The Bubbly Girl

Four-Star Ice Creams to Enjoy This Summer and Beyond

July 18, 2022

As I scrolled through my camera roll trying to decide what to post on Instagram for National Ice Cream Day (July 17, 2022) I realized that I’ve enjoyed a lot of amazing ice cream over the years. Inventive ice cream made with top-quality ingredients is one of the best parts about living in the San Francisco Bay Area. But no matter where I‘ve travelled, whether the climate is hot or cold, everybody loves ice cream.

Here’s a roundup of some (but not all) of my favorites, and where to try these flavors for yourself this summer and beyond.

Blueberry Muffin and Peach Pie ice creams from Sweet Rose

Sweet Rose Creamery is this Santa Monica ice cream institution. It’s in a chic little shopping mall called the Brentwood Country Mart, where there’s also a Gwyneth Paltrow goop store. They have a range of flavors, but their claim to fame is ice cream mixed with chunks of cake and pie. The first time I visited, I was blown away by the summery combo of Blueberry Muffin ice cream with Peach Pie ice cream in a waffle cone. The flavors were intense with the right balance of sweetness and acidity.

Double Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich from Miette

Miette is a super-cute chain of French-inspired bakeries here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I started going to the Ferry Plaza location when I worked in the city. The macarons are lovely, and so are is the hazelnut shortbread, but the most stunning thing I discovered at Miette was this Double Chocolate ice cream sandwich. Creamy chocolate ice cream is sandwiched between two bittersweet chocolate wafers that taste like what Oreo cookies aspire to be. It’s the best $5 treat in San Francisco.

Salted Caramel Vegan Nice Cream from Kubé

Kubé Salted Caramel ice cream is amazingly delicious – and it’s plant based too.

I had pretty much given up on plant-based ice cream, because it never got the texture quite right, or it was too sweet, or the flavors didn’t deliver. But Kubé, a coconut-based (n)ice cream made by a Black woman entrepreneur Kai B. Nortey in Oakland, changed my mind about this category. Her Salted Caramel with Toasted Pecan ice cream was full-flavored, creamy and I loved the hint of coconut flavor in the background. After I sampled Kubé at the Black Wine + Food Expo, I promptly went out and bought some. It’s pricey, but it’s worth the dairy-free indulgence.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream from Bi-Rite Creamery

Salted Caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite is a San Francisco classic.

I really don’t like standing in line for food. I guess no one really loves it, but San Francisco was the first place that long lines to get a loaf of bread, fried chicken sandwich or ice cream were commonplace. But one treat that’s worth the wait is the Salted Caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery. This salted caramel is perfect, with the rich flavor with the right hint of salt and burnt caramel on the finish. It’s a benchmark flavor for me that never disappoints. Be prepared to eat it quickly, since the high-sugar content means it’s always on the soft side.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream from Tara’s Organic

Tara’s organic sweet corn ice cream cone — Sweet Corn ice cream is just one of the creative flavors at Tara’s Organic in Berkeley.

Artist Tara Esperanza founded her eponymous brand Tara’s Organic Ice Cream in 2005. While it’s been named the top East Bay ice cream, I think it’s one of the best ice creams in the entire Bay Area. Every ingredient is organic, the flavors are inventive (yerba mate anyone?) and they make really tasty waffle cones studded with black sesame seeds. I wish it were easier to know what flavors are on offer: they only post new flavors on Instagram every few days or you can call for a lightening fast rundown. Tara’s Black Sesame and Banoffee Pie, but my all-time favorite is Sweet Corn. The corn milk and kernels somehow amplify the cream and sugar for an unforgettable flavor experience.

Hawaiian Shave Ice With Haupia Ice Cream from Waiola

Visiting Waiola in Oahu with my nieces for shave ice with an ice cream core.

Since discovering Hawaiian shave ice with ice cream on a trip to Maui (thanks Ulilani!) no trip to the islands is complete without one of these creations. In Oahu, the place to go is Waiola Shave Ice, a little convenience store painted with a rainbow. They have snacks like li hing mui and nuts, but the real draw is the shave ice. My favorite is the scoop of haupia, a frozen coconut custard, mounded over with shave ice and drizzled with mango, lilikoi and melon syrups. After this sugar-bomb, the only thing to do is take a walk along the beach.

Rose With Cinnamon Roasted Almond Ice Cream from Malai

My first taste of Malai Ice Cream at Smorgasburg in Prospect Park.

Even among all the edible wonders at Smorgasburg, the food truck meetup at that started at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Malai Ice Cream stands out. Malai is a clotted cream in Hindi that also means cream of the crop according to founder Pooja Bavishi. She wanted to bring South Asian flavors like saffron, chai, and minty tulsi to a wider audience. It’s easy to see why Rose With Cinnamon Roasted Almonds is the top-selling flavor. The sweet floral flavor gets a fun crunch from the cinnamon almonds.

