches.
I'm obviously a big fan of not depriving yourself, even when being consumption-mindful. I hope you're not depriving yourself too much, either. :)