Cafe Lucca Gelato

Cafe Lucca Gelato

It was such great a beautiful day I decided to take a little walk and enjoy a gelato break. Cafe Lucca is a great little cafe it has plenty of tables for you to sit and enjoy an espresso or some great gelato.

They have a great selection as you can see.

I ended up getting some gelato for my co-workers as well. I had the Chocolate Hazelnut and Pistachio. The gelato was full of flavor but since the fat content isn't like ice cream the finish is much cleaner.

Cafe Lucca on Yelp 

Orange Vanilla Cream

Orange Vanilla Cream

Here is another childhood favorite of mine. It an Orange Vanilla Cream. Just simple frozen orange juice and then I combine with some vanilla ice cream. It is simple, tart, sweet and creamy.

Magnum Ice Cream Bar - Vanilla Almond

Magnum Ice Cream Bar -  Vanilla Almond

Today I saw the Magnum Ice Bar on sale while wandering through the freezer isle. I thought I would give them a try and see if they lived up to all the hype that the TV commercials were generating.

The packaging is definitely fancy compared to the Haagen Dazs bar. The gold foil wrapping definitely convey a sense of  a high end product but will the taste deliver the goods?

I let the bar rest a few minutes on the counter before I took my first bite. I wanted the ice cream inside to be soft  so that it won't instantly freeze my taste buds so that I can make a solid judgment. Upon  taking my first bite the chocolate shell splintered leaving broken pieces where I had taken my bite. I think the chocolate coating is not as thick as the Haagen Daz bar.

The next thing I wanted to compare was the vanilla ice cream inside. The Magnum bar had vanilla bean specs to convey that real vanilla that was used. It definitely had good vanilla flavor but the ice cream itself was not as thick and creamy as a Haagen Daz bar. It seems like the was more overrun or air in the ice cream because it was very light and fluffy.

Overall I thought the Magnum Ice Cream Bar was good but if I were to spend $4+ on a premium box of ice cream bars I would stick to the Haagen Daz bars.

Hot Fudge

Hot Fudge

Here is a very simple recipe for hot fudge.

Ingredients

4 ounces of dark chocolate chips
4 ounces of  unsalted butter sliced  so they are easy to melt
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler. Stir in heavy cream and then sprinkle in 1/2 cup sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle in remaining sugar until dissolved. Add the vanilla extract and continue to cook the fudge for another 20 minutes until it reduces a bit and get a shine.

Enjoy over your favorite ice cream. The fudge should keep refrigerated for 1 week. To reheat you can microwave for in 30 second intervals and stir in between intervals so that the fudge is heated evenly.

A Simple Post

Just a simple post today. It was a very busy weekend.

A vanilla scoop in Black and White.

Shamu Ice Cream Pop

Shamu Ice Cream Pop

I spent the day at the Seaworld in San Diego and I had to try the Shamu Ice Cream pop.

It a vanilla ice cream flavored ice cream bar that is shaped like Shamu and then dipped in milke chocolate.

I would say this novelty ice cream was pretty cool and went with the theme of being at Sea World.

It was a great time for the entire family

Maggie Moos

Today I had a chance to try Maggie Moos ice cream.





I had tried there Strawberry ice cream it was very good had a great flavor and finish.

I also tried there Carrot Cake ice cream it has the taste of cream cheese frosting with cinnamon and they also had specs of carrots.

Vanilla Cherry Ice Cream Bowls

Vanilla Cherry Ice Cream Bowls

Simplicity is best. Like the words of all the best chefs when you have good ingredients you don't have to do much to make them shine.

These little vanilla cherry waffle bowls are simple and perfect for a nice warm summers night. Just dice up ripe sweet cherries top off with the best vanilla ice cream you can make or buy and serve in a nice fresh and warm waffle bowl.

Keep it simple and delicious.

Nectarine Sundae

Nectarine Sundae

I hope you are experiencing the bountiful sweet crop of Nectarines that are at your local farmers market. We picked up some deliciously ripe nectarines this weekend and today I had just enough remaining to make a quick sundae.

I peeled the nectarine and thinly sliced and sauteed them with some butter and brown sugar to taste. When you see the sugar just begin to melt and caramelized remove the pan from the heat and top off with some great homemade french vanilla ice cream. I topped off the sundae with pieces of waffle cones for  some crunch.

Ice Cream Scoops

Ice Cream Scoops

Here is my small collection of Ice Cream Scoops. They all make different sizes and shapes of scoops. I prefer the smaller scoops for my ice cream photos because you can fit more of them into a bowl or cone.

Chocolate Waffle Cones

Chocolate Waffle Cones

Well once you start making your own ice cream I think it is a natural progression to start making waffle cones. Nothing beats the smell and taste of a fresh crispy buttery waffle cone.

I decided to deviate a little from the regular waffle cone recipe and added in a couple teaspoons of coco powder and made the cones richer and more sophisticated.

Ingredients

2 large egg whites
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoon of unsalted melted butter
2/3 cup of flour
2 teaspoon of coco powder

 

My Guest post on The Ravenous Couple

Come check out my guest post at The Ravenous Couple blog.  The Ravenous Couple Blog is a great read with delicious recipes and great family stories. Today I share a Vietnamese Dessert - Che Dau Trang

Mint Klondike Bar

Mint Klondike Bar

I saw these Mint Klondike Bars while strolling through the ice cream freezer section at the local supermarket and I had to give them a try. I'm always a sucker for mint and chocolate, it one of  my favorite flavor combinations.

They tasted pretty good for a store bought Ice Cream bar. The chocolate that coated the ice was thick and dark chocolate tasting. The ice cream inside had a hint of mint and a touch of green not too fake green but just enough to make you believe you are eating a mint ice cream.

Maybe in a future post I can  show you a artisanal way to make mint ice cream bars.

Cupcakes and Ice Cream

Cupcakes and Ice Cream

It was my twin nephews 1st birthday party today and my wife's cousin made these great cupcakes and sugar cookies. 

If you want to learn how to make these sweet treats visit her great blog at Treats-SF.blogspot.com

It wouldn't be complete without cake and ice cream.

Old Town Grinder and Ice Cream Parlor

Old Town Grinder and Ice Cream Parlor

The Yelp Link


It was a beautiful  Friday here in Southern California so I decided to take a quick break and walk down to the Old Town Grinder for a scoop of Ice Cream.

I wasn't sure what to expect but when I walked up to the ice cream counter and saw that they served Thrifty's Ice Cream I knew I wouldn't be disappointed because I grew up with these flavors since I was old enough to hold my own ice cream cone.

Their was a pretty good selection but I wanted something fruity so I decided to get a scoop of the Black Cherry Ice Cream. It was just like I remembered it sweet and creamy with lots of cherry chunks!

What a great way to head into the weekend on a sweet cherry note.

(All photos where taken on the Iphone with Camera Pro 3.0 app)