Brent Herrig, 2012

I love food, I love to eat, and I love to host.

So my FoodBuzz 24×24 Gluten-Free Puff Pastry Party was a whole lot of fun.

But no matter the occasion, I always scheme up dessert first.  I want my desserts to look pretty and be layered with as many flavors and texures as possible.  A friend at the party (a private chef whose job I may be taking over) told me my savory flavors are spot on but I have to work on my plating.  Rightly so.  I find cooking as comfort and, while I savor the artistry in what others do with it, it’s medicine and sustenance to me.  Dessert is where I play.

I wanted two gluten and dairy free dessert recipes for my shindig, and decided on tiny takes of both a banana split and a strawberry shortcake.

Both results made me extremely happy.  Like, tiny dance of joy when no one was looking happy.  They’re incredibly simple, and nostalgically delightful.

As spring has finally come to NYC, it was also time to store the crockpot and bring out my little ice cream churner, a yearly move I always look forward to.  I decided on a dairy-free mint chocolate chip ice cream for this go around, but my Coffee, Honeybun or Pomegranate Lime variations would be fun too – all dairy-free, of course.  And the basic coconut milk to egg mixture and method would obviously work with a whole slew of flavors.

Sweet.

Brent Herrig © 2012

Gluten-Free Mini Puff Pastry Banana Split

Makes 12 mini splits

Components:

• 1/2 recipe gluten-free puff pastry
• 1 recipe Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (recipe follows)
• 2 bananas, cut into thirds lengthwise and then into six wedges
• nuts, chocolate chips and fruit for garnishing

Um, you know how to make a banana split, right?  Have fun tossing things together.  I used a small cookie scoop to portion out the ice cream, with two scoops on each split.  Adorable.

Dairy-Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cans full-fat coconut milk (about 3 cups)
• 8 yolks from large eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch,
• 1 3oz bar of dark, dairy-free chocolate, chopped (I used Endangered Species, which I love)

Method:

In a bowl, beat the egg yolk with the honey.

In a medium pot, bring 3/4 of the coconut milk up to a steam / very low simmer, then turn off heat.  Temper the egg yolk by slowly whisking in some hot coconut milk, about 2 Tbsp at a time, until it’s thoroughly warmed (basically you’re trying to heat the eggs without cooking them).  Add the egg mixture to the milk, and begin to heat on low.  Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining coconut milk, then whisk into the egg/milk mixture.  Whisk in extracts and salt.  Continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken into a soft custard, about 5-8 minutes.  It won’t get fully thick, but should get to the point where it will coat a spoon.

Remove to a bowl and chill until thoroughly cold.

Add to ice cream maker and churn until thick, about 20 minutes, adding the chopped chocolate as soon as the mixture begins to thicken and freeze.  Remove to freezer until frozen.

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• Gluten free pastry – sweet and savoury! (halobakingemporiumandchocolaterie.wordpress.com)
• Mocha Nib Torte – Gluten-Free Boxed Cake Makeover! (thedustybaker.com)