Not Quite Mama Ninfa's Green Sauce

Like any good Houstonian, I grew up with a long list of heros: Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas; Willis Carrier, inventor of air conditioning; Mama Ninfa, creator of fajitas and green sauce...

There's something special about that sauce. When coming back to Texas from out of state (or country) trips, I've often requested to be met at the airport with Mama Ninfa's green sauce and chips. The fact that my parents see nothing odd at all about this makes it even more awesome.

I'm not claiming that I've got it figured out. Someone else did, which is where I got the base of this recipe, but it's not quite right. It's still really delicious, which is why I'm telling you about it, but it's not truly perfect. As soon as God lets me know the secret recipe, I'll tell you.

This is a perfect sauce for dipping chips. Or quesadillas, flautas, smallish pieces of cardboard....

Start with tomatillos, jalepenos, garlic and an onion.

Quarter the onion and wrap up the garlic in it's own foil pouch. Char everything off under the broiler.

Add them to a blender with the avocado.

Blitz until creamy.

Pour into a bowl and add the sour cream, cilantro, and salt.

Transfer to your serving vessel and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.

Unwrap, garnish, and taste....

Serve to your adoring fans!

Not Quite Mama Ninfa's Green Sauce

Makes 4-5 cups

Adapted from The Washington Post

1 lb tomatillos, husked and washed  (about 10)

2 jalapenos - or more if you like it spicy

1 medium onion

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and bundled together in tin foil

3 avocados

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. cilantro, finely diced

1/2 tbsp salt (or to taste)

Turn your oven's broiler to high. Quarter the onion, and place it, the jalapenos, garlic foil package, and tomatillos on a sheet pan. Broil for 15-20 minutes, until charred slightly. 

Scoop out the avocados, add to a blender with the charred veggies (take the garlic out of the foil, of course). Blend until smooth.

Gently fold in the sour cream, cilantro, and salt. Add more cilantro and salt to taste. 

Strawberries-on-Sale Ice Cream

There's a magical moment every summer. You can smell it as soon as you walk into the fruit and veggie section of the grocery store. Mountains of ripe strawberries!!!

And - bonus - they are typically in super big containers and super cheap. Bring. It. On.

These berries are almost to the too-ripe point. They just melt in your mouth and taste exactly like the strawberries you remember from childhood.

But you have to use them fast, or they grow little hairy afros. And become friends with that container in the back of the fridge that you've been ignoring for the last 3 months....

So -

Ice Cream!!

Strawberries - chopped to smithereenes

Add vanilla, lemon juice, and sugar.

Mix it up, mash it up, and chill it out. Overnight, that is.

Now, the custard base. Egg yolks get stirred with sugar. 

Cream, sugar, and half and half meet in a saucepan.

Stir and wait until it steams and bubbles.

While you're waiting, set up your bowl in ice bowl contraption -

Once the cream is warm, temper your egg yolks. Use a whisk - not a fork. Learn from my mistakes.

Since the eggs are tempered, you can whisk them into the cream.

Now, cook until it becomes custardy and coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil!!!

Strain that custardy goodness (to get any scrambled egg bits out), into the bowl over ice.

Stir until cool.... then cool some more. In to the fridge it goes for a overnight rest!

After one tense strawberry-ice-cream-is-so-close night's sleep, blend up those berries.

Create fun patterns in the custard....

Then into the ice cream maker she goes!

Dishes of strawberry ice cream stir up the best memories.

Strawberries-on-Sale Ice Cream

Makes 8 cups or 64 fluid ounces when frozen

Adapted from The Former Chef

 1 1/2 lbs very ripe strawberries

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 c. heavy cream

2 c. half and half

5 egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

Rinse and hull all the strawberries. Dice them very fine. Place in a bowl with the tablespoon of sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mush around with a fork or spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.

Place a medium sized bowl in a large bowl that is filled with ice.

In a small bowl, mix the egg yolks with the 3/4 c. sugar. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and half and half to just below a simmer. You should be able to see steam rising and bubbles around the edge.

A quarter cup at a time, pour 1 cup of the warmed cream into the eggs to temper them. Whisk as you add the warm cream so the eggs don't scramble.

Once you've tempered your eggs, whisk them into the pot of cream. Stir gently until the cream becomes custardy and coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil.

Pour the custard into the medium bowl in the ice bath. Stir to help release heat, until it comes to room temperature. Cover and chill overnight.

When you are ready to make the ice cream, blitz the berry mixture with a stick blender or real blender. Make it nice and smooth. Add the berries to the cream and mix well.

Pour your chilly berry cream into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Pour into a container and freeze in the freezer to harden. Scoop and top with more sliced berries.

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

*ahem* Hello, my name is Megan.

And I have an addiction. To coconut.

Thank you.

But seriously, people. If there is a coconut lovers' anonymous group out there, I need to join. The sweet, sweet flavor. I just can't get enough!

