Day 253 - Sweet Squash in Mole Sauce

Sweet Squash in Mole Sauce

This marks the end of Mole Week! Yet another great use of this yummy sauce. It's nice to see summer and winter squash side by side - you don't find that a lot.

If I had to pick my favorite mole dish this week, it would definitely be between the seitan stew or this dish. Obviously this one is lighter, maybe more of a side dish, whereas the seitan version seems more like a main. I think the squash might edge out the seitan, just by a hair...

SFO: 10

Day 251 - Guacamole, Chili-Chocolate Mole, Seitan in Mole Sauce, andStrawberry-Plum Crisp

Guacamole

This may be the easiest, clearest, most customizable guac recipe I've ever made. I like how I&T start with the most basic, mandatory ingredients and list the other items as add ins. Of course, Ryan is here, so there will be no cilantro. Instead, I went with jalapeño, diced tomato, cumin, and garlic, i.e. everything else.

It's interestingly light in color... maybe because it's so fresh?

SFO: 10

Chili-Chocolate Mole

Mole is one of those things I'm not sure I understand. People speak of it with a kind of reverence, but I suspect that even if I were in the presence of a spectacular mole, I might not have the ability to know why. I remember hearing on some food program that a mole sauce should taste like its own flavor, i.e. not like any one of its ingredients, which is definitely not the case here. This mole really tastes like peanut butter to me. But I'm not complaining - I love peanut butter!

What an interesting ingredient list: crushed tortilla chips, almonds, sesame seeds, anise seeds, chile powders, cinnamon, marjoram, allspice, cumin, tomatoes, chocolate, of course garlic and onions, and the aforementioned peanut butter. I couldn't wait to see what this would taste like...

And it tasted great! A lot of those strong flavors did disappear, most notably the anise seeds, chocolate, and surprisingly the tomatoes, but the peanut butter definitely held court. And again, I found this to be undersalted. But when all is said and done, I'm very happy to eat this!

SFO: 10

Seitan in Mole Sauce

I'm even happier to eat this over some homemade seitan. This seitan/mole comba makes for a nice, chunky stew! This would be a perfect, wintry comfort-food dinner! I served it over a plain white rice, which tasted great! Again, the peanut butter ruled, but hey, I'm the one always ordering things in peanut sauce at Thai restaurants so I'm in!

SFO: 9
This all hinges on your acceptance of seitan as a protein. So I took a point off for potential seitan-a-phobia.

Strawberry-Plum Crisp

This is almost a great, quick, easy dessert recipe to throw together for a homemade summer dinner! 

As I&T speculate, yes, plums and strawberries make great buddies here. The end product features a nice gluey red shlar filling, and I mean that in the best way possible. 

As far as I'm concerned, a crisp's top can't be crispy enough, and this one wasn't quite fulfilling on its promise. I think it could've used more topping, and it might've helped to bake it a little longer.

Also, not sure why, but this crisp had an overall off taste. Was my oil not quite good? Or was it the cloves in the filling? Something was just... off.
 
SFO: 8
Points off for a subpar version of something that should've been nailing it.

Day 173 - Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Frescaand Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

It's Tony® Night, and I've got some peeps over to watch, i.e. guinea pigs for my latest vegan adventures! That's David and Trey and Trey's friend Rachel with the Spaghetti Squash, and Tracy with the Bread Pudding.

Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca

I love spaghetti squash. It's such a freak of nature, that it can do that stringy thing. But I never know what to do with it. Here's a great solution. Combine it with a mixture of corn and beans and the flavors of Mexico, and cover it with a fruity avocado salsa!

There's quite a bit of spice in the bean mixture, but don't be scared: there's also so much squash that by the time you've blended it all together, the spice level is perfect. And the salsa is nicely refreshing. I love fruit in savory dishes!! Although I will say (again!), the salsa needs salt.

My only complaint here is that the dish is ultimately on the dry side, even with the topping of salsa. But the flavors are so good that the dryness is forgiven. Viva spaghetti squash!
 
SFO: 9

Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

OMG, there is nothing lacking in this vegan bread pudding. Hard to imagine bread pudding landing without lots of eggs and dairy, but this one does, no problem!

