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I’m not exactly sure how to broach this topic, so I’m going to cut right to the chase. Fennel ice cream.

I had fennel ice cream for the first time almost a month ago, and I’m still thinking about it. I used to only get this way about things involving chocolate, but apparently, I’m growing up, or getting weirder. Either way, I take it as a positive development.

If you’ve been reading here for a while, or if you keep up with Bon Appétit, you’ve probably heard that my friend Olaiya is a knockout of a cook. She consistently finds, creates, and writes the best recipes I know. I feel very lucky to have her around, not only because she teaches me a lot, but also because she occasionally invites us over to dinner and does something crazy, like opening the freezer and blithely serving up, la di da, a homemade fennel ice cream that might be, what do you know, some of the best ice cream anywhere.

Fennel is never an easy sell, I know, and if you’ve already clicked away, see you next week! But even if you don’t like fennel, and even if you absolutely despise it, there’s still a good chance that you’ll like this ice cream. I’m not making promises, but there’s something sort of magical, something surprising and bewitching, that happens when you steep fennel seeds in hot cream. The cream takes on the essential flavor of the seeds, as you would expect, but the butterfat works to soften that flavor, rounding off its pointy edges, turning down the volume on the licorice notes, resulting in a taste that’s almost hard to identify: cool, herbal, smooth, even quiet. It doesn’t scream fennel, by any means. It mostly whispers eat me, ideally with a bowl of sliced strawberries.

I wish I could say that Olaiya invented this stuff, but the recipe came, I learned, from her clippings folder. It was originally published in the October 2007 issue of Gourmet, where it was adapted from Holly Smith, chef of Café Juanita and, most recently, Poco Carretto Gelato. I knew immediately that I wanted to tell you about it, and with Olaiya’s blessing, I went to Epicurious to look for the recipe – only to find, in the reviews, a mention that Deb of Smitten Kitchen had written about it shortly after it came out. That woman is on her game! She doesn’t miss a beat. I not only missed this beat, but I missed it by almost three years. I tore my hair out for a little while, wondering whether this meant that I shouldn’t write about it, that the world is already over, totally over, fennel ice cream. But I decided to write this post anyway, because if even one of you out there hasn’t tried it, it’s my duty to make sure you do.

Take my word for it. You want to make fennel ice cream. It’s a very straightforward recipe: if you’ve ever made ice cream, you can do it in your sleep, and if you haven’t made ice cream, you can do it with your eyes closed, which is almost like sleeping. It’s also an excellent ice cream base, fennel flavor or no: it’s smooth and creamy, but it’s not too rich, not one of those ice creams that coats the spoon with a slick of something like butter and sets your teeth on edge. It’s also made for this time of year, when strawberries are upon us and raspberries are coming soon, followed shortly by peaches and nectarines. This ice cream wants to hang out with summer fruits, all the juicy, soft types with a good balance of sweet and tart. And maybe this is taking it too far, but I think it might also be a first-rate match for chocolate. I’m inclined to try scratching the fruit entirely sometime and serve it instead with hot fudge, or a slice of chocolate cake. Who knows, but I have high hopes.

Some housekeeping:

Canada, hi! I will be in Vancouver this Wednesday, June 16, at 3:30 pm, for a talk and book reading at Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks, at 1740 West 2nd Avenue. If you’re going to be in the neighborhood, come on by, and if you would, RSVP to 604.688.6755.

Fennel Ice Cream
Adapted from Gourmet, October 2007, and Holly Smith

1 2/3 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar, divided
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks

Combine the cream and fennel seeds in a small heavy saucepan, and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath.

Then combine the milk, ½ cup sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium heavy saucepan, and bring just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Add the hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the medium saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. (Do not allow it to boil.) Immediately strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Cool in the ice bath, stirring occasionally.

When the custard is cool, strain the fennel cream through a fine-mesh sieve into the custard, pressing on the solids. Continue to chill in the ice bath until the custard is very cold. (Alternatively, cover the mixture, and chill it in the refrigerator overnight.) Freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container, and put in the freezer to harden, about 1 hour.

Yield: about 1 quart

Ingredients

10 large peaches, halved and pitted
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Procedure

Toss peach halves in a large bowl with olive oil and salt. Grill over med/high heat until well grill marked and soft. Place peaches, agave nectar and brown sugar into a blender. If the peaches are still hot, pulse the mixture carefully until it moves freely. Blend until smooth. Taste, adjust seasonings if necessary and chill. (Chilling dulls the palate so season well.)

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with goat cheese and peach wedges.

