Pascale’s Kitchen: Ice cream & other fun summer treats

Now that we are well into August and the extreme heat is beginning to take a toll on all of us, it’s difficult to drag ourselves into a hot kitchen. The best solution, in my opinion, is to focus on the coldest place in your kitchen: the freezer. This is the time of year to prepare fun treats that are cold and delicious to eat on a hot summer day. It’s the season when we try to use the oven as little as possible and instead focus on cold dishes that include cheese, vegetables, pasta, chicken, or fish. 

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This week, I am bringing you four exceptionally fun and easy recipes for frozen treats. Actually, I’m not even sure you could categorize them as recipes, since they’re so simple to make and include just three to five ingredients. Making these treats requires little effort; and instead of requiring the use of an oven, they all need to be cooled in the freezer. 

With school starting in just a few weeks, I felt that this was a great time to share a few great summer recipes that kids will enjoy preparing and will, of course, be thrilled to devour once the treats have chilled in the freezer long enough. If your kids are a little older, they can even prepare these treats on their own. 

The first recipe is for vanilla ice cream with cookie crumbs and candied fruit. Yum.

The second recipe is for chocolate-covered ice cream cubes prepared in ice cube trays. I like to use large trays, but you can use smaller ones or any size and type you like. These frozen, bite-size ice cream cubes are fun to eat on a hot summer day.

The third recipe is for chocolate cups that are made completely out of chocolate that you make in silicone muffin cups. After they harden, these cups can be used to serve cut-up fresh fruit cocktail, including delicious summer fruits like peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, and grapes. For an extra-festive version, you can top the fruit with candied pecans. Alternatively, you can fill the chocolate cups with tasty homemade ice cream (see recipe #4 below).

The fourth recipe is for dates stuffed with walnuts and covered with white chocolate icing, and topped with colored sprinkles, almond slivers and candied nuts. 

VANILLA ICE CREAM  WITH COOKIE CRUMBS AND CANDIED FRUIT

Use a loaf pan.

• 500 ml. sweet whipping cream 38% fat, chilled
• 1-2 drops vanilla extract or seeds from a vanilla bean
• 1 container (400 gr.) condensed milk
• 1 cup candied fruits
• 14 Oreo or other type of cookie, crumbled

Pour the whipping cream into the bowl of an electric mixer and whip on medium-high speed until creamy. Do not overmix the cream.

Add the vanilla and condensed milk and mix at a slow speed only until just mixed so the cream does not flatten. Fold in the candied fruits and cookies. 

Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan and flatten. Cover with plastic wrap and place on top of a huge piece of aluminum foil. Secure the foil around the pan and place it in your freezer for a few hours or overnight. 

Take the ice cream out of the freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 20 minutes + time in freezerStatus: Dairy

CHOCOLATE-COVERED ICE-CREAM CUBES

Makes 2-3 ice trays filled with ice cream cubes.

Ice cream:

• 400 gr. sour cream (any amount of fat) or yogurt for a lighter version
• 2 Tbsp. crunchy peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
• 1-2 drops vanilla extract, or lemon or orange zest

Chocolate icing:

• 200 gr. sugar-free bittersweet chocolate
• 1 Tbsp. oil

Place all the ice cream ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag and squeeze ice cream into sections of ice trays, making sure not to overfill them. Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours. 

To make the icing: 

Place the sugar-free chocolate in a glass bowl and heat in a microwave for a few seconds at a time until melted. Take out the bowl and mix until smooth.

Take the ice cream cubes out of the freezer. Stick a toothpick into the center of an ice cream cube and then dip it in the melted chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered cube on a tray that’s covered with baking paper. Do not leave the toothpick in the cube. Prepare the rest of the ice cream cubes in the same fashion.

Place the tray with the ice cream cubes in the freezer for 10 minutes. Next, transfer all the ice cream cubes to an airtight container and store in the freezer.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 20 minutes + time in freezerStatus: Dairy

CHOCOLATE CUPS

Makes 10 cups.

• 300 gr. bittersweet chocolate
• 3 Tbsp. oil

Place the chocolate in a glass bowl, then add the oil. Heat for a few seconds at a time in the microwave until melted, or heat over a bain-marie. 

Use a pastry brush to cover the inside of silicone baking cups with the chocolate. Let the chocolate harden, then repeat, brushing on more chocolate until you have a thick and sturdy layer of chocolate. Make sure there aren’t any spots you haven’t covered with chocolate. Transfer the cups to a tray, and then place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes. 

Carefully dislodge the chocolate cups from the silicone molds. Fill them with fruit or ice cream and serve.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 20 minutes + time in freezerStatus: Dairy

DATES STUFFED WITH WALNUTS AND COVERED WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

Makes 10-12 pieces.

• 10-12 large Medjool dates
• 10-15 walnut halves

Icing:

• 100 gr. white chocolate
• 3 tsp. oil

Toppings:

• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• ¼ cup candied nuts
• Colored sprinkles

Cut the dates lengthwise just enough so you can extract the pit, making sure not to cut all the way through. Stick half of a walnut inside a date, then gently press the date closed around the nut. Prepare the rest in the same fashion.

Place the chocolate in a glass bowl and heat a few seconds at a time in the microwave until it has melted. Stir until smooth.

Dip the top half of the dates in the melted white chocolate, then place them on a tray covered with baking paper. Sprinkle toppings on the dates, then place the tray in the fridge to let the chocolate set. Serve the stuffed dates in muffin liners. 

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 25 minutesStatus: Parve

Translated by Hannah Hochner.