Posts tagged lavender

Peach and Lavender Crumble Ice Cream

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Peach and Lavender Crumble Ice Cream

 

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(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?

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(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…

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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
  1. 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).
  2. Now start the custard base. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with a tea towel beneath it.
  3. Heat the milk, cream, and the vanilla seeds (and pod) on a low heat until just below boiling. Remove the pod and discard
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Once cooled, churn in an ice cream maker until set. Towards the end, add all but a handful of crumble mixture.
  7. Pour into a container, top with the leftover crumble and freeze.

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

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Portuguese Cinnamon Tarts with Lavender Caramel

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Portuguese Cinnamon Tarts with Lavender Caramel

 

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These have been adapted from Jamie Oliver’s interpretation of the Portuguese custard tart or- ‘Pastel de nata’. It seemed like a good way of using up a slab of puff pastry and an egg whilst keeping my mind sane and grounded during all this revision…

  • ½ block puff pastry (about 250g ish)
  • Pinch cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 120g creme fraiche
  • Zest of 1/2  lemon
  • 5 tbsp caster sugar
  • Seeds from ½ vanilla pod/ a splash of vanilla extract
  • Small pinch of lavender flowers
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle, about 1 pound coin thickness and about 25cm long. Scatter with the cinnamon and roll into a swiss roll shape down the long side.
  2. Cut into 6 rounds (they should look like uncooked danish pastries) and then liberally press each into a a non-stick or greased muffin tin pushing the pastry down in the middle and up the sides, squashing it to mould it into the tin. Bake for about 10 minutes until just going golden. You may need to use the end of a rolling pin or something round to press the middle down if it puffs up while cooking.
  3. Make the filling by mixing the beaten egg, creme fraiche, 1tbsp of the caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl.
  4. When the pastry seems to have cooked enough pour in the filling and cook for another 10 minutes or so until set with a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and quickly make the caramel.
  5. Melt the meaning sugar in a dry frying pan until beginning to melt. As soon as it begins to turn golden and liquidy, remove from the heat, add a scatter of lavender flowers and then quickly pour or spoon generously over the top of the tarts before the caramel becomes to hard. Allow to cool and harden.

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Butternut Muffins

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Butternut Muffins

 

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These little muffins are courtesy of Jamie Oliver from his ‘Jamie at Home’ cookbook. The book is one of my favourites and will always be sentimental to me as it was the first cookbook I ever received on my journey to foodie obsessive. I am always making the delicious recipes from the squash chapter and hadn’t made these in a while. I’d forgotten how deliciously moist they are, just like a quirky take on a carrot cake. With a dad who hates the addition of butternut squash in ANYTHING, a little white lie that these were in fact carrot cake muffins didn’t even muster a thimble of doubt…..

Makes 12

  • 400g butternut squash, roughly chopped
  • 350g light brown soft sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 300g plain flour
  • 2 heaped tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 handful walnuts
  • 175ml olive oil
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • ½ lemon, juice
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
  • Lavender to garnish (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Add the butternut squash to a food processor and roughly chop.
  3. Add the eggs and sugar and a pinch of salt and blitz
  4. Sieve in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder followed by the oil and process to combine
  5. Add the walnuts and pulse to mix to make sure the nuts are kept chunky
  6. Generously fill the muffin cases with the mixture and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked. Leave to cool
  7. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice, a pinch of cinnamon and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and chill until needed.
  8. When the cakes are cool ice with the cream cheese topping and scatter with a few lavender flowers.

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Lavender Shortbread

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I’m afraid homemade shortbread is one of my weaknesses. This basic recipe has never failed me and has been handed down throughout the family. If you ever look at a shortbread recipe with more than 3 ingredients, chuck it and use this! Although a complete triumph on its own, I like to add a few cheeky additions now and again and here I had some fragrant lavender to hand. However, its open to experimentation with any flavours that get the heart racing, from lemon and poppy seed to ground hazelnuts or allspice. Lavenders one of those marmite flavours I think. Too much and it tastes like a bowl of your Grandma’s potpourri but added with a delicate hand it adds a quirky kick. I added an intuitive sprinkle to the basic recipe which is as follows. They’ll melt in your mouth like a snowman on an agar….believe me.

  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 175g plain flour
  • 50g caster sugar
  • A sprinkle of lavender, lemon zest, ground nuts etc or any added extra flavour of your choice (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. In a food processor, mix all ingredients together until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture then continue until it comes together into a loose dough.
  3. Before it forms a ball of dough, stop the machine and turn the mixture out onto a floured surface.
  4. Form together into a ball using your hands. You can chill it now, wrapped in cling film, to let it rest but I’ve always found that the world will not end if you use it straight away, just make sure the room or your hands are not too hot as this will make it really soft when handling.
  5. You can either roll it out onto a floured work surface and cut out into biscuit shapes or place as a thin whole sheet into a lined baking tin.
  6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes for biscuits and 15-20 minutes for a thicker sheet in a baking tray but check regularly. They will be ready when golden but try and get them out just before they turn too brown to ensure that melt-in-the-mouth texture and that they are not too crunchy.

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