Gingerbread popsicles

I always complain about the weather here during the holidays: it’s too hot – last year it was really uncomfortable with 39°C (102°F) days –, it’s hard to bake (one can certainly forget about cut out cookies, for example), and all I can think of is to do nothing all day long with a nice cold beer or a glass of sparkling wine beside me.

So it hit me: instead of complaining, why not take advantage of the heat and incorporate it into my Christmas cooking? Popsicles are delicious and great for summer days – these are packed with spices, with a hint of honey and brown sugar and very creamy.

I will be honest with you and admit that it crossed my mind to dip these in melted chocolate to make them even more decadent, but the day was beautiful and I went for a ride with my bike instead – I haven’t told you, but I learned how to ride a bicycle right after I turned 36. \0/

Gingerbread popsicles
slightly adapted from the always great Delicious Australia

185ml whole milk
185ml heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup (58g) light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat milk and cream in a small saucepan until it just starts to bubble around the edges. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, honey, spices, salt and vanilla until well combined. Gradually pour the milk mixture over the egg mixture, whisking to combine. Pour the mixture back in the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (do not let boil).

Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Cool to room temperature, then pour into six 1/3-cup capacity popsicle molds - this is the one I use. Freeze for 40 minutes, insert a popsicle stick into each mould, then freeze for at least another 4 hours or overnight until firm.

Makes 6

No churn dulce de leche ice cream

Besides being a cookbook junkie, I'm also addicted to kitchen gadgets (in my defence, I use them all the time, both the books and the gadgets). :) One of my favorite gadgets is my ice cream maker, which I keep in the freezer for whenever the feel for ice cream strikes, but knowing that not everyone has one I decided to try this recipe found in Nigella's latest book; not only was it dead easy to make but I think you can go wild and adapt it accordingly to your taste - for instance, Nigella used chestnut purée but I went for dulce de leche instead.

No churn dulce de leche ice cream
adapted from the gorgeous Nigellissima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes (I bought mine here)

300ml heavy cream
200g dulce de leche + a bit extra swirl into the ice cream (optional)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dark rum

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the dulce de leche, salt and rum. Transfer to an airtight container and swirl in the extra dulce de leche (if using). Freeze for at least 6 hours.

Serves 6-8

Cherry rippled vanilla frozen yogurt

Happy New Year everyone!

The cherry overload goes on in my house – not that I am complaining. ;)
I decided to make a frozen dessert to celebrate the arrival of summer and the slightly adapted cherry filling from those delicious bars was a perfect addition to the already great vanilla fro yo; since my husband doesn’t like frozen yogurt I’ll have to eat it all myself – oh, how big of a problem I have on my hands. ;)

Cherry rippled vanilla frozen yogurt
adapted from two great books: Rustic Fruit Desserts e The Perfect Scoop

Cherry ripple:
500g (18oz) cherries, pitted and halved if small or quartered if large
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Frozen yogurt:
2 ¼ cups (585g) plain whole-milk yogurt
2/3 cup (133g) granulated or caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the cherry ripple: combine the cherries, sugar, corn starch, salt, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for 1 minute to thicken. Set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Frozen yogurt: mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate for at least for 1 hour, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the machine, layer it in an airtight container with spoonfuls of the chilled cherry mixture. Freeze.

Serves 8-10

Avocado ice cream and things my mom would love

While certain things instantly remind me of my mom, others make me think of her because I am sure she would love them if she was around. The food shows I watch on a regular basis, for instance: I know that Bill and Nigella would be her favorites (not Gordon; mom hated swearing); dishes like these, because of her deep love for tomatoes; and this avocado ice cream, for all those afternoons when we shared a bowl of avocados sprinkled with sugar and lime juice after I’d finished my homework.

Avocado ice cream
slightly adapted from The Perfect Scoop, inspired by Ana Elisa’s ice cream

500g ripe avocados
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) superfine sugar
¾ cup (180ml) sour cream*
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
generous pinch of salt

Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and cut into small pieces. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add the sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, milk, lime juice and salt and blitz until smooth. Taste the mixture and adjust the sugar and/or lime juice if necessary.
Freeze immediately in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker

Makes 750ml

Strawberry cheesecake ice cream and a very, very scary movie

I’ve come to the conclusion that my courage, these days, is pretty much having ice cream (the one on the photo, delicious) in very cold days.

