Cherry, Grand Marnier, Chocolate Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake (July Daring Bakers Challenge)

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s World – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

When I first read this challenge, I thought, what a beautiful, challenging, fun project to try. And it has been all of those things. I love ice cream (particularly in the summer – even in the cold San Francisco summer), love cake and adore the two together. And it was super fun to come up with some different flavor combinations. I chose cherry, Grand Marnier and chocolate as my flavors … cherry ice cream, Grand Marnier ice cream and filling with chocolate cake and fudge sauce. Divine!

The requirements for this dish were to make two Swiss Roll cakes, two ice creams and a fudge sauce from scratch. Then the Swiss roll cake must line the inside of a bowl, followed by the first ice cream, the fudge sauce and finally the second ice cream in order to create a bombe type of dessert.

All of the components are fantastic on their own and together … well, they are a knock out. And so pretty!

Most of the individual components are pretty easy and quick to prepare, but the freezing and assembly time requires a lot of planning. For the whole thing, I’d schedule three days to do it.

Day One: Make both ice creams
Day Two: Make cakes, whipped cream filling, hot fudge sauce and assemble
Day Three: Serve and make your mouth really, really happy

Ingredients:
Of course, feel free to substitute other flavors of homemade ice cream, or even store bought ice cream in a pinch.

Directions:
Cut the Swiss Rolls into 20 equal slices.

Cover the bottom and sides of a large bowl with plastic wrap.

Arrange the cake slices along the bottom and up the sides of the plastic lined bowl. Make sure that the seams are facing up so that they will be on the bottom when you turn the finished cake out. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Soften the cherry ice cream until it is spreadable. Take the cake out of the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Pour the softened ice cream over the cake slices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap again and freeze until firm, at least an hour.

Remove the cake from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Pour a layer of fudge sauce over the cherry ice cream. Cover and freeze until firm, at least an hour.

Soften Grand Marnier ice cream. Remove the cake from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Spread the ice cream over the fudge layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 – 5 hours until completely set.

Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the cake and place the serving dish on top of the bowl. Turn the bowl upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl doesn’t readily come off, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with warm water.

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Hot Fudge Sauce

This hot fudge sauce was one of the components of a Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake, the July Daring Bakers Challenge. Continue reading

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Cherry Ice Cream

With an abundance of cherries (one of my favorite fruits) this summer, I’ve been looking for as many ways as possible to use them. I participated in July’s Daring Baker’s Challenge which was a Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake … Yum! This ice cream was one of the layers. Continue reading

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Grand Marnier Ice Cream

This ice cream was one of the components of the July Daring Bakers Challenge, a Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake. It is rich and sophisticated and just a very light tasting. It combines well with chocolate or other fruit flavors. Continue reading

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Chocolate Swiss Swirl Cake with Orange Cream Filling

A Swiss Roll Cake is a thin rectangular cake made in a jelly roll pan that you fill with some kind of creamy goodness and roll it into a log shape. They are the basis for some wonderful desserts like the Buche de Noel.

I had never made one of these before and thought it would be pretty tricky. But as it turns out it was a piece of cake (pun intended). The only tricky bit is making sure you don’t overcook the cake because if it dries out, it will be impossible to roll without crumbling.

I participated in the July Daring Bakers Challenge where we made a Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake using this cake as the foundation for the dish. Continue reading

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Foodbuzz 24×24: New New Orleans Classics, Recreated

I was thrilled to learn that my Foodbuzzz 24×24 proposal had been selected this month … and truly honored to be part of the group celebrating the richness of the Gulf Coast culinary history and scene. In addition to  a great excuse to gather together for a party and eat delicious food, Foodbuzz generously donated $250 on our behalf to the Greater New Orleans Foundation for the fishermen and their families affected by the Gulf oil disaster.

I recently returned to New Orleans for my high school reunion. While I was there I visited some of my favorite restaurants. My dinner party concept was a progressive dinner based on recreating dishes from a few of them, a different course from each restaurant.

I started at Bayona, a beautiful restaurant in the French Quarter housed in a 200 year old cottage with a gorgeous lush courtyard. Susan Spicer is the proprietress and chef at Bayona. My good friend Beth Amadon and I enjoyed their lovely “Saturday Light Lunch”, a 3 course prix fixe lunch featuring appetizer sized portions that are great to share.

