Posts tagged ice cream

Rhubarb Sorbet and Ginger Treacle Tart

April 22, 2014 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

I really think this is one of the prettiest and simplest desserts that you can have this time of year. Nothing but some old stale breadcrumbs, humble hardy grown rhubarb and some sweet tangy ginger. Cold golf balls of frozen candy floss to top a pointy slice of warm ginger spiced treacle tart after the slow roasted spring lamb shoulder we devoured for Easter lunch.

I’ve always grown my own rhubarb letting it ripen naturally around the summer time into gangly red and green fingers of sweet and sour goodness. But Portobello market is bursting with the ‘forced’ type at the moment and I couldn’t resist bagging some of the leggy, blushing pastel pink stems for this killer sorbet.

Serves 12

Rhubarb Sorbet

800g forced, pink rhubarb, chopped
175g caster sugar
100ml water
1 lime

Mix the chopped rhubarb with the caster sugar and and place in a saucepan. Heat gently with the water until beginning to soften and simmer for about 5 minutes.
When tender, remove from the heat, squeeze in the lime juice and leave to cool slightly.
Puree until smooth, taste and adjust with sugar or lime (it should be a little sweeter than you like as the freezing with dampen this) and then churn in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes. Alternatively, pour into a container and freeze, mixing every 30mins-1hr to break up the ice crystals until set.

Ginger Treacle Tart

Pastry

125g chilled butter
250g flour
Zest ½ orange
Cold water

Filing

200g white breadcrumbs (the staler the better)
400g golden syrup
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch ground ginger
2-3 balls of preserved stem ginger, chopped finely
½ lemon, zest and juice

Start with the pastry. Mix the butter into the flour in a processor or with your hands until you form a breadcrumb like texture. Mix in the orange zest. Add a spoonful of cold water, a small bit at a time and mix into the flour and butter until you can form a smooth dough. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and leave to chill for about 30 minutes or so in the fridge.
Grease and line a 20-22cm tart tin and preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the pastry from the fridge and leave to adjust to room temperature before rolling out on a floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin. Line the greased tin pressing the pastry into the case. Chill the casing for about 10 minutes if you can.
Prick the base with a fork to stop it rising up when cooking and place a sheet of parchment on top followed by some heavy baking beans or dry raw rice. Push it right up to the edges to keep the parchment down.
Bake blind for 20-25 minutes until the casing if lightly golden and cooked. Remove the beans and baking sheet for the final 5 minutes to brown and cook the base.
Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 160°C.
Now, warm the golden syrup in a saucepan until molten. Remove from the heat and add the ginger, lemon, breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Mix in the eggs making sure the mixture if not too hot first or these will scramble.
Pour into the pre-baked tart tin and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden and set.
Serve warm with the rhubarb sorbet and some slow roasted vanilla speckled rhubarb on the side or a good quality vanilla ice cream.

Marmalade and Cocoa Nib Ice cream (and a new ice cream scoop)

December 28, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

Boxing day- a day to relax with the pressure and expectations of Christmas faded comfortably into the crevices of your cosy sofa. Or in my case, a free kitchen to russell up more delicious and decadent creations. A gloriously sunny and biblically beautiful walk in the crisp Wiltshire morning air to begin the day. Overlooking my precious village covered in a blanket of drifting cloud, it was all I could do not to take off into this pillow-like sea. Back home to the warmth of the kitchen I spent the afternoon in my own sheer bliss. Blogging contently in the sunshine which cast lovely welcome rays over the days creations.

This ice cream goes beautifully with Christmas pudding with its citrusy festive flavours. However, for Christmas 2013 dessert it was paired loyally with a dense, rich slice of chocolatey heaven which can only be described as a chocolate-torte-mousse-fudge-style-brownie-cake (see here for the full recipe). Decadently delicious!

This recipe has been adapted from a Nigel Slater version I have in a recent book. As an extreme dark chocolate fan (90%+ I am religiously found munching at about 9pm most evenings) I love the bitter and pure taste that it offers. Enter cocoa nibs, chocolate’s purest and most wholesome form. On a recent quest to find my similarly dark chocolate appreciating Pa a tasty Christmas treat, I stumbled upon the Rabot 1745 estate collection , a cocoa plantation in Saint Lucia and a branch of Hotel Chocolat. While Hotel Chocolat congers up thoughts of sugary praline and liquer filled chocolates, this range is pure bliss and original. Chocolate shopping by region- from Vietnam to Venezuela I lost blissful hours perusing the shelves only to be helped knowledgably by an enthusiastic assistant who allowed me to try the raw form of the bean used in the shop cafe.

