Brown Butter Bacon Ice Cream

This ice cream is the ultimate in decadent indulgence with both brown butter and bacon! Give yourself the epic treat with this southern inspired brown butter bacon ice cream.

I apologize in advance to my vegetarian friends for defiling a usually innocent childhood treat. For yes a pig died and jumped into this ice cream, but at least it died to be in something so epic! 

Since bacon is the candy of meats it only seemed fitting to be in ice cream- AND since it was my birthday and I had a bacon theme for the food- then yeah it had to happen! (I also didn't wanna bake a cake since I don't have central AC) 80% of the time I am eating all healthy and shit, loving my veggies but I go to extremes and then things like this happen and since it was my birthday, it's totally justifiable, right?!

So I thought about how to properly pay homage to the king of cured meats and what would compliment it. I never got to brown butter or even try browned butter, but I liked the idea of the caramel notes it would bring and how that intensity of sweet would contrast with the salty. To further drive this home I used brown sugar for most of the sweetness because it goes with the southern roots and the molasses added to brown sugar perfectly goes with most meats and rubs already. This all sounds fancy, but most of this is deeply intuitive, I am somehow able to taste something before I make it. So that is how my crazy train brain just works.

So basically this ice cream is a heart attack waiting to happen, but you will enjoy your last few breaths at least. You may enjoy it so much that you will make a vat of it to bathe in and roll around in to eat your way out of. Make this and eat responsibly. A little goes a loooong way!

What you need

3 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 3/4 cup milk

(reserve 1-2 tablespoons of milk to mix with corn starch)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (can sub with vanilla extract)

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon rendered bacon fat   (eeek I know, I'm sooooo soooo bad)

3 slices of bacon cooked crisp and cut into tiny bits (I used Trader Joe's Black Forest Bacon)

How to make it

1- Whisk together cornstarch and 1-2 tablespoons of your milk, set aside.

2- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan on medium heat, I recommend using a stainless steel pan so you can see the butter turn brown. Here is a great brown butter tutorial!

3- Remove the butter from heat once it's browned, add in your brown sugar and let is dissolve into that magical brown butter.

4- Place pot back on medium heat whisking in your heavy cream,milk, and vanilla bean paste.

5- Once it comes to a boil remove from heat and whisk in cornstarch and milk mixture.

6- Place back on heat and add the rendered bacon fat. Stir well until slightly thickened. (enough to coat spoon once removed)

7- Place in fridge overnight with the slices of bacon to infused it. (Don't chop up the bacon just yet, it will get stuck when the ice cream is churning.

8- Remove bacon slices and churn ice cream as instructed by ice cream maker

9- Add chopped up bacon pieces (I used food processor)

10- Freeze to set and serve!

Princess Badass Ice Cream for #IceCreamTuesday #SummerWeightLoss

 This bourbon cherry infused ice cream with bourbon soaked cherries and a marshmallow fluff swirl perfectly represents to 2 parts to the modern woman, the princess and the badass inside us all!

#IceCreamTuesday

Wednesday is usually the day I get you a post, but this is special guys! It's #IceCreamTuesday (marshmallow edition)!! I joined up with some blogger friends to make my ice cream with marshmallow, NY Foodgasm style! Please be sure to check out all the links from the bottom for MORE ice Cream Mayhem!!

Many thanks to Jenni of PastryChefOnline for organizing!! She did an awesome job wrangling all of us!

The Summer Weight Loss Challenge Begins...

OKAY, the timing is NOT ideal! After all the Summer Weight Loss Challenge like JUST kicked off. I apologize to ALL of you since I was slacking on my social media for this event. It snuck up on me, but this is annual event running from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The challenge is to lose 10 pounds from Memorial Day to Labor Day. You can join the Summer Weight Loss Challenge HERE.

Samoa Energy Truffles

So I have been seeing a lot of these great recipes that replicate a cliff bar or to make your own cereal bars, etc. It intrigued me, mostly because most of those bars you buy at the store have preservatives, chemicals, high fructose corn syrup etc. At the start of my healthy eating and weight loss journey, I looked for anything as long as it was low fat and now that is starting to change for me. I learned of all the crap that is put into processed food. So now I try and eat very little processed food (food in a box) or stick to Trader Joe's stuff (which has no preservatives, chemicals, GMO's etc.). With all these energy bars and protein bars out there, I thought I would give making my own a shot. Looking over some recipes I was inspired by these almond joy bites by Gimme Some Oven. I wanted mine to be a little indulgent and also fun like these, so I made a Samoa version.

