Cardamom-Wild Flower Honey Sauce

Grilled Peaches and Vanilla Ice Cream drizzled with Cardamom and Wildflower Honey Sauce

Earlier in the week Darcie got the “Hey, wanna go to the outlets?” text from our good friends Chuck and Josh.

Anyone that knows me understands that I was not part of this invite because I hate shopping (unless its to shop for a cooking gadget, food, electronics or a new car).

Not only do I dislike shopping, I also have slight fear of *Darcie shopping with Chuck and Josh (or anyone really).

Why? First, she’s a woman.  Second, she’s never met a pair of shoes or a purse that she doesn’t feel deserves a good home. And finally, well, we’re not exactly Bill and Melinda Gates.

(*Note: Darcie actually does very well, and never overspends – and today she bought stuff for me.  Probably good that she did since I refuse to part with a Polo shirt that I’ve probably had well over 10 years now).

Anyway, despite my disdain for shopping, Chuck and Josh’s invite to take Darcie shopping provided me an opportunity to whip up breakfast for a crowd which is more my cup of tea.

I kept it fairly simple. Darcie, with her mad baking skills, made homemade buttermilk biscuits.  I made the homemade sausage and gravy to smother said biscuits.  I also whipped up a zucchini and egg fritatta.

I’ll blog these dishes in the near future but today, I’m blogging about something I didn’t even make.

See, even though our friends asked what they could bring, we informed them we had it covered. But of course, this is Chuck and Josh, and they don’t show up anywhere empty handed.  Which, in this instance I’m glad they didn’t.

Chuck made 2 amazing pastries.  The first was a fig tart with a goat cheese spread.  The second, and the star of today’s show was a cinnamon twist with a Cardamom-Honey Dipping sauce.  The twist would have stood just fine on its own but when dipped in the sauce it went to the next level.

Amazing!

The sauce was sweet with a hint of spice.  It was vibrant and bursting with citrus. With all the other food we had, this was all I wanted.  Since there was a lot, I couldn’t wait to find uses for the remaining sauce that was left behind.

The first thing that came to mind was using this sauce drizzled over some grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream.

Winner!

I also think it would be good in tea (hot or iced) which I’ll try very soon.

The recipe for the sauce was taken directly from the Food Network but adapted slightly first by cutting the recipe in half (the original portion makes way too much) and by using wildflower honey instead of the more commonly found clover honey.  Enjoy!

Ingredients: 1/4 cup wild flower honey 1/8 cup lemon juice 1/6 cup powdered sugar (or half of a third of a cup – eyeball it) 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 2 semi-ripe peaches Vanilla Ice Cream Heat grill to high. Meanwhile, cut peaches down the middle and twist to separate, remove pit. Brush the peaches lightly with canola oil and grill over medium high heat 3-5 minutes on each side (or until caramelized and semi-soft). While the peaches are grilled, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom until smooth. Place peaches along side a generous scoop (or two or 3) of ice cream. Drizzle everything with the cardamom-honey sauce.

Salted Caramel Milkshake

Salted Caramel Milkshake

Back in January I started a diet.  Not just a New Year’s resolution diet, but a life altering one.  I was determined to lose 50 pounds (initially) and keep it off.  In order to do so I would be forced to change my eating habits.  I knew I didn’t want some fad diet, but rather I would keep eating the things I loved, just less of them.  Portion control became key for me. In addition to portion control, I chose more sensible snacks.  Instead of a candy bar or cookie, I’d reach for an apple or an orange.

However, no matter how sensible my food choices are, I cannot give up my love of  ice cream.  Its my dieting achilles heal.  My house could be stocked with more sweets treats than Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but if it doesn’t have ice cream, its not complete.  Lucky for me, I have the will power, so when I eat it, its not nearly as often as it once was.

A few weeks ago, I hit the 40 pound lost mark — so I’m inching closer to my goal.  As a reward for my dieting hard work, my wife whipped up a delicious salted caramel milkshake.

This recipe will make 3-4 milkshakes.

Ingredients:

Milkshake Ingredients

• 16 individual caramels, unwrapped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of milk

Over double boiler or in microwave, slowly melt caramels until smooth.  Add sea salt and mix.

Melted Caramel

In a blender, add ice cream, vanilla extract and milk.  Blend until smooth.

Ice Cream and Vanilla Extract

Add 3/4 of the melted caramel and blend to incorporate.

Meanwhile, take a spoonful of the remaining caramel and add to the bottom of your serving glass, coating the sides of the glass in the process.

Add blended milkshake to caramel coated glass.  Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel, a cherry and a pinch of sea salt. Serve immediately.

Yum