Sugar, Citrus, Ice Cream… where am I going with all this?

A week without a post! How can this be?

Under the weather, sleep deprivation, a camera malfunction (losing the charger counts as a malfunction, right?), and a quick trip out of state, you say? Okay, okay, I guess we can let it slide this once.

Unfortunately, the sleep deprivation and illness fell together right on top of the weekend trip. Despite my hopes of having a good time, I was resigned to spending the majority of my time in the hotel room, smelling of gummy worms (the soaps claim to be ‘sugared citrus’ scented, but they don’t fool me), and gazing out over this lovely view:

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(Yay for cell phone cameras!)

Can you read that from here? “Dave’s Hot N’ Juicy” … “Haunted Hoochie”.  Apparently, according to the yellow starburst on the haunted hoochie sign, it’s rated one of the best in America. Which suggests there’s more than one.

Mommy, what’s a ‘haunted hoochie’?

The internet tells me it’s one of the biggest, baddest haunted houses around. That’s cool… but seriously, why the name? I’m sure I’m not the only one confused, or amused, by it.

Besides the comical signage, and the inherent fun of marching around in OSU’s home territory while wearing the opposing team’s colors, I was less than happy about being away from the comforts of home.

Now that I’m back in the warm mountain of blankets I call a bed, I realize that I still have nothing new to share with you – no kitchen follies, no delicious morsels. So instead, I’ll regale you with a tale of old. I made these tasty treats back when a food blog was just a glimmer in my minds eye – but even back then I was smart enough to snap a few photos!

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(Orange)

 Splash! What’s that? Why, I’m glad you asked.

I realize it’s strange to be talking about ice cream, just as the weather is getting cold and gloomy and everyone is reaching for the warm and cozies, but if you ask me ice cream has no season. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to go to a DQ in the middle of winter, only to find that for some reason, they’re closed. I know I’m pretty die-hard when it comes to ice cream (don’t even get me started here, people), but seriously, just because it’s cold doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a nice frozen dessert.
The reason I decided to post about this, in particular, though, was actually because of the supposedly ‘sugared citrus’ scented shampoos.
The ice cream is plain vanilla, and the slice of orange is suspended in poured sugar – like spun, only less scalding hot liquid sugar flying everywhere. I simply melted some sugar in a pot, but before letting it caramelize I took it off and poured it on sheets of parchment. Actually, I used a spoon to drizzle, mostly. Again, less scalding hot liquid all over the place.

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(Lemon)

Although it’s more for looks, the sugar was fun to nibble on while eating the ice cream. Also more for looks, are the ramekins. In fact, I think that’s what inspired this photoshoot in the first place. If you’ve got cute little dishes, put them to use!

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(Blood orange)

If I’d had a mandalin at the time, I would have aimed for thinner slices, and a more stained-glass type look.

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(Lime)

Clearly I was on a bit of a citrus kick. And an ice cream kick. And later, I was on a sugar high.

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After the photos, I found myself in the always tragic situation of having rapidly melting ice cream on my hands. Without room in the freezer for the ramekins, there was only one thing to do… a sacrifice I would gladly make, in the name of food photography. Or, I suppose, in the name of not throwing away ice cream. Very important!

My favorite was the orange, quickly followed by the lemon. The lime and blood orange were both a little bitter, but perhaps had I candied them first (rather than just pouring the sugar over top of them) they would have been more pleasing. Whether for eating or not, though, they certainly make for a fun and interesting garnish!

Hmm… sick, bundled in bed, and now… craving ice cream. I might just be able to remedy that!

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2 Responses to Sugar, Citrus, Ice Cream… where am I going with all this?

  1. Anonymous October 20, 2011 at 12:41 am #

    I love this post! I hope you’re feeling better!!

  2. Willow October 20, 2011 at 1:55 pm #

    Thanks!

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