This weekend I killed a mosquito! All on my own! (It should say a lot about my capability as a human that this is news.) I feel like combating wily mosquitoes in old, not-quite-insulated apartments is a defining part of the New York summer for us every year. Before B2, I always figured dousing yourself with life-shortening amounts of DEET was the only way to win, or else end up miserably (and ineffectually) smacking yourself in the ear all night, huddling under the sheet, and waking up with a constellation of bites on the inch of forehead and the two toes you left exposed.
And then I found out that I was dating a cold-blooded mosquito assassin. Every time we get woken up by mosquitoes at night, B2 manages to find those tiny vampires lurking in a corner on the ceiling, on the back of the headboard, in the closet on a shirt (for that one I went back to bed muttering about lost causes and woke up five minutes later to a bang and B2’s face poking out from the closet ablaze with triumph), out in the kitchen, I just don’t even understand. All while saying things like “No, it’ll be perched somewhere, it won’t be flying. I know,” or “It’s drunk on our blood. It won’t go far. I know.” He says his skills are from a brutal summer in Seoul (which I imagine would be his R’as al Ghul, Batman Begins-style origin story if he were ever a mosquito-killing superhero) but all I know is that it’s amazing, because I’m mildly allergic and would spend half my life itching to death if it weren’t for his vigilante mosquito justice.
Anyway, this weekend B2 was out of town when I heard the telltale buzzing in the middle of the night. And I almost despaired. But by the grace of a slow, fat mosquito who chose to land right above the bed and B2’s tutelage, I found that sucker and smeared him ungraciously across our wall. POW. Then I took a picture and sent it off to B2 in Chicago. Because that’s a normal thing to do at 5 AM.
As great as it is to finally graduate from hapless victim to occasional smiter of my mini enemies, one of the few good things about the summer ending is that those lil’ guys will be gone soon. I wouldn’t say I’ve made my peace with fall, exactly, but to echo what B2 muttered sleepily two nights ago (the mosquito was on the laundry hamper that time, FYI), “At least when fall comes, we won’t be doing this anymore.” But today’s still the last official day of summer, so to make the most of it — and to send the skeeters off in style — I made one more ice cream. And because it’s cool enough to turn on the oven, tons of brownies to go with it. (With the spate of sweet things I’ve been making lately, it’s no wonder the mosquitoes have found my sugar-laden blood more frequently than they did earlier this summer.)
This olive oil ice cream is inspired by the most magical gelato I had at a friend’s birthday dinner at Otto almost two years ago. We got a variety to share, and you could track the progress of the olive oil one by the general commotion and euphoric sounds that went up as it made its way around the table. It’s hard to describe what olive oil does to ice cream — even though it has savory associations, it becomes the creamiest, most nuanced flavor you could imagine when frozen up in dairy. It has a rich warmth to it, but just enough of a grassy bite to add a balanced vibrancy. And because olive oil and chocolate are a tried-and-true match, I made this into brownie sundaes. The extra liveliness from the olive oil made this ice cream even better to pair with warm, molten brownies than vanilla, and a sprinkling of flaky salt and a generous dousing of extra olive oil took it beyond words. The best warm-meets-cold, I-begrudgingly-meet-fall dessert I could think of.
Happy last day of summer! Hope it’s still warm for you a bit longer — or it’s well on its way to sweater weather, whichever one you’re hoping for!
Olive oil ice cream sundaes.
These sundaes are really all about the ice cream (which is based, as always, on Jeni’s). I had grand plans for the one brownie recipe to rule them all to go with it, but umpteen trials and one box mix later, all I can say is — I indiscriminately love brownies. (With an extra special and unabashed love for Ghirardelli brownie mix.) But I did include a few of my favorite recipes below in case you’re having trouble choosing which to roll with!
