In celebration of National Women’s Month, I figured I’d highlight the OG’s (original grandmas) of popularized cooking. Popularized cooking? I said what I said. We all grew up, hopefully, getting fed by a parent or other parental figure. If you’re my age and older, chances are this was your mother, aunt, sister, or grandmother. Women have held families together by saving money making struggle meals, ensuring their children are nourished to the best of their ability, instilling a sense of creativity in their children by taking risks on a new recipe, or just ensuring the family comes together at the table to eat a meal and keep the lines of communication open.
Ok, first off, I know. Alice Waters is not technically a grandmother, but she does fall within the demographic, and also is undoubtedly a powerhouse in the world of cooking. In fact, she was one of the new chefs, at the time, who really started pushing eating locally, and seasonally, and supporting local farmers and other purveyors; changing the menu each day to adapt to whatever was the freshest and best product they could get their hands on. Her restaurant, Chez Panisse, is celebrating its 50th year of operation. In the past year, like many others, they had to pivot. But, she was uniquely positioned in that her restaurant already had a tremendous relationship with their local farmers. As a result, the very first week they had to close, due to Covid-19, they sprung into action by opening a Sunday Market where customers could buy the products the restaurant would normally use...actually, the farmers are now supplying the restaurant more produce than ever due to the overwhelming demand. It was her ethos of local sustainability that saved the farmers, the lifeblood of America, and served her neighborhood clientele, while keeping staff employed.
My fiancé was super-excited when I told her I’d be honoring Alice Waters, because it meant I would be doing something vegetable-centric. Frankly, I was excited too as things have been getting heavy in the winter months of the blog and how could I not prepare a vegetable? She helped transform a rundown local school and added a premier program, known as the Edible Schoolyard Project, which gets kids involved at an early age to learn about fresh produce and how to properly use it when creating their own dishes and tending to their own garden.
But...then I saw a story about how she loves Mulberries, and that her daughter used to sell them in cones outside Chez Panisse for $2, and with the false spring we’re in this week, my mind was made for me. The problem was two-fold, I’ve never had a mulberry in my life and I don’t have an ice cream machine - yet; it’s on our wedding registry and let’s just say, the woman in this house who was so excited for vegetables, now wants me to make all of the ice cream. It is stunningly good. So, here you go guys: Mulberry Semifreddo.
Hot Girl Semifreddo Summer.
Mulberry Semifreddo
Feel free to adjust the level of vanilla in this recipe. I went with a tablespoon which makes this super rich and decadent; like a fig and mascarpone cake with a sweet balsamic syrup. If you dial it down to 1 tsp, the mulberries will truly sing through and the cakelike-richness factor decreases.
If you can find fresh mulberries, use them by all means. As they’re only in-season for 3-4 weeks out of the year, I picked up some dried ones and rehydrated them.
2 cups dried mulberries
2/3 cup + 5tbsp sugar
3 eggs
¼ tsp salt
1-3 tsp vanilla (see note above)
2 cups heavy cream
Place the mulberries in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let the mulberries steep in the water and rehydrate, about 10 minutes. Drain the mulberries reserving some of the liquid.
Transfer the drained mulberries to a blender and puree. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, add about ¼ cup of water to help get things moving. Using a rubber spatula (the mixture should be thick, like tar), empty the contents into a saucepan and whisk in ⅔ cup of sugar, with ⅓ cup of the mulberry water over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to incorporate the dissolving sugar. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, 5 tbsp sugar and salt until incorporated. Reserve.
In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup of cream with ¼ cup water over medium-low heat, until just beginning to simmer. Slowly pour the warmed cream mixture into the medium bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pot and return to medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
Once the mixture reaches 160 degrees, remove from the heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the vanilla and mulberry paste and let the contents cool, completely, 10-15 minutes.
Once the mulberry mixture is cooled, pour the remaining 1.5 cups of heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk. Blend until soft peaks form, about 90 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, mix ⅓ of the whipped cream into the mulberry mixture. Then fold-in the remaining whipped cream until fully incorporated.
Pour the contents into a 8-9” square pan (or a 6-inch loaf pan) and cover with plastic wrap. Set in the freezer for 8 hours. If frozen longer, let it sit for a few minutes before scooping.
___________________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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