Ice Cream Ireland

 One of the flavours we made for the Powerscourt Centre launch was chocolate truffle ice cream using  Lorge chocolate truffles. Benoit Lorge is making some of the best chocolates in Ireland, and we’re delighted to support him. This ice cream really is one that creates “wow” factor.

Since I posted a recipe for chocolate truffle ice cream in the past, I’ll simply point to it here, and you can use Lorge’s excellent truffles if you wish!

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The first time I came across Bluebell Falls goat’s cheese was at Cafe Paradiso in Cork. I remember being blown away by the delicate taste and thinking it was surely one of the best soft goat’s cheeses I had ever had the joy of sampling. Since then, I’ve bought it whenever I could find it, which isn’t too often when you live in the wilds of West Kerry.

When we started thinking about what Irish foods we wanted to turn into ice cream for our Dublin party, I immediately thought of Bluebell Falls. We contacted the Keane family, and they kindly sent some down. There was a surprise, though - I had always tasted their plain goats cheese. They, however, suggested their honey and thyme cheese.

When we made it into ice cream, we had prepared extra honey infused with thyme by cooking it over low heat. However, we didn’t need it at all. The ice cream was perfect without it, and it really underlines our philosophy that with great ingredients, there is no need to mask or complicate. One can simply enjoy!

GOATS CHEESE ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 150 gm Bluebell Falls or other excellent goats cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

What to do:

1. Combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat until thick.
2. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
3. Beat the milk into the egg/sugar mixture in a slow stream.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!
6. Immediately remove from the heat.
7. Allow to cool, then mix in the vanilla and goats cheese, using a blender or processor just until smooth.
8. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks - don’t over-whip).
10. Fold (gently stir) in the custard.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.
12. If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings

Notes:

1. If you can only find plain goats cheese and like the idea of honey and thyme, you can always add some in to taste.

2. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 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.

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 For espresso lovers out there, I have posted a Coffee Kahlua ice cream flavour, but I wanted to put up another coffee ice cream recipe - one that doesn’t require an espresso machine and is a real classic. Coffee and whiskey are a great combination, and this is an homage to Joe Sheridan and his invention at Foyne’s, the precursor to Shannon Airport.

Please note, there is a slightly different version of this recipe of this in the Book of Sweet Things. If you wish, you can substitute the instant coffee here for 200 ml espresso, reduced to 1/3 volume.

Murphys Irish Coffee (Caife Gaelach) Ice Cream

Ingredients:

« 150g sugar
« 5 egg yolks  
« 240 ml cream
« 200 ml milk 
« 10 gm (4 tablespoons) instant coffee
« 45 ml (3 tablespoons) Irish whiskey

What to do:

1. Beat in the egg yolks with the the sugar until thick and pale yellow.
2. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
3. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!
6. Immediately remove from the heat.
7. Stir a small amount of the warm mix into the instant coffee, until dissolved.
8. Add to the custard.
9. Transfer the custard into a small container, cover, and refrigerate until cool (5C).
10. Stir in the whiskey.
11. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks - don’t over-whip).
12. Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.
13. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings

Note:

To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.

Technorati tags: whiskey, espresso, coffee, ice cream, recipe, Irish

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 We’ve been playing around a lot with our chocolate ice creams over the last months, and here’s a flavour that has gone down a storm in the shops. Instead of using melted chocolate (such as in our chocolate whiskey recipe), as we have always done, we’ve used pure, 100% cocoa powder. The benefit of this is that you’re introducing less fat into the ice cream, and so it has a much more intense chocolate flavour. 

If you want, you can add chocolate chips for even more chocolate hit. 

DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 80 gm pure cocoa 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 75 g dark chocolate chips, optional.

What to do:

1. Combine the cocoa and sugar and stir until combined. 
2. Add the egg yolks and beat until thick.
3. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
4. Beat the milk into the egg/sugar/cocoa in a slow stream.
5. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
6. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!
7. Immediately remove from the heat.
8. Allow to cool, then stir in the vanilla.
9. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks - don’t over-whip).
10. Fold (gently stir) in the custard.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, adding the chocolate chips when it is somewhat solid.
12. If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings

Notes:

1. Make sure your cocoa is of a good quality and is fresh. Cocoa can go stale very quickly once it is opened.
2. In case you’re wondering, we’re using Chocolaterie de l’Opera cocoa at the moment, which has a lovely taste and an amazing reddish colour.
3. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 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.