Ingredients
- for the olive oil ice cream:
- 2 cups milk, divided (2% or 1% works well here; see Notes)
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp of your favorite olive oil, preferably fruitier or grassier with less of a peppery finish (the grassy California Olive Ranch Rich & Robust worked particularly well here)
- 3 tbsp (1 1/2 oz.) cream cheese (Neufchatel works well here; see Notes)
- for serving:
- your favorite brownie recipe (I’ve included a few of mine in the Notes!)
- flaky sea salt
- extra olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Stir together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the milk in a small bowl, and set aside. In a medium, preferably high-sided pot, whisk together the remaining milk, cream, sugar, syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes, stirring continuously. If the mixture becomes too frothy and threatens to boil over, partially or totally remove from heat for a few seconds until it calms. I found that scooting the pot halfway off the burner and continuing to cook worked well.
- After 4 minutes, take the cornstarch slurry, give it another quick whisk, then add it to the milk mixture. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes more, stirring continuously again, until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in a small amount of the hot milk mixture. Whisk vigorously until smooth, or use an immersion blender to get out the lumps. Whisk in the remaining milk mixture, then drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously, until well-combined. The olive oil will float on top at first, but it should incorporate smoothly after a good 15-30 seconds of whisking. Pour the mixture into a glass container or a Ziploc bag and place in an ice bath or in the refrigerator until very cold.
- Once cold, pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a 9×5” loaf pan, then chill in freezer until solid, about 4 hours or overnight.
- Then serve over your favorite brownies, with some flaky salt and an extra drizzle of olive oil, and enjoy!
Notes
Since this ice cream depends solely on the olive oil for its flavor, this would be a good time to break out the good stuff, preferably with a strong flavor that tends towards fruity or grassy over peppery. I used California Olive Ranch’s Rich & Robust variety here.
Also, since you’re adding quite a bit of fat to the recipe through the olive oil, I found that it was fine to scale down the fat content of the milk and the cream cheese and didn’t notice any compromise in taste. I stopped at six tablespoons of olive oil because I didn’t want to risk a greasy mouthfeel, but I expect you could up it a few more tablespoons for a stronger olive oil taste!
Finally, my favorite brownie recipes! If you like fudgy and if you want a gluten-free version that you’d never guess was gluten-free, Kathryn’s are a go-to — I’ve used all kinds of mix-ins and swapped out the ground almonds for regular flour and for hazelnut meal and all the variations have worked splendidly. They’re simultaneously light and fudgy at the same time, if such a thing were possible, and so very good. If chewy and dense is more your speed, Kristin’s double-chocolate brownies are a recent find I really enjoyed. Finally, Joy the Baker’s are somewhere in between — a hint of cakiness but mostly fudge decadence. And obviously you can’t go wrong with Ghirardelli’s brownie mix. (It’d been a hot minute since I last made a box of those, and I’m pretty sure … they just got better with time.)
Thank you to California Olive Ranch for providing the incredible olive oil used in and liberally poured over this ice cream!
Kathryn
Cynthia! This is TOO delicious for words. I’m just going to sit here for a while and pretend that I’m eating one of these sundaes and not my sad desk lunch…Olive oil + chocolate are a total match made in heaven and this is absolutely perfect. Plus it’s been FAR too long since I made brownies and I think I need to whip up a batch asap.
tworedbowls
YESS more brownies, always!! Yours are such a staple in my life, there’s never a time when I don’t have a few squares hiding in the freezer for emergency consumption. <3 Too too good!
Jess @ alittlealice.com
Cynthia that is a hilarious story!! You literally had me laughing at my laptop (now a lady in the corner of the cafe thinks I’m nuts…..) but who cares because that chocolate brownie and ice-cream situation is demanding all my attention 😀 What a delicious recipe!! ……and an epic reminder that i need a brownie now.
tworedbowls
Bahahah it makes me so happy that you thought it was as funny as we did!! Thanks so much for the sweet words, Jess!