The beans,in their shelled form, are ground like coffee beans in a conching machine until silky, fine and smooth. Little is added for the super dark stuff especially no sugar like your standard Cadbury’s bar which couldn’t taste further from the real thing. I cheekily asked for a couple of bags of the raw beans which I was kindly granted with. One for dad and one for my own personal experiments….

Marmalade and Cocoa Nib Ice Cream

500ml single cream
4 eggs yolks
2 large tbsp caster sugar
300-400g marmalade (depending on how strong it is. I used half thick cut peel and half thin….this is optional)
A handful or cocoa beans/cocoa nibs – available from Hotel Chocolat or some super dark chocolate chopped.

Heat the cream in a saucepan until just below the boil and remove from the heat.
Whisk the sugar and egg yolks together in a shallow bowl and sit it on a tea towel to stop it slipping. Whisking constantly, pour the hot cream over the yolks in a steady stream and whisk until smooth.
Return to the pan and continue to whisk or stir on a low heat to allow it to thicken a little. It will thicken a little, enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Chill thoroughly before stirring in the marmalade.
Churn in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes until thick and beginning to set. Before decanting into a box, rumble in your cocoa beans/nibs or your chopped dark chocolate.
Alternatively, freeze in a container and whisk every hour or so until set to break up the ice crystals. Once nearly set, stir in the chocolate.

Served with my ‘chocolate-torte-mousse-fudge-style-brownie-cake’ it went down a treat!

Banana and Brown Sugar Ice Cream

July 25, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

While banana bread or my banana muffins (see here) are my go-to for any over-ripe, senescent bananas aging ungracefully in the fruit bowl, this is another alternative idea for their use. Additionally, I always freeze any really ripe bananas that won’t get eaten in time so if, like me, your freezer is also always stacked with frozen bananas then they can be used here too! This is another David Lebovitz recipe as he really is the king of the perfect scoop! I’ve just made a basic banana recipe here but next time (and there will be a next time as its so good) I think I’ll try adding some extra flavours which are endless here. See NOTE below for details or ideas but if you’re a banoffee pie fan then this base recipe would be a great start.

600g very ripe bananas (fresh or frozen)
135g light brown soft sugar (or dark brown for a deeper flavour)
500ml coconut milk
1 tsp dark rum
Pinch salt
½ tsp vanilla

Heat the brown sugar with about ¼ of the coconut milk in a pan until smooth and simmering. If using fresh bananas, cut into small-ish chunks and add to the mixture with a pinch of salt. If using frozen, allow to thaw slightly until soft but not sloppy and crumble or chop in.
Stir and cook to soften the bananas for a few minutes
Add the rum and vanilla and then puree the mixture in a processor until smooth. Chill
Churn in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes until set

NOTE: This recipe would be great with anything added too. The options are endless but a few ideas include:

Grated coconut
Rum soaked raisins
Swirl in a few tablespoons of peanut butter
Any form of toasted nuts e.g. brazils, hazelnuts, walnuts
A swirl of toffee sauce and some crushed biscuits for an authentic ‘banoffee’ pie ice cream

Peach and Lavender Crumble Ice Cream

July 13, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

(Roskilly’s ‘After eight mint choc-chip’ ice cream and an apple crumble and ginger milkshake)

This sunny glorious week my sister and I were wise enough to have booked a little trip to Sennen Cove, our usual home away from home down at Lands End for some surf and beach time. On the only one drizzly morning we made our long awaited pilgrimage to the Roskilly’s Farm where they make, hands down, the best ice cream and as an ice cream enthusiast I thought it only fitting. Even the calves looked content and happy- surely because they know that their Jersey milk is being put to delicious use! Each flavour tastes exactly as it should…from Rhubarb to Apple Crumble, Ginger Fairings to Malty Mystery and Salted Caramel or, my ultimate favoruite, toffee and hazelnut which, quite frankly, tastes like a chilled mouthful of Ferrero Rocher! The choices are endless so naturally we had to have a milkshake and a tub for…..ermm….lunch?

