If you thought Balsamic vinegar and mint were only good for Mediterranean-style salads, well then think again, doofus!
~400g Strawberries
~60ml Balsamic vinegar
2 eggs
120g sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp chopped mint leaves
200ml milk
400ml cream
1) Chop the green bits off your strawberries, cut the berries in half and put them in a bowl. Pour over your balsamic vinegar, stir until all the berries are coated and then leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
2) Put the strawberries and balsamic into a saucepan with about 80g of sugar. Crush the strawberries with a potato masher, and simmer for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Put to one side.
3) Heat your milk then add it to the eggs, lightly beaten with the rest of the sugar. Pout it back into the saucepan and heat until custard forms.
4) Mix your strawberry-vinegar slop into the custard. Leave to cool down in the fridge.
5) When the mix is chilled, fold in the cream and then pop it in the ice cream maker. Hooray!
Verdict: Superb! The balsamic vinegar adds a subtle bite to the sweetness of the strawberries, while the mint provides a cool, summery vibe. It's a beach party in your mouth!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Recipe: 'Vegan Power Motherfuckers' Coconut and Almond
'Vegan Power Motherfuckers' is a piece of graffiti scrawled in my back alley by the 'activist' types in the area. It's probably amusing to no one but me, but I figured I'd included it here in a public forum anyway. Don't judge me, I have no life.
I feel for those who embrace the vegan lifestyle, I really do. Pretty much everything contains animal products these days: apples (often waxed with crushed-up beetles), beer (fish scales), wine (fish scales, egg albumen) and condoms (milk proteins) to name but a few. Ice cream, of course, usually contains both eggs AND milk, so it's hardly suited for those who shun animal products. Except, that is, for this one. It uses arrowroot powder as a thickener in place of eggs, and coconut milk in place of the cow juice.
400 ml can coconut milk
400 ml can coconut cream
1/2 cup sugar
2T arrowroot powder (available from health food stores)
3/4 tsp Boyajian lime essence (optional)
roast almonds (optional)
1. Mix the arrowroot powder into about 1/2 a cup of the coconut milk and stir it until the lumps are gone. Put this to one side.
2. In a saucepan, heat the rest of the milk, coconut cream, sugar and lime oil (if using) until it starts to boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat, and immediately add the arrowroot goop. Stir like crazy and you should see it start to thicken.
4. Let the mix cool down to room temperature, then wack it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
5. Dump the whole lot in your ice cream maker and add the almonds (if using) once it starts to firm up.
Props: This method of using arrowroot for thickening is actually taken from Agnes L, over at A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise. If your serious about making morally-correct ice cream, then do check out her range of recipes, its a far better resource than this blog of animal exploitation.
The Verdict:
Not bad at all. While I won't be giving up my dairy-based ice cream any time soon, this is a delicious dessert. The texture was smooth, albeit a little bit floury (not as bad as it sounds). Next time around, I would probably use all coconut cream, rather than half cream, half milk to increase the creaminess a bit. All in all though, this is pretty good stuff!
I feel for those who embrace the vegan lifestyle, I really do. Pretty much everything contains animal products these days: apples (often waxed with crushed-up beetles), beer (fish scales), wine (fish scales, egg albumen) and condoms (milk proteins) to name but a few. Ice cream, of course, usually contains both eggs AND milk, so it's hardly suited for those who shun animal products. Except, that is, for this one. It uses arrowroot powder as a thickener in place of eggs, and coconut milk in place of the cow juice.
400 ml can coconut milk
400 ml can coconut cream
1/2 cup sugar
2T arrowroot powder (available from health food stores)
3/4 tsp Boyajian lime essence (optional)
roast almonds (optional)
1. Mix the arrowroot powder into about 1/2 a cup of the coconut milk and stir it until the lumps are gone. Put this to one side.
2. In a saucepan, heat the rest of the milk, coconut cream, sugar and lime oil (if using) until it starts to boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat, and immediately add the arrowroot goop. Stir like crazy and you should see it start to thicken.
4. Let the mix cool down to room temperature, then wack it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
5. Dump the whole lot in your ice cream maker and add the almonds (if using) once it starts to firm up.
Props: This method of using arrowroot for thickening is actually taken from Agnes L, over at A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise. If your serious about making morally-correct ice cream, then do check out her range of recipes, its a far better resource than this blog of animal exploitation.
