Strawberry ice cream

We made this ages ago, but I forgot to publish the post, oops!

300ml double cream
200ml milk
200g strawberries
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey

Wash, hull, and chop the strawberries. Crush with a hand blender, food processor, or potato masher. Sieve to remove the pips.

Mix the cream, milk and maple syrup or honey. Then mix in the strawberries.

Pour into an ice cream machine and leave to churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. For our machine it takes about 20 minutes to create a thick, yet soft ice cream.

Delicious!

Saturday ice-cream: Coffee ice-cream

I hope you're enjoying the hot sunny weather that has arrived here this week! We certainly are.

Our ice-cream on Saturday was coffee flavour. I don't think I'd ever had coffee ice-cream before. Our verdict: it doesn't really hold up by itself, but it would work well accompanying a dessert. I'm not sure what, exactly. Ideas on a postcard (or in the comments box!), please.

Laura x

Coffee ice-cream

Takes 1.5 hours (25 min hands-on, at least 35 mins cooling, 30 mins churning)

Serves 4 on its own, 6 as a side

200ml milk

3 egg yolks

50g granulated sugar

300ml whipping cream

2tbsp instant coffee mixed with a little hot water

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Heat the milk until nearly boiling (small bubbles will appear around the edge of the pan). Slowly pour the milk onto the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Then stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir continuously until it thickens (about 10-15 minutes). Take it from the heat, and set aside to cool.

Just before churning, add the cream and the coffee (little by little, tasting as you go until the flavour seems right to you). Churn in the machine for 25-30 minutes.

Saturday ice-cream: Brown bread ice-cream

Hi everyone!

Brown bread ice-cream. It was predicted to be a 'waste of good custard', but it was a massive hit. Although, we found it doesn't really keep well, as the caramelised bread goes a bit soft.

What is your favourite flavour of ice-cream?

Laura x


Brown bread ice-cream
Takes 1 hour 40 mins (35 mins hands-on, 35 mins cooling, 30 mins churning)
Serves 4-6

1 small wholemeal roll (about 125g)
50g demerara sugar
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
600ml single cream
1tsp vanilla essence

First, make the caramelised breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Blitz the roll in a food processor to reasonably fine breadcrumbs. Mix the crumbs with the demerara, then spread them out on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until evenly browned, turning frequently. Remove from the oven, break up any lumps, and keep until needed.

Next, make the custard. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until small bubbles appear round the edge of the pan. Slowly pour onto the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Then stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir continuously until it thickens (about 10-15 minutes). Take it from the heat, add the vanilla essence, and set aside to cool.

Churn in the machine, and add the breadcrumbs a few minutes before it is ready.

Saturday ice-cream: Maple and pecan ice-cream

Happy Monday morning!

I almost had an ice-cream fail this weekend. Note to self: always follow the manufacturer's instructions. Six hours in the freezer is not enough.

So, on Saturday, we had chilled maple-flavoured cream with floating pecan nuts. But on Sunday, having reserved the remainder of the prepared ice-cream mixture, we had delicious, soft, and frozen maple and pecan ice-cream. 

As with most ice-creams, it has a custard base, which is something of a labour of love to prepare, but totally worth it. Oh my, it was delicious. 

Here's the recipe. Did I mention how delicious it was?

Laura x

Maple and pecan ice-cream

Takes 1.5 hours (25 minutes hands-on, 35 minutes cooling, 30 minutes churning)

Serves 6

250ml milk (semi-skimmed or full-fat)

3 egg yolks (put the whites in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer for meringues later on, don't forget to label the bag!)

175ml maple syrup

300ml whipping cream

50g roughly chopped pecan nuts

25g butter

1tbsp golden caster sugar

1tsp salt

Heat the milk until almost boiling (look out for little bubbles round the edge of the pan). Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl, then very slowly pour the hot milk onto the eggs, whisking all the time. Don't pour too fast!

Put a small amount of hot water in a pan and set to a rapid simmer. Place the bowl with the egg mixture on top of the pan, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Take it from the heat, stir in the maple syrup, and set aside to cool.

To make the caramelised pecan nuts: Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Mix together the nuts, sugar and salt, and then add them to the pan. Fry them over a medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes, until they turn golden. Then quickly remove them from the heat to a cold bowl, otherwise they will burn. Set aside.

When the maple mixture is cool, add the whipping cream. Pour into the ice-cream machine and churn for about 30 minutes. Add the pecan nuts and churn until they are mixed in, about 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Saturday ice-cream: Frozen raspberry yoghurt

Hello again!

This weekend's ice-cream was just for me and a friend, left in Oxford for the weekend as our husbands travelled east for a wedding. So, it was time for a girly one.

This one is super-easy, healthy, and full of flavour.

Laura x


Frozen raspberry yoghurt
Takes 40 minutes (10 minutes prep, 30 minutes churning)
Serves 4

400g fresh or defrosted frozen raspberries
300g plain yoghurt
Honey to taste

Quite simply, puree the raspberries, mix in the yoghurt and honey to sweeten, and churn in the machine for 30 minutes.

For a smooth texture, sieve the pureed raspberries before mixing with the yoghurt.

Alternative fruits: ripe mango, strawberries, blueberries, banana

Saturday ice-cream: Vanilla yoghurt

Hello everyone!

We've been enjoying warm, fine weather here for the past two weeks. It's been wonderful! 

A couple of years ago we purchased a Magimix Le Glacier 1.5l ice-cream maker. It was a hot summer! Last year, it was barely used. So, to celebrate this summer, I came up with a plan: Saturday ice-cream. This idea has proved very popular with my lovely husband!

So, each week (give or take a few) for the duration of the summer, you'll find here a post about our weekend treat! 

Home-made ice-cream is great: even though it's never exactly healthy, you can enjoy it knowing exactly what has gone into it.

This week's ice-cream was vanilla yoghurt. It was really easy to make and came up light and flavoursome. The yoghurt cuts through the sweetness really nicely.

Enjoy!

Laura x

PS. Another upside of making ice-cream? Lots of leftover egg whites, a perfect excuse for me to continue my mission to master the macaron...


Vanilla yoghurt icecream
Takes 1.5 hours (15 minutes hands on, 45 minutes cooling time, 30 minutes churning)
Serves 4-6

150ml milk
1 tsp cornflour
1 egg yolk
50g caster sugar
150ml good-quality plain yoghurt
150ml whipping cream
1 tsp good-quality vanilla essence (not vanilla extract)

Mix the cornflour with a little of the milk. Heat the rest of the milk in a saucepan.

Whisk together the egg yolk and sugar, then pour on the hot milk very slowly, whisking all the time. (Pouring it too fast will curdle the eggs.) Stir in the cornflour mixture.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and gently heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens (around boiling point). Leave to cool.

Mix in the yoghurt, cream and vanilla essence, then pour into the ice-cream machine and churn.