A grown-up Neapolitan
- August 26, 2008
- Ice Cream, Tuesdays with Dorie
Stumble it!
Last week, the kitchen sink stopped draining. The first plumber asked if I’d used Drano and then said we’d have to hire a crew to break through the brick outside and replace our pipes. We got a second opinion. The second plumber had a brain aneurysm.
In the meantime, I took the dishes outside to hose them off and wound up with a shoe full of field peas.
So, I called my momma, who asked why I wasn’t washing them in the bathtub, and I’m like, BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE WE KEEP THE GIN. But really, it’s because we just moved here, and I’m not at a Place of Trust with the bathtub yet. I’m not going to scrub our utensils where strangers have warrrshed theirs, if you know what I mean.
I loaded the dishes into two laundry baskets and a very large Rubbermaid and drove them the 45 minutes to Mom’s house, where I tapped my toes to the rhythmic whoosh of the dishwasher and talked celebrity news with my grandmother. (Once we were watching an entertainment roundup, and my mom asked, “Who’s 50 Cent?” Mommaw looks over and says, “It’s ‘Fiddy,’ Sherry. Fiddy.”)
This morning, I’m waiting for Plumber No. 3. Thankfully, this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie challenge – the Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte – didn’t require many pots, pans … or utensils. Basically, you layer ganache and store-bought ice cream in a springform pan and freeze it. I didn’t alter Dorie’s recipe much, except for making the ganache with semisweet chocolate (instead of bittersweet) and mixing strawberry ice cream in the food processor instead of raspberry. The resulting torte tastes like Neapolitan ice cream for grown-ups. A nice way to end the summer. Not indoor plumbing-nice, but nice.
For the recipe, visit Amy at Food, Family, and Fun.
I can’t believe you pulled this off with the plumbing woes you’ve been having. I have been known to abandon cooking plans for far less compelling reasons than an nonfunctional kitchen sink. It looks amazing! And your grandmother sounds like a hoot!
Almost more than the recipes, I like the stories. LOVE your grandma!!
And seriously, I would have forgone the recipe this week if I were in your shoes.
Did you use your homemade chocolate ice cream in this recipe or did you buy some? Regardless, this looks delish - perfect summertime dessert.
Good luck with the pipes!
Your torte looks lovely. Very nicely done, especially around such kitchen sink fiascoes.
That is gorgeous! I won’t mention how Mommaw also says all soap operas are bullshit because “nobody could sleep with that many people.” I still say bleach the damn tub and wash ‘em. OH! And I also won’t tell you how when Daddy and I were talking of your water woes he told of how when he was a boy he had to pump the water “up 30 straight feet from the ground” to get dishwater, and how even with “only a bucket”, they had clean dishes.
My first “big girl” plumber experience ended when he went to jail in the middle of the job. Sink parts everywhere. I feel your pain.
Your photo is fabulous - frosty and melty at the same time! I managed to end up with a sinkful of dirty dishes and I didn’t even use the food processor…kudos to you!
Oh boy, we just went through all of that with the plumbing. We had to replace the main line! They dug up our tile floors from kitchen through living room. Ugh!
Your torte looks beautiful, though. I hope that it makes you feel better. :)
HAHAHAH That should be where you keep the gin! Great post! GORGEOUS cake and good luck with your sink!
Wow, everything looks great! One can hardly tell you’re having plumbing issues that have gone through two plumbers. I completely understand how you feel about the bathtub. I’m renting, so each time we’ve moved, I always feel uneasy with the bathtub for the first month. Good luck with the plumbing!
Oh, and your grandmother? FABULOUS.
Fiddy Cent… hilarious! Hey, great job on the torte! Your slicing abilities are clearly better than mine! :-)
Hee!Hee! giggle. Not at you, your granny. Silly Pipes. Great torte. Looks lovely and I love the thin swirly middle chocolate layer.
That looks wonderful! It sounds like you’re having a horrible time moving!
Rebecca, you crack me up. Probably because I have stupid stories too. You know, it’s like I wear a sign on my chest that says “KICK ME”… you seem to have the same sign. Do you walk into walls… while looking at them? Uh, cause I do.
I love your torte, it’s pretty! Sorry about all the moving stress.
oh i agree with not wanting to use the tub–any time we move to a new place, everything must be solidly sanitized, toilet seats changed etc! thank goodness for having family somewhat reasonably close by. nice looking torte–hopefully you get plumbing soon so you can wash the springform!
And this week’s adventure is…LOL…the PLUMBER! I needed a giggle this evening…always can find one here…utensils…lol.
Very nice job…love the way the colors all go together and you really do great photos.
Sorry about the stressful week- I hope it settles down. Your torte looks fabulous!
lol at your grandmother. she knows her stuff. :) beautiful torte.
Great looking torte! Good luck with the plumbing…you deserve some dessert after that’s done! ;)
Plumber number three??? How are you not at your wit’s end? Go have a huge slice of torte and put your feet up.
Oh, holy cow, does that ever look good! Strawberries would have been perfect.
Hope the plumber brings good news. Taking the dishes 45 minutes to be washed sounds like it would get old fast.
that looks fabulous!!! Your photos are stunning!
Beautiful torte! I’m so sorry about your plumbing problems. Good luck getting everything fixed. And of course you had me laughing again, this time about your Mommaw and ‘fiddy’ cent, hilarious!
Ha! You’re funny.
Love the Fiddy Grandma!! (great torte, too!)
Too funny!!! Nicely done! Looks fantastic!
Ha! I love the 50 cent story cause I can so hear the same thing being said in my family…
And you really can’t go wrong with ice cream cake, looks great!
Your torte looks so pretty!
wow! Congrats for pulling this off with your plumping woes! It looks fabulous!
beautiful torte, but i just love the fiddy story, lol!
Despite of all the plumber-trouble, your torte looks great!!
I hope things are going better with your sink. Your torte looks wonderful, despite the other obstacles. I totally understand needing to have a level of trust with your new bathroom. I hate taking a shower in a new place.
ha! i hope you get the sink fixed soon :)
your torte looks beautiful!