The Verdict:
Not bad at all. While I won't be giving up my dairy-based ice cream any time soon, this is a delicious dessert. The texture was smooth, albeit a little bit floury (not as bad as it sounds). Next time around, I would probably use all coconut cream, rather than half cream, half milk to increase the creaminess a bit. All in all though, this is pretty good stuff!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Recipe: Strawberry, Banana and Honey-roasted pecan
Hooley dooley, just how much stuff can you cram into a single ice cream concept?! Well, precisely this much:
300ml milk
300ml cream
3 eggs
~200g sugar
375g strawberries
3 ripe bananas
juice of half a lemon
~1/2 tsp nutmeg
~1 tsp vanilla essence
~1 cup pecans
~ 1/4 cup honey
1) Cut the green bits of your strawberries and crush them with a potato masher or similar.
2) Simmer the strawberry mash with 100g of the sugar and the lemon juice for a few minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.
3) Mash the bananas.
4) Make your custard with the eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and the rest of the sugar.
5) Mix the custard, strawberry slop and banana slop together. You may want to put it in the blender at this point to achieve a smooth consistency.
6) Fold in the cream and refrigerate.
7) Roast your pecans for 5-10 minutes at 180C. Be careful they don't burn!
8) Transfer the pecans to a small pan with the honey, and simmer for a few minutes until the honey goes bubbly.
9) Transfer the nuts to a seperate plate or foil sheet to cool.
10) When your mixture is chilled, put it into the ice cream machine. When it starts to set, drop in the chopped honey-roasted nuts and give yourself a self-congratulatory pat on the back.
Verdict: Not bad at all. Personally, I found it a little sweet, but certainly the tasting public were full of praise, and in the end that's what counts. Enjoy.
300ml milk
300ml cream
3 eggs
~200g sugar
375g strawberries
3 ripe bananas
juice of half a lemon
~1/2 tsp nutmeg
~1 tsp vanilla essence
~1 cup pecans
~ 1/4 cup honey
1) Cut the green bits of your strawberries and crush them with a potato masher or similar.
2) Simmer the strawberry mash with 100g of the sugar and the lemon juice for a few minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.
3) Mash the bananas.
4) Make your custard with the eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and the rest of the sugar.
5) Mix the custard, strawberry slop and banana slop together. You may want to put it in the blender at this point to achieve a smooth consistency.
6) Fold in the cream and refrigerate.
7) Roast your pecans for 5-10 minutes at 180C. Be careful they don't burn!
8) Transfer the pecans to a small pan with the honey, and simmer for a few minutes until the honey goes bubbly.
9) Transfer the nuts to a seperate plate or foil sheet to cool.
10) When your mixture is chilled, put it into the ice cream machine. When it starts to set, drop in the chopped honey-roasted nuts and give yourself a self-congratulatory pat on the back.
Verdict: Not bad at all. Personally, I found it a little sweet, but certainly the tasting public were full of praise, and in the end that's what counts. Enjoy.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Super happy blog referral club!
Well, it seems the lovely Jennifer over at craft uberblog Eye of the Needle has featured my carrot cake ice cream recipe as part of a food-styling photo shoot. Check it out in all its carrot-stick-as-wafer-stick glory here. Thanks Jen!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Recipe: Carrot Cake
Remember when you were a kid and your Mum (or Dad - we don't believe in gender stereotyping here at TMICS) would make a carrot cake and then let you lick the mixture off the beaters? Well, this is a bit like that, only colder.
1/2 cup carrots, grated
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup + 40g brown sugar
60g butter
60g white sugar
300ml milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp Boyajian lemon oil (or perhaps about 1/2 lemon's worth of rind?)
1 tsp cinnamon
125g cream cheese
300ml cream
OK, this is a slightly complicated one. Here we go!
1) In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the 1/4 cup brown sugar, the grated carrots and the walnuts. Heat it over a medium-high heat until it gets all caramalised and goopy.
2) Lightly beat the eggs together with the white sugar and the rest of the brown.
2) Heat the milk in a seperate saucepan with the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon oil. When it's hot, but not boiling, pour it slowly onto the beaten eggs and sugar while stirring. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat until it thickens into a custard.
3) Mix your caramelised carrot mix into the custard and put it in the fridge to cool down.
4) Beat the cream cheese and cream together, then mix in the chilled custard. Put the whole delicious mess in your ice cream machine and bask in its hypnotic whirling.
