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!

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.

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.