My sister wanted to watch “Insidious” and since I cannot say “no” to her I went along. I spent most of the movie with my eyes closed and that did not stop me from having nightmares about it for days. She left the theater laughing and told me the movie was not scary at all, while I drove home secretly wishing my husband were there already so I would not have to take a shower alone in the apartment. :S

And to think that I watched “The Entity” in my teenage years... What a shame. :D

Strawberry cheesecake ice cream
adapted from the always fantastic and delicious The Perfect Scoop, inspired by the beautiful Beyond the Plate

Cheesecake ice cream:
225g (8oz) cream cheese
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup (133g) superfine sugar
pinch of salt

Strawberry sauce:
250g strawberries, hulled
1 ½ tablespoons superfine sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and place into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, heavy cream, lemon zest and juice, sugar and salt and blitz until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, make the strawberry sauce: purée the strawberries in a blender with the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Press the purée through a fine strainer to remove the seeds. Chill.
Freeze the cheesecake mixture in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. By the end of churning time add the strawberry sauce gradually to the ice cream maker to have some of it mixed into the cream and some of it creating a marbled effect. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Makes about 3 cups (750ml)

Papaya-lime sorbet for a day of bad news

So I’ve read that my #2 all time favorite band has come to an end and Detective Stabler is leaving “Law & Order: SVU”, not to mention they’re adding Jennifer Love Hewitt to the cast (the show will be dead to me then) – all that on the same day. Poor me. :(

After such bad news one really needs something sweet to lighten up their day; even better if it’s a dessert with a minimum amount of guilt. :)

Papaya-lime sorbet
from the fantastic ice cream bible The Perfect Scoop

1 kg (2 pounds) papayas
2/3 cup (133g) superfine sugar*
¼ cup (60ml) water
¼ cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
pinch of salt

Cut the papayas in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Still with a spoon, remove the flesh and place into a blender. Add the sugar, water, lime juice and salt and blend until a smooth purée forms. Chill the mixture thoroughly then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

* the papayas I used were very sweet, so I used only ½ cup (100g) sugar; use less than the amount required and adjust according to the sweetness of the fruit

Makes about 1 liter (1 quart)

Peaches and cream ice pops - updated

My summer issue of the DH mag has finally arrived, but unfortunately summer is already gone. I could not resist the ice pops spread, though – each and every flavor looked so good I would have to make at least one. :)
My initial idea was making the raspberry yogurt popsicles, but I’d used my raspberries in other recipes. Luckily I still had a couple of peaches – the last ones of the season – and a bottle of heavy cream in the fridge.

The popsicles turned out so delicious that I don’t think they will last until next weekend – and yes, there were 12 of them. :)

UPDATE: Don't forget to nominate your favorite blogs on Saveur's 2011 Best Food Blog Awards!

Peaches and cream ice pops
from Donna Hay magazine

Sugar syrup:
½ cup + ½ tablespoon (106g) caster (superfine) sugar
¾ cup (180ml) water

Cream layer:
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream, lightly whipped
1 ½ tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
½ vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped with the back of the knife

Peach layer:
300g peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
sugar syrup, cool

Start by making the sugar syrup: place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let come to a boil, boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and cool completely.
Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl and fold gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into twelve ¼ cup (60ml) capacity popsicle molds and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or just until they start to firm. Insert a stick in each mold and freeze for 1 ½ hours.
Place the peach and sugar syrup in a blender and process until very smooth. Divide the peach mixture between the popsicle molds, topping the cream layer. Freeze for 4 hours or until completely frozen.
To unmold the pops, remove the molds from the freezer 5 minutes before serving and run the bottoms under some cold water. Remove carefully for the cream layer is very creamy and might break.

Makes 12

Lemon ginger frozen yogurt and the beginning of fall

Fall has arrived and the days have been gray in Sao Paulo – the sun comes up for a while, but fat, heavy clouds seem much stronger and take over the sky.

I am not complaining for I love cold days, but this frozen yogurt certainly reminds me of the last days of summer – fresh, tangy, delicious.

Lemon ginger frozen yogurt
slightly adapted from the amazing Bon Appetit Desserts

¾ cup (180ml) water
¾ cup (150g) caster (superfine) sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup (260g) plain yogurt
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Bring the water, sugar, corn syrup and ginger into a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a medium bowl and chill until cool.
Whisk the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice and zest into the ginger syrup. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 weeks.

