Mascarpone Ice Cream
I planned to let you all know yesterday that I was pregnant. I found out the morning of Canada Day, thinking it would be smart to pee on that stick before the onslaught of parties and Stampede, and having just brought home 23 cases of beer (from the CBC beer pool). Instead, the pregnancy ended. It was early – between 6 and 7 weeks, and it was only for 10 days that we believed a new baby would be arriving in March, but I can’t seem to sit down in front of the keyboard and spin tales of what we ate as if it was just another day. I’m glad it was so early – my first pregnancy ended the last day of my first trimester – and I know it’s common. It still sucks.
(For those keeping tabs: that’s a new roof, $3000 worth of dental work, a tax audit, a he-nearly-died medical emergency (not mine) a pregnancy and a miscarriage in a little over two weeks. Plus Stampede, during which I couldn’t have a drink. I could cry with joy that we’re heading to Tofino in T minus 7 hours.)
Yesterday started at 4:30, when (after getting up at midnight when W wet the bed and again at 2 to let Lou out for a pee) I got up to finish prepping breakfast in the barns for 20 CBC listeners who came down to eat with us and the driver of the Food Bank chuckwagon – David Bensmiller – and his crew. A fun time, if rainy, cold and wet.
We invented the Bensmiller Griller specifically for the occasion, having only an enormous grill available to us in the barns to cook with. A Bensmiller Griller is essentially a breakfast burrito, assembled the night before, which gives the soft flour tortilla packets of scrambled egg, black beans, sauteed peppers, onions and cheese time to sort of set so that they hold their shape when tossed on the grill to crisp on the outside and heat through the next morning. It worked brilliantly (fortunately); it’s great to have an easy make-ahead brunch (or dinner, really) dish that will feed a large crowd (I made 50, assembly-line style) with a minimum of morning fuss. And perfect for the cowboy on the go.
In the afternoon, I cleaned, packed and made ice cream. What else can you do? Roasted plum, remembering how fantastic that roasted peach and brown sugar ice cream was last year, and then mascarpone. I had a tub of it in the fridge that needed using up, and since I have in the past stirred it into panna cotta, it seemed to be a fine candidate for ice cream. Topped with some strawberry-rhubarb compote, the result is ultra creamy and cheesecakelike; to make strawberry-rhubarb ice cream, add it through the feed tube toward the end of the freezing process. Yes, they are every iota as good as they sound.
Mascarpone Ice Cream
AuthorJulie
In a medium pot, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar; whisk in the cream. Put the pot over medium low heat and cook, whisking often, until the mixture bubbles and thickens; whisk in the mascarpone until it melts and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Remove from heat and cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Freeze according to the directions of your ice cream maker. Makes about 1 pint.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium pot, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar; whisk in the cream. Put the pot over medium low heat and cook, whisking often, until the mixture bubbles and thickens; whisk in the mascarpone until it melts and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Remove from heat and cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Freeze according to the directions of your ice cream maker. Makes about 1 pint.
So sorry for your loss! You’re such an amazing person and inspiration, that crappy stuff just shouldn’t happen to you!. I’ve been there, so I know how you feel! As much as a cliche that it is, in the long run, it’s probably for the better as there was probably something wrong with the pregnancy to begin with. I know… still sucks!
On a happier note, your recipes rock, as does your energy. Wish I had half of it. Keep smiling, even through the tough times! You have a lot of wonderful admirers, fans, blogger followers and support!
>H-U-G<
Take care of yourself Julie…
Sending good thoughts your way and wishing you and the family a safe and relaxing trip…say Hi to your folks for me.
Terri
I was saddened to hear of your loss, Julie. Words cannot describe what my heart feels for all that your family has endured this last month.
Sending warm thoughts and positive energy to your family in Tofino. Cherish each moment.
I’m so sorry Julie and Mike. Thanks for sharing with us. Now when we see you we can give you a proper hug.
(((((hug)))))
Dear Julie,
I sincerely hope that the west coast, family and Long
Beach (my most foavorite place in the world) will help to restore your equilibrium. A sad time for you. Life is never predictable and having a strong spirit and sunny disposition (as you do) helps over the many bumps. My thoughts are with you.
Sorry to hear your news Julie. I really wish I was there to give you a hug.
I feel a little closer to you in that I made dulce de leche and mascarpone frosting today.
Rest up and stay strong!
Best to you and your family, Julie. My thoughts are with you.
i’m sorry.
