Cinnamon Almond Ice Cream

I know, it's January. Who makes homemade ice cream in January?  But I had some good local cream, and I was planning to make a pie that I knew would be better with ice cream. And this is delicious! Especially good with cherry pie, but totally worth making just on its own, too. You'll need an ice cream maker for this recipe, which works well with a 1 1/2 quarter maker.

1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Slivered almonds for topping (optional)

Use milk and cream straight from the fridge so they are as cold as possible.

Combine the milk, sugar, and salt and stir or whisk until the sugar is totally dissolved. Add the cinnamon, almond extract, and cream, and mix well.  Process this mixture in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately or freeze in an airtight container for later. If desired, top each serving with a sprinkling of slivered almonds.

Serves 6-8.

Romesco Sauce

So here's what I did with the fire roasted red peppers. Romesco sauce is a traditional Spanish sauce. This recipe is adapted from many, many recipes that can be found on the Internet, all conceptually similar and none quite the same. It's one of those sauces that everyone's grandmother has a special recipe for. The result is sweet and pungent at the same time. In Spain it is typically served with grilled meat, seafood, and grilled vegetables. But you could also use it as a dip with veggies or pita chips, on bread or toast slices as an appetizer or tapa, even on pizza or with pasta (with pasta you might want to add in some roasted tomatoes).

8 oz. fire roasted red peppers
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup almonds, lightly toasted
2 large cloves garlic (or more to taste)
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food process or blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

If you want to freeze this, it takes well to the same storage method I use for pesto: place single-meal quantities into freezer bags and press flat.

Packaging for the freezer

Makes about 2 cups.