(Some happy Jersey calves)

Although my freezer is full of homemade ice cream experiments and flavours, after visiting this little haven I had to try some more. It’s only polite. And the weather seems to be sticking around too…

Peach and Lavender Ice Cream

400ml whole mlik
300ml double cream
125g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
6 egg yolks
6 large ripe peaches (or 1 can/400g ish of peach halves- this will give you a more peachy flavour)
1 heaped tsp lavender (optional)
1-2 tbsp honey
Handful of cooked crumble mixture

If using fresh peaches, preheat the oven to 200°C . Half and core the peaches and drizzle with about 1-2 tbsp honey. Sprinkle with the lavender and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until soft. Leave to cool. Remove the skins if you like (I didn’t).
Now start the custard base. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with a tea towel beneath it.
Heat the milk, cream, and the vanilla seeds (and pod) on a low heat until just below boiling. Remove the pod and discard
At this point, whisk the yolks continually and pour over the hot creamy milk in a steady stream to prevent it scrabbling. When all is added return the mixture to the pan and on a VERY low heat, stir the custard until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Keep the heat low to prevent it from scrabbling.
Once thick enough, pour into a large bowl and place this bowl on ice to cool. Puree or roughly mash (for the desired texture) the cooled peaches in a processor or do the same with the canned peach halves, leaving some chunky pieces for texture. Stir through the custard and leave to cool.
Once cooled, churn in an ice cream maker until set. Towards the end, add all but a handful of crumble mixture.
Pour into a container, top with the leftover crumble and freeze.

Note: For a softer texture, add a splash of peach liqueur perhaps…?

Apple Crumble Ice Cream

May 16, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

This is quite a rich ice cream and a dessert in itself. The apple puree is really deep in flavour and if cooked down a little more and thickened it would make a beautiful apple ‘butter-come-jam’ for topping toast and croissants! Goes really well with some simple hazelnut and vanilla shortbread.

1 can condensed milk (alternatively make a custard base but this recipe requires no churning)
300ml single cream
4 large crunchy apples
100g soft brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp mixed spice and ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
125ml water
50g oats
50g plain flour
50g soft brown sugar
60g chilled, cubed unsalted butter

Start with the spiced apple puree. Core and chop 3 of the apples into chunky slices. Add to a saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. Then simmer gently until the apples break down and look a bit like apple sauce.
Add the sugar and spices to the hot apples and mix. Transfer to a blender and puree. Have a taste, add more sugar to your liking depending on how sweet your apples were, or lemon juice for a bit of sharpness. Remember when you add purees to ice cream they should always be a little bit on the sweet side as that way they will taste fine when frozen.
Leave to cool.
Mix the crumble ingredients together until you have chunky breadcrumb-like texture. Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 170°C oven keeping an eye on it. Don’t worry as the mixture will most likely melt into a big slab. When its golden brown leave it to cool and crisp and then you can crumble it into pieces.
Cube the remaining apple into small dice and saute in a little butter to soften. Leave to cool.
Mix the condensed milk and the cream (or alternatively for a proper ice cream make a custard base. The benefit of the condensed milk is there is no need for any churning) and add the apple puree. Keep some reserved if you want to ripple some through the cream before freezing.
Scatter some crumble and some of the cubed apple pieces into your container of choice and top with some of the mixture. If you want to ripple some puree through, do this now. Scatter with more crumble and apple pieces and repeat. Finish with a scattering of crunchy topping. Freeze until set (it will have a soft scoop texture) and enjoy!

Carrot Cake Ice Cream

April 5, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

What could be better than combining the forces of a good cake and its slutty partner in crime ice cream? This recipe is adapted from the Babel Restaurant in South Africa, Babylonstoren, whose ‘cookbook-come-brochure’, is to die for. As a spicy ice cream, they suggest serving it with chilli grilled pineapple slices, but hey, whats wrong with serving it with a slice of carrot cake….?

500ml double cream
180ml milk
180ml caster sugar
5 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
125g carrot, boiled and grated
5ml ground cinnamon
2ml ground nutmeg and ginger
125g walnuts/pecans toasted and roughly chopped

Start with the custard base. Heat the milk in a saucepan with 90ml of the sugar and the seeds from the vanilla pod until just coming to the boil.
Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl (a wide shallow bowl helps) with the remaining 90ml of sugar until combined.
When the cream is hot, tip a third of it in a slow stream into the egg yolks whisking continuously and vigorously to prevent it scrambling. Make sure it is all combined then add the rest and whisk together for a few minutes.
Tip the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a low heat stirring with a wooden spoon continually until the mixture begins to thicken and it coats the back of the spoon and leaves a mark when you run your finger through it. keep the heat low and keep stirring to prevent getting scrambled eggs….
Strain through a sieve into another wide shallow bowl. Whisk in the ground spices.
Peel about 2-3 carrots (depending on their size) and boil whole in water for about 5 minutes, until soft. Cool under cold water and then grate into the custard base and mix to distribute. Leave to cool and then place in the fridge.
Meanwhile, toast the nut in a dry frying pan for a few minutes or in a hot oven for 5 minutes and leave to cool.
When the custard is cool, churn in an ice cream maker for about 15-20 minutes until thick and beginning to freeze. Once it begins to thicken during churning, tip in the toasted nuts. Place in a container and freeze.

