Ice Cream Ireland

 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:

• 130g 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!

Technorati tags: cinnamon, ice cream, recipe, Irish

 Here’s the ice cream recipe that Sean and I presented at the cooking demonstration during the food festival. We also made the chocolate whiskey sauce to go with it.

I know I have already posted a Brown Bread and Guinness ice cream recipe, but this has a new improved method for caramalising the brown bread - i.e. simply melting the brown sugar and adding the bread crumbs. It’s so much easier and tastes just as good!!!

BROWN BREAD ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 4 Egg yolks
• 220ml cream
• 200ml milk
• 1/3 vanilla bean
• 250ml volume stale brown bread crumbs
• 75g dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

What to do:

1. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and put in a saucepan with the milk.
2. Bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
3. Stir for about a minute. Remove the vanilla bean.
4. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
5. Beat the warm milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream (don’t over mix).
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.
9. Stir in the cream.
10. Melt brown sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar crystals have dissolved.
11. Stir in the bread crumbs and allow to cool.  
12. Freeze the mix using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.
13. Add the brown bread once the ice cream is thick.

Notes: 1. Use a very dark brown bread for best results. 2. If it is a fresh loaf, you can crush it into crumbs, spread it on a baking tray, and bake it at low temperature (50C) for a couple of hours to dry it out. 3. A fast way to make (small) bread crumbs is to use a blender or food processor.

Technorati tags: brown bread, ice cream, recipe, Irish

This is the recipe for the Irish Times article that ties into the previous post…

Gelato alla Crema

Ingredients:

• 500ml milk
• 250ml cream
• 200g sugar
• 6 egg yolks

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
2. Bring the milk to a simmer.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
5. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat.
6. Stir until the custard thickens slightly (around 70C).
7. Immediately transfer into another container and place in the refrigerator until cool.
8. Whip the cream and fold into the mix.
9. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

Technorati tags: gelato, ice cream, crema, dessert, recipe, Irish Times

 For today’s Irish Times article, I wrote about our team in prodution (the photo below shows Cian, Christophe, and JP), running things in August, and of trying to squeeze in new flavours in our busiest time of year.

The recipe came from an idea from Cian, our Dingle shop manager, who helped as we worked through it. It’s very tasty!

Cian’s Chocolate Coffee Crunch

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 3/8 cups cream
• 1 1/8 cups milk
• 1/4 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise
• 1/3 cup espresso beans
• 2/3 cup 70% chocolate (100gm)

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Break the coffee beans into smallish pieces using the bottom of a bowl or a food processor.  
3. Mix the crushed beans into the chocolate and spread on a baking tray to harden.
4. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.  
5. Bring the milk to a simmer.  Remove from the heat.
6. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.  
7. Pour the mixture back into pan, add the vanilla bean and place over low heat. Stir until the custard thickens (around 70C).  
8. Immediately place in the refrigerator until cool.
9. Remove the vanilla bean.
10. Cut the hardened chocolate into small pieces then use a spatula to separate from the baking tray. Stir into the custard.
11. Whip the cream and fold into the mix.  
12. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

Technorati tags: coffee, ice cream, chocolate, dessert, recipe, Irish Times

 For this week’s column in the Irish Times (in today’s issue), I decided to write about our multicultural staff, especially in our Killarney shop (photo below of some of the team). As part of the piece, I included this recipe for Polish ice cream, given to me by our Killarney shop manager, Sylwia. The test batch was very tasty, if you like fruit and nuts!

Bakaliowe Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 3/8 cups cream
• 1 1/8 cups milk
• 1/4 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried fruits
• 1/2 cup almonds and other nuts

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, add the vanilla bean and place over low heat.
5. Stir until the custard thickens (around 70C).
6. Immediately remove from the heat, and place in the refrigerator until cool.
7. Remove the vanilla bean.
8. Stir in the fruits and nuts.
9. Whip the cream and fold into the mix.
10. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

Technorati tags: Bakaliowe, ice cream, Polish, dessert, recipe, Irish Times

 I promised a little while ago to post the strawberry and sage ice cream, which is pretty much sold out in the shops by this point, but anyway, here it is!

Murphys Strawberry and Sage Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar 

5 Egg Yolks  

1 3/8 Cups Cream

1 1/8 Cups Milk    

1 Strawberry Sage Coulis Recipe

What to do:

1. Make the strawberry and sage coulis (recipe here)
2. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow. 
3. Bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
4. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
5. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat. 
6. Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
7. Allow the custard to cool.
8. Whip the cream until you have soft peaks. Do not over-whip!
9. Fold in the custard and coulis.
10. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

12 Servings

Note: 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: strawberry, cream, sage, ice cream, recipe, Irish

 One of my favourite ice cream flavours that we make is our “Caife” - Kahlua Espresso with Chocolate Shavings. Coffee cuts sweetness and makes a great adult ice cream. In addition, the alcohol makes it even smoother, and the chocolate shavings provide a bit of chocolate that melts on the palate with the ice cream. I do hope you like this as much as I do!