And then I discovered this ice cream. This is not doing anything to help my addiction.....

Start with three milks. These three:

Then make some toasted coconut.

 Mix the milks, some vanilla, and the coconut. Let it chill for at least a 1/2 hour.

If you want a super smooth ice cream, feel free to strain out the coconut. It will have imparted most of it's toasty goodness.

Now, in goes the salt and nutmeg.

Use whatever ice cream maker you have, mine's a KitchenAid attachment.

Churn according to the instructions on the machine. Transfer to a container and freeze in the freezer to get it really hard.

Serve with a bit more coconut, 

and perhaps some of that butterscotch sauce.... 

then, of course, a bit more coconut.

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

Serves 4

Adapted from The Kitchn

1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup heavy cream

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 can coconut milk

1/4 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Toasted coconut chips to top

Turn your broiler on high. Spread the coconut out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Toast for a minute or so, until just golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine cream, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk. Add vanilla and toasted coconut. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Once the mixture is chilled, add the salt and nutmeg. Pour the mix gently into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the maker's instructions. Freeze to harden up. 

Top with more toasted coconut chips, and some butterscotch syrup. Mmmmm.

Butterscotch Sauce Sundae in an Almond Waffle Bowl

Someone in our house has a soft spot for butterscotch.

He woke up this morning and asked if I thought butterscotch was heavier than milk. And then muttered something about cereal.

I think I'm going to have to put a lock on the refrigerator.....

Anywho, I wanted to see if I could make Mr. S love me any more than he already does, so I dreamt up this sundae. Butterscotch sauce is really easy to make, and the waffle bowls just took a bit of time. No hard skills, just patience.

Start off with sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.

Then add in the light brown sugar and molasses. If you have dark brown sugar, you can cut down the molasses, or opt out all together. We like that butterscotchy taste around here, so all the molasses went in.

When that's all incorporated, toss in the salt.

Then, the cream.

Boil gently for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour in the vanilla. Stir.

Taste it to make sure you like the salt and vanilla levels. The horrible part of all this, I know!

And you're done. The sauce thickens as it cools. Promise! Pour it into a mason jar to keep in the fridge for a week or so (if it lasts that long).

Now for waffle bowls. They aren't really waffle patterned, but I don't know how else to call them. Cone bowls? that doesn't sound right. Toile bowls? that just sounds silly.

Oh well.

Start with the almonds. Blitz them to smithereens in a food processor.

Gently dump the almond powder into a bowl and sift in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt.

Lightly whisk the egg whites, almond extract, and water together.

Stir the egg white mixture and the melted butter into the almond powder bowl.

Gather your tools! Silpat or parchment, tablespoon measure, and offset spatula (a large spoon would work too).

Create 2 circles of 2 tbsps worth of batter on each pan.

Let them cook until they are brown just around the outsides. Spatula them off of the baking sheets and right onto the tops of inverted water glasses.

Use the tips of your fingers to bend the edges, creating a wavy sided bowl.

The smaller the glass bottom, the higher the bowl sides.

These need to be eaten as soon as you make them. The longer they wait, the softer and soggier they get. But you can crisp them back up in the broiler, just be prepared to shape them again.

Now is the moment to.....Assemble the sundae!

Put a scoop or two of ice cream in the bottom of the bowl, drizzle with butterscotch sauce. Top with chocolate sprinkles.

Squeal like a 5 year old. 


Butterscotch Sauce
Makes 2 1/2 c.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 stick of butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Whisk until incorporated. Gently pour in the cream. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Taste and see if you want to adjust the salt level or the vanilla level (just be sure you don't taste it till it's gone!).

The sauce will thicken when chilled, or remain drizzly when warm.

Almond Waffle Bowl
Makes 8 (if you don't mess any up...)
Adapted from The Kitchn

1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp water
5 tsp butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. In a food processor, blitz the almonds until as smooth as possible. Dump them into a large bowl. Sift in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites, almond extract, and water.

Add the egg white mixture and the butter to the flour mixture. Whisk together with a few swift strokes.

Line two thin baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Pour 2 tbsp of batter onto 1 half of the baking sheet. Spread out into a large thin, nearly transparent circle. Make another circle on the other half of the baking sheet.

Bake for 10-18 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. While they are baking, prepare yourself for bowl-making. Turn over 2 water glasses with big bottoms. Cover the bottoms of the glasses with parchment paper squares.

Remove from the oven and slide a spatula under the circle. It should be bendy and moldable. Place the center of the circle over the glass's bottom. Using the very tips of your fingers, create the wavy edge of the bowl by pushing the edges down. Allow the bowls to cool on the cups for a few seconds before removing them.


Place the waffle bowl on the plate. Top with a scoop or two of ice cream and then drizzle with butterscotch sauce. Top with chocolate sprinkles!