Crostini neri

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 30 minutes; Yield: 8 servings

Carrot, minced	1 medium
Celery, minced	1 stalk
Onion, red, minced	1 small
Olive oil, extra virgin	2 tablespoons
Salt	Pinch
Bay leaf	1
Chicken livers, cleaned, chopped	1 pound
Capers, rinsed	2 tablespoons
Anchovy paste	30 grams
Butter, unsalted	60 grams

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil, and then add the vegetables with a pinch of salt; sauté for 10 minutes. 
2. Add the livers with the bay leaf; stir with a wooden spoon until browned nicely. 
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Stir in the capers, anchovy paste, and butter; remove and discard the bay leaf. 
5. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, and pulse until smooth. 
6. Serve with toasted bread. 

Recipe from VisitTuscany.com.

Watermelon-basil sorbet

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 4 hours 20 minutes; Yield: 1 quart

Watermelon, ripe, diced in 1-inch cubes	7 cups (3 to 4 pounds)
Sugar, granulated	¾ cup
Basil, fresh, torn + minced	1 cup packed + 2 tablespoons
Lime juice, freshly squeezed	3 tablespoons
Chambord	1 tablespoon
Vodka	1 tablespoon
Salt	Pinch

1. Puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender. 
2. Place a fine mesh sieve over a mixing bowl, and transfer the watermelon to the strain off the juice; discard the pulp. 
3. Reserve ¾-cup of the juice, and place in a small saucepan with the sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
4. Add 1-cup of torn basil leaves, cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. 
5. Strain the simple syrup into the bowl with the rest of the watermelon juice; whisk to incorporate. 
6.  Whisk in the lime juice, Chambord, vodka, and salt. 
7. Cover, and chill for 4 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. 
8. Prior to churning, stir in 2-tablespoons minced basil. 
9. Churn in your ice cream maker for 15 to 20 minutes; it will look slushy but will get firmer in the freezer. 
10. Freeze for 24 to 48 hours to cure the sorbet before serving, if possible to wait that long. 

Recipe from Sense & Edibility by Marta Rivera.

Honeydew sorbet

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 4 hours and 45 minutes; Yield: 1 quart

Honeydew melon, diced	1 pound
Lemon juice	3 tablespoons
Vodka	3 tablespoons
Sugar, granulated	1 ¼ cups

1. Puree the melon in a food processor or blender until smooth. 
2. Add the lemon juice, vodka, and sugar; process for another 30 seconds. 
3. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 
4. Churn in an ice cream maker until slushy. 
5. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 24 to 48 hours to cure. 

Notes: James wasn’t thrilled with this one: too sweet. Next time, reduce the sugar by half, and liquify it over heat with the melon juice before churning. Also, reduce the vodka by half so the sorbet freezes better. 

Recipe from Alton Brown.

Peach ice cream

Active: 30 minutes; Total: 4 hours 30 minutes; Yield: 1 quart

Peaches, peeled, sliced	2 cups
Sugar, granulated	½ cup + ½ cup + ¼ cup
Lemon juice	½ teaspoon
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Egg yolks	5 large
Cream, heavy	1 ½ cups
Milk, whole	1 ½ cups
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon

1. In a large bowl, toss the peaches with ½-cup sugar and lemon juice; let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, until the peaches are soft and have released their juices. 
2. Mash the peaches with a fork or potato masher until very small chunks remain. 
3. Strain the juice into a separate bowl, reserving both the liquid and the pulp, refrigerating until ready to use. 
4. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the cream, milk, ½-cup sugar, and salt; heat until hot but not bubbling. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼-cup sugar until light in color, about 2 minutes. 
6. While whisking, ladle in ½-cup of the hot cream mixture to temper the eggs, then add another ½-cup. 
7. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the custard base, stirring gently until the temperature is between 170-175°F, and the mixture is thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. 
8. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 
9. Strain the custard base through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl, then stir in the liquid from the mashed peaches; refrigerate for 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled. 
10. Pour the custard base into the ice cream maker, and churn until it looks like soft-serve ice cream, about 25 to 30 minutes. 
11. Add the reserved peach pulp during the last 30 seconds of the churning process; transfer to an airtight container, and freeze at least 24 to 48 hours to cure. 

Recipe from House of Nash Eats.

Tuna salad

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 10 minutes; Yield: 3 cups

Tuna packed in water; drained	20 ounces
Mayonnaise	1 cup
Celery, finely chopped	1/3 cup
Onion, red, minced	2 tablespoons
Pickle relish, sweet	2 tablespoons
Lemon juice	1 tablespoon
Garlic, minced	1 clove
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, juice, and garlic. 
2. Season to taste; serve immediately or chill until serving. 