Sorry to hear about your loss, I too have been there, and yes it happens, but yes, it still totally sucks.
But Tofino in your future sounds so lovely, AND your ice cream recipes sound yummy. Ice cream always makes me feel better.
Hope you have a relaxing time away!
I hope your days go by a little easier and that you know that you always have a space here to share your thoughts and experiences. There is a lot of love for you here!!
I was so sorry to hear of your loss Julie. I hope you have a good holiday in Tofino.
Thank you for sharing that deeply personal news on your blog. I trust you know that we are all there with you in these hard life experiences – that’s the amazing thing about your blog. So many times you have pulled me out of my little meal-time dilemmas, I hope our collective support of you helps you in return!
Take care and have an amazing holiday!
What an awful two weeks!
I am sorry for your loss -it is never easy to accept no matter how brief the term.
Tofino is a great place for R & R, especially with family.
Take care, Julie.
Lots of love, Sweetheart. I’m thinking of you.
xoxo
My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. I haven’t sent back a comment until now, but wanted to let you know that I really enjoy reading your blog and recipes….although I haven’t made any yet. Two young boys and a fulltime job have prevented me from cooking as much as I used to. Take some well deserved time off and enjoy your time in Tofino!!
Julie — I’m sorry. Thank you for sharing this. My heart is heavy for you and Mike. You bring so much joy to so many and it’s not fair that this stuff happens to you. I hope you have a wonderful, restorative vacation.
Julie, my heart leaped and sank with that first paragraph. I am truly sorry for you loss. Hopefully Tofino will be a place of refuge and healing for you in this time of mourning, because that’s what it is right?
One should have to endure all of that trouble in a summer-or even a year- never mind 2 weeks.Here’s hoping the rest of the year is smooth sailing.
Looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks! Have a great trip.
Hugs-
Aimee
Julie – I am also very sorry for your loss, but hopefully you will be bolstered by the support shown here from all of your blog readers. Good strength to you.
Julie — so much in that post and your life. May the restorative powers of Tofino and family start to work their magic the minute you get there. Take a break. We;ll miss you but we know you’ll be back.
Oh Julie, I am so sorry for your loss. Tofino is the perfect place for you to be–your wonderful parents can take care of you and hopefully you can rest.
So sorry for your loss Julie. Hope your trip lifts your spirits a bit and gives you and your family time to recover.
That sucks Julie – I’m sorry to hear about that. It’s nice that you guys are getting away to Tofino – a little relaxation out of the rat race and spent with family with definitely help in the healing of you and Mike.
Those breakfast burrito’s (aka Bensmiller Grillers) sound and look great! I love those things!
Have a safe and fun trip!!
Julie I am so sorry for your loss. I too have been there and it really really sucks. Tofino will be wonderful for you to recover and be with your family. Rest you so deserve to just play.
Oh, Julie, I’m just devastated for you and Mike. I have such a heavy, sad feeling in the pit of my stomach right now. May your time in Tofino allow you to grieve and renew and reconnect.
Hi Julie,
No matter how young the wee one was, he/she was still welcome and it is still a tough loss and you have my sincerest condolences. You and your family are in my prayers. I was sad to read of this.
Enjoy your much-deserved-after-the-last-few-weeks-from hell-vacation.
Take care, and may you have lots of rest, beaches, fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, for the perfect getaway/rejuvenation/recuperation.
so sorry. take care and have a restful break.
I’m so sorry to hear about all the cumulative woes. Any one would be hard enough to cope with, but back-to-back in two weeks?
I love your “what else can you do?” comment. Sometimes the best thing is to just keep going. I’m so glad you forged forward with ice cream.
Julie, so sorry to read about your miscarriage. My wish for you is that your Tofino trip will put things back in balance again.
-also thanks for all the awesome recipe ideas!
So sorry for your loss Julie & all that you’ve had to cope with the past few weeks. Hope your time on the coast gives you a chance to find and feel peace.
So sorry to hear of your loss. It’s an understatement to say that miscarriage sucks. I remember needing people to know so that they could be gentle with me while at the same time knowing no one would really get it. Be kind with yourself.
Have a peaceful time in Tofino.
So sorry for you loss! The fact that it’s common does not make it less painful. I hope you have a restful trip!
So sad to hear about your loss, Julie. Stay strong.
Nothing really fits here, to me. Please just know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. I’m sorry for your loss.
Mike and I will be thinking of you; enjoy the break in Tofino… you have more than a tonne of good karma heading your way.