The pound of bread called for in this recipe seems like it's going to be way too much, but it's actually the perfect amount for the 9x5 loaf pan. It will, however, require a lot more soy milk than the recipe calls for to saturate all the bread.

I daresay this recipe is a lot lighter than your average bread pudding, so my suggestion is that we all just use this when we're looking for a dose of naughty. It's completely delicious and satisfying!

SFO: 10

Day 108 - Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry

Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry

This is a really terrific recipe! I love the layering of flavors, typical of an Indian-style stew like this. The happy surprise for me was the parsnip presence, which gives a subtle, sweet undertaste to the dish, and I loved the interplay between the mushy lentil background and the cauliflower foreground. Also, any dish that has lime juice, cilantro, and curry is going to be a winner in my book.


Michael liked it too! Here it is, served as suggested, with basmati rice and steamed chard. 

SFO: 9

(As much as we both loved this dish, we agreed that for a hardcore omnivore, it would probably occur as a side dish and not a main event.)

Day 100 - BBQ Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls, Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream, and The Classic

BBQ Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls

Now, who'da thunk that you could use collard green leaves to roll things up just like you use cabbage, lettuce and grape leaves? I always assumed collard would be too tough, too assertive-tasting, but the truth is, these leaves are perfect for stuffing! I+T have you boil them covered for six minutes, and once cooled and drained, they are wonderful, huge, pliable (though somewhat delicate) foundations for a roll.

This recipe uses yesterdays Backyard BBQ Sauce as the binder for a filling that also includes black-eyed peas, mushrooms, and chopped collard greens.

Following the directions exactly yielded me twelve beautiful rolls, which tasted great with the chive-y mashed potatoes I made.

My ex-neighbor and friend, Darcy, loved the BBQ sauce and the rolls (and brought me those amazing lilies you see in the background)!

SFO: 8

(As much as we loved these, I think they might be a little scary for your average omnivore. It's a lot of green up front, and then nothing too familiar inside. Maybe for a Southern omnivore, I'd up this to a 9.)


Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake

My second try at Veganomicon pound cake!

The first one, with rosewater flavoring, was relatively successful, although there was that lump of undercooked batter at the bottom...

This one also had an undercooked lump, although a much smaller one. I admit, I kept that sucker in the oven until the skewer came out absolutely clean, but I guess I could have left it in another few minutes.

My guess is that this is a result of what I consider to be an unusual instruction in the recipe: "beat with electric beaters for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until a very thick batter forms. Don't overmix."

I have to say, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes in my book is already way overmixed. Typically in a recipe like this, the instruction would be to mix just until combined, which in my experience is maybe 30 seconds. Next time I make this, I'm going to try that....

That said, it's a pretty loaf, and a tasty one.

SFO: 10


Vanilla Ice Cream

Back to the ice creams...

I still haven't been able to achieve a great texture since the peanut butter ice cream, but this certainly gets the job done. Flavor is fine, and as a filling for an ice cream sandwich, the texture issues slide by unnoticed.

SFO:7
(People are tough on off-texture ice creams...)


The Classic 

What could be bad? Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies filled with Vanilla Ice Cream and rolled in chocolate shavings!

Actually, I was a little concerned that these delicate, not-quite-crispy, not-quite-chewy cookies might not be able to withstand being the bread for an ice cream sandwich, but they performed quite well! In fact, they were unusually light and made for a dainty frozen dessert. I really liked this one!

SFO: 10
(I realize I gave this ice cream a 7 for texture issues, but in this context, they don't bother me.)

Day 94 - Kabocha-Udon Winter Stew

Kabocha-Udon Winter Stew

Given that spring is already upon us, I figured I'd better cook this before it got positively balmy!

Unfortunately, it seems as if kabocha squash has run its course this season. The only winter squash options for me at the store were butternut and acorn, so I went with butternut because it's easier to peel. (I know that supposedly you don't have to peel kabocha, but I don't enjoy eating that skin...)

I appreciate the reference in the recipe to the joys of shopping in Asian markets, because I definitely have the experience of oohing and aahing over everything and then going home either empty-handed or with stuff I already know how to use. So it was fun to pick up a few new things for this dish. Namely, fresh udon noodles and fried tofu pouches! 

