Blood orange ice cream
19 February 2017
MULBERRY RIPPLE ICE CREAM
27 September 2016
Keeping me company at the moment is Shuggiedog, who's house I am babysitting and who is proving to be the best exploring companion. The east-end boasts a plethora of cultural and culinary delights which, while hardly the undiscovered gems they perhaps were ten years ago, are nonetheless filling my weekends with the excitement of new tastes and experiences.
In leaving my well-trodden little patch of Hammersmith, it was with heavy heart that I also left behind a (modest) knowledge of local wild produce. I knew where I could find cherry blossom, elderflower (and later elderberries), wild Victoria plums, fennel pollen and fig leaves. It was cathartic and comforting to revisit favourite spots at the same time each year, and to discover new treasures in the process.
And so, just imagine my delight when I stumbled across a mulberry tree just two streets from my temporary home on my first morning in residence. Stood quietly on a neat residential street, the pale tree was practically groaning with the weight of luscious black mulberries. Not wanting to damage the delicate branches by attempting to scale it, I picked only the few precious berries that I could reach from my tip-toes.
Just enough for a tangy, inky ripple amid folds of snowy ice cream. Infuse your custard with rose geranium if you have it growing in your garden. The flavour is subtle but delicate and delicious.
This ice cream is special, and not just because mulberries are hard to find. Make it with blackberries if you can't find the former, and eat it with a warm, autumnal tart.
325ml double cream
175ml full-fat milk
80g caster sugar
6-8 rose geranium leaves, wiped clean
2 egg yolks
100g mulberries
juice 1/2 lemon
25g icing sugar, to taste
SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT
Ice cream maker
THE RECIPE
Begin by measuring the double cream into a large bowl. Set aside.
To make the ice cream base, heat the milk, caster sugar and geranium leaves in a large pan. Continue until the mixture is just starting to bubble. Separately, place your egg yolks in a large heat-proof bowl and whisk until smooth.
Once the milk has reached temperature, pour a little over the egg yolks and whisk quickly to temper them. Return the milk pan to the heat, and carefully pour in the egg yolk mixture. Stir continuously until the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Once it reaches this point, carefully pour it into the double cream, and whisk well.
Allow it to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for a further hour. Once chilled, strain the mixture to remove the geranium leaves, then churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
Meanwhile, prepare the mulberry ripple. Blitz the mulberries in a food processor along with the juice of 1/2 lemon and a teaspoon of icing sugar. Taste, then add more lemon juice or sugar as needed. You want the mixture to be tart, so that it stands up to the sweetness of the ice cream base. You can strain it if you wish, or leave the pips in (I prefer to keep them in there for texture).
Once the ice cream is churned, transfer it to a freezable container. Carefully fold the mulberry puree through the ice cream. Don't overmix, or you will loose the ripple effect. Freeze until solid, then remove from the freezer 30 minutes before you intend to scoop and serve. This ice cream is best eaten within two weeks of making, although will keep for much longer in the freezer.
RHUBARB SORBET
18 July 2015
That's why the irony wasn't lost on me as I found myself bulk buying reduced rhubarb in Sainsbury's last week. It seemed a little alien to buy the stuff, but I can never resist ripe and reduced fruit. There are so many things you can do with a glut of ripe fruit - jams, cordials and curds all call for high quantities of fruit, and are the perfect way to preserve all the taste and beauty of seasonal produce.
Rhubarb usually ends up in my rhubarb vanilla jam, but this bundle was so fresh and pink that it seemed a shame not to try something new. Rhubarb sorbet is crazy easy to make and, while it will make your life easier, you don't need an ice cream churner to make this work.
The recipe leaves you with a delicious rhubarb purée that doesn't make it into the sorbet. You'd be mad to throw this away - cover with crumble, mix into custard tarts, or snaffle as a delicious cook's treat while your sorbet is freezing.
What are your favourite rhubarb recipes?
