Julia Child’s Chocolate Icing

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Note: I’d say it’s a coincidence that this post appears on Julia Child’s 100th birthday, but I don’t believe in coincidences.

When I need a specific recipe, I frequently forget to check the growing collection of cookbooks I have and instead turn immediately to the Internet. But when I needed a quick recipe for chocolate icing, the Internet had far too many options. To the bookshelf I went, and of course, Julia Child delivered. This chocolate icing was exactly what I was looking for: few ingredients, fast, easy, and I could dunk my cupcakes in it. I’ll share Julia Child’s measurements, which make enough icing to cover an eight-inch cake, but I decreased them for my nine cupcakes.

To start, bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Set a large, glass bowl over the pot to create a double boiler. Add 2 ounces of semisweet baking chocolate and 2 tablespoons of either rum or coffee into the bowl (I used rum, delicious!), and let the chocolate melt until it is smooth. Then, beat in 5 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once the butter is incorporated, remove your glass bowl from the heat.

Set the bowl of chocolate over another bowl that is filled with ice water. Beat the icing until it thickens to a spreading consistency. Because I was dunking my cupcakes into the icing, I let the chocolate cool until it dripped off of my whisk in one, thick strand. Once the icing reaches the right consistency, spread it on your cake immediately or else it will harden too much.

This recipe is from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Shopping list:

  • Semisweet chocolate- 2 ounces
  • Rum or coffee- 2 tablespoons
  • Butter- 5 tablespoons
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Pumpkin Ice Cream with Cream Cheese and Pie Crust Swirls

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I got an ice cream maker, and wonderful things are happening. I have had my eye on this pumpkin, cream cheese and pie crust swirl ice cream for years. Years. The wait was worth it. I know that the flavors are better suited for fall than sweltering summer, but I wouldn’t dare delay you from experiencing this pleasure! I still can’t believe that this ice cream came from my kitchen.

To make this ice cream, start by combining 12 ounces of puréed pumpkin, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger in a large bowl.

In a pot, heat 1.5 cups of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of brown sugar, but do not let it reach a boil. Once it is warm, add in 5 egg yolks. Stir the mixture constantly for about 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the heated cream to the bowl of pumpkin, and combine them together. Put the bowl in the fridge for about 2 hours or until it is completely cool.

In a food processor, pulse together an 8 ounce brick of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of white sugar. Once the cream cheese is beaten, add in 1 cup of heavy cream, and pulse everything together. Put the cream cheese mixture in the fridge to chill as well. If you taste it at this point, you might not be able to stop.

While the two mixtures are cooling off, bake a pie crust. I used a frozen one, but you can make your own if you prefer.

When the pumpkin mixture is chilled, churn it in an ice cream maker according to the ice cream maker’s instructions. When 5-10 minutes remain in the churning process, add in 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture.

Transfer the pumpkin ice cream to a large container. On top of the pumpkin, spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture, and finely crumble over 1/2 of the pie crust. Use a knife or spatula to swirl the cream cheese and crust into the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to storage containers, and put them in the freezer to completely harden.

Before serving your ice cream, let it soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Then scoop it out, and garnish it with the remaining pie crust. Or eat it right out of the container. Just try to keep it away from pumpkin-loving puppies!

This recipe was adapted from M Cubed.

Shopping list:

  • Pumpkin puree- 12 ounces
  • Heavy cream- 2.5 cups
  • Cream cheese- 8 ounce brick
  • White sugar- 1/2 cup
  • Brown sugar- 1/2 cup
  • Egg yolks- 5
  • Pie crust- 1
  • Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
  • Cinnamon- 1/2 teaspoon
  • Nutmeg- 1/4 teaspoon
  • Ground ginger- 1/4 teaspoon
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The Farm Grows On, and a Crazy Cat

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My parents’ farm garden has grown so much since my last visit just a few weeks ago. It is lush and bountiful, but the harvest is just beginning. Real broccoli is growing! If you cut the broccoli stalk out of the middle of the plant, a new one will grow! Or so I’m told.

There are plenty of very sweet string beans too. They seem to appear overnight. The string beans are sweet and very crunchy. Perfect for a salad.

There are many different varieties of peppers growing on the farm, and they are definitely the most plentiful crop so far. I picked a big batch of jalapenos. I cut one up to make some guacamole for my sister, but touching the inside of the jalapeno made my thumb burn like crazy for at least 8 hours. I tried everything to make it go away (trust me, sour cream was involved), but nothing helped.

These sneaky cucumbers hide really well underneath their large leaves. I was searching and searching for cucumbers but couldn’t find any. Five minutes later, I practically stepped on a huge one! It was crisp and delicious, better than any cucumber from the supermarket.

Tiny eggplants are starting to grow too. They come out of beautiful, bell-shaped, purple flowers. The eggplants that grew last year were really delicious, so I have high hopes for these.

There is also a huge blackberry bush growing in my backyard. No one put it there. It just appeared, and it grows exponentially every year. It is taller than I am and full of thorns. Some of the berries are underripe, some are overripe, but the perfect ones are really perfect. They are very sweet, just warmer than body temperature, and they explode on the tongue. Summer bliss.

And now, I promised you a crazy cat. What happens when a crazy cat stands on her back legs?

She shoots up to the moon, never to be seen or heard from again.*

*Not really.

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