I think I may have made a little mistake in the tofu pouch dept. I bought the ones that are pre-seasoned to make inari, those sweet, rice filled pouches you get in sushi restaurants. Ah well, so my stew was a little sweeter than it should have been. What with the shiitake mushrooms, kombu, and shoyu, there was plenty of umami to counterbalance it.

One of the recipe directions I was confused by is the one regarding the preparation of the leeks: "1 large leek, washed well and sliced into 1/2-inch lengths." I'm pretty sure if they meant 1/2" half moons, they would have said. So I literally cut 1/2" wide strips the length of the leek, about 4 or 5 inches long. It seemed weird at the time, but once they were cooked in the stew, it didn't seem so crazy anymore.

As warned, the butternut took longer than kabocha to cook to tenderness, but there didn't seem to be any ill effect to the rest of the ingredients. 

This stew was amazing! Salty, sweet, lots of depth, but also really clean-tasting, like all great Asian stews. This is nothing like the American or European stew tradition - no unctuousness whatsoever. Just a clear broth with lots of flavor, beautifully cooked vegetables, and some tofu pouches for fun. Oh, and udon noodles! How could I forget! Those thick, white noodles - fatter than any noodle should be, but fun to slurp. I love this!

SFO: 9
(some omnivores might be scared of the tofu pouches, but they can pick around them)

Day 52 - Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stew with Chickpeas and Soft Poppy-Seed Polenta

I’m in LA, staying with my amazing friend Helen and her family, and she’s kind enough to not only let me take over her kitchen for a night and insinuate my project into their lives but also to sous chef for/with me! Heaven!

Tonight, we whipped up this stew with its recommend polenta accompaniment:

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stew with Chickpeas

How fun to be cooking in LA! I’m revisiting all the stores where I used to shop when I lived here 15 years ago. I remember cherishing the whole shopping cart experience, filling up the car trunk with groceries from what seemed like endlessly-supplied supermarkets, but today I’m feeling particularly grateful for the quality, selection, and value of the shopping in NYC (esp. Fairway).

I gave Helen a bunch of options and this stew was her pick, I think because she’s had some unfortunate experiences cooking eggplant and was hoping for some new ideas. This recipe is more heavily notated than most in the book, and I think it freaks out Helen a little bit, but it’s written really clearly, and it's ultimately quite effective.

The first thing you do is roast some veggies: eggplant, peppers, and garlic. I&T suggest not only to cover the roasting pans with parchment but also to brush the parchment with oil. I thought that was a little crazy in the overkill dept… I mean, nothing sticks to parchment! Well, as it turns out, eggplant will stick to parchment. Even oiled parchment. So good call, I&T!

The timings for roasting were pretty spot on, although I think the eggplant might have browned a little too much. Not to the point of charcoal, but many pieces were solidly brown.

I’d been wanting to try the whole brown-paper-bag-steaming-pepper-skins-off thing, which we did, and which worked perfectly. As for the garlic, there’s no instruction to slice off the top of the bulb, which you usually see in usages like this and which makes squeezing out the cloves very easy. But no worries, we were able to unpeel the roasted cloves without too much fuss.

The sautéing of the onions, garlic, wine and herbs is particularly gratifying in the smell department. And once all the ingredients get added together, you can see that it’s going to be a really nice dish.

The roasted garlic cloves that get added at the end are the crowning glory on an amazing combination of ingredients. This is a wonderful, straightforward, people-pleasing dish, which was thoroughly enjoyed by Helen, her vegetarian (!) daughter Hannah, and our friend John, who says he usually feels the need to add some protein to a dish like this, but felt completely satisfied without it. 

My only complaint was having to pick out all the bell peppers, but that's just me.

SFO: 10

Soft Poppy-Seed Polenta

Easy, delicious, hearty, perfect accompaniment. Eek, I'm starting to sound like a broken record with these adjectives....

I have two things to say about this recipe:

One, it came out quite loose. I could not have stood up a spoon in this polenta. Not that it was a problem - the consistency was quite nice with the stew. Hey, maybe that's what the "Soft" in its name is meant to conjure. 

Two, I have nothing against the poppy seeds in this recipe, I'm just not sure if they add anything. I&T say they provide visual interest, but I don't think anything would be lost by leaving them out.

SFO: 10

Day 43 - Seitanic Red and White Bean Jambalaya

Seitanic Red and White Bean Jambalaya

This recipe was a definite home run! Even with my colossal screw up....

