Move over Ben and Jerry, here comes Lola and Finn('s mum)! Banana and Coconut and Morello Cherry Ice Cream

 

 

Actually, Ben and Jerry are quite safe as I haven't thought of suitably witty names to name my ice creams just yet, but I have really enjoyed making ice cream over the last couple of weeks when the Brits have had their summer (same time next year folks!!) and when people have said to me "You should open a cake shop!" and I have shaken my head because the thoughts of baking as a job makes me ill, but the thoughts of having an ice cream shop with alsorts of amazing flavours actually does kind of appeal. The only things I can see going wrong are my complete lack of business acumen and the fact I wouldn't be able to resist the odd cornet here or there...or everywhere.

 

Phill bought me an ice cream maker yonks ago and it has been used on occasion. I recall a pretty successful Bailey's ice cream which I may have to revisit in the near future, a chocolate ice cream and a raspberry ice cream amidst lots and lots and lots of vanilla ice cream. I have to say though, it might have just been vanilla, but it was pretty good, with pleasing speckles of vanilla and an instant luxurious cooling melt once it was in your mouth. A fine eating experience.

 

Anyway, to move this on, I happened upon a recipe in Allysa Tovey's Magnolia at Home which was for a banana and toasted pecan ice cream which was made, not with a custard base, but with a base of double cream and condensed milk. Now, custard can be a nervy business and it is something which needs to be nurtured and doted upon whilst it transforms from pale, thin, cream and yolk to unctuous  custard. I am also impatient and waiting for what feels like an age for the custard to cool down before it can be churned. Here, there is no waiting game, just take from the fridge, mix and add flavourings. And churn. and freeze.

 

I didn't have any pecans so I subbed sweetened shredded coconut and it worked well. It gave a pleasing texture to the ice cream and banana and coconut definitely go together. It's official! My second ice cream was a throwback to the time when I discovered cherry ice cream and my whole ice cream world was revolutionised. No longer would I be excited by a Cornetto, a double scoop of cherry ice cream on a hot day in Anglesey was where it was at. I don't know whether what I created was as good as the first one I ever tasted, for there were many other variables at work that day, but the result was pretty pleasant and with the addition of a chocolate flake, Mr Whippy stylee, was actually really lovely.

 

Anyway, who would have thought that ice cream would make me so chatty? Here are the recipes:

 

Banana and Coconut Ice Cream adapted from 'Magnolia at Home' by Allysa Tovey.

 

My adaptions in red

 

Makes 1 quart (whatever that is - let's say about a litre!)

 

American recipe and therefore measured in cups

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about two medium bananas for me)

1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk (that is a 397g tin)

3/4 cup double cream

1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

a pinch of salt to taste

1 cupmashed very ripe bananas

 

1 cupcoarsely chopped toasted pecans (see Note)

Method:

 

Put condensed milk in fridge.

 

 

Mash the bananas.

 

 

Pour the cream and the condensed milk into your ice cream machine

 

 

Add the banana mixtured and the coconut

 

Begin to churn, but just before putting the lid on, taste the mixture and add a little salt to bring out the flavours of banana and coconut.

 

 

Churn according to the instructions of your particular ice cream maker. I allowed mine to churn for quite a bit really, 45 minutes maybe.

 

Pour the half frozen mixture into a suitable tub and place in the freezer until frozen.

 

 

 

Morello Cherry Ice Cream

 

Makes about a litre

 

Ingredients:

 

A 454g jar of pitted Morello cherries in their liquor

a splash of kirsch (optional)

a little salt to taste

300ml double cream

1 tin of sweetened condensed milk.

 

Method:

 

 

 

Pour the cherries into a sieve over a bowl. You want the cherries drained and to reserve the liquor.

 

 

 

Put the liquor into a saucepan. Add a splosh of kirsch and reduce the liquid by about half/two thirds. You are looking for something that tastes quite intense and is a little syrupy. When reduced, take off the heat and leave to cool.

 

 

 

Combine the cream and the condensed milk in a bowl. Add the cherries (see note below) and mix. Taste. It will probably taste of condensed milk still. Add the cherry liquid, little by little, tasting after each addition. You might want to add a little salt to bring out the cherry flavour. You're looking for something that tastes reasonably intense as the flavour diminishes when the mixture is frozen.

 

 

 

Once you are happy with the mixture, pour into the ice cream maker and churn according to the instructions.

 

Pour the semi frozen mixture into a suitable tub. Place in the freezer until frozen.

 

 

 

Note: cherries. I never thought about the freezing of whole cherries and it might not be to your taste, in which case chop the cherries up before adding them to the cream and milk. Actually though, I really enjoyed the slightly sour, cold, fresh fruity taste slowly warming against the sweet creamy ice cream.