Verdict: Simply fantastic. This tastes exactly like carrot cake. Quite unsettling really. It's rich and zesty and cakey and freaking delicious. Get on it!
1/2 cup carrots, grated
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup + 40g brown sugar
60g butter
60g white sugar
300ml milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp Boyajian lemon oil (or perhaps about 1/2 lemon's worth of rind?)
1 tsp cinnamon
125g cream cheese
300ml cream
OK, this is a slightly complicated one. Here we go!
1) In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the 1/4 cup brown sugar, the grated carrots and the walnuts. Heat it over a medium-high heat until it gets all caramalised and goopy.
2) Lightly beat the eggs together with the white sugar and the rest of the brown.
2) Heat the milk in a seperate saucepan with the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon oil. When it's hot, but not boiling, pour it slowly onto the beaten eggs and sugar while stirring. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat until it thickens into a custard.
3) Mix your caramelised carrot mix into the custard and put it in the fridge to cool down.
4) Beat the cream cheese and cream together, then mix in the chilled custard. Put the whole delicious mess in your ice cream machine and bask in its hypnotic whirling.
Verdict: Simply fantastic. This tastes exactly like carrot cake. Quite unsettling really. It's rich and zesty and cakey and freaking delicious. Get on it!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Recipe: Dark Chocolate and Chilli
The ancient Aztecs (or was it the Incas?) are credited with the invention of chocolate, and they used to mix it with hot chilli and drink it. Culinary geniuses or a just a bunch of peyote-crazed sun worshippers? Try this ice cream recipe, then decide.
3 eggs
300 ml milk
300 ml cream
80g sugar
200g dark chocolate
1/8 tsp chilli powder
NOTE: The chilli powder I have is insanely hot, so I didn't use very much. Your mileage may vary.
Heat your milk in a saucepan with the chilli powder, and meanwhile beat your eggs and mix in the sugar. Pour the milk slowly into the eggs, and return it to the pan and slowly heat it until it turns to custard. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or mixing bowl sitting on top of a saucepan of water) and stir it into the custard. Chill, then add the cream and pop it into the ice cream machine.
Verdict: Sensational. Rich and creamy and not too sweet. The ice cream has the texture of velvet and the chilli adds a sharp kick to the downward slope of the flavour curve. It's intense pleasure with a little bit of pain - like being spanked on a roller coaster, and I for one am lining up for another ticket...
3 eggs
300 ml milk
300 ml cream
80g sugar
200g dark chocolate
1/8 tsp chilli powder
NOTE: The chilli powder I have is insanely hot, so I didn't use very much. Your mileage may vary.
Heat your milk in a saucepan with the chilli powder, and meanwhile beat your eggs and mix in the sugar. Pour the milk slowly into the eggs, and return it to the pan and slowly heat it until it turns to custard. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or mixing bowl sitting on top of a saucepan of water) and stir it into the custard. Chill, then add the cream and pop it into the ice cream machine.
Verdict: Sensational. Rich and creamy and not too sweet. The ice cream has the texture of velvet and the chilli adds a sharp kick to the downward slope of the flavour curve. It's intense pleasure with a little bit of pain - like being spanked on a roller coaster, and I for one am lining up for another ticket...
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Recipe: Hazelnut Latte
Ice Cream on a Tuesday?!? Has The Mitch gone mad?
3 eggs
100g sugar
400 ml milk
300 ml cream
200ml strong espresso coffee
~1 cup roasted hazelnuts
Lightly beat your eggs and mix in the sugar. Heat the milk and coffee in a pan, pour gradually into the eggs and put it back in the pan and stir until you get your custard. Refrigerate until cold. Slop it into your ice cream maker and add the nuts when it starts getting thick.
Verdict: Very good. The coffee flavour was strong but not at all bitter, and the amount of hazelnuts was generous without overdoing the nuttiness. Make mine a grande!
3 eggs
100g sugar
400 ml milk
300 ml cream
200ml strong espresso coffee
~1 cup roasted hazelnuts
Lightly beat your eggs and mix in the sugar. Heat the milk and coffee in a pan, pour gradually into the eggs and put it back in the pan and stir until you get your custard. Refrigerate until cold. Slop it into your ice cream maker and add the nuts when it starts getting thick.
