Dancing in the Streets

This just in! Barrio is busy building a taco truck that will roam the streets of Saint Paul next summer. This excites me for so many reasons. In case you're the one person who's been spared my raving babble about this restaurant, let me tell you why this news is awesome.

If Barrio's taco truck menu is even distantly related to the restaurant's, we are in for some seriously tasty food. I was won over completely by the Barbecue Pork Sopes. Tender shredded pork, tangy and sweet, becomes a delicacy atop a crispy masa "boat." The guacamole is luscious and studded with delicious extras, sliced jalapeno and radish. And the tacos (ranging from skirt steak to mahi-mahi) are perfectly paired with an appropriately zippy or creamy salsa. If only I could sidle up to Barrio's truck and order a margarita...

Do you know of any other street food in Saint Paul? Or Minneapolis, for that matter? I'm all for it and would love to know of any treats I may be missing.

Image above from the Marfa Food Shark.

Sweet Basil Experiment

Last week, when faced with a lavish abundance of basil thanks to a friend, I made ice cream. You heard me. I didn't whip up some pesto or sprinkle slivers over a tomato salad-- I made basil infused ice cream. It just felt right. Was this the exact moment that I reached summer's zenith? I wonder now, had I really had enough of all the typical (but no less fabulous) uses of my favorite summertime herb? Or was I just dying to try this particular recipe? It was a little bit of both.

The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle is definitely not an everyday cookbook, yet I find myself dreamily thumbing through its pages a few times a month. The recipes are rooted in traditional French pastry techniques, making them lofty and elegant, but the ingredients and the presentation lend a softer side. Looking at the table of contents, I want to crawl inside the pages and nibble on the Whipped Brown Butter and Vanilla Birthday Cake or dip a spoon in the Chocolate Caramel Pot de Creme. The photographs are gorgeous and refined, but the accompanying recipes are incredibly detailed and offer lots of sidebars with extra tips. I've tried my hand at The Sweet Life's tarts and truffles, but never the ice cream until last week. With my large bundle of freshly harvested basil-- so pungent and heady and ripe-- I had nothing to lose. And I was up for an experiment.

The ingredients are simple: basil leaves, cream/milk, sugar, eggs. And a pinch of salt.


The first step is to infuse the cream and milk with the basil. This recipe called for 30 basil leaves, simmered in the cream and sugar for 10 minutes.


Next come the egg yolks. Lots of them.

Too many, in fact. For some, the rich, custard flavor that comes from using 8 egg yolks could be a welcome thing. For me, it was just a little bit too much. To finish the recipe, the beaten yolks are slowly whisked into the hot cream and cooked over medium heat to make a creme anglaise, which is then chilled in an ice cream maker.

In the finished ice cream, the basil shone through in a very pleasing, unexpectedly delicate way. The cold temperature mellows the flavor and eliminates the perfume. What's left is a smooth, velvety custard with a light, herbaceous flavor. Although basil is a recognizable note, it doesn't compete with the rich cream flavor base. I paired the ice cream with sliced strawberries and angel food cake the first time around, but the basil flavor was overpowered by this combination. I think its best, and most delicious, all by itself. And totally worth the experiment.