The journey of this recipe involves preparing different ingredients in stages in the same pot. First, brown the seitan, then remove and put aside. Then, cook the vegetables, then add tomato paste, then deglaze, then add rice, then add everything including the browned seitan, bring to a simmer and stick it in the oven. Easy enough, right?

Well, the step I missed completely was the part where you remove the seitan from the pot. So the seitan was there during the vegetable sauteing, the deglazing, and the rice browning. Oh dear. I realized it about halfway through, but there was nothing I could do but press on. I thought it might ruin everything, but my end result was pretty great. Granted, the seitan was stirred and handled constantly, so there weren’t a lot of big chunks, but there were some. And the texture of the jambalaya was quite dry in the end. I wonder if I would have ended up with something wetter/stewier, if I had followed the instructions properly.

And yet, it was delicious. Great flavors, great mix of proteins, really hearty, and incidentally, waaaaaay more than 6 servings. 10, at least! Marcy had no idea there was a mess-up in the cooking process.

For the record, I did incorporate a work-around/substitution for green peppers, which I should mention in case there are other green pepper haters out there. I used jalapeños. For some reason, they don’t bother me the way bell peppers do, and if you remove the seeds and ribs, they’re not spicy, just pepper-tasting. I usually substitute two or three jalapeños per bell pepper. So much better….

SFO: 9

(This tastes great and is amazingly hearty and filling. I just had to take a point off for the fact that this dish dares to evoke the word “jambalaya” and fails to deliver the expected chicken and/or sausage.)

Day 38 - Hot and Sour Soup with Wood Ears and Napa Cabbage, Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry, and The Green Tea

Remember how Ryan and Judith were going to come over for dinner? Sadly, Judith got sick and had to cancel, so it's just Ryan and me and our Chinese-y cookie feast!

Hot and Sour Soup with Wood Ears and Napa Cabbage

I don't think I've ever tried to make a hot and sour soup. I&T are right in proclaiming the non-authenticity of this recipe. It doesn't deliver that authentic Chinese result, but it's in the ballpark.

First thing I want to talk about is dried wood ear mushrooms. I found these at Kalustyans. If you don't know about Kalustyans, you need to check it out immediately. It's a great place to find whatever ethnic foodstuffs are eluding you, and lucky for me, it's a 10 minute walk from my apartment.

The bag of mushrooms I bought was an ounce worth, twice what the recipe called for, but it seemed like such a small amount when I portioned out half an ounce that I decided to throw the whole bag in. I mean, when am I going to use dried wood ear mushrooms again, right? Cut to a gigantic mound of rehydrated mushrooms! I left them in, but beware the amazing, expanding wood ear mushroom.

Next thing I want to talk about is hot chile oil. They don't call it hot for nothin'. And I&T wanted me to put in 3 teaspoons! (Now, why did they say 3 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon?) I knew that 3t was going to render the soup inedible for me, so I put in 2, and it was still crazy, over-the-top spicy hot! Three would have meant bleeding esophagus. We managed to eat it anyway, noticing that the cooler the soup got temperature-wise, the less the chili heat bothered us. Hmm....
 
The final thing I want to mention is white pepper, which this recipe includes. Am I the only one who thinks that ground white pepper smells yucky? I don't even know what word to use to describe the smell... sulphur? Body odor? Stinky feet? Do I have a bad batch of white pepper or is this a thing?

Overall, I thought the soup could have used more Sour, but I guess I&T decided to focus on nailing the Hot part. What's nice about this soup is the heavy tofu presence, as well as the other vegetables floating about. I liked it, but I don't think I ever need to make it again.

SFO: 9

(One point off for tofu-o-phobics.)


Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry

Yes yes yes! This is the best of vegan food right here!

Everything about this dish was amazing! The pineapple juice-cooked quinoa tastes incredible, and then when stir-fried together with all the other little treasures? Forget about it! Again, my quinoa took waaay longer than they say, but no biggie. I made it the night before.

There is something missing in the instructions of this recipe - I&T never tell us when to add the cashews back in. My guess is that they'd want us to do it pretty late, so I put them in just before I took it off the heat.