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This is a recipe from the book, and it is a flavour we haven’t made for a while. The reason I’m posting it now is that we had a customer asking for it, but it’s one of those flavours that just doesn’t seem to sell in the shop. French people like it, which is why we call it “pistache,” but otherwise it seems to have a very narrow appeal.

I think this is a shame, because pistachios are delicious nut and make a delicious ice cream. My brother Seán is so addicted to them that you can usually find him by the trail of his pistachio shells. In the ice cream, we have added a traditional hint of almond. The recipe calls for pureeing the nuts, and we will leave it up to you how smooth you wish to make it.

PISTACHIO (PISTACHE) ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 100 g shelled, roasted pistachios
• 1/8 teaspoon natural almond essence

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
2. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
3. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!
6. Immediately remove from the heat.
7. Allow to cool.
8. Put the pistachios in a blender or food processor, adding just enough of the custard to help it mix. Blend until smooth.
9. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks - don’t over-whip).
10. Fold (gently stir) in the rest of the custard (without the nuts).
11. Add the almond essence.
12. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, adding the pistachio puree when it is somewhat solid.
13. If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings

Notes:

1. Make sure your pistachios are good and crunchy. If not, you can always put them in the oven at around 100C for twenty minutes or so, but keep an eye on them that they do not burn!
2. You don’t have to blend the pistachios until smooth if you like the crunch. Just pulse the blender a few times to break up the nuts a bit.
3. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 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.

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 Even though whiskey cream might strike some Irish people as more of a Christmas flavour, I find it a delicious ice cream flavour and thought it would be a good ice cream for St. Patrick’s Day.

It has a simple, clean taste, and I suggest and strong-flavoured whiskey (we use Kilbeggan). Although I’d never add food colouring to any of our ice creams, if you want to dye it green for the big day, work away…

If you’re wondering who that is in the photos, it’s Gary, our new Killarney shop manager, who was gracious enough to pose.

Murphys Irish Whiskey Ice Cream

Ingredients:

130g sugar 

5 egg yolks 

240 ml cream

200 ml milk 

45ml (3 tbsp) Irish whiskey 

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow. 
2. Bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
3. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
4. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat. 
5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens (around 65C) and just coats the back of a spoon.
6. Allow the custard to cool.
7. Mix in the cream and the whiskey, beating for one minute.
8. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

6 Servings

Notes: 1. Make sure you add the liqueur when the mixture is cool, or the alcohol will evaporate.

2. 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: whiskey, cream, Irish, ice cream, recipe, St. Patrick

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 One of the most dramatic flavours I encountered on our Tokyo trip was black sesame ice cream. It has a nutty, roasted flavour and it tastes like no ice cream I’ve tried before. Of course, black sesame is used quite a bit in Asian cooking, but it seems very well suited to ice cream. This is not a flavour for everyone, but there are people who have tasted it in our shops over the last week who have simply raved. If you want to try it, here’s a recipe:

Murphys Black Sesame Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 125g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 230 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 40 g black sesame seeds

What to do:

1. Put the sesame seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir until they start popping and you can smell the flavour.
2. Remove from the heat and cool.
3. Transfer to a blender and blend it until fairly smooth.
4. Beat sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow.
5. Bring the milk to a simmer.
6. Beat the milk into the egg and sugar mixture in a slow stream. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat.  Stir until the custard thickens (around 65C).
7. Allow the custard to cool.
8. Whip the cream and fold into the mix.
9. Stir in the sesame.
10. Freeze the ice cream using a domestic ice cream machine.
11. Otherwise, cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

6 Servings.

Notes:

1. If you have trouble finding black sesame, check your local Asian food market.

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

Technorati tags: chocolate, milk, ice cream, recipe

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