Pears, pink peppercorn ice cream & panini

I usually always eat a lot, but last week, in honor of my 29th birthday, I went a little overboard. To give both my wallet and digestive system a break, this week consisted mainly of leftovers -- with a few exceptions, of course.

Roasted Baby Pears with Herbed Goat Cheese


An impromptu potluck on Saturday night at the Sokorellis' started with this sweet and salty appetizer. Wrapped with thick slices of bacon and roasted till tender, the pears were accompanied by glasses of Ombra Prosecco.

Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches


Ever since my slight struggle with homemade ice cream sandwiches this summer, I've kept a distance from frozen treats. For our Saturday night potluck, I decided to dabble once again, this time focusing on some pink peppercorn ice cream. Slapped between two of Allison's saucer-sized Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies, it made a for a very sweet, spicy and satisfying second try.

Paninis at Ino
Whenever I crave panini, I make my way to Ino, a sliver of a spot on charming Bedford Street in the West Village. Kristen had never been, so today, after side by side reflexology treatments together at Angel Feet, she had her first introduction. As expected it was love at first bite.

We beat the brunch rush by just about five minutes and squeezed into the only available table (and also the teensiest) before ordering up two types of bruschetta to share (I selected my all-time favorite, the ricotta fresca with oven roasted tomatoes and Kristen picked the basil pesto). For our paninis, we split one with sweet coppa, hot peppers and rucola which was good, though it was the Italian sausage, fennel mustard and fontina that really hit the spot. Service was a bit spottier than usual, but the perfectly pressed sandwiches made up for that.




Roasted Baby Pears with Herbed Goat Cheese
From Tyler Florence

1/2 pound goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, thyme, and chives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 baby pears
12 slices bacon, about 1/2 pound, cut in 1/2
2 tablespoons honey
Arugula or dandelion greens, for garnish

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, herbs, and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Halve the pears and scoop out the seeds and cores. Stuff each pear half with about a tablespoon of the cheese. Wrap each stuffed pear with a slice of bacon and place it on a baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over the pears and season them with salt and pepper. Bake them until the pears are tender and the bacon is crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pears onto a platter, drizzle with the honey, and garnish with the arugula.

Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream
From Bon Appétit

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pink peppercorns, crushed (about 1/2 ounce)
7 large egg yolks

Bring milk, cream, sugar, and peppercorns to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; let stand at room temperature 1 hour for flavors to blend.

Bring milk mixture to simmer. Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolks. Return mixture to pan and stir over medium heat until finger leaves path on back of spoon when drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl; cover. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)

Makes about 6 cups.

Ino
21 Bedford Street
New York, NY
212-989-5769