Tori
Your vigilante mosquito justice just made my entire week…no month! So hilarious and true to life. Okay, and this recipe looks and sound beyond words incredible. Your pictures are absolutely stunning, possibly my favorite ever, and the olive oil ice cream is something that I can’t wait to attempt!
tworedbowls
Yay!! This comment made my month — thanks so much, Tori!
Kristina
Oh the mosquitoes. They luckily don’t like me, but they sure do like my boyfriend. I think it’s a miracle if I am not awakend by the light in the middle of the night and seeing him seeking out the little beasts. A game changer for him was an electric racket and I also can’t recommend it enough. I love your combination, I was always wary of those savoury ice creams until I tried one with olive oil last year, it is amazing. Your combinaton looks great!
Kate
I don’t know which I’m more in love with – the ice cream, the brownie photos or the combination of the two! The whole ensemble looks so incredibly delicious I want to dive right in with my spoon!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Oh lordy Cynthia, these are gorgeous and have me craving a brownie sundae for breakfast! I always thought olive oil on ice cream was odd, but this has me thinking it just might be the perfect combination, especially with brownies thrown into the mix. You GO girl for getting that mosquito! We have a cat that tends to track down the bugs for us, but my fiance is usually the bug killer in our house too 🙂
Nik@ABrownTable
Um, can we be ice cream buddies the next time I’m in NYC? Mosquitos are annoying and that buzzing sound is even worse. I tried growing those insect eating plants but they don’t help much. Anyway, olive oil ice cream sundaes, they look delicious!!!
Warm Vanilla Sugar
haha, B2 sounds like a keeper. KILL those terrible buzzing a-holes! I had a job identifying mosquitos for 3 years while I was doing my undergrad. Now when I kill one I always check it out to see what species it is!! lol. Anyway, how to transition into commenting on the deliciousness of this sundae? Just go ahead! I love this!! The ice cream alone sounds fab 🙂
Lindsey
haha, mosquitos! they have been the bane of me and frank’s existence this summer! b2 is right though, i guess the one good thing about fall is hopefully the lack of blood sucking bugs – high five’s for that! but goodness, lady, this brownie sundae sounds insane. love all the sweet, savory, frozen, baked things going on here! xo’s, and happy last day of summer to you two!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
There is nothing more annoying than a mosquito buzzing in your ear when you are trying to sleep. I have no problems killing those suckers whenever I can and I love your story. It was around 90 here yesterday and your ice cream looks perfect for this kind of weather.
Chelsea (@TheWholeBite)
haha, I love your mosquito story. So nice to have a mosquito killing hero on your side, but I’m very glad you were able to step up to the challenge when he was gone 🙂 This ice cream looks SO good. I am always so excited by olive oil in sweet dishes, it’s so unique and so crazy good. Have you ever tried Alice Medrichs brownie recipe? It’s on Food52 if you want to check it out and ohmygoodness you should. The BEST brownies.
Erica
I’m in love, this olive oil ice cream sounds truly dreamy. Before the last surgery exam we ate brownies and ice cream for stress relief, and our ob gyn exam is coming up Thursday… this couldn’t have been more perfect timing 🙂
Lovely photos per usual Cynthia! Hope all is well!
Michelle || Hummingbird High
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING.
Also, lol at your mosquito killing skills. lol.
sundiegoeats
huddling underneath the sheets suffocating to death to avoid that annoying buzzing in your ear was my LYFE when we were kids. my dad used to wrap jeans in newspaper and then throw them at the ceiling to smash the little effers that would go perch up there (we had high ceilings, the ultimate mosquito advantage). fun times. thankfully the upside of living in essentially what is a coastal desert (socal) is that there are no more mosquitos
and ice cream + olive oil + salt is the BEST. have never considered adding brownies before but i think this would be awesome :O
katie @ butterlust
Cynthia, I know I’ve said it before but you are such a talented storyteller! I just LOVE this post! I’m totally helpless when it comes to bug killing and reaching things on high shelves, so congrats on your feat of bravery! 😉 And of course, all hail the Ghirardelli box brownie. *pound it*
Considering The Radish
Down with the mosquitos! This ice cream sounds incredible. I so wish I had an ice cream maker to try it. Perhaps next summer…
Sydney | Modern Granola
This recipe is so epic! I’ve never tried olive oil ice cream, but I’ve always wanted to try it. With brownies? Heaven! And I loved your mosquito-slaying stories. So funny 🙂
xx Sydney
Hannah | The Swirling Spoon
Woah, can we just talk about these brownies for a sec though…damnnnn!