Verdict: Very good. The coffee flavour was strong but not at all bitter, and the amount of hazelnuts was generous without overdoing the nuttiness. Make mine a grande!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Recipe: Chocolat Et Orange
Just DON'T call it 'Jaffa'...
400 ml milk
300 ml cream
100g sugar
200g dark chocolate
3 eggs
~4 tsp Boyajian orange citrus oil. These oils have the equiavalent of like a billion pieces of fruit in each teaspoon and are ideal for citrus flavoured ice cream. Unfortunately I spilled most of my bottle of orange oil on the kitchen floor while making this ice cream, so the orange flavour could be a one-off, methinks...
Heat your milk, then make the custard with your eggs and sugar. Add in the citrus oil. Put it in sparingly at first and taste regularly cos it's mighty strong and easy to overdo it.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler you can do as The Mitch does and melt it in a metal bowl (or ceramic bowl, for that matter) sitting on top of a saucepan of boiling water. Mix in the gooey chocolate to the still-warm custard. Refrigerate, then stick it in the ice cream maker.
Verdict: I think this is the richest ice cream I have ever made. It was so thick and viscous with delicious dark chocolate that I almost didn't need to freeze it. The overtones of orange were subtle but zealous and really set off the deep cocoa flavour. Another raging sucess, but be warned - it's seriously heavy stuff - one cone made me feel like I'd eaten an entire meal.
400 ml milk
300 ml cream
100g sugar
200g dark chocolate
3 eggs
~4 tsp Boyajian orange citrus oil. These oils have the equiavalent of like a billion pieces of fruit in each teaspoon and are ideal for citrus flavoured ice cream. Unfortunately I spilled most of my bottle of orange oil on the kitchen floor while making this ice cream, so the orange flavour could be a one-off, methinks...
Heat your milk, then make the custard with your eggs and sugar. Add in the citrus oil. Put it in sparingly at first and taste regularly cos it's mighty strong and easy to overdo it.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler you can do as The Mitch does and melt it in a metal bowl (or ceramic bowl, for that matter) sitting on top of a saucepan of boiling water. Mix in the gooey chocolate to the still-warm custard. Refrigerate, then stick it in the ice cream maker.
Verdict: I think this is the richest ice cream I have ever made. It was so thick and viscous with delicious dark chocolate that I almost didn't need to freeze it. The overtones of orange were subtle but zealous and really set off the deep cocoa flavour. Another raging sucess, but be warned - it's seriously heavy stuff - one cone made me feel like I'd eaten an entire meal.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Recipe: Cardamom and Saffron
Blah blah blah I've been to India blah blah blah...
3 Eggs
600ml Milk
300ml Cream
~2/3 cup sugar
8 green cardamom pods
~1/2tsp saffron threads
roasted almonds (i actually wanted to use pistachios, but it's hard to find unsalted ones on a sunday afternoon)
Grind the cardamom pods as finely as you can. Crush the saffron threads with a few drops of water to make a pretty yellow paste.
Add the spices to the milk and heat it gently. When it's hot, pour it onto the beaten eggs and sugar and mix it together. Pour all of that back in the saucepan and stir until you get your custard. Let it cool, add the cream and chill. Throw it all in the machine. When it starts to solidify, add in your chopped nuts. Shaka Laka Boom Boom!
Verdict. Hmmm, one couldn't really taste the saffron so I would recommend either adding more (if you can afford it), or leaving it out entirely. Overall though, this was a very successful flavour. The subtle bite of cardamom is a sublime compliment to the rich almonds. Peace out.
3 Eggs
600ml Milk
300ml Cream
~2/3 cup sugar
8 green cardamom pods
~1/2tsp saffron threads
roasted almonds (i actually wanted to use pistachios, but it's hard to find unsalted ones on a sunday afternoon)
Grind the cardamom pods as finely as you can. Crush the saffron threads with a few drops of water to make a pretty yellow paste.
Add the spices to the milk and heat it gently. When it's hot, pour it onto the beaten eggs and sugar and mix it together. Pour all of that back in the saucepan and stir until you get your custard. Let it cool, add the cream and chill. Throw it all in the machine. When it starts to solidify, add in your chopped nuts. Shaka Laka Boom Boom!
Verdict. Hmmm, one couldn't really taste the saffron so I would recommend either adding more (if you can afford it), or leaving it out entirely. Overall though, this was a very successful flavour. The subtle bite of cardamom is a sublime compliment to the rich almonds. Peace out.
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