Serves 6

Plum sorbet sandwiches with molasses cookies

My first ice cream sandwiches – I could not believe how moreish these are. :D

Even thought I thought the cookies overpowered the sorbet flavor a little – I would go for vanilla cookies with this sorbet next time – these sandwiches were pretty good. :)

Speaking of moreish, I’m hoping Natalie Portman gets the Oscar this year: not only because her performance on “Black Swan” is absolutely breathtaking, but also because she delivers the best acceptance speeches – yes, Natalie, it’s not OK to be an a**hole; some people I know should definitely listen to you. :D

Plum sorbet sandwiches with molasses cookies
sorbet from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, cookies from Flour

Sorbet:
450g (1 pound) very ripe juicy plums
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons honey
juice of ½ lemon

Cookies:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¼ cups (220g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup unsulphured dark molasses
1 egg
granulated sugar, for coating

Start by making the sorbet: cut the plums in half, remove the pits, then cut the halves into quarters. Toss the plums with the sugar and honey and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée until very smooth – I tried using a food processor, but the mixture was still to chunky, to I used the processor after that. Season with lemon juice, to taste.
Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, then process the purée in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Now, the cookies: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg in low speed for about 10 seconds or until well combined. Add the dry ingredients at once and stir just until they’re totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed. Scrape the dough into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Scoop out 1 leveled tablespoon of dough and roll gently the granulated sugar – if the dough is very cold you’ll be able to roll the dough into balls using your hands before rolling them in the sugar.
Place onto prepared pans, spacing them 2.5 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the cookies crack on top and are just barely firm to the touch – mine never cracked, so I remove them from the oven when they were lightly golden on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheet, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 50 cookies

Assembling the sandwiches: scoop about 2 ½ tablespoons of the sorbet onto the bottom side of one cookie, then place the bottom side of a second cookie over the sorbet pressing gently to make a sandwich. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Makes about 15 sandwiches – there will be some cookies left; they can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Peach frozen yogurt

A bowl of beautiful, ripe peaches was the beginning of this recipe, but my first idea was making the peach ice cream from the same book this frozen yogurt came from; I changed my mind after considering that using yogurt instead of cream would allow me to eat more dessert – talk about fat thoughts. :)

Peach frozen yogurt
from The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

675g (1 ½ oz) ripe peaches (about 5 large peaches)
½ cup (120ml) water
¾ cup (150g) caster (superfine) sugar*
1 cup (260g) plain whole-milk yogurt
a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Peel the peaches: cut an X at the bottom of each peach and lower them in a pot of boiling water for about 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to a colander and refresh with cold water – the peels will slip right off.
Slice the peaches in half, remove the pits and cut into chunks. Cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and cooked thought, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar, then chill in the refrigerator.
Purée the peach mixture in a food processor or blender with the yogurt until almost smooth but still slightly chunky. Mix in the lemon juice. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

* I suggest adding less sugar and taste – mine was a bit too sweet

Makes about 3 cups

Eggnog ice cream

Is there a better way to start something than starting it with ice cream? I thought so. ;)

My Christmas series has begun and I hope you enjoy the ideas for your holidays; David Lebovitz says that this ice cream goes wonderful with holiday desserts – and I believe him – but you must know that it goes well with just a sprinkling of freshly ground nutmeg, too.

Just make sure you read the amounts of booze before preparing the recipe – I don’t want to be accused of making everyone drunk with ice cream... ;)

Eggnog ice cream
from The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

1 cup (240ml) whole milk
2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool. Mix in the nutmeg, brandy, rum and vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath – I just let it cool over the counter, then refrigerated it.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. Once the mixture is cold, taste it and grate in more nutmeg if you wish. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes about 1 liter (1 quart)

Oatmeal raisin ice cream

I know, I know... An ice cream post right after the salad and whole karma cleansing speech. What can I say? I am a lost cause. :D

In my defense, this ice cream has oats – even though they’re enrobed in caramel, they’re still oats. And oats are good for you. :D
If I were to make this recipe again I would double the amount of oatmeal praliné and skip the raisins; actually, I would triple the amount so I could nibble on some praliné while making the custard – this stuff is so delicious I almost ate it all before adding it to the ice cream.