 As summer is coming on, we wanted to make a floral ice cream. I’ve also wanted to make ice cream with Manuka honey for a long time. This strong flavoured New Zealand honey comes from a plant used by the Maori for medicinal purposes. We decided to combine it with essence of orange blossom, and the result was delicious!

Murphys Manuka Honey and Orange Blossom Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 Cup (237ml) Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Cream
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Milk
1/2 Cup (118gm) Manuka Honey
1 Teaspoon Orange blossom water

Yield: 6 Servings

1. Mix the sugar and egg yolks and beat until thick and pale yellow.

2. Bring the milk to a simmer.

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. Stir until the custard thickens slightly (around 70C). Use a thermometer, as at 75C the eggs will scramble!

5. Stir in the honey.

6. Allow the custard to cool.

7. Add the orange blossom water.

8. Whip the cream.

9. Gently fold in the custard.

10. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

Notes: 1. We used a natural French orange blossom water (aroma). You might well need to adjust the volume depending on the flavouring you find.

2. I like a strong honey flavour. If you want something more subtle and floral, use half the given amount of honey.

3. The discerning horticulturist will know that those are apple blossoms in the photo. Sorry for that, but orange trees are in short supply in these parts!

4. I haven’t yet made this recipe for home use, so I would love any feedback if you try it!

Technorati tags: manuka honey, orange, blossom, ice cream, recipe, Irish

 I had some excellent orange sorbet here in Mallorca last night, made with local oranges, but I will summarise my trip here when I get back in a couple of days. For now, coffee is still on my mind!

Just before I left, we made Cinnamon Latte ice cream for our shops. I think it´s a nice combination of flavours, so here it is:

Murphys Cinnamon Latte Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 Cup (237ml) + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Cream
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Milk
1/2 Cup (118ml) espresso
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Yield: 6 Servings

1. Add one tablespoon of the sugar to the espresso and reduce over medium heat until it is about 1/3 of its volume. Cool.

2. Mix the cinnamon with the rest of the sugar, then beat in the egg yolks until thick and pale yellow.

3. Bring the milk to a simmer.

4. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.

5. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat. Stir until the custard thickens slightly (around 70C). Use a thermometer, as at 75C the eggs will scramble!

6. Allow the custard to cool.

7. Stir in the espresso.

8. Whip the cream.

9. Gently fold in the custard.

10. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

Note: I haven’t yet made this recipe for home use, so I would love any feedback if you try it!

Technorati tags: cinnamon, latte, espresso, ice cream, recipe, Irish

 We have made one of the nicest flavours to ever have come out of our production, and it is Brown Bread and Guinness ice cream. My brother Sean wanted a special flavour for St. Patrick’s Day, and this is what we came up with. Here it is:

Murphys Brown Bread and Guinness Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 Cup (237ml) Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Cream
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Milk
1 Can (500 ml) + 2 tbsp. Guinness
2 Cups (500 ml) volume of stale brown bread crumbs (use a dense, dark brown loaf).
7 Oz (200gm) Dark brown sugar
Yield: 6 Servings

1. Measure out 100ml of Guinness and set aside.

2. Boil 400ml Guinness until it reduces to 100ml in volume. Cool.

3. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.

4. Bring the milk to a simmer.

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. Stir until the custard thickens slightly (around 70C). Use a thermometer, as at 75C the eggs will scramble!

7. Allow the custard to cool.

8. Put the dark brown sugar in a pan, add the 2 tbsp. Guinness, and cook until it is melted and completely liquid. Remove from the heat.

9. Stir the bread crumbs into the melted sugar, then spread on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 175C (350F) for about 20 min, until the brown sugar is caramelised and the crumbs are crispy. Keep an eye on it, though, that it doesn’t burn.

10. Cool the crumbs, and add to the custard base.

11. Stir in both the reduced and non-reduced Guinness.

9. Whip the cream.

10. Gently fold into the custard.

11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

Notes:

1. I haven’t made this recipe for home use, so I would love any feedback if you try it!

2. I combine reduced and non-reduced Guinness because using just reduced loses a bit of freshness in terms of flavour.

Technorati tags: brown bread, guinness, St. Patrick’s Day, ice cream, recipe, Irish