THE INGREDIENTS
400g rhubarb
1 lemon
150g caster sugar
150ml water
THE RECIPE
Begin by placing an ice cream container in the freezer. I use a loaf tin.
Chop up your rhubarb, and add to a large saucepan with the sugar, water and juice of the lemon. Cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has tenderised and completed broken down. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Place a sieve over a bowl, and carefully pour the rhubarb mixture into the sieve. Push the mixture through the sieve firmly, continuing until you are left with just a thick mixture in the sieve. Discard this, but keep it for a crumble, tart, or to eat with greek yoghurt.
Stir the strained mixture so that the consistency is even.. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn it following the machines instructions, then transfer to the freezer. If you don't have a churner, transfer the mixture to your frozen dish. Leave it to freeze for a couple of hours, then remove from the freezer and blend using a blender or hand blender. Return to the freezer, and repeat this process two or three times.
SALTED ALMOND BANANA ICE CREAM {VEGAN}
8 March 2015
I had my tonsils removed on Wednesday. It was my first ever operation, first general aesthetic, first night in hospital. While I am beyond relieved that the tonsillitis that has bugged me non-stop should now be a thing of the past, I certainly was not prepared for how much even minor surgery can take it out of you!
The last few days have been a drowsy blur of napping, pain relief and daytime TV. It's been a novel experience, and certainly a strange one for someone who has never really bought the concept of 'doing nothing.' I'm learning that sometimes it pays to listen to your body and give it what it needs.
I was so looking forward to several guilt free weeks of living on ice-cream alone, but it turns out that my instinct to self-nourish is stronger than first though. All I want to eat is hearty soups, stews, vegetables and fruit. Who knew I had it in me?
Sadly my poor healing throat still does not have it in it, and so it was that this healthy ice cream recipe came to be. I am indebted to Gwyneth Paltrow's original recipe, and am loving having a cool and soothing snack which is also healthy, nourishing and dairy free to boot. Perhaps the Codeine is playing with my mind, but it feels good to be blogging healthy for a change.
I may be a little quiet around here over the next few weeks, so please bear with me while I get back to my best self. If any brave readers have had a tonsillectomy as an adult - I would LOVE to hear your tips and tricks for eating through this thang.
THE INGREDIENTS
2 small bananas
50ml almond milk
2 tsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp salt
crushed almonds, to top
THE RECIPE
Begin by slice the bananas into thin disks, and freezing until solid. They keep well, so I tend to freeze a whole bunch this way.
In a blender, blitz the almond milk, maple syrup and salt. Add the bananas and blitz until smooth. Serve immediately topped with crushed nuts, or store in a tub in the freezer for up to one month.
PIMMS SORBET
5 July 2014
While we sadly won't be toasting a British victory this year, there's something beautifully British about the Wimbledon finals weekend. Crisp white kit, Sue Barker on BBC2 and strawberries and cream are our staple benchmarks of summer. The year hasn't been our finest hour as far as sporting success is concerned, but I should hope that won't impact the steady flow of pimms while the sun is shining.
Thick with strawberry and spiked with a strong helping of pimms,this sorbet is the perfect treat to accompany tomorrow's tennis. 2014 hasn't been Murray's year, but i'm going to exercise a spot of British optimism and wager that he'll be back with a bang next year. See you on Murray Mound in July 2015...i'll bring the pimms.
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400g strawberries
2 lemons, juiced
handful of fresh mint
130g caster sugar
130ml water
8 (generous) measures Pimms No. 1
THE RECIPE
Measure the sugar and water into a small pan, then bring this to the boil slowly. Add the mint leaves and allow it to boil for a few minutes, until the liquid is clear and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and once cool enough, remove and discard the mint leaves.
Hull the strawberries, then blitz in a blender with the juice of two lemons. Press the pureed fruit through a sieve, then add this to the sugar syrup. Slosh in the Pimms, mix well and pour into a plastic tub. Freeze the sorbet for 2-3 hours, then scrape the contents back into your blender, and give it a quick blitz. Return to the freezer and allow to freeze solid.