Malted Milkshake Chip from Tin Pot Creamery

Tin Pot Creamery is one of the most popular scoop shops in the Palo Alto area.

I first discovered Tin Pot Creamery while I was building the e-commerce content program at Houzz. The company would buy us any dessert we wanted for our birthday, and one of my coworkers had the good taste to order Tin Pot. They do their best work with traditional flavors of the malt-shop milleau, like Banana, Coconut and Salted Butterscotch. My perennial favorite is the Malted Milkshake, which is basically old-school Chocolate Chip ice cream kicked up with malt powder, which adds some depth and a hint of salty savoriness.

Dinner Tonight, Food + Recipes

Peaches Colette is the Ultimate Summer Dessert

July 10, 2022

Peaches, caramel, vanilla ice cream in a blue bowl

I adore Bananas Foster, the New Orleans dessert of bananas, butter and brown sugar flambéed in rum. But the dessert has a wintry vibe to me, and I like to eat with the seasons, so I decided to make a summery version with peaches. The key to this recipe is using the highest quality ingredients at the peach of flavor. Actually, that’s foundational to all good cooking, but it really matters when you’re working with a few ingredients. French butter is a must –my favorite is Beurre Échiré, from the Poitou-Charentes region of western central France.

Chopped peaches, almonds, butter and a spoon of honey on a green cutting board — You only need a few simple ingredients to make Peaches Colette, this easy summer dessert recipe.

I call out heirloom peaches not to be precious, but because of the ideal acid balance in old-fashioned peaches like the white Babcock or yellow O’Henry. The Arctic Supreme white peach is also exquisite, but they’re only in the market for a moment. Just go to the farmers’ market and let taste guide you to the best ones for this recipe.

Peaches Colette

Your favorite vanilla bean ice cream, frozen hard

2 tbs salted French butter

2 tbs raw honey

1 ripe heirloom peach, chopped in ½-inch chunks

1.5 tbs salted guara or Marcona almonds, chopped

Nutmeg, freshly grated

3 leaves lemon verbena (optional)

Scoop your favorite vanilla ice cream (currently torn between Van Leeuwen Vanilla Bean and Straus Family Organic Vanilla Bean) into two bowls and put them in the back of the freezer to freeze firm.
In a nonstick pan over low-medium heat, melt the butter, watching carefully so it doesn’t get too brown. Once melted, add the raw honey and stir with a soft spatula so it melts and forms a caramel. Add peaches, almonds, and lemon verbena leaves if using. Sauté and stir to coat the peaches and allow them to soften a bit. Finish with a few grates of nutmeg seed. Remove the lemon verbena leaves if you can still find them.
Pull your bowls of vanilla ice cream from the freezer, top with peaches and caramel and enjoy.

Serves 2

Red, White & Blue Mojito – A Perfect Summer Cocktail

June 28, 2022

Summer is here and it’s the time for refreshing and light cocktails. Nothing says that more to me than juicy summer fruit like raspberries, blueberries and cherries.

July is National Berry Month and the peak season for all sorts of berries. So it’s the perfect time to explore cooking with more berries. All through the month of July, look to The Bubbly Girl for cocktail and food recipes using fresh berries.

With the 4th of July approaching, I created this Red, White & Blue Mojito with raspberries, white cherries and blueberries. Look for organic berries – Driscoll’s organic berries can be found at many grocery stores – as berries can absorb chemical residue from pesticides. You can enjoy this drink two ways: as a non-alcoholic faux-jito with sparkling water or a sparkling cocktail flavored with a little Chambord black raspberry liqueur and brut sparkling wine for those who do. I removed the rum to keep it light, though you can certainly add a splash of your favorite white rum if you like.

A splash of Homemade Sour Mix –one of the recipes from my sparkling cocktail book The Bubbly Bar available on Amazon.com – adds brightness.

This berries, cherries and mint in this cocktail are muddled, meaning they’re gentlysmashed with a tool called a muddler so they release their juices and fragrant oils. I love my wooden muddler that a friend brought me from Brazil years ago, but many of the newer muddlers are made from plastic or metal, which is easier to clean. When muddling, be sure to choose a sturdy glass like this vintage-style tumbler from Anthropologie stores or the glass from a cocktail shaker.

Red, White & Blue Mojito
Makes 1 cocktail
3 red raspberries
2 white cherries, pitted and halved (or 3 golden raspberries in season)
4 blueberries
4 fresh mint leaves
1 ounce Homemade Sour Mix (See Recipes Page)
NEXT ADD EITHER:
4 ounces sparkling water (maybe berry or lime flavored?)
OR
3/4 ounce Chambord black raspberry liqueur
3 to 4 ounces brut or extra dry sparkling wine
berries and mint for garnish

Add the raspberries, white cherries (or golden raspberries), blueberries and mint to a sturdy glass. Slowly smash the fruit and herbs with the muddler until you have a juicy and fragrant pulp in the bottom of the glass. Add the sour mix and fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice. For the faux-jito, top with the sparkling water and stir gently. Or if you want a drink with alcohol, add the Chambord and then top with the sparkling wine and stir gently. Garnish with a combination of berries and mint.