My inspiration dishes from Bayona were the starters, the Arugula Salad with Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Cheese

and Smoked Duck, Peanut-Cashew Butter and Grilled Onions in Puff Pastry with Pepper Jelly.

My next stop was Jacques Imo’s. Jacques Imo’s is a crazy, fun, funky restaurant Uptown. I went with my friends (who are really like family) Stone and Maya. Getting there is half the fun. Take the St. Charles streetcar through the Garden District and Uptown past the grand mansions and stately oaks and get off at Oak Street. A few blocks down you’ll find Jacques Imo’s. (Click here for more about Jacque Imo’s)

My inspiration dish from Jacques Imo’s was the incredibly over the top flavorful Blackened Redfish with Crab Chili Hollandaise.

For dessert, I stopped at one of my tried and true favorites, the Palace Cafe. It is one of the famous Brennan family restaurants. It’s located in the old Weirlein music building on Canal Street.

My inspiration dish from the Palace Cafe was my all time favorite dessert EVER … real Bananas Foster, flambeed tableside.

So with a bevy of inspiration, I headed back to San Francisco and started scheming and planning and shopping and cooking.

Last night 14 friends gathered to celebrate each other, the Gulf Coast, New Orleans and all that is good in life. Our friend Jill, an accomplished chef in her own right, helped me cook all day Saturday. Deb ran around getting our last minute supplies and taking on the lion’s share of the hosting activities while Jill and I cooked. And Lenore took tons of photos. Thanks Jill, Deb and Lenore … I couldn’t have done it without you!

The menu (click on the links to view the recipes with step by step directions):

Classic Lime Daiquiris with a Twist (a little lagniappe in honor of the Tales of the Cocktail Festival in New Orleans this weekend). There is also a non-alcoholic sparkling limeade version.

Cajun Spiced Pecans

Smoked Duck “PBJ” in Puff Pastry with Pepper Jelly

Arugula Salad with Watermelon, Cucumber, Mint and Feta Cheese

Blackened Catfish with Tabasco Buerre Blanc

Bananas Foster

The party was a huge delicious success and it was wonderful to know that our participation is helping those affected by the Gulf oil disaster. In addition to the money that Foodbuzz donated in our name, the guests donated an additional $310 to the GNO Foundation.

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Restaurant Review: Jacques Imo’s (New Orleans)

Jacques Imo’s is one of my very favorite New Orleans restaurants. It reflects the city in so many ways … it is outrageous, the food is over the top sublime and it is always packed with people having a good time. Continue reading

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Bananas Foster

My favorite dessert in the entire world – bar none – is Bananas Foster. Being raised in New Orleans, it was something we were treated to on special occasions and I’ve always loved it.

Of course, the Brennan restaurants in New Orleans make the best, most authentic bananas foster. And I enjoy it almost every time I’m in town, usually at the Palace Cafe.

I adapted this recipe from Cooking Up a Storm, a wonderful cookbook edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune. The editors compiled the recipes to help replace the recipes that residents lost during Hurricane Katrina. It is a great collection. Continue reading

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Blackened Catfish with Tabasco Buerre Blanc

The inspiration for this dish came from a meal I had at Jacques Imo’s in New Orleans. They serve a blackened redfish with a chili crab hollandaise that is one of my favorite items on the menu. (for more about Jacques Imo’s, see my review here)

I made several adaptations to the dish. First, redfish are not readily available on the West Coast at any time. Their habitat is the marshes of South Louisiana so due to the oil disaster, they are even harder to come by now. I substituted catfish which is also great blackened.

Then I changed the cooking method. Blackening is traditionally done indoors in a super heated cast iron skillet. It creates a heavy smoke spicy smoke that will set off smoke alarms and make breathing quite difficult. Instead I covered the outdoor gas grill with foil and heated it to high. I cooked the fish right on the foil. Continue reading

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Arugula Salad with Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta

This is the kind of thing that sounds weird, but it is delicious. If you like putting salt on watermelon, you’ll love this salad. It’s bright and fresh and beautifully summery.

The salad comes from Susan Spicer’s restaurant, Bayona and is featured in her book Crescent City Cooking. Continue reading

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