Little chocolate salty balls that are just the right balance of what you want and what you need! You need energy that won't make you crash and you wanna eat a Samoa cookie to get it. This is not as good as a Samoa- it's better!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Fudgey, soft, round balls covered in toasted coconut and drizzled in caramel and melted dark chocolate- 'nuff said there. But this texture doesn't come from fat- in fact you won't believe what gives it this texture. Dates! Okay don't be grossed out and think I'm tricking you into eating some nasty health food. Give it a shot and you will taste the magic and fall in love with these balls! 

These balls are da shit! Whole foods for the win! If you want these gluten or grain free just sub the graham crackers for more nuts of your choice.

To be clear these are healthy, but not a diet food. Eat 1 or two for some hunger fighting power to get through to dinner or before a workout. But definitely don't eat many since there's sugar and fat in these- HEALTHY sugars and fat. But I want to make sure if you are trying to lose weight you won't eat a ton of these! LOL! That said they have LOTS of fiber, some protein and natural sugars that won't make you crash!

Bonus about this post- ball jokes! Gotta love it! Especially balls you can put in your mouth. OMGeeee the jokes are endless!

What you need

12 oz mejool dates (unpitted) You can also sub regular dates, but you may wanna soak them so they become soft.
1 cup pistachios (Other nut if you like)
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
1/4 cup toasted coconut

To finish em off you need:
1/3 cup toasted coconut (to roll the balls in)
caramel sauce to drizzle (I used Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce)
Melted Dark chocolate to drizzle ( I used 1/4 bar or 1 oz. of dark chocolate in all including what I put in the balls)

How to make them

1- So I put in the dates in the food processor first and I added about 1/4- 1/3 cup warm water to help them combine.
2- Add in everything else and let 'er rip. It may take some negotiation and you may need to scrape the sides time to time
3- Roll balls in your hand and roll in toasted coconut.
4- Drizzle with caramel and melted chocolate

Nutritional Information

Decadent Brownies with Soco Infused Cherries and Pistachios

 

Why is this a Foodgasm?

As I sit here typing the name of these brownies I am noticing a liquor trend. Do I need to go to Food Alcoholics Anonymous? Nah, I like to think of NY Foodgasm as healthy food with a 'tude- so bring it on! So you say brownies- there ain't nothing healthy about brownies. So I tricked you a little, but it's only because you will never taste the black beans. Now these are not healthy as in no fat and low calories- these are healthy as in full of nutrients and not just empty meaningless calories. Let me just paint a picture for you- rich melted dark chocolate, Southern Comfort soaked dried cherries packaged in a fudge-a-licious brownie that just so happens to be made with black beans.

I found this recipe on 80Twenty and I knew I found a foodie soulmate! Her recipes and her photos ROCK, go take a look!

No you have not died and gone to heaven- nope this is just NY Foodgasm just intoxicating you with some fine brownies!

One Night Stand: The Rainbow Cookie Martini

Why is this a Drinkgasm? 

Rainbow Cookies, my Achille's Heel! They make me weak at the knees, my mouth water and my heart race...yup I am hopelessly in lust with this cookie! What is now to love? Almond flavored cake with raspberry preserves enrobed in chocolate- DUH, how could this NOT be amazing!

So I made plans to hang out with my friend Jenny, she wanted rainbow cookies, I said, nope too much work. So I said how about I make us a Rainbow Cookie Martini and started rattling off different liquors that would work....Amaretto for the almondy cake, Raspberry Liqueur to get the raspberry flavor (Chambord), Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and to make it a tini it needs vodka, so I used whipped vodka. Never made this, never tried this, but theoretically this should work and it did and man- WOW it was good!

This is like a Rainbow Cookie and a Martini walked into a bar, got wasted, had a one night stand and then this baby was born!

NOTE: A NY Foodgasm One Night Stand is a recipe I created that is in no way healthy- but worth it for an occassional indulgence.

NY Foodgasm- One Night Stand: Pumpkin Spice Martini

Why is this a Foodgasm? This is something new for NY Foodgasm, but I know you will enjoy it. So a one night stand is something that can happen, it is a little naughty but it's fun as long as it's in moderation. For NY Foodgasm a one night stand is the same thing, something naughty and indulgent that you enjoy in moderation. This Pumpkin Spice Martini falls into that category. Is it good for you? Hell no! But it is soooo good! This is soooo easy, delicious and it is strong! Imagine you just had a rough day (hard to imagine right?) it is cold outside and you want something indulgent WITH alcohol, well look no further!

S'mores Pancakes

Why is this a Foodgasm?  You know why.....pancakes made with crushed graham crackers pieces of oooey gooey marshmallow and chocolate that just melts in your mouth?  Seriously does it get any better?! FYI- this is a totally an indulgent foodgasm NOT healthy....but that makes it all the more fun!