Ice Cream

 We have a new restaurant customer in Dun Laoghaire, the Gastro Pub, and they requested a coconut ice cream. Being a big fan of alcohol in ice cream, and given that coconut can be overpowered in the mix, I suggested a coconut and Malibu rum ice cream. The recipe is below if you like things coconut…

Murphys Coconut and Rum Ice Cream
1 Cup (237ml) Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
3/4 Cups (175ml) Cream
3/4 Cups (175ml) Coconut milk
3/4 Cups (175ml) Desiccated (dried and shredded) coconut
1 1/8 Cups(266ml) Milk
4 tbs. (65ml) Malibu Rum
1 tbs. (15ml) Lemon Juice

Yield: 6 Servings

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together 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. Add the coconut milk.

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

6. Refrigerate over night.

7. Toast the desiccated coconut over medium heat in a dry saucepan, stirring all the time, until they turn a golden colour. Allow to cool.

8. Stir the toasted coconut, rum and the lemon into the refrigerated custard.

9. Whip the cream and gently fold in the custard.

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

Notes:

1. Coconut milk has all different strengths, so taste it and make sure you’re happy with the flavour. You can always add a bit more, but remember there will be more coconut flavour coming from the desiccated coconut and rum.

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.

3. I haven’t tested this recipe for home use, so I would be delighted for any feedback…

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 This time last year, I was preparing to take two weeks holiday in Morocco. And what a lovely two weeks it was. In fact, this year, I am feeling nostalgic for the desert. Or was it dessert?

Most Moroccan desserts use a combination of the following flavours – almond, honey, cardamom and rose. I decided to make an ice cream using two of the above. I think it is quite a special flavour. Here it is:

Murphys Cardamom Honey Ice Cream
1 Cup (237ml) Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
1 1/8 Cups (266ml) Cream
1 1/8 Cups(266ml) Milk
2 tbs. (10g) Ground Cardamom
3 tbs. (65g) Honey

Yield: 6 Servings

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together 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 and cardamom.

6. Refrigerate over night.

7. Pass the mix through a fine sieve to remove the cardamom bits.

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.

Notes:

1. Since it’s a mostly cold extraction with the cardamom, it will need a bit of time, so that’s why I have the mix rest over night.

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.

This is going off to Meeta as part of her Monthly Mingle…

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 Vanilla ice cream is one of the most popular but at the same time most under-appreciated flavours. In our shops, people often order it apologetically, half expecting criticism at being unadventurous. However, if I visit an ice cream shop, I will almost always sample their vanilla. When you are making a strong flavour, perhaps you can cover up any inadequacies. With vanilla, however, it is either good or it is not, and you get the full flavour of the base ice cream. There’s no hiding.

Good vanilla ice cream is not only hard to make, it can also be very expensive if you use the real thing. We use four different natural vanillas in our ice cream to get the right balance – two types of bean, and two types of essence. Both of the essences are over 100 euro a litre – one is 160 a litre. It’s the most expensive ingredient we use.

When making vanilla at home, it’s not necessary to use four vanillas. The following recipe calls for a single vanilla bean. Sometimes it’s better not to over-complicate!

Murphys Single Bean Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar 
5 Egg Yolk 
1 3/8 Cups Cream
1 1/8 Cups Milk 
1 Vanilla bean

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow. 
2. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and put in a saucepan with the milk.
3. Bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
4. Remove the vanilla bean.
5. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
6. Pour the mixture back into pan, add the vanilla bean, and place over low heat. 
7. Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
8. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds from it with a spoon or blunt knife. Stir the seeds into the custard, using a whisk to disperse them evenly.
9. Allow the custard to cool.
10. Mix in the cream, beating for one minute.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

6 Servings

Notes: 1. If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can substitute with vanilla essence. It’s hard to say how much, since the essences vary so much. Mix it into the cool custard in small amounts until you have the right amount of flavour.

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.

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 Trifle, that favourite of Victorian times, is my father’s favourite dessert (he likes his booze-free), especially at Christmas. It actually existed earlier, and there is a reference to it in 1598 as “a kinde of clouted creame called a foole or a trifle in English.” It was the 18th century before biscuits or macaroons were added, and it took on the form we know today.

There is always a lot of argument about the proper way to do trifle. Is there jelly (gