Vanilla Frozen Yogurt & Granola

My parents gave me an ice cream maker for my birthday last year, but, seeing as how it was November, it stayed in the box for months.  With temperatures finally breaking 80 degrees, I decided to dust off the box, and put the ice cream maker to use.  I flipped through The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz and found that frozen yogurt seemed to be the easiest to make (no heating a custard on the stove and waiting for it to cool, no chopping and macerating of fruit).  The recipe below is based on his recipe for creamy vanilla frozen yogurt, which uses Greek yogurt in place of normal.  I added some fresh vanilla for taste and appearance.  The granola was also really simple to make and turned out to be awesome; I ate it for breakfast with non-frozen yogurt every day last week.  While the recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make, your ice cream maker bowl usually needs to freeze overnight before it can be used.  I store mine in the freezer so I don't have to plan ahead.

Cook: Poached Eggs with Ramps, Bacon, and Beans

Ramps are wild leeks, found only in spring and usually only at farmers markets.  I picked some up at the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday and decided to saute them with bacon and butter beans, topped with a poached egg, over toasted sourdough bread (also from the Greenmarket).  The result was a complex layering of flavors, perfect for a hearty Sunday brunch (but the recipe only takes 15 minutes to make!).

Bake: Lemon-Cardamom Muffins

The idea for this recipe started in Florence.  My friend Julia made some lemon-cardamom cookies while we were there (which is quite a feat, since one cannot find baking soda or baking powder anywhere in Florence).  I found a recipe for make-ahead lemon-poppy seed muffins from Cooks Illustrated, and with a few substitutions, I had moist and savory lemon-cardamom muffins!  I had some leftover lemon curd (recipe courtesy of Joy of Baking) from a lemon layer cake I made over the weekend for J's birthday, so I used that as a topping.

Cook: Greek Yogurt

I have recently developed an obsession with Greek yogurt (also called "strained yogurt" or "yogurt cheese").  When I learned that you could easily transform plain yogurt into the thick, tangy Greek yogurt, I had to try.

Eat: Levain Bakery

Levain Bakery
167 W. 74th St. (at Amsterdam)
212-874-6080

Men Can Cook: Quiche Alsacienne

J has been wanting to make a quiche for some time now.  Unfortunately, I had an irrational hatred of quiche, despite never actually eating one ("egg pie?  ew!").  I finally gave in and said I'd try it, if he made it.  I'm officially a quiche lover now!  J's recipe after the jump...

Eat: Alice's Tea Cup

Alice's Tea Cup
102 West 73rd St (at Columbus)

more details after the jump...

Eat: Absolute Bagels

Absolute Bagels
2788 Broadway (at 108th) 

more details after the jump... 

Bake: Popovers

Popovers are a great way to use what you already have in your kitchen to make something delicious.  Pair with butter and jam for a tasty breakfast, or with a roast and gravy for traditional Yorkshire pudding.  This recipe, after the jump, is adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Drink: The Perfect Cup of Coffee

For coffee lovers, the pursuit of the perfect cup o' joe is never-ending.  Our method may not be perfect, but it's probably as close as you can get without too much effort.  The process after the jump...

Bake: Basic Buttermilk Scones

Scones are so delicious - and easy to make! This is a recipe that can be used as a base for any scone flavor.