Note: If you’re skipping sugar, swap the Homemade Sour Mix for juice from 1/2 lime and stevia.

Entertaining

Endless Summer Sangria

September 2, 2021

Summer is the sweetest season; that’s why it always seems to fly by. Summer 2021 felt like the shortest one of all, and we all know why.

So I’ve decided I’m going to extend it indefinitely, and live like it’s summer all year. You can join me with this colorful Endless Summer Sangria.

This is a sparkling sangria (of course) that captures the mind blowing array of fruits that are ripe as summer transitions into autumn. Go to the farmer’s market and you’ll see early apples, all kinds of citrus, grapes and even stone fruit. While I didn’t use peaches or nectarines in this concoction, you could add them in. Muddling your fruit, and letting it soak in the liquor overnight will heighten the flavors.

Sangrias are often red, but they can be made with white or rosé wine too. When I make sangria, it’s a way to use up opened wine, or to try something fun and inexpensive. Grape based spirits like brandy and Cognac are traditionally used, but you could also make sangria with Pisco, or a fruity liqueur.

Sangrias are great for tailgating parties, poolside hangouts, holiday events or any time you’re having a few people over and don’t feel like making individual drinks. You might want to double this recipe since sangria is almost always a hit.

Endless Summer Sangria
Make 8 servings
16 kumquats, sliced in thirds
16 strawberries, hulled, halved and sliced thinly
16 blackberries, sliced in thirds
16 seedless grapes, quartered
¾ cup Grand Marnier
½ cup limoncello
1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled
3 cups strawberry basil or lemon soda, chilled
20 leaves fresh mint, hand torn
4 shakes Peychaud’s bitters

The day before you plan to serve the sangria, slice up all your fruit, and muddle the kumquats and strawberries. Then add all the fruit to a jar or glass storage container with the Grand Marnier and limoncello to macerate.

The day of the event, add your macerated fruit to your serving container. Top with your chilled sparkling wine and soda. Add bitters and hand torn mint. Stir and serve with a ladle.

Note: To make sure your sangria stays cold, make a fruit ice block when you start prepping your fruit. Slice up 2 pieces of each fruit you’re using and add to a small plastic storage container. Be sure the diameter of the container is smaller than the opening for the serving vessel. Fill 3/4 with your soda and top off with plain water. Freeze overnight. To unmold, run some water around the outside of the container and plop into your serving vessel before you add all the liquid for less splashing.

Click to download a PDF of the Endless Summer Sangria recipe.

Entertaining

Spiced Apple Matcha Toddy

September 2, 2021

Fall always makes me think of apples. Growing up near Chicago, we went on apple-picking field trips, ordered caramel apples for school treats and always bought fresh pressed cider in season. My favorite autumn apple was the Jonathan, a red and green apple that was always reliably crisp with a perfect sweet-tart balance.

I’m not the only one who feels this way about this fall fruit. The smart lady who runs the hard cider association says they’re really central to American food culture.

While I don’t drink much apple cider any more, I couldn’t resist buying some to make a Spiced Apple Cider Syrup that’s delicious and versatile. Pour it on waffles, over ice cream or in a glass of sparkling wine.

Apples and spices are surprisingly good with matcha, the ground green tea powder from Japan. I love matcha for its low-key energy boost without the jitters, and the way it helps me concentrate. To make this, choose a high-quality matcha that’s brilliant Kermit-the-Frog green. My favorite everyday matcha is by Mizuba, a woman-owned company in Portland.

This 0-proof drink is a perfect way to slip into fall and stay warm. Pack a Thermos of hot water to make this while tailgating, or enjoy it at home when you want something different to start your day.

6 to 8 ounces hot water
1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs Spiced Apple Cider Syrup (recipe below)
Cinnamon stick, for garnish
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Powdered cinnamon
Powdered nutmeg

In a glass coffee mug or any heatproof mug, add the hot water, matcha powder, lemon juice, and apple cider syrup. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the cinnamon stick and lemon wheel. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and nutmeg and enjoy.

Spiced Apple Cider Syrup

Makes about 1-1/2 cups syrup

2 cups spiced apple cider
2 cups sparkling pear cider
OR
2 cups sparkling apple cider
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 clove

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the 4 cups cider you’re using, plus sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove to a simmer. Let simmer for about an hour, until it’s reduced to a syrup. You will have just over 1 cup of cider syrup. Let cool and store in a clean bottle. You’ll love this syrup with pancakes and waffles, ice cream or in your favorite sparkling wine or bubbly water.

Click to download a PDF of this recipe.