This is a hole-in-one! What a great dish to bring to a pot-luck! Four thumbs up! And it smells great, too! (see picture)

SFO: 10

(If you need to introduce a non-believer to quinoa, this would be the perfect vehicle.)

The Green Tea

Here's the ice cream sandwich combining Terry's Favorite Almond Cookie and Green Tea Ice Cream.

I'm happy to say, it works. It didn't change my life, but I was happy to eat it. As was Ryan. (He also ate an Open Sesame, so clearly these ice cream sandwiches are totally working for him.)

SFO: 9

(One point off for the general muddiness of Green Tea Ice Cream.)

Day 3 - Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions and Spiced Pita Crisps, Sautéed Spinach and Tomatoes, Peanut-Ginger-Sesame Cookies, Peanut Butter Ice Cream, and Open Sesame Ice Cream Sandwiches

Knowing I was going to have a couple of new veggie friends, Uli and Joe, over for dinner tonight, I thought I'd try out one or two recipes on them. But then I realized that I had miscounted the total recipes in the book. I originally thought there were 309, but today I caught my mistake, which revealed the true total as 333. Yikes! That means I'll have to average almost one a day this year! So I decided to go to town and knock out six recipes in one day, buying myself some time off further on down the line....


Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions and Spiced Pita Crisps

The good: 

• This dish can be served at room temperature, so it has good make-ahead potential, something I look for in a dinner party recipe, so I'm not spending the whole party at the stove.

• The rice and lentils component of this dish is very straight-forward and labor-light: boil water, add rice and spices, cover and simmer for 15m, add lentils, cover and simmer for 45m, let sit for 10m, fluff, fold in onions, done. 

• The spices are really fragrant and yummy.

The bad:

• The caramelization of the onions took waaaaaay longer than suggested. I&T say it's a 20-30 minute job at 400°. But hand to heart, it took me one hour and 30 minutes to go from 

this

  
to this.

• How do I say this delicately? This is not a cute dish, not even a little. All those pretty li'l red lentils lose their color, and what you end up with is a clumpy beige-a-palooza.

• There is not a grain of salt in this recipe, which strikes me as strange. I tasted it after adding the onions, and I couldn't bring myself to serve it without at least a little bit of salt, so I gave it a quick sprinkle. But honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a savory recipe with NO salt in it! (I love salt.) 

• At room temperature, the consistency is not terribly inviting. It's neither wet nor dry, neither creamy nor fluffy, nor smooth and mash-like. Let's just say, it's a unique animal....

That said, the spice combo delivers, and the onions taste amazing, which almost compensates for the lack of salt in the dish. Personally, I think a generous adding of salt would really elevate it, but that's just saltaholic me.

Visually, a little bit of color would have gone a long way here. I can't remember if it was Joe or Uli, but someone suggested green peas. Not a bad idea...

SFO: 2
(Most non-vegans will think there's no "there" there. Plus, the appearance doesn't help.)  


Spiced Pita Crisps

This is a fun way to bring some sparkle to the average pita. I tried both the garam masala version and the garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt version. I think my theory about salt holds up, as the latter flavor was universally preferred. My guess is that if I'd salted the garam masala version, the two flavors would have been neck and neck.

SFO: 10
 

Sautéed Spinach and Tomatoes

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like this one, because I'm generally not a fan of tomatoes and ginger together. But I have to confess, this is a super recipe. Lots of bold flavor in a really attractive, easy to make package. 

This is the kind of dish you make just before serving, so I had prepped ahead all the ingredients (diced tomatoes, chopped onion, grated ginger, minced garlic), and at cooking time, it came together in a flash, literally in about five minutes! I used baby spinach from one of those 16 ounce containers, which I'm mentioning because even though it's way more than six cups, you should go ahead and throw the whole thing in there. I used about 3/4 of the container, but you know spinach. It wilts down to nothing, and another 33% wouldn't have upset the proportions of the dish, in fact, it would have been perfect.

For the record, I did not have peanut oil on hand, so I used grapeseed. I know I&T don't pick their oils randomly, so I can only assume it would have been even more delicious with peanut oil, but it tasted wonderful with grapeseed.

I will definitely make this again...

SFO: 10
(Neither Joe nor Uli believe in perfect 10s, but they loved this, so they gave it a 9.8. I'm rounding it up, so there.)  
 