- Adapted from Epicurious -

Ingredients

4 large green tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon paprika
2 eggs beaten
Oil for frying

Procedure

1. Slice the tomatoes about one-third of an inch thick. Salt and pepper the tomatoes and set them aside.

2. Mix corn meal and paprika in a shallow bowl.

3. Heat oil in a sauté pan. While the oil is heating, dip a tomato slice into the egg, then into the corn meal.

4. Fry as many tomato slices as will comfortably fit into the pan, about two minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Ingredients

2 large peaches, diced small
2 tablespoons red onion, brunoise (julienned then diced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Lime Juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro

Procedure

Combine all ingredients. Chill before serving. (Best served within 4 hours or peaches may brown.)

- makes 8 to 10 scones -

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cut into small dice
1/3 cup cream or milk (+ 1 tablespoon cream or milk for top)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh peach, diced
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoon Turbinado sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine AP flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Whisk to combine. Add butter dice and rub butter into dry ingredients with fingers. The mixture will still appear dry, this is fine.

3. In a 2-cup measure, pour 1/3 cup cream or milk. Add egg and whisk to combine. Add vanilla and whisk again. Pour this mixture into the flour/butter mixture and mix a few swift strokes with a rubber spatula. Add peaches and pecans and mix with rubber spatula, collecting dough into a ball.

4. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and form into a long log, about 4 inches wide, about 3 inches tall and nearly the length of the pan. Brush the log with 1 tablespoon of milk or cream. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons. Turbinado sugar. Using a bench scraper, cut the log into triangular wedges and push them apart so they have room to expand during baking.

5. Bake 15 minutes, rotate pan and bake another 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with honey, butter, or jam.

Ingredients

1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon to 1/4 cup Meyer’s Rum

Procedure

1. Ice cream to complete dessert

2. Melt butter in saucepan. Add salt and brown sugar. Cook this mixture until brown sugar is melted, about 3 minutes. Add rum—the mixture will bubble up. Boil mixture another 5 minutes. Set sauce aside and prepare peaches.

3. Halve or quarter peaches. Oil the grill grates with canola or other neutral oil. Grill peaches a few minutes without sauce. Brush par-cooked peaches with sauce and at this point they must be watched closely due to the sugar content of the sauce. As peaches develop grill marks, they can be removed to a platter. Do not overcook or peaches will not hold their shape.

4. To serve: Gently reheat sauce. Place ice cream in a stemmed glass. Add 2 to 3 peach quarters. Drizzle sauce over top.

Ingredients

2.5 pounds fresh peaches, washed, pitted (not skinned)
4 cups sugar
1 large chipotle en adobo
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Procedure

Process peach flesh until finely chopped and juicy. Chop chipotle very finely. Place all ingredients in a heavy saucepan such as Le Creuset. Cook over high heat until boiling. Skim foam from top of mixture and discard foam. Boil mixture until it reaches 226deg and continue boiling 8 to 10 minutes. At this point the jam can be canne

[Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]

I have a bad habit of screwing up salmon. No matter what I do, the fish comes out dry and kind of chalky, or just bland and boring. This is probably why I don’t tend to cook it much. Luckily, I came across this trick from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. Instead of charring the fish on a grill, or even roasting it in a hot oven, she recommends slowly baking it in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes on a bed of aromatic ingredients.

Jayden gives a few different options for the base ingredients, but I went with ginger and scallion, which gets spread out on a skillet. The salmon fillets are stacked on top and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Then it’s as easy as sliding the skillet in the oven and waiting for 30 minutes. No flipping or fussing. The result is a perfectly succulent flesh, nicely imbued with the ginger and garlic. It’s a good trick.

Slow Cooked Salmon with Ginger and Scallion

- serves 2 -

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Canola oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1-inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 scallions, green parts sliced into 2 inch segments
1 scallion, green part thinly sliced

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Meanwhile, create a bed of ginger on a skillet. Top it with the chopped scallions, and finally the salmon fillets.

2. Brush the salmon with the oil. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

3. Serve the salmon with the thinly sliced scallions.

Editor’s note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!

[Photograph: Kristen Swensson]

Finding a solid everyday cookbook is no easy task. Throw in the “healthy” factor, and it becomes harder than getting “Party in the USA” out of your head after your fiancé listens to it six times on repeat. Don’t ask me how I know that.

Cook’s Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipe is my personal favorite, and I’m slowly, finally getting into How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Betty Crocker will always have a place on the bookshelf, and if you halve the oil in all of Ina Garten’s recipes, her tomes suddenly become super useful for weeknights.