Coffee Ice Cream

April 2, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

A perfect Easter lunch dessert to keep everyone awake in front of the roaring fire………although this year the cold weather seems to be doing that for us brrrrrrr! If you’re a coffee fan then this ice cream is an instant (see what I did there) and satisfying winner!

(Serves 8)

1 can condensed milk
300ml single cream
2 heaped tbsp instant coffee

Warm the cream in a pan over a medium heat. When it looks like it is just beginning to simmer, remove from the heat and whisk in the coffee until it had dissolved.
Pour the condensed milk into the cream and stir to combine
Chill and then put into a container and freeze overnight…no churning needed! Although if you want an instant ice cream, churn for about 30 minutes and eat!

I served mine with a mini version of my hazelnut frangipane tartlet (see here) drizzled with dark chocolate, half a lightly poached vanilla pear and some teeth shattering hazelnut praline. For the vanilla pear, lightly poach half a cored and peeled pear in sugared water for about 20 minutes with a splash of vanilla extract or a halved and de-seeded vanilla pod, until soft.

Hazelnut Praline

60g caster sugar
40g hazelnuts

Toast the hazelnut in a hot oven for about 6 minutes. Then remove, wrap in a towel and rub the skins off
Lightly bash in a pestle and mortar or in a plastic bag with the back of a rolling pin to coarse crumbs. Sprinkle sparsely over a piece of greaseproof paper
Heat the caster sugar in a dry frying pan over a high heat and leave to melt, stirring every so often until the sugar turns liquid and golden brown. Watch it as it will easily burn.
As soon as it is a pale golden brown and the sugar has all dissolved, remove from the heat and quickly pour over the hazelnuts in a thin layer. It will set fast so work quickly (it will be EXTREMELY hot though so make sure you don’t touch it)
Leave to cool in a cool place or place the caramel on a hard marble surface to speed it along. When cool, break in shards and mind your teeth.

Dark Chocolate Sorbet

January 9, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

Nothing additional added. No secret extra ingredient. This hasn’t been fiddled with. I’m known for always adding twists and tweaks to recipes to add an extra special touch and style which is usually appreciated. However, after what must have been the 100th time at knocking out the standard cauliflower cheese for a mid week supper, I decided to explore the tasty addition of a few added flavours. Don’t get me wrong it was delicious but with a few glaucoma-like glares from the family, I soon realised some dishes are best left untouched. This is one of them. The chocolate flavour (and I am by no means a chocolate lover) confidently powers through like Usain Bolt in 100m final. As a milk chocolate hater but a 90-100% addict, this is perfect for the dark chocolate fans. Left alone, you can experiment with what its eaten with instead….This recipe was helped by one of my favourite ice cream master David Lebovitz.

555ml water
200g caster sugar
75g ‘Green & Blacks’ dark cocoa powder
Pinch salt
170g dark chocolate, chopped finely
Splash vanilla extract

In a saucepan, whisk together 375ml of the water, the sugar, the cocoa and the salt. Heat, whisking for a few minutes until all the cocoa is combined and mixed into a silky texture. It may not look like its going to mix but keep whisking.
Bring to the boil and bubble for about a minute, until a little more thickened and syrupy.
Remove from the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Add the 180ml of remaining water and mix.
Transfer to a blender and give it a few pulses to blend it all together thoroughly. Chill until cold.
Then churn in an ice cream maker until thick and soft textured (about 30-40 minutes)

Almond, Pear and Amaretto Tart with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

December 5, 2012 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

A rich, buttery and almond flavoured frangipane is my most favourite way to fill a crisp, delicate pastry case. This tart is really versatile and the mixture can be topped with any seasonal fruit. Alternatively, you can grind other nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts (see here) to give your frangipane an original twist. In the summer, I have a huge weak spot for this dessert, topped it with a scattering of the juicy, tart, and punchy blackcurrants from our allotment. However, with pears, apples of blackberries it is delicious too. Just watch that the fruit you add doesn’t have too much moisture which will ooze out and make the filling wetter. This recipe is Christmassy, wintery and extremely satisfying….A variation on this always makes an appearance at my dinner parties topped with some salted caramel ice cream in this case and a good shot of warming Amaretto……

