Episode 31: Stressed for Success

Wow!  Did I totally blow by this post.  Sheesh!  You’d think there was something big happening – like a major holiday!

Here is the long awaited, and completely forgotten receipes – SORRY!  Beat me with a wet noodle.  I will hate it, I promise.

Goat Milk Pumpkin Pie
Mix together 2 Cups sugar, 1 T flour, 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp ginger, 1 T cinnamon and 1 T nutmeg.
In a large bowl beat four eggs then add 1 quart goat milk and 3 Cups pumpkin (we used the canned stuff).  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
To mixture add 1 tsp vanilla and 3 T melted butter

Pour into 3 nine-inch pie pans – either use your favorite crust or you can get gluten-free or alternate flour type crusts in a health food store.  Bake at about 350-400 for about an hour and a half.

The ice cream I made to go with this recipe is found here: http://beekman1802.com/general/strawberry-honey-goat-milk-ice-cream.html  my only complaint is the sweetness.  We didn’t add fruit and next time I will use only ~2/3 cup honey.

Enjoy!

As I mentioned in Episode 26 I was going to list information on what I did for the drumsticks.   I did reference the Adult Pattern found at Craftster.org.  So once I have completed the main hat, I picked up 27 stitches in an oval.  As the directions state, it is IMPORTANT to slant the oval for the drumstick and your first stitch begins at the top of the slant, otherwise, your drumstick will stick out in unfavorable directions.  I then followed Sarah Mundy’s directions (the pattern creator) pretty religiously, yes I have more stitches, but only by 2. At the end of this part of the pattern, you should have 5 stitches on your needles, not 4 as Sarah’s pattern indicates.

After I finish the MC part of the drumstick, I changed her directions as follows:
Switch to CC and work 5 rounds as I-cords (I will actually do more than 5 rounds on any future hat, maybe 7 or
Continue working in I-cord as follows:
K1, Inc, K1.  Break yarn and pull thru these 3 stitches for the spur.  Later I weave in this end to make the spur *thicker* or more solid
You should now have three stitches of the original 5.
Continue working in I-cord as follows:
K1, Inc, K1, Inc, K1
K1, Inc, K1, Inc, K1, Inc, K1, Inc, K1
Knit across one more I-cord round
I then divided these 9 stitches into the 3 toes of the chicken.  The middle 3 stitches I knitted an extra I-cord round so it would be longer than the other two.

Weave in all the ends when you are thru in such a way as the toes get *thicker*, or more *sturdy*.

When you go to create the drumstick on the other side of your hat, remember to do everything in reverse.  So K1 round, becomes P1 round, etc.

Good luck!

Ah the Tiramisu Ice Cream, Ging’s Guilty Pleasure, but first let me put up those photos I promised…

Seth in Shark Hat

FrankenGing

Jedi-Ging vs the Stormtrooper

And now to the ice cream…

First for the mascarpone: Pour a quart of half n half into a double boiler and heat to about 175 degrees F. Decrease heat to low and sprinkle a generous 1/4 tsp of tartaric acid into the milk. Whisk gently. If the curds are slow to form, add a little more acid, but be careful. Too much acid will make tough curds. Yuck! Remove from heat and let sit for ~ 5mins. Pour into cheesecloth and drain to desired moisture. I like moister rather than dryer, so ~ an hour.

Next is the pudding: Place ~ 7oz of dark chocolate (I used 65% cacao) into a double boiler and melt. Remove from heat and set aside. In a saucepan whisk 2 generous cups of Whole Milk and 1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s) until it boils. Remove from heat and set this aside to cool too. Then with a handmixer beat 6 egg yolks and 7 tablespoons of sugar until you see the “ribbon” forming in the mixture. Carefully add the warm cocoa mixture and return this new mixture to the saucepan and place over a low heat. To this add the melted chocolate, blend well. When mixture reads ~175 degrees F pour into a bowl and then into an ice water bath. This is the pudding – but don’t eat it yet, we’ve only just begun to create this delicacy.

Onto the caramel: Heat 6 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 Tablespoons of water to boil in a small saucepan over medium-heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Watch the caramel carefully, once it reaches a dark amber (about 5-8 minutes) whisk in 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Pour this into your pudding and blend thoroughly.

For the espresso: Insert ear plugs in your ears, then take a large handful of dark chocolate covered espresso beans and pulverize in a food processor. When the chunks are pretty small add to the pudding/caramel mixture.

Finally, take your mascarpone and crumble it into the pudding. I then used a whisk to break the larger chunks of cheese up as I mixed it in. I then added approximately 2 Tablespoons of dark rum. Taste test if you dare, but the less you eat now, the more you get to eat as ice cream! Place in the fridge for a day or two so it sets up. Place into ice cream maker per manufacturer’s instructions. And there you go – Tiramisu Ice Cream. OMG!!!!