This is such sad news, Julie…cry, and take the time you need to heal…
I hope your time away with your family brings you some peace and healing Julie.
Very sorry to hear about this news. I have a friend who recently went through it as well, only a little later. This will be good to have some time away. Take care.
Sorry to hear about it, Julie. I hope you will have a great vacation. And, your article in FFWD this week was fantastic, I really enjoyed reading it. See you when you are back.
I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that the time away will help in the healing process, and I hope that the next few months bring much more happiness and less sadness and stress.
Aw! Julie, I’m very sorry to hear that 🙁
A great big hug to you and Mike.
Have a great holiday my friend, rest your soul.
Luv,
MFO
Hey Julie;
At the risk of sounding cliché , this happened for a reason. Yes it sucks, but it was the way the Gods and Mother Nature intended.
I guess you’ll have to be content knowing that we are all rooting for you, and can’t wait for you to treat us to your next column.
Hang in there kid.
Julie,
I know you know all the stats and all the cliches. It still is a punch in the gut and the heart like nothing else. My heart goes out to you and your family. I wish you a peaceful, restorative time in Tofino, concentrating only of yourself, Mike and wee W.
Peace and healing to you, Mike and W. Heartbreaking news to read. So glad you will be taking time to reflect, renew and rejoice for the blessings you do have, and find comfort with those who love you. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18. Hugs to you.
Take care. So sorry to hear about your loss. Try to enjoy your time off and enjoy the good things that you are blessed with.
I too know the sadness of this loss, and each and every time I think of you in the coming days, I will say a prayer for you: for comfort, healing, time to grieve, and peace. It will take time. I know I will think of you often, as I prepare food for our son’s wedding, using recipes of yours. Thank you, and take care. May you be blessed even in the midst of all this chaos. Tofino will be just what you need.
Julie – I’m so sorry for your loss. I am sending a big hug through cyberspace. I have found that great loss always opens me up in some way that I didn’t expect. Not that I like ever like it but somehow I am able to see the gifts even in the middle of sorrow. Take care of yourself. Time and love have healed all my big hurts. Yours will heal too.
My deepest condolences for your loss. Try to enjoy your vacation, rest, recuperate and know that you’ve got tons of readers who are thinking of you all the time and are sending good karma your way.
I’m so sorry to hear you lost the baby. I hope you heal quickly (physically, that is—the emotional aspect can take a long time, as you already know).
Hugs,
JJ
So sorry to hear about this. My prayers are with you and yours.
Julie – I am so sorry. I experienced a miscarriage a couple of years ago. Up until that point when I heard someone miscarried I felt sad for them but I really didn’t KNOW. Wow – now I do. It is such a physically and emotionally draining experience. You want the world to stop for awhile, but it goes on spinning. I am glad you are getting away. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Oh Julie… I’m so glad you have a retreat to such a fabulous place planned. Hurry there and take your time coming back. We’ll be thinking of you. Take care of yourself.
You are an inspiration to so many. My heart goes out to you. I hope you have the most restorative, restful, healing holiday with your lovely family.
I hope Tofino – and going home, as you’ve previously described it – is good for you and family. And when you come back I’m going to feed you.
On the plus side, with your root canal out of the way you can eat the foods that bothered you before. Hey, I’m trying to give you something here after such a rough go of it! Being a grown-up sucks.
You have my deepest symphathy. I am currently 38 weeks along with my pregnancy and I can only imagine how difficult it would be to lose it. You and your family are in my prayers.
so sorry to read of your loss julie and family….
So sorry to hear about your loss, Julie. Getting away to spend time with family in a beautiful spot like Tofino is a great idea. You have a host of cyber friends whose hearts go out to both you and Mike…
My heart cries for you, Julie. May time heal your wound. Have a restful and relaxing rest of the summer.
Julie – I’m really sorry to hear about the loss of your pregnancy. I appreciate your willingness to share all aspects of your life, both good and bad, as it makes us all realize that we are human and that the human experience has many ups and downs. Take good care of yourself in this difficult time.
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, Julie, in the midst of everything else you’ve had to deal with in such a short amount of time. I hope you have a restful, healing time in Tofino. All the best.
Julie, there are few words that can compensate for all of the emotions you have most definately experienced in this last while, but I did feel the need to say BRAVO for taking life in stride and sharing your story, the journey even in it’s roughest terrain, with us so that we might grow. You handle life with a sense of grace, humility and humour that each of us yearn for, wish for, envy and you teach us in the story of your life.
