salted chocolate fudge sauce

 

now that i have an ice cream maker & can make all sorts of flavours this summer, it only seemed fitting to make a fudge sauce to grace that homemade ice cream with! growing up, a mcdonald's hot fudge sundae after a soccer game was everything. now, here is my grown up version of that same nostalgic sundae adding a touch of sea salt to the mix. because i am older now, adding sea salt makes it seem more sophisticated #adulting. drizzle on homemade vanilla ice cream, your favourite store bought flavour, or let's be real.. just eat it with a spoon because it is that good.

anyways, i am going to keep this one short because i have literally been elbows deep in buttercream this week baking & frosting a ton of cakes. can not wait till you see the one i am posting to the blog next week.. spoiler alert: it is earl grey flavoured, eek!

ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 5-6 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped (i used lindt dark chocolate)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

directions

  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the sugar, cream, corn syrup & butter. cook until sugar fully dissolves, do not let mixture come to a boil.
  • stir in chocolate, salt & vanilla. once chocolate is fully incorporated, remove from heat.
  • strain into a glass jar & refrigerate until ready to use. sauce can be served both hot and cold!
  • sprinkle with a touch of sea salt when serving over vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

like what you see? get it here. copper saucepan | salt jar | linen | flatware | bowl

roasted blueberry green tea ice cream

 

i scream, you scream, we ALL scream for... green ice cream?! wait what. YES this ice cream is vibrant green thank you to aiya's matcha powder. i am getting good use out of my ice cream maker this summer whipping up ice cream flavours that aren't available in grocery stores, or probably even ice cream shops! first the cinnamon toast ice cream over on the crate + barrel blog, made with homemade cinnamon toast bits & now today's roasted blueberry green tea ice cream made with freshly roasted blueberries. i used two types of sweetener in this recipe; white sugar & honey. it is not often you see honey being added into ice cream recipes but the combination of green tea & honey seemed fitting. to flavour this ice cream i used aiya's cooking grade matcha powder because the cooking grade blend flavours come through even when other ingredients are added to the mix! the best advice i can give you if you are making ice cream for the first time is LET THE BASE CHILL. i made that mistake the first time i made ice cream & it never froze properly. i know you are going to be as eager & excited as i was but just wait & let it cool completely! make the base in the morning & churn the ice cream right before bed. you will wake up to the perfect ice cream for breakfast:)

p.s. i hope everyone had a lovely father's day weekend! i spoiled my dad with those spicy bacon bloody mary's & ribfest as promised!

ingredients

for the roasted blueberry green tea ice cream

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup raw honey
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons aiya matcha powder (i used the cooking grade)
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup roasted blueberries (see recipe below)

for the roasted blueberries

  • 1 pint fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon sugar or honey

directions

for the roasted blueberry green tea ice cream

  • chill the ice cream bowl in the freezer overnight if required.
  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the milk & matcha powder. bring to a simmer & remove from heat. whisk until the matcha is evenly distributed.
  • in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, white sugar & honey until light + fluffy.
  • temper in a cup of the matcha milk, whisking vigorously to ensure eggs do not cook.
  • pour mixture back into the saucepan & cook on low heat until it slightly thickens.
  • strain base into a mixing bowl and stir in heavy cream. let the ice cream base cool overnight in the refrigerator covered. do not skip this step, ice cream will be too soft if mixture isn't chilled properly.
  • transfer into an ice cream bowl and churn for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • once ready, stir in roasted blueberries & freeze in a loaf pan until frozen solid.

for the roasted blueberries

  • preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • toss blueberries in sugar or honey.
  • place on a parchment lined baking sheet & cook for 12-15 minutes or until the berries begin to burst open.
  • let cool completely.

this post was created in partnership with aiya america. you can find the cooking grade matcha powder i used here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep modest marce up & running! xo

like what you see? get it here. bowls | gold spoons | linen | falk copper pot

bbq bacon bloody mary

 

today's blog post is all about my dad! with father's day around the corner, i wanted to create something extra special for him & all the other dads out there. if there is one thing i know about my dad, it is that he LOVES spicy food! he is always buying fancy hot sauces & adding it to food that should (in my opinion) never have spice added to it. because his favourite cocktail is a bloody mary (also known as a caesar in canada), i figured this would be the perfect time to create an epic one. something much fancier then the average one you get at the bar & something extra spicy. when i saw the chili labs DIY hot sauce kit, i thought it would make for the coolest father's day gift. we could make different hot sauces together & then test them out via bloody mary's.

since our father's day always involves a lot of delicious bbq from ribfest, i garnished it with smoked grilled bacon & grilled asparagus because asparagus is so much better then celery. you can top it with literally ANYTHING else you or your dad loves, olives, hard boiled eggs, pickled green beans.. hell, i have seen bloody mary's topped with sliders! no judgement here. on this day, what dad wants, dad gets!

cheers.

ingredients

for the grilled asparagus

  • 1/2 pound asparagus, stems removed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt & pepper, too taste

for the bbq bacon

  • 1 pound smoked bacon
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

for the bloody mary

directions

for the grilled asparagus

  • preheat bbq to medium high heat.
  • in a large pot of boiling water, blanch asparagus for thirty seconds. remove & submerge in ice bath. this will ensure the colour is vibrant.
  • toss blanched asparagus in olive oil, sea salt & pepper.
  • grill on each side for 2 minutes, until lightly charred.

for the bbq bacon

  • preheat oven to 400 degrees & bbq to medium high heat.
  • lay out bacon strips in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
  • cook until crispy, about 15 minutes. remove from tray & place on paper towel to remove grease.
  • brush bacon with bbq sauce & grill the bacon for a minute on each side.

for the bloody mary

  • in a cocktail shaker add the vodka, tomato juice, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, & smoked paprika. shake until cocktail is well mixed.
  • rim glass with coarse sea salt. fill with ice & add the bloody mary mixture.
  • garnish with asparagus, bacon & a slice of lime. additional toppings are always welcome!

this post was created in partnership with giftagram! the easiest way to send a gift directly from your phone. all the props featured above including the DIY hot suace kit can be found on the app to be gifted to your dad, bestie, or let's be real.. yourself.