I am slowly coming around to the idea of olive oil in ice cream. It started when Mandy posted that mascarpone soft serve will olive oil drizzled all over it, and now this?!
Kimberly/TheLittlePlantation
What a beautiful, delicious looking recipe. Yummy! Thanks for sharing and well done for being so brave 😉
wallflourgirl
Is today really officially the last day of summer? Sigh! I’m glad to be able to turn on my oven again too, so I suppose everything’s a give and take. I’ll TAKE a giant cone of this ice cream, by the way. Ice cream for all seasons!! Totally a fan.
Erika
Oh goodness don’t let summer end.. but if it has to I’d say this is a delicious way to say farewell.
Erin (@herheartland)
Ohh well this looks fabulous!
Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com
Judy Sutherland
I love your mosquito story – I HATE the sound… during one loooong buzz-filled night at our holiday home in the height of summer I squashed 15 bloody (literally) little creatures on the wall! Yeuch – what a mess – the blotches remained as a reminder of the night until the wall was painted! I have been known to wake certain other members of the household doing gymnastics on the bed in the middle of the nightie search of an elusive little sucker!
Your recipe sounds divine but, sadly, I think it is more than I can cope with…
Roll on summer in this part of the world!!
Vy
Wow! Olive oil ice cream! I would have never thought of that! May I suggest doing a basil olive oil too? Beautiful styling as always!
Jessica Cox
Oh lordy these photographs are just B E A U T I F U L!!!!!
Fork to Belly
Mosquito Assassin!! lolol congratulations on the new victory!
My first go at olive oil ice cream was mind boggling and so dang delicious. This post is just screaming–MAKE ME AND THEN STUFF YOUR FACE WITH ME.
patisseriemakesperfect
This looks fantastic, I’ve seen olive oil used a lot in cakes, but never in ice-cream. I agree that a really good extra virgin olive oil is very fruity and I can completely see how this would work.
Wonderful photographs.
Brooke Bass
Olive oil ice cream sundaes are my favorite! I have never made them myself — always intimidated by the olive oil ice cream component — but since you’ve done all of the legwork in nailing a recipe, I feel like it might be time to give it a try. Thank you, thank you for that! 😉 xx
California Olive Ranch
Wow these look incredibly delicious. Great idea for Rich & Robust. Thank you for sharing!
Grace
These look amazing! Ice cream drizzled with evoo & a sprinkle of salt is surprisingly delicious.
Sini
This may just have been my all-time favorite story to go along a recipe 😀 I’m really proud of you for fighting and winning that battle with the mosquito!
And these sundaes make this post even more lovable. Beautiful and delicious as always. xx
kathryn @ The Scratch Artist
I loved reading your mosquito adventures. Glad you finally got one! I laughed out loud when you said you sent a photo of your smeared victim. Thanks for reminding me that there is ONE thing to be grateful for with the end of summer! I have been wanting to try olive oil ice cream for a while now and you just pushed me over the top. I need to have this!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
These sundaes are absolutely beyond!! That creamy ice cream with the fudgy brownie… heaven!
Katherine T
These look beyond amazing!! I tried olive oil ice cream for the first time last year and was blown away. Adding it to brownies sounds even better!
http://chatterboxnewyork.com
Colette
Can the ice cream be made without a machine?
tworedbowls
Hi Colette, unfortunately this particular recipe is best made with a machine, but you could give this no-churn olive oil recipe by Sarah at the Vanilla Bean Blog a try!