Thank you for having the courage to keep going, thank you for allowing others to be there for you in written form, all of the positive energy swarming your way…you rock your life. At the end of this incredible tidal wave, the peace comes, beauty follows and so the journey continues.
Thank you for reminding me I’m not alone in carrying troubles in life and for reminding me too that we become strengthened when we lean into one another, in unity and strength.
Warmly,
Veronica
(we met at the Wise Women #2 event from Ask Nancy. I’m the one that called you and your best bud there Frick and Frack, as you both were so funny together you made mine and Pina’s day!)
xoxo Hope to see you soon.
Oh lady, your strength and spirit are admirable. Thanks for sharing these lovely recipes with us.
Julie – so sorry! May your time in Tofino be truly restorative. Our prayers go with you.
(and thanks once again for your honesty and transparency)
Oh Julie—so, so sorry. I hope you find some peace in Tofino. Nothing like the wild west coast to distract…
As Charmain Chrisie above said, I too am sorry to hear of your cumulative woes this last fortnight. I can only pray it means so many good and wondrous things are coming for you the next 50 weeks that overall the year will be remembered as a blessing.
Blessing: like the charm and deliciousness of this website.
Thank you Julie!
I am truly sorry for your loss, Julie.
So sorry to hear of your loss — it has happened to me too, and though early is best if it has to happen… it still sucks.
I’m glad that you have a trip to look forward to.
it’s such a tough thing to go through and though many of us have experienced it, we can’t begin to know exactly how you feel. thank you for sharing this with us all. I will make one of your countless wonderful recipes in honour of you…that gigantic rhubarb on the side of the house is calling my name! xoxo (don’t forget to have some polenta fries at SoBo!)
Oh Julie, what a tough thing to deal with in the midst of all the other stresses in your last two weeks. So sad, but it’s really amazing of you to talk so candidly about it here on your blog. Reading through the comments I think you’ve touched a lot of people, especially those who’ve had similar experiences. Hope you are able to enjoy some R&R in Tofino. Take care of yourself!
Oh Julie, I am so sorry! I too lost a baby at 11 weeks. It does not take long for the thoughts, dreams and plans of a new baby to settle firmly in our hearts!
I hope you are able to have a restful time away.
I’m so sorry, Julie. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers!
Julie, big (((hugs))) to you. I lost a baby @ 21 weeks. Comfort can come from the most obscure places. Women of all ages would come up to me to tell me their stories. It’s like a secret club that no one wants to join. My son was the same age as W at the time and I received a card from his daycare saying:
“A person, a person, no matter how small.” –
Dr. Suess.
Enjoy your quiet time away and take time out just for yourself. Thanks for the fantastic blog, it really makes my day.
Life sure isn’t easy sometimes is it? I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I hope your time off can leave you feeling rejuvenated and rested and ready for life in Calgary again. A big hug to you.
I am so sorry.
Julie, I had to read over a few times. So sorry to hear the news. Sending virtual hugs X many from Ca. I admire you for all you do for your fans…please take care and hug the family.
oh, Julie. So sad.
You’re very brave to share your loss here, Julie. For so many reasons, you are a wonder.
Hoping the beautiful ocean will wash your tears and bring you healing Julie.
Sending love and light…
The exact same scenario just happened to me about 6 months ago. My thoughts are with you. Though I continually told myself that it was meant to be and that it was better being early, my other child was a reminder of how “real” it actually is, making it harder for me in a way. But, I’ve since learned that this is a part of life for MANY women. A sucky part no doubt, but life just the same and we are stronger because of it!
I came to find you only last week. I sell epicure as well and found you through a posting on their facebook page. So far you have amazed me and sparked an urgency to cook.
I would like to offer my condolences on your loss. I have been there more times than I would like to say. There are no words to make that feel better, so take each day as the come, enjoy the family you have and breathe.
I’m just catching up on my reading after being away, and of course I’m reading backwards. I’m so sorry, Julie. I hope a vacation in a wonderful place with your nearest and dearest will help you heal a little.
….there are not enough words to describe the sorrow.
I am sorry for your loss.
I’d have to acquiesce with you on this. Which is not something I usually do! I really like reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to speak my mind!
I could have ne’er interpreted why person has dealt so intensively with this issue. Now give up to me full travel. Truly interesting your thesis. Although my English is non so adept, your posting I can realise. Hold up the Light.