Month: November 2007

Glenteenasig Woods

Glenteenasig Woods Craving that rarest of commodities in West Kerry – trees, we went off for a walk yesterday in Glenteenesig Woods.

Lake at GlenteenasigLocated on the Tralee side of Castlegregory, and maintained by Coilte, there is a sign for it on the main road at Aughacasla. Turn, and after a 4km drive, you will reach the entrance.

There are three parking lots – one at the entrance, one at the first lake, and one at the second lake. I definitely suggest you park at one of the latter two, for the road up is a bit boring to walk.

Then it’s magic. What an amazing place for a stroll in Winter – misty and magical with trees, mountains, waterfalls, wildlife and three beautiful lakes.

You really feel as if you’re in another country, and all of this just within a whisper of the sea!

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Honeycomb Toffee

Honeycomb crunchy caramel Our best-selling ice cream in our shops is Honeycomb crunchy caramel (this ice cream flavour originates in New Zealand, where they call it “hokey pokey“), and last night I set about final testing on the recipe for the crunchy bits that make it so distinctive. Known also as “cinder toffee” and “sponge candy,” it is as actually quite easy to make.

By the way, if anyone knows who invented the candy, please pass it on!

There are so many ways to make this, and if you want to explore other recipes, you’ll find variations here, here, here and here.

Here’s what works for me, and it lasts fairly well without going soggy.

Honeycomb Caramel Candy

Ingredients:

  • Honey comb toffee candy400g sugar
  • 100ml water
  • 40ml golden syrup (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda

What to do:

  1. Combine the water, golden syrup and sugar and cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Turn up the heat until the mixture becomes the deep golden colour of honeycomb, stirring if it cooks unevenly.
  3. Stir in the baking soda, until it is fully combined, but don’t over-mix! It will froth up and more than triple in volume.
  4. Immediately pour out onto a non-stick baking mat or greased baking sheet.
  5. Allow to cool fully.
  6. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Note: 1. For those scientifically minded, the sugar mixture should reach hard crack stage, which you can test by using a candy thermometer or spooning a few drops into a glass of cold water, where it should immediately harden and break easily when you take it out. That being said, I find that once the colour is right, the temperature is right!

2. Make sure there are no lumps in the baking soda, or it might not dissolve fully!

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Royal Ice Cream?

Heir to the Cone Ben and Jerrys Some of you might find this amusing… I have just received a press release from Ben & Jerry’s. Before I go any further, anti-royalist republicans should avert their eyes! Anyway, the press release reads in part:

To celebrate Prince Charles’ special day tomorrow, Ben and Jerry’s have rustled up a bespoke birthday treat… This limited edition ice cream is a sweet gift for the guy who has everything – and sure to make for one cool birthday when it lands on the Prince’s doorstep tomorrow.

“Heir To The Cone” is creamy banana ice cream, walnuts and chocolate chunks. Of course, only the finest ingredients were used in the ice cream fit for a king (to be)!

Given the prince’s predilections, you would have thought they would have made it organic, but we hope it sweetens the day…

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Georgina Campbell

Georgina Campbell's Ireland I’m delighted that both of our shops are included in the 2008 Georgina Campbell’s Ireland guide. You can read about their take on the Dingle Shop here…

Also, it seems our raspberry sorbet is good for the vocal chords! Roisí­n Ingle gave us a mention last Saturday in her column…

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Going Green

Green Coffee Beans Besides the cookbook, one of the projects we have for this winter is to try to make our company more green. Not only is it the right thing to do, but hopefully we can also save money on electricity, etc., as well as feeling good about ourselves! We are going to have a full environmental audit soon, and I’ll let you know how it goes…

In the mean time, I found treehugger.com, which should interest anyone with a slightly green tinge. They have such tidbits as How to Green your Coffee and Tea (compost the grinds, use Fairtrade, avoid tea bags, etc.) as well as How to Green your Electricity and even How to Green your Sex Life. I guess they haven’t written “How to Green Your Ice Cream” yet…

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Cookies Ice Cream

Cookies Ice Cream Here’s one of our favourite flavours that’s delighted people in our shops over the last 7 years. We use Oreos, but honestly, it could work well with any cookies that you like!

If you want to try making it, look at my last post

MURPHYS COOKIES ICE CREAM

Stack of cookiesIngredients:

  • 130g Sugar
  • 5 Egg Yolks
  • 220ml Cream
  • 200ml Milk
  • 1/4 Vanilla Bean
  • 4 Cookies

What to do:

  1. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and put in a saucepan with the milk.
  2. Bring the milk to a simmer.
  3. Remove from the heat.
  4. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
  5. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk.
  6. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
  7. Pour the mixture back into pan, and place over low heat.
  8. Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
  9. Allow the custard to cool.
  10. Cookies Ice Cream on a spoonWhip the cream until it has doubled in volume (don’t over-whip!) and fold into the custard.
  11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, adding the cookies when it’s fairly solid.
  12. You can also just cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours, and again, add the cookies when it’s reasonably solid.

Notes:

1. The reason not to add the cookies to early, is that they can turn the ice cream an awful grey colour if they are mixed in too early!

2. The vanilla is optional, but we like a base flavour of vanilla for this ice cream…

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Attention All Bloggers! Testers (Tasters) Wanted…

Mint scoop The deadline for finishing the book is fast approaching, and while we’re busy testing the recipes here, I need some help.

Maybe you also need an excuse to make a sweet treat!!!

Many of you have made some of these recipes, and I appreciate your feedback. However, I haven’t had much feedback on other recipes.

Ice Cream PartySo… To make this interesting, I would like to suggest a food event, an Ice Cream Party, to all those who have a benevolent heart, an inclination toward sweet things and a wish to make them:

Make one (or more) of the following recipes (don’t leave it too late!), write about the experience on your blog (including any suggested changes) by 25th of November, put a link here, email me at kfionnm at icecreamireland dot com with the URL of the post, and I will –

  • Post a round-up of all the entries including links to your site
  • Include a credit to you in the book
  • Send a free copy of the book (when it’s published in April) to the 5 best posts
  • I’m trying to negotiate with my brother for some Ice Cream Ireland Official Tester/Taster t-shirts, and if that comes off they might find their way to you as well (no promises yet, I’ll keep you posted)

Sound good?

Here are the recipes, and some are very easy, some complicated. (I will change this as we go, since we don’t want everyone doing the same recipe):

First come first served!!!

(If you don’t have a blog, email me with your experience!)

I appreciate your help and would also appreciate if you could help me get the word out!

Thanks!

Kieran

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Cinnamon Ice Cream

Cinnamon Ice Cream Cinnamon ice cream is a great flavour as we come into winter. It’s a warming spice that counteracts the cold. This ice cream also complements so many desserts. Try it on a warm apple pie!

MURPHYS CINNAMON ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

  • Cinnamon Sticks130g Sugar
  • 5 Egg Yolks
  • 220ml Cream
  • 200ml Milk
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick (see note below)

What to do:

  1. Put the cinnamon stick in a saucepan with the milk.
  2. Bring the milk to a simmer.
  3. Remove from the heat.
  4. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
  5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk.
  6. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
  7. Pour the mixture back into pan, and place over low heat.
  8. If you want a strong cinnamon flavour, add the cinnamon stick back in.
  9. Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
  10. Remove the cinnamon stick.
  11. Allow the custard to cool.
  12. Whip the cream and fold into the custard.
  13. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

Notes:

1. You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the stick. If you do so, mix it into the sugar before beating in the eggs.

2. You can re-use the cinnamon stick, but make sure you rinse it carefully and let it dry!

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