Recipe from Culinary Hill by Meggan Hill.

Banana split board with cherry limeade

If I could have one Oklahoman business open a branch in California, it would be the Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store. They set the standard for my tastebuds when it comes to ice cream sundaes and cherry limeades.

For an upcoming gathering, guests are tasked with providing a themed board. I, of course, am probably overdoing the assignment but I love a fun challenge. The following is what it takes to create a banana split board with cherry limeades. In some instances, I elevated the ingredient, such as roasted strawberry-buttermilk sherbet and double Dutch dark chocolate ice cream instead of their basic blends. Going for extra wow factor by making my own maraschino cherries, then using the juice as the "cherry" in the limeades.

Banana splits:

• Bananas
• Randy Mill Farms homemade ice cream
• Roasted strawberry-buttermilk sherbet
• Double Dutch dark chocolate ice cream
• Hot fudge sauce
• Strawberry sauce
• Pineapple sauce (bonus!)
• Marshmallow sauce
• Caramel sauce (another bonus!)
• Toasted almonds
• Whipped cream
• Maraschino cherries

Cherry limeades served with an assortment of vodkas.

Preparation order:

• Maraschino cherries: store up to 3 months
• Marshmallow sauce: store up to 2 months
• Caramel sauce: store up to 3 weeks
• Strawberry sauce: store up to 3 weeks
• Hot fudge sauce: store up to 2 weeks
• Pineapple sauce: store up to 2 weeks
• Randy Mill Farms homemade ice cream: store up to 3 days
• Roasted strawberry-buttermilk sherbet: store up to 3 days
• Double Dutch dark chocolate ice cream: store up to 3 days

Note: This is a progression of my previous Building a better banana split post.

Braum's cherry limeade

Active: 5 minutes; Total: 5 minutes; Yield: 1 drink/2 gallons

	Single serving	2-gallon batch
Lime, rinsed, rolled on counter, cut in half	1 + Garnish slice	30
Sweet cherry juice concentrate or maraschino cherry juice	2 tablespoons	24 ounces
Simple syrup	2 tablespoons	24 ounces
Ice
Club soda	½ cup	4 liters
Maraschino cherry	Garnish

1. Squeeze the lime halves into a glass, and drop in the limes. 
2. Add simple syrup and cherry juice; shake to combine. 
3. Add ice, and top with soda. 
4. Garnish with cherry and lime slice.

Note: For larger batches using the beverage dispenser, wash and freeze limes and cherries use as ice cubes.

Maraschino cherries

Active: 25 minutes; Total: 1 hour 20 minutes; Yield: 2 cups

Cherries, rinsed, pitted	¾ pound
Cherry liqueur, such as Luxardo maraschino liqueur	1 cup
Cherry juice, tart	3 tablespoons
Sugar, granulated	¼ cup

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cherry liqueur, sugar, and cherry juice. 
2. Stir to dissolve the sugar. 
3. When it just begins to simmer, remove from the heat. 
4. Add the cherries, and let cool to room temperature. 
5. Store the cherries and the juice in a lidded glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.  

Recipe from sidewalkshoes.com.

Marshmallow sauce

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 22 minutes; Yield: 2 cups

Water	½ cup + ½ cup
Gelatin, unflavored	1 teaspoon
Sugar, granulated	1 ½ cups
Corn syrup, light	1 cup
Salt	1/8 teaspoon
Vanilla	1 teaspoon

1. Place ½-cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Sprinkle over the gelatin; set aside. 
3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the remaining water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. 
4. Allow the sugar to dissolve, but do not stir as this can cause the syrup to crack. 
5. Simmer undisturbed over medium heat until the syrup reaches soft ball stage, or 240F when read on a candy thermometer. 
6. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the bloomed gelatin. 
7. Whip on low for 2 minutes to cool down the mixture. 
8. Add the vanilla, and whip on high for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mixture is thick, white, and fluffy. 
9. Store in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks. 

Recipe from biggerbolderbaking.com.

Pineapple sauce

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 20 minutes; Yield: 2 cups 

Pineapple, fresh, finely chopped	2 cups
Sugar, dark brown	1/3 cup
Salt, fine sea	¼ teaspoon
Cornstarch	1 tablespoon
Corn syrup	¼ cup
Lemon juice	1 teaspoon

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. 
2. Stir in the corn syrup and pineapple; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. 
3. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat, and stir in the lemon juice. 
5. Cool completely before using; store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.