Grown up Ice Cream

Often when I get home from work this time of year I do the needed outside things before I even go inside, sometimes I will salt the driveway or shovel...  you know to get them out of the way before I take off my wet shoes and coat.  Then, once I am in the house I am in for the night.  I was doing that on Friday when the incident happened.

A few minutes after the "incident"  Kris came home and said, "Wow! What did you do?  Were you in a fight?".  I gave her a quick run down...

"Were you drinking?"

"No! I just got home."

The next day my mom called and I described what had happened.

Her first question, "Had you been drinking?"

I went to work yesterday and the questions started, "what happened to your face?"  "Did you go the the hospital?" "Jeez what did you clean that with?" (answer to that... Vodka) and of course, "how much did you have to drink?"

Can you tell that I am trying to build tension?  I know, I am not Dean Koontz or anything but really; a nerdy food blog isn't a popular suspense novel and I don't get to build tension very often.  So are you ready to hear what the incident was?

On Friday I quickly walked through the house and went to the back patio to take out the garbage, I walked around the garbage can to drop the kitchen bag into it and lost my footing on the ice... I am sure that my arms were still attached to my body but they immediately became useless.  My feet flew into the air and I landed, on my face on the snow and ice covered lawn chair.  Then, since a plastic chaise is no match for a flying 200 pound man I slid off the back of the chair onto the snow and ice covered patio.  After flopping around a bit I spent the next few moments scanning the neighbors windows to make sure that no one saw me then started crawling around in the snow, in the dark, looking for my new progressive lens glasses.

For those of you that aren't there yet "progressive lens" is a term they use now because it seems more polite than,  "here are your bifocals old man... $400.00 please, oh and by the way every time that you look down for the next several weeks you can expect headaches and mild nausea."

When I got inside and looked in the mirror I saw that I looked like Brad Pitt from Fight Club OK, I wish.... I looked more like a middle aged man that fell on his face, almost recovered then fell on his face again.  By the way I am fine, just a little banged up, I am half torn between embarrassed and wishing that I had video because it would rock to see.

The only thing that makes me wonder is why everybody asked if I had been drinking...  Whatever goes on in their heads I'll never guess.  On Saturday I made one of my favorite desserts, yes sometimes baking is calming.  Then I took out my new toy and tried something new!

Brandy Ice-Cream:
2 cups half and half
1 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of one lemon
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
3 TBS Brandy

To make custard:
Pour Half and Half into a saucepan, add vanilla to and grate in the lemon zest then bring mixture to a light boil.

While that is heating whisk together the brown sugar and yolks in a metal bowl until combined well. Add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, stirring as you go then return custard to pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and coats back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. (Do not let it boil)

Pour custard through a strainer into bowl and cool slightly. Stir in brandy and chill for a couple of hours until cold. Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker.following the instructions.

After it was done mixing I put it back into the freezer for about half an hour to firm up, I have to say this one worked!  Smooth and creamy with a brandy flavor that wasn't at all overpowering, backed by the vanilla and a hint of lemon.  Really wonderful for the first time out!

This is served with my very favorite dessert Apple Shortbread Bars.  When I pulled up the recipe to make it this time I was thinking to myself, "this is so simple, why is it so yummy?"  Answer: maybe it has something to do with the 3 sticks of butter I put in.  So healthy? Maybe not but if you want a rice cake after you fell on your face twice that is fine with me but I think that I earned this.

Oh and because I have them...