I was talking ice cream w/ a client on Friday and she mentioned an interesting concoction she had made (she's from Vietnam) and it sounded so enticing I decided to try my own version of it. Well, might I say it came out just delightful! A friend who was over described it as "Gastronomic Genius"! My husband and both dinner guests were blown away by the light, refreshing, exotic flavor and we all just kept raving about it. I had to stop myself at 2 servings as I did not do a "light" version on this (yet!).

Here ya go:

Fig Preserve & Orange Blossom Ice Cream
(this recipe makes 4 Qts)

Mix together in the ice cream maker tub (I use a Rival electric one)
1 1/2 C sugar
a pinch or so of sea salt
4 C Half-n-Half
4 C Heavy Whipping Cream
1 T Pure Vanilla Extract
1 16oz jar of Fresh Fig Preserves (purchased from my local Farmer's Mkt)
~1/4-1/3 C Orange Blossom Water (can be purchased at most Int'l stores) **note - I didn't really measure this accurately bc I started w/ 1T, added another, was about to add a 3rd & just dumped the last of the bottle in!

Stir everything together well, then place the mixing paddle in the ice cream container & place in the bucket w/ ice & Rock Salt, letting the machine work its magic until it stops.... well, it was taking longer than usual so I pulled it out not quite frozen enough and we ate it anyway *really* soft - almost like melting soft serve. It was so good. I place the rest in containers in the freezer & it continued to freeze like a proper ice cream.

We topped it w/ some slivered honey roasted almonds and/or crushed pistachios. It might also be nice w/ honey drizzled on it but it doesn't need the extra sweetness. So Good... So Refreshing.... So unusual & delicious!

Frozen Cappuccino Pie

This is a delicious frozen summer treat!

Frozen Cappuccino Pie

8 oz light cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can of FF sweetened condensed milk
6 T light chocolate syrup
1 T instant coffee powder (decaf or reg)
1 T hot water
1 1/2 C light whipped topping (I used FF Cool Whip)
6 oz Ready Crust - chocolate (I used oreo kind)

1. Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl w/ an electric mixer on med speed until fluffy (abt 3 min). Add condensed milk & 4 T of chocolate syrup, beat on low speed until well blended.

2. In a separate bowl, dissolve coffee powder in hot water, stir into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping, pour mixture into crust & freeze overnight. (I didn't do this early enough, so hopefully it will be frozen enough in 4-5 hrs.)

3. For best results, let pie stand in refrigerator for about 15 min before serving. Drizzle w/ remaining 2 T of chocolate syrup before slicing.

For those on WW, it's 6 points/slice.