Peanut-Ginger-Sesame Cookies

This was my first vegan baking experience! No butter? No eggs? Can it possibly work?? Yes it can!!!

I&T suggest any one or combination of three kinds of flour, so I opted for half all-purpose and half whole-wheat pastry, and I was very happy the results. In fact, I was completely unaware of a whole wheat presence.

I&T describe this cookie as "shortbreadlike." I don't necessarily agree with that... the candied ginger is such a strong textural presence, so the dominant experience is chewiness, versus a shortbreadlike crumb. Speaking of which, finely dicing five ounces of candied ginger is a more complicated job than it sounds (sticky knife!) so I suggest planning some time for that.

It's interesting, I've become accustomed to following recipes by Martha and Cooks Illustrated, which are very detailed, even fussy and exacting sometimes. I&T are so laid back. In fact, at least once in each recipe, you'll probably find a multiple choice option (i.e. swap in any flour/herb/vegetable you want) and an overall, very relaxed way of putting it together. I thought I would be frustrated by this, but instead I'm finding it very liberating and fun. And creative! I'm getting to help write the recipe!

In addition to the design-your-own-flour option, this recipe also encourages you to choose your own sesame seed color or combo. I opted for segregation. All black cookies and all white cookies. (Don't worry, I integrate later....)

You also get to choose the consistency of the cookies based on how long you leave them in the oven, 10-11m for chewy, 14m for firm and crunchier. I went for right in the middle, because I knew I was going to be using these for ice cream sandwiches, and I wanted them to have equal parts give and structure. Success!

I should mention, I made this recipe using the electric mixer with the paddle attachment. I creamed the shortening on high, then added the first set of ingredients and beat on high again, then switched it to low and added the flour and ginger. What a breeze! Also, instead of greasing the baking sheets, I covered them with parchment, which works just as well.

This is a really interesting cookie, very sweet, with a complicated blend of flavors that TOTALLY work together. I'm a believer!

SFO: 10
(absolutely no whiff of vegan here)   


Peanut Butter Ice Cream

So easy! Dump a bunch of ingredients in the blender, mix, and voilà, ice cream batter. No custard, no tempering, no straining, no ice bath. I'm going to like doing these ice creams!

Meanwhile, I'm wondering if I got the coconut milk thing right. I&T said to put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, then carefully open it and scoop 1/2 cup of coconut "cream" off the top. I definitely scooped 1/2 cup off the top, but I was expecting the "cream" to be the most solid part, like cream is to milk. But when I emptied the rest of the can of coconut milk (to freeze, just like I&T told me to do... I'm such a teacher's pet), what was left in the can was the denser, more solid part of the coconut milk. Did I do this wrong? Anyone?

Flavorwise, the ice cream is spot on. Like the cookie, very sweet, but appropriately so. And the texture is totally convincing, quite dairy-like. I&T, how did you figure all this stuff out?? I'm so impressed...


SFO: 10


Open Sesame Ice Cream Sandwiches

The Open Sesame is one of I&T's custom ice cream sandwich creations, bringing together both of today's sweet treats into one hyper-dessert.

I've never tried to make an ice cream sandwich before, and what I learned is there's basically one minute when the ice cream is firm enough to be pressed in between two cookies and not so melty that it starts disintegrating. This is when I was glad I had gone for a more structured cookie. When I was pressing down on the hard-ish ice cream, it was nice to not have to worry about the cookie crumbling from over- or under-cooking.

I was supposed to roll the edges of these sandwiches in toasted sesame seeds, like a tire across the plate, but since I hadn't been precise about mushing the ice cream beyond the edge of the cookies, I had to figure out another option, i.e. manually sprinkling the seeds on the exposed ice cream. As you can see it worked out OK. Also, here's where I integrated the black and white seeds.

Uli (pictured here) and Joe were very excited about this dessert! When I described it earlier in the evening, Joe was sure he was going to hate it, but in fact, he couldn't have loved it more. For me, the combination of sweet cookie with sweet ice cream was a little overwhelming because I'm not a sweet freak, but I'm sure I'm in the minority here. 

What was notable was how beautifully both the ice cream and the cookies behaved in sandwich form, defrosting together at a perfect rate and staying glued together perfectly. Texturally, this just really, really worked. Well done, I&T!

SFO: 10