Oatmeal raisin ice cream
from The Perfect Scoop

Raisins:
¼ cup (60ml) water
2 tablespoons caster sugar
½ cup (78g) raisins
2 teaspoons whiskey

Oatmeal praliné:
¾ cup (86g) rolled oats, not instant
½ cup (100g) caster sugar

Ice cream:
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (70g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare the raisins: heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Add the raising and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until all about but 2 tablespoons of the syrup has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the whiskey and let cool completely.
Now, the oatmeal praliné: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the oats evenly on the sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking, until the oats are fragrant and nicely toasted. Remove from the oven.
Spread the sugar in a medium, heavy bottomed skillet and cook over medium heat, watching it carefully. When it begins to liquefy and darken at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to stir it very gently, encouraging the heat of the liquefied sugar to moisten the sugar crystals in the center.
Tilt the pan and stir gently until all the sugar is melted and the caramel begins to smoke. Once the mixture is deep golden, remove it from the heat and immediately add the oats (lift the foil to guide them in quickly). Return the foil to the sheet.
Stir the oats gently but quickly, coating them with the caramel. Scrape the oats onto the foil and spread them as well as possible. Let cool completely. Once firm, break into small pieces by pulsing them in a food processor or placing the praline in a heavy-duty plastic bag and smacking them with a mallet or rolling pin.
Make the ice cream base: warm the milk, granulated sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk the cream, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour over the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir into the cream. Mix in the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath (I simply let it cool over the counter then refrigerated it).
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last few minutes of churning add the raisins and oatmeal praliné.

Makes about 1 quart

Fresh mint choc chip ice cream

Wasting food is not an option at my house – I’m sure none of you like that either. After making the pineapple mint sorbet there were still some mint leaves around – they smelled so good I started eating some while washing them. :)

Those mint leaves ended up becoming ice cream – choc chip mint ice cream, to make things even better. I always have the feeling the mint flavored sweets taste like toothpaste, but this ice cream doesn’t –the flavor is really subtle and, to me, delicious.

Fresh mint choc chip ice cream
from The Perfect Scoop

1 cup (240ml) whole milk
¾ cup (150g) sugar
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 cups (80g) lightly packed fresh mint leaves
5 large egg yolks
140g dark chocolate, finely chopped

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup (240ml) of the cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Add the mint leaves and stir until they're immersed in the liquid. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Strain the mint-infused mixture through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan (the milk will be a lovely shade of emerald*). Press on the mint leaves to extract as much of the flavor as possible, then discard the mint leaves. Pour the remaining 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream into a large bowl and set the strainer on top.
Rewarm the mint-infused mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mint liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over low heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (5-6 hours); freeze custard in ice cream maker.
While ice cream is freezing, melt chocolate in clean metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring frequently, then transfer to a 1-cup glass measure. When ice cream has finished churning, carefully pour chocolate in a slow stream directly onto ice cream as it churns and continue to churn 30 seconds (chocolate will harden in streaks). Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

* mine was really pale, so I added a few drops of green food coloring

Makes about 1 liter (1 quart)

Coconut ice cream

I wasn’t going to post another coconut recipe so soon, but this a revolutionary ice cream: I’ve made it several times already by my husband’s request – the same husband who’ll only eat either chocolate or stracciatella ice cream. That’s quite something – almost a solar eclipse. :)

The recipe comes from here, but I first saw it on Valentina’s blog.

Coconut ice cream
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

½ cup (50g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
1 ¼ cups (300ml) whole milk
½ cup (100g) demerara sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dark rum*

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden (4-5 minutes). Transfer to a medium saucepan, add cream, milk and demerara sugar, then bring to the simmer over low heat. Simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat, cover and stand for 25 minutes to infuse.
Meanwhile, whisk yolks in a heatproof bowl to combine, then add cream mixture, whisking continuously to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously over low heat until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly (5-6 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl placed over ice, pressing solids to extract all liquid (discard solids), stir in rum and cool completely. Chill for 4-5 hours.
Freeze in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until required.

* I have made this ice cream with and without the rum and we prefer it without the liquor

Makes 800ml

Pineapple mint sorbet and Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday: Technicolor Kitchen has been nominated for best baking and dessert blog on Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards!! How amazing is that? I can hardly believe it. Please, vote for me! :)

Can you imagine how much I talked about last night? My poor husband. :)
I had to have a scoop of this sorbet to chill out – I adapted the amount of ingredients from a DH pineapple sorbet recipe, but the idea of adding mint was Joao’s.

Pineapple mint sorbet
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1/3 cup + 2 ½ tablespoons (84g) caster sugar
½ cup (120ml) water
400g peeled pineapple
handful of mint leaves
3 tablespoons lime juice

Prepare the basic sorbet syrup: place sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 1 minute. Set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Process the pineapple until you get a thick juice. Add the mint and process until finely chopped. Combine the pineapple juice, lime juice and syrup in a bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions until the sorbet is just firm. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 3-4 hours.

Serves 8

Watermelon sorbet

I used to think that brownies were the easiest dessert in the world but I was wrong – sorbets are easier! What a wonderful discovery. :)

The only “but” is that there is no bowl-covered-in-chocolate-goo to lick at the end. ;)

Watermelon sorbet
from Donna Hay magazine


1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster sugar
½ cup (120ml) water
900g peeled watermelon
1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
Process the watermelon in a food processor or blender to get 2 ½ cups (600ml) juice. Place in a large bowl, add the sugar syrup and the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker* and follow the manufacturer’s instructions until the sorbet is firm. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and put in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

*My ice cream maker would not hold all the mixture so I removed 2/3 cup of it prior to pouring into the machine

Makes 3 ½ cups

Apple crumble ice cream

In one of my days off I woke up decided to organize my bookshelf – it was a huge mess, you have no idea...
Going through all those books, magazines and recipe prints I ended up finding a CD I thought I’d lost for good – in moments like that I understand why my grandma always told me to be organized... :)

My favorite song on that CD is “Up from under” and from it comes one of my all time favorite song verses: “those days before I met you girl were just ice cream falling down on the shoes of my world” – if that isn’t proof of how important ice cream is to mankind, I don’t know what is. :)

Apple crumble ice cream
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Custard:
2 ½ cups (600ml) heavy cream
1 ¼ cups (300ml) whole milk
3 cinnamon quills
5 egg yolks
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (74g) caster sugar
¼ cup (44g) brown sugar, packed

Caramelized apple:
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (124g) caster sugar
3 tablespoons vodka
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm dice

Crumble:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (80g) self-rising flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (71g) brown sugar, packed
½ cup (72g) hazelnuts, coarsely ground
¼ cup (56g) cold butter, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Start by making the custard: combine cream, milk and cinnamon quills in a saucepan and bring just to the boil over a medium heat. Remove from heat, cover and stand for 30 minutes to infuse. Whisk egg yolks and sugars in a bowl until thick and pale. Reheat the cream mixture, pour gradually over the yolk cream, whisking to combine. Return to saucepan and cook over a medium heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon, strain into a bowl and cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

For caramelized apple, combine sugar, 2 tablespoons vodka and ¼ cup (60ml) water in a frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 4-5 minutes or until dark golden, add cream and butter – carefully, the mixture will bubble – and cook for another minute or until combined. Add apple, stir to coat then cook for 5 minutes or until apple is tender. Add the remaining vodka, stir to combine, then remove from heat and cool completely.*

Now, the crumble: preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and, using fingertips, rub together until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs (mixture should have large clusters). Spread over a baking paper-lined large baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely and coarsely crumble.
Freeze the custard in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon into a 2 liter-capacity rectangular container, drizzle with the caramelized apple mixture, swirling to combine and form a ripple effect. Scatter the crumble mixture on top and freeze for 3 hours or until required.

* after cooling, the caramel got too hard. So I drizzle it with a little heavy cream, popped it in the microwave oven for 45 seconds and then mixture it all together

Serves 6 – I wasn’t sure my ice cream maker would hold all the custard so I halved the recipe

Choc chip salted butter caramel ice cream

Today’s post is a short one: I almost sliced off the tip of my middle finger, so it’s pretty difficult to type. :(

All I’ll write is: make this ice cream. Right now, if possible.

Choc chip salted butter caramel ice cream
from the ice cream Wiz

2 cups (480ml) whole milk
1½ cups (300g) caster sugar
4 tablespoons (58g) salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt (I used Maldon)
1 cups (240ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
140g dark chocolate, finely chopped

Start by making an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they're floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (240 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

Spread the sugar in a medium saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.)
Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it's just about to burn. It won't take long. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go – be extremely careful, for the caramel will bubble like crazy once the cream is added; you might want to step away from the pan.
The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup (240ml) of the milk.

Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 71-77°C (160-170°F).
Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
While ice cream is freezing, melt chocolate in clean metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring frequently, then transfer to a 1-cup glass measure. When ice cream has finished churning, carefully pour chocolate in a slow stream directly onto ice cream as it churns and continue to churn 30 seconds (chocolate will harden in streaks). Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Because of the caramel in this ice cream, once churned and frozen, it'll remain nice & creamy (as shown in David’s photo.) To make it firmer, crank up your freezer a bit or store it in a shallow pan.

Makes 1 generous liter (quart)