Now, thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library (R.I.P.?), I think we might have a new contender. Simple Suppers was released by the Moosewood collective back in 2005. The recipes are largely vegetarian, with a chapter of fish dishes thrown in for glorious, protein-y variety. So far, its offerings are three for three in my kitchen, and none have taken advanced skills or inordinately long amounts of time.

White Bean and Mushroom Ragout is the latest experiment, and it’s a huge win. Made almost entirely out of pantry ingredients, the dish is the perfect antidote for those evenings when you’re thiiiiis close to ordering takeout. It’s filling and surprisingly complex flavor-wise, too, and you can spoon it over egg noodles, orzo, or polenta, as seen here.

If these first few forays are any indication, you can expect to see more from Simple Suppers in this column over the next few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy your Monday supper.

White Bean and Mushroom Ragout

- serves 4 -
Adapted from Moosewood’s Simple Suppers.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups onions, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme, rosemary, or sage
8 to 10 ounces cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 15-ounce can cannellini or small white beans, rinsed and drained
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Polenta (optional)
Grated parmesan (optional, but suggested)

Procedure

1. In a large skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and herbs. Salt lightly. Cover. Saute 8 to 10 minutes, until onions are soft. Add mushrooms and wine. Cover. Cook 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, and parsley. Simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally, until a little of the juice has evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste

2. Serve over polenta, with parmesan if you like.

“This sauce is my new go-to when it comes to anything red sauce-related.”

[Photograph: Caroline Russock]

My quest for the perfect tomato sauce has been a long and arduous one, involving countless cans of tomatoes, garlic cloves, and liters upon liters of olive oil. It’s a question of finding the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity using a very limited amount of ingredients.

I’ve cooked up the $30 tomato sauce with cans of San Marzano tomatoes—it wasn’t nearly up to par. I’ve made many batches of red sauce finished with a spoonful or two of sugar, but every time I’ve resorted to this it’s feels like cheating. For many years I’ve relied on Mario Batali’s sauce, which adds a grated carrot to the mix to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes—but somehow the carrot didn’t really feel like it belonged. None of these recipes have hit the mark as far as richness of texture and tomatoey flavor go.

So I was a bit dubious when trying this recipe from The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo. The list of ingredients was about as stripped down as you can get— tomatoes (San Marzanos from La Valle are recommended), olive oil, 13 cloves of garlic (which seems like a very arbitrary number), and a pinch of red pepper flakes. But it’s the cooking time and the quality of ingredients that makes this sauce great.

In my usual red sauce-making, I allot two hours for simmering. I always thought this was a good enough window of time for the tomatoes to break down into a sauce and release their sugars, but nine times out of ten this isn’t the case and I’m left with a sauce that’s not nearly as sweet and mild as I would like.

In the Frankies’ version the sauce is left to cook for a long and slow four hours, which seems to be the magic number for marinara. You are left with a thick and rich sauce, with the flavor of the sweetest summer tomatoes. Great on its on or even better with a few of the Franks’ meatballs (stay tuned for that recipe later this week), this sauce is my new go-to when it comes to anything red sauce-related. And when the Franks’ tell you this is a sauce that benefits from a little mothering, it’s worth listening.

Win The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual to give away this week. Enter to win here »

Frankies’ Tomato Sauce

- makes about 3 quarts -

Adapted from The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo.

Ingredients

1 cup olive oil
13 cloves garlic
One 96-ounce can (or, if you can find it, 1-kg) or four 28-ounce cans Italian tomatoes Large pinch of red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Procedure

1. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large deep saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring or swirling occasionally, until the garlic is deeply colored—striations of deep brown running through the golden cloves—and fragrant. If the garlic starts to smell acrid or sharp or is taking on color quickly, pull the pan off the stove and reduce the heat.

2. While the garlic is getting golden, deal with the tomatoes: Pour them into a bowl and crush them with your hands. We like to pull out the firmer stem ends from each of the tomatoes as we crush them and discard those along with the basil leaves that are packed into the can.

3. When the garlic is just about done, add the red pepper flakes to the oil and cook them for 30 seconds or a minute, to infuse their flavor and spice into the oil. Dump in the tomatoes, add the salt, and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium, set the sauce simmering at a gentle pace, not aggressively, and simmer for 4 hours. Stir it from time to time. Mother it a little bit.

4. Check the sauce for salt at the end. The sauce can be cooked with meat at this point, or stored, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 days or frozen for up to a few months.