SugarSpunRun
Congratulations on your new-found status as mosquito slayer! These sundaes are quite a way to celebrate, I have been wanting to try olive oil on my ice cream and this looks like the perfect way to do that.
cococakeland
Moquitoes love our sweet Asian blood nectar. SERIOUSLY! I will be eaten alive by those bastards while Rich remains untouched (white husband, hehe). I am B2 in this equation, jolted awake by the buzzing in the ear and cannot, will not sleep until mosquito it flattened dead!
Love the ice cream, and as always your “I want to eat my computer screen” gorgeous photos! and I get sweetly nostalgic about brownies – “thanks for the brownies Cynthia!!” – Teddy xo
modestmarce
this looks SO delicious! & i love the moody, grey lighting to all the photos.
xo
Ellie@fitforthesoul
This looks so crazy interesting! I must try ice cream that’s as unconventional as possible one of these days. And errr I have a feeling I’ll be jinxing myself here, but it’s so weird that we don’t have ANY skeeters in socal~I did grow up with them all over though in Argentina. I’ve had my fair share of burning off those spiral mosquito repellent thingies. 😛
Sweet Tea Sweetie
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
FROM LUXE WITH LOVE
These look amazing!!
http://www.fromluxewithlove.com
labloguerapelirroja
Yummy!!
The-FoodTrotter
Such a surprising recipe I’d love to try it
genevieve y
Hahaha I am the ultimate target for mosquitoes!!! It’s actually quite terrible. Luckily I now live on a floor that is *just* out of reach of those pesky mosquitoes. These sundaes remind me of the olive oil ice cream I had at Salt and Straw in Portland this summer- so so tasty!
tessahuff // style sweet ca
This looks/sounds like heaven!! So good.
alanafixfeastflair
All I can say is, YESSSSSSSS. And YAYYY. I’ve missed your posts. Definitely playing catch up right now. I feel like I’ve missed my weekly doses of Cynthia! Did you try the Morgenstern’s Olive Oil amazingness in June? It was like olive oil ice cream with olive oil magic shell, and olive oil potato chips. It was like heaven in a cone. Needless to say, I’m obsessed with this sundae. DREAM COME TRUE!! P.s. Happy Thursday and lots of hugs!!
Becca | Spices and Spatulas
Olive oil ice cream and chocolate sounds perfect. I love love love Jeni’s ice cream, I made her sweet corn and blackberry recipe a few weeks ago and it was out of this world! xo
Meghan
Question for you – this was my first go at ice cream, and there are tiny little lumps in it. Any idea what I may have done wrong? Thank you!
tworedbowls
Hi Meghan, I’m so sorry that happened! Were they white, or clear? If they were small and white, my guess is that they may have been from the cream cheese not dissolving fully — I have had minor issues with that in the past, and found it’s best to whisk the cream cheese very vigorously with a small amount of the hot milk mixture until it’s very smooth, before incorporating it into the rest of the milk mixture. Using an immersion blender or regular blender might also help. My second thought, although I’m not sure about this, is that maybe the olive oil didn’t emulsify properly (in which case the lumps would probably be clear). Again, so sorry that happened! If you try it again, I’d love to hear how it goes. I hope the ice cream was still tasty!
kaleandcaramel
I really really really really really like you (OLIVE OIL ICE CREAM SUNDAE) and I want you / d’you want me, d’you want me, too?! Sorry, Cynth…I just felt like the best way I could express my feelings about this was with Carly Rae Jepsen lyrics. It might happen again, because I really truly love, Carly Rae, and I feel just the same about everything you make! <3 xo's from LA
phoholic
Hi, this looks so yum! Can I ask which ice cream machine you used in this recipe, please? Thank you 🙂
news
You reason like me! Wow!