Pastry

125g cold butter, cubed
250g plain flour
Splash cold water

Frangipane filling

200g unsalted butter, cubed
200g caster sugar
200g ground almonds
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Splash of amaretto
1-2 pears
15g butter
15g caster sugar
Handful of flaked almonds for decoration

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Begin by making the pastry. For the method, see here. Follow up to step 7.
Next, peel, core and slice the pears into long chunky slices. Melt the 15g of butter in a frying pan until beginning to sizzle, then add the sugar and stir until melted. Add the pears and gently fry for a few minutes.
Turn up the heat and add a splash of amaretto. Let this simmer away and reduce a little before removing from the heat and setting aside.
Now begin with the filling. In a processor or by hand, cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and thoroughly mixed.
Add the vanilla to the beaten egg. Add this, a bit at a time, to the creamed butter, and mix in until well combined (don’t worry if it curdles, it won’t matter)
Now add the ground almonds, a splash of amaretto (optional) and mix
Once your pastry case is cooked and cool, fill with the frangipane and smooth out into an even layer.
Top with the pears in an attractive pattern and press them lightly into the mixture. Drizzle with some of the buttery, sugary, amaretto flavoured caramel from the frying pan. Scatter with the flaked almonds.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes until the mixture is set and doesn’t wobble. Check it after about 30 minutes however, to make sure it isn’t browning too much (like mine unfortunately….) If so, cover with foil and continue to bake.
Once cooked, remove from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I served mine with some salted caramel ice cream and a shot of Amaretto!

Caramel Ice Cream with Salted Almond Praline

December 3, 2012 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

With December now well and truly here, it must be accepted that the gastronomic season has arrived. This pleasingly warrants the excuse for overindulgent food with an extra special touch or time and care wrapped in a blanket of calories and tied up with vast amount of edible guilt. With a welcome invite to a house Christmas meal approaching, and the responsibility of bringing dessert, my creative mind went into a sugary coma. A need to supply my hosts with something to sooth their taste buds and thank them for their hospitality. So to go with my pear, almond and amaretto tart, my love of ice cream was sure to make a chilly appearance. However, with no ice cream maker in the limited freezer in my home away from home in Clifton, I opted for this cheats recipe which is always a great one to have on tap. It doesn’t require churning as it won’t crystalise when freezing and it gives a very rich and creamy texture. A can of condensed milk and some single cream never looked nicer….

Praline

100g caster sugar
20g flaked almonds
½ tsp Maldon Sea Salt

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

1 can condensed milk
300ml single cream

Begin with the cheats ice cream base. Submerge a can of condensed milk in a pan of water on it side and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 ½ hours making sure the water does not dry out and that it is covered (otherwise it could explode…worse things have happened)
Meanwhile, make the praline. Begin by lightly oiling a piece of greaseproof paper.
Now heat a dry frying pan and lightly toast the flaked almonds until tinged and fragrant. Scatter densely over the parchment.
Now, scatter the caster sugar in a dry frying pan in an even, thin layer and turn up the heat.
The sugar should begin to melt within a couple of minutes. Use a plastic spatula to mix in any non-melted areas and any lumps. All the sugar will melt and it will start to turn golden and liquid. Watching all the time as it can burn easily, continue to melt until light golden brown but not burnt!
Quickly, using the spatula, tip the caramel over the almonds on the parchment and scatter quickly with the sea salt while still hot. Leave to cool until solid before breaking into shards.
Once the condensed milk has been boiled it will have turned to caramel. Leave the can to cool before handling.
Mix the cooled caramel with the single cream and beat with a whisk until well combined.
Now, using either a food processor, a pestle and mortar or just a bag and a wooden spoon, coarsely crush your praline into chunks. I left some a bit more whole and some into a powder.
Mix this evenly into the ice cream base and place in the freezer overnight. The praline pieces have a tendency to fall to the bottom so if you can be bothered, freeze half your cream mixture, then scatter over your praline and the remaining mixture and freeze again.
Enjoy your ice cream with an added sprinkle of sea salt if required! I served mine with a pear, almond and amaretto tart.

PS. This cheats ice cream base is open to interpretation….adding coconut milk instead of cream sprinkling of lime zest is one of my favourites. However, add any other flavours you like. It is quite a soft texture anyway, so adding salt in this case, or alcohol which doesn’t freeze, will make it even softer so bear this in mind before going too heavy handed on the booze!