Ice Cream Ireland

 Ok - you might expect Christmas music in New York shops by this time of year. The residents of that fair city have always been unashamed about getting jump on Christmas shopping, which is perhaps one of the reasons for the multitudes of Irish heading over there for their Christmas gifts and goodies. For all I know the music has started up in Dublin and Cork as well.

However, in Dingle it’s always been more relaxed - not much bother until a last-minute-panic spree of spending on the 23rd of December (definitely my modus operandi). The early birds around here tend to head to the aforementioned New York, Dublin, or Cork for stocking stuffers, leaving the rest of us in a happy state of denial.

So it was definitely surprising to wander in on a thriving Christmas fair in scenic Dunquin in the hallowed halls of the Ionad an Bhlascaoid Mhóir (the Blasket Centre) before we’ve even reached the middle of November.

Maybe the Christmas fair has always been so early in Dunquin, and I certainly can be absent-minded about such things. But for me it’s far too early to think about Christmas shopping when I’m still munching my way through the leftover Halloween candy!

The music was from Maire Begley’s Chrismas DVD, which is definitely a good gift, and there were lots of cute kids selling baked goods as well as vendors with the usual candles, pottery, and woodwork. But I fled without so much as chewing a mince pie.

For me, it’s just to early! (For everyone else, the fair is also on tomorrow).

Technorati tags: Dingle, Dunquin, market, craft, Christmas, Kerry

 My brother has installed a GPS in the ice cream delivery van, and I tried it out for the first time today. I don’t think this particular model is the top of the line, and it’s a bit cumbersome in terms of adding your destination. However, it sure makes getting lost difficult, especially in a city. It’s also great if there is a traffic diversion or heavy traffic that diverts you onto confusing and poorly sign-posted Irish back roads.

I highly recommend that anyone doing a lot of driving for sales or deliveries (who doesn’t already have one) part with the couple hundred euro…

Technorati tags: G.P.S, global positioning, system, travel, Ireland

 I have written about Sweetbank Farm several times, the fruit farm in Wicklow. Well, their bushes and trees are long since plucked, but we did freeze some of their tayberries earlier in the season, and I pulled out the last trays of them to make a big vat of sauce. (If you also froze some berries and want a recipe, I gave one here for blackberry coulis)

In any case, we’re serving it up warm with ice cream in the shops, and it goes especially well with Irish cream liqueur ice cream. My brother Sean has been playing around with serving it with a piece of plain sponge, whipped cream, and ice cream, and customers have been loving this ready-made dessert…

Technorati tags: tayberry, coulis, sauce, ice cream

We have decided to bring some good quality cooking chocolate into our shops because it is so hard to find in Kerry. We’ve started with two types of Valrhona baking chocolate.

A big part of our philosophy in terms of making ice cream or anything else is that good ingredients will make a good product.

I know that is a bit of a cliche, but it is true. All the cooking technique in the world wont cover inferior ingredients.

Especially for home cooking and baking, it won’t cost you that much more to source high quality ingredients, and the difference in the final product will be immense.

So if you’re setting out to bake some brownies or make chocolates, chocolate sauce, hot chocolate, or anything else of a chocolate persuasion, please use good chocolate as a starting point!

Technorati tags: chocolate, valrhona, baking, ice cream, cooking

 With all the excitement of going to Paris, I forgot to write about a new development in the Dublin food scene. The most excellent Sheridan’s Cheesemongers have taken a space on the lower ground floor of Arnotts department store, and I visited before I flew out. As well as their tantalising cheeses, they have a great selection of tasty treats (including our ice cream!) Anyone on the North side should have a look in…

Technorati tags: Dublin, Sheridans, cheese, Arnotts, Ireland

 Today was most enjoyable as we were lucky enough to have Monsieur Frédéric in production, sent from one of our suppliers, Odaios Foods.

We had asked for suggestions for improving my ice cream truffles (they had happily received the samples we sent up) and in enhancing the decoration of our ice cream cakes. They have an interest in such things, since they are also our distributor on the East coast, and they kindly sent a very helpful consultant chef.

For the truffles, I made a base of passionfruit and peach schnapps ice cream, and we filled it into chocolate shells, then rolled them in toasted coconut or cocoa. Quite tasty indeed.

Then we moved on to decorating ice cream cakes, playing with enrobing the whole cake in chocolate.

Fred was full of ideas, and it was the first time in ages that both my brother and I were together in production with the pots and the pans. We should have more days likes these!

Technorati tags: chocolate, truffle, ice cream, cake

 This time of year, as the weather gets colder, I tend to like ice cream flavours that are a bit deeper and a bit warmer. The alcohol in rum raisin will make the ice cream feel less cold on the palate, and I think it’s a perfect flavour to serve coming into winter. So here’s the recipe…

Murphys Rum Raisin (Risíní) Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar

5 Egg Yolks

1 3/8 Cups Cream

1 1/8 Cups Milk

1/3 Cup dark Rum

3/4 Cup Raisins or Sultanas

What to do:

1. Combine the rum and the raisins the night before. Cover and let soak. 
2. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
3. Bring the milk to a simmer.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
6. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat.
7. Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
8. Allow the custard to cool to refrigeration temperature.
9. Mix in the cream, beating for one minute.
10. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.
11. Add the rum and the raisins once the ice cream has become reasonable solid, then continue freezing until ready.

6 Servings

Notes: 1. It is important to soak the raisins in the rum. Otherwise, the raisins will become icy in the ice cream.

2. If you want to cut the soaking process a bit, you can prick the raisins with a pin or needle so that the rum will get inside faster…

3. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and keep at that temperature for three minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though, and keep stirring! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.

Technorati tags: rum raisin, rum, raisin, ice cream, recipe