Frozen Treats

Summer has finally decided to show its face here in Brooklyn, and it is most welcomed! I officially have a sunglasses line on my nose, and I don't even ascribe to the idea of donning tanned skin. So in celebration of summertime and the living being easy, I present to you two things: one, a creation of my own, and the other, a review of Tempt Hemp Milk ice cream by Living Harvest, which I found quite unexpectedly on Sunday afternoon. First up, My own frozen creations. This recipe was inspired by my aunt's peanut butter balls. If she were 30 years younger, I think Frank would leave me for her and her peanut butter balls alone. Wanting something with peanut butter and chocolate, but not wanting a frozen chocolate shell, I devised the following:

Chilled Peanut Butter Truffles
1/4 C. Peanut Butter ( I used natural salted chunky PB)
3 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
Cocoa Powder for rolling

Directions:
Mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small bowl until fully combined. The mixture should stiffen and gather all excess sugar and peanut butter from the sides of the bowl, as seen in this not-quite-attractive picture:
Next, fill a separate bowl with cocoa powder, and take small chunks of the mixture (about 1-2 tsps), rolling into a ball. Roll the peanut butter ball in the cocoa powder and place on a plate covered with a sheet of waxed paper or parchament. Since the peanut butter will be warm, the cocoa will be absorbed into the ball, making a chocolate layer, as seen here:

Freeze the truffles for about 15 minutes, or until well chilled. Roll in cocoa powder again, which will allow for a proper 'dusting' of cocoa to be present on the outside, and re-freeze. Please note that these are best frozen, as they do not get rock hard, and the cocoa powder remains in-tact, as seen in the first photo. If they are simply refrigerated, the cocoa may be absorbed again. The recipe yields 10 - 12 truffles.

ENJOY!

Part Two, Ice Cream!
Your resident vegans, Christina and Frank, went to see Mission of Burma (who were fantastic!) by the East River waterfront in our neighborhood Sunday afternoon, and walking back decided that it was the perfect warm day for an ice cream finish to dinner. So we stopped at one of our local health stores on the way home to peruse our options. We had almost decided on a coconut-milk based ice cream, when lo and behold, I spied MORE selections in another freezer case, namely a very enticing Hemp Milk ice cream called Tempt, made by Living Harvest Foods, sole makers of the hemp milk that you find on your store shelves. Always being one to go for the unusual in life, this sighting immediately made me put down the coconut milk version that I held in my hand. Tempt comes in Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Fudge, Coconut-Lime, Coffee-Biscotti, and Mint Chip, all of which were present in the very freezer case that we were standing in front of. I was intrigued by the Coffee Biscotti flavor, but Frank is not a java lover. However, we both enjoy mint and chocolate, so Mint Chip it was! I must say that I was very impressed with this product. The ice cream was smooth and very delicious, and the flavorings were well-balanced. The chocolate pieces were soft and not crunchy, as in some ice creams; it reached a nice, semi-soft consistency with about 20 minutes of thaw time; and did not melt all over as we ate it. I think that everyone needs Tempt in their freezers this summer, it's very impressive!

--CG

Music for Frozen Treats: Mission of Burma, any and everything you can find. Of course, it's best live...