 

 

 

Happy and healthy in a random way! One Pot Chinese Chicken

 

 

There are several ways in which this recipe makes me happy. Firstly, it's quick and to be honest the way things are going with what I seem to have to achieve from the point of falling in through the door of an evening and flopping into bed, something that can be cooked and dished up in double fast time makes me very happy. Secondly, 'one pot' - a phrase I am also happy to hear, although it's a little disingenuous here as if you want anything else with this lovely chicken then you are likely to need at least another pot, but the phrase 'one pot' suggests something with a low level of faff which is bound to make this occasionally lazy chef very happy indeed. Thirdly, and most importantly considering the premise of this month's Random Recipe Challenge, hosted by Belleau Kitchen, this meal is fresh, light and healthy but certainly not lacking in taste. Happy. Happy. Happy.

 

 

 

Recipes that make you healthy and happy was this month's random recipe challenge. My randomness happened by way of collecting together the cookery books that suggested healthiness, vitality, the horrible 'd' word and books that are meant to feed kids healthily and happily. I'll be honest, that amounted to about eight books altogether and the resulting random choice could have turned into some kind of salad nightmare but luckily a blind shuffle and a bit of 'dip dip do' resulted in the winner being 'Fat Girl Slim', a book by Ruth Watson, a book full of interesting recipes and the 'Sod It' chapter at the back where you can eradicate all your good work by making and then eating an amazing chocolate mousse recipe. Sometimes a 'sod it' moment is a good thing.

 

 

 

But the winner of the random recipe in this book was 'One Pot Chinese Chicken' which luckily I had the ingredients for, save the additional steamed vegetables which are an addition of mine. My only adaptation was that I only had 400g of chicken thighs and I kept the sauce quantity the same as for the 600g as stipulated in the original recipe, for around here we like our meals just a bit saucy. I also marinated the chicken for a little longer than suggested as I got busy making packed lunches and so on and therefore I got distracted. But it was okay.

 

Oh. one more thing to be happy about. Lola and Finn loved this, and that makes this recipe a keeper!

 

One Pot Chinese Chicken, adapted from 'Fat Girl Slim' by Ruth Watson

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad.

 

Ingredients:

 

600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 400g - see above)

1 level tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce, divided

1 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp caster sugar

a handful of fresh basil (I decided on coriander instead)

 

Method:

 

 

 

Cut the chicken into bitesize chunks and place in a non reactive bowl. Toss with the cornflour, the sesame oil and one tablespoon of the soy sauce. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

 

 

 

Heat up a wok or large frying pan over a medium high flame and add the groundnut or vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, put in the chicken and stir fry for about 3 - 4 minutes, or until just cooked. Scoop out the chicken and discard most of the oil left before placing the pan back on the heat and returning the chicken to the pan.

 

At this point, add the rest of the ingredients, including the one remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, but don't add the basil (coriander) until the last minute.

 

Cook for a further five minutes or so, stirring the chicken around in the thickening sauce. Once ready, sprinkle with coriander.

 

The original recipe gives a 'more' and 'less' option, for those who are strictly dieting and those who are not. You can serve this with steamed rice to bulk the meal out, as I did, or you can just serve with steamed vegetables, which I nearly did, but I kept the rice too, for life would be dull without carbs!

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Untried but trusted and in praise of the Barefoot Contessa: Chocolate Pudding Cream Tart

 

 

So there I was, trying to be kind and suggesting to Phill that when we were invited around to his sister's house for something to eat that I make a pud. And it was more an offer than my actually having something in mind that I wanted to make necessarily. So, when I actually got round to thinking about it I actually started to wonder about what I really was going to make. It had to be something the kids would eat, I had to transport it 40 miles and I wanted to make it in advance, with stuff that I had in the cupboard. And it had to look the part. I love setting myself easy tasks such as this.

 

But, when I am in a spot cooking wise, there is a kind of mantra that I like to repeat to myself to solve my problems. Just what would Ina do? The fact is, whilst I can trace my interest in cooking back to the dim and distant, it was only watching Ina Garten on the UK Food Channel that really got me hooked. Firstly I loved her house and whilst one shouldn't covet another person's goods I could really see myself breezing about in a kitchen like hers. She also conjured up good stuff to eat that looked so easy and tasty and if she didn't get round to doing that she assembled it 'cos when it all comes down to it, it isn't worth the faff. And, she makes cocktails by the pitcher...

 

So, I consulted Ina, and I decided to use 'How Easy is That?' which I have to confess is one of her cookbooks I haven't used as often as say, 'The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook' which is actually very nearly destroyed, and 'Barefoot in Paris' because of my 'francais' fixation. One thing I can always say about Ina Garten recipes is that they work out. I may have been extraordinarily lucky but everything I have chosen to cook from any of her books has been spot on, which can't be said for some other cookbooks which I won't mention here. You do get the feeling that these recipes have been tested to within an inch of their lives, which is why my 'What would Ina do?' thought dropped into my consciousness.

 

In the end I chose 'Chocolate Pudding Cream Tart', a rich, chocolatey custard encased (on this occasion) in digestive biscuits and topped with chantilly cream. the custard and biscuit base sat quite happily overnight in the fridge covered in cling film ready for adorning with thick chantilly cream just before transporting, via the 'coolbox on its side with several tea towels and freezer packs stuffed either side to stop it moving' method.

 

The photos you see below were before the tart went in the coolbox. I want to reassure you all that at the other end, the tart came out of its tin with little effort. I could have taken my camera I suppose but people already find it amusing that I have the urge to photograph food I eat in my own home. To turn up at someone else's house and start snapping was probably a bit too weird.

 

Chocolate Pudding Cream tart, adapted from 'Barefoot Contessa - How Easy Is that?' by Ina Garten

 

Serves 8 generously.

 

Ingredients: (Note: US recipe, so measurements in cups)

 

For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used 16 digestive biscuits, blitzed)¹⁄³ cup sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
4 cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
5 extra-large egg yolks
¹⁄³ cup cornflour
1 teaspoon salt
7 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (I used Menier)2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter, diced
1 tablespoon Kahlúa liqueur (I used Tia Maria, 'cos I am that kinda girl...)1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
Sweetened whipped cream (see note)
Shaved bittersweet chocolate, for garnish

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

 

 

Combine the digestive biscuits, sugar, and butter in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Lightly press the mixture into an 11-inch metal tart pan with removable sides. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

 

 

 

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until almost simmering.

 

 

 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, egg yolks, cornflour, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk into the bowl. (I pour the hot milk into a large measuring cup first to reduce spills.)

 

 

 

Pour the mixture into a large saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is very thick. (It did take 10 minutes. Be patient. it will happen!)

 

 

 

Off the heat, add the chocolate, butter, Tia Maria, and coffee. Beat with a whisk until smooth and pour into the cooled crust. Place plastic wrap directly on the chocolate filling and chill the tart for 6 hours, until cold.

 

 

 

Decorate with whipped cream and shaved chocolate and serve cold.

 

Note: To make sweetened whipped cream, place 1 cup double cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until it forms firm peaks.

Je vous présente le cake! Sun dried tomato, Olive and Basil 'cake'

Because I couldn't wait...

 

Regular readers of this blog will know all about my love affair with France. From 'Joie de Vivre' through to 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité', I am a fan of all things Français. If some of my ancestors had stayed put a couple of hundred years ago I could have been French, but then messing around with the past affects the future and swapping my happy existence now for some kind of Frenchness is not what I am about, so I will just embrace that little part of me that is French and cook like a French woman, which brings me to cake, or should I say 'le cake', for that is what today's blog post is about.

 

Savoury cake might sound just a bit weird but allow me to convert you. Firstly, it sings Provence, particularly this one with its glorious flavours of olives, tomatoes and 'des herbes'. Secondly, as it cooks I swear the glorious smell escaping from the oven will transport you to some little bistro somewhere in the south of France where you are sipping pastis (or something) and looking suitable chic and thirdly, cut into little slices or cubes, maybe on cocktail sticks with some French sausisson and cold, cold glass of Chablis and you have a suitable 'Apero' experience and if you are one of those lightweight drinkers like I am and you've hurled a large glass of wine down your neck and are already feeling at best 'confident' or at worst 'other people', then a couple of slices of this contains suitable ballast to retain your equilibrium and natural 'French chic'. C'est genial, n'est ce pas?

 

So, this recipe is loosely based on one that I cut out of a magazine but I really couldn't tell you which one. I think, to be honest, once you have the basic dough down you could hurl anything you wanted at it, as the dough, or cake, is merely a vehicle for savoury treats, but you would have to go a long way beat the combination of sun dried tomatoes, black olives, herbes de provence and chopped basil not just for taste, but for bespeckled warm colours through every golden slice.

 

So, embrace your inner Frenchness, and make...

 

Sun dried tomato, olive and basil 'cake'

 

Serves 6 (maybe...)

 

Ingredients:

 

175g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

3 large eggs

100ml milk

100ml olive oil

100g Gruyere cheese, grated (You could probably get away with a decent mature cheddar)

100g sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped

60g stoned black olives, chopped

2 tsp herbes de provence (you could also use other Mediterranean herbs if that is what you have).

a small handful of basil leaves, roughly sliced

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 180c Gas 4

 

 

 

Sift the flour and the baking powder and season well with salt and pepper

 

 

 

Whisk the eggs, the milk and the oil together. Add the liquid to the flour a little at a time, beating after each addition.

 

 

 

Next, mix in the Gruyere, tomatoes, herbs, olives and basil, then tip the mixture into a prepared (greased and lined) standard loaf tin.

 

Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until a skewer put into the middle comes out clean. If you are concerned that the top is browning but the middle seems uncooked, then place some foil over the top of the loaf, though bear in mind that the nature of the ingredients in the loaf will produce something that will be quite dense and damp whilst cooking.

 

 

 

Leave to cool and then remove from the tin. You can keep this wrapped in foil in the fridge if you are not using it immediately but when you do serve it, make sure it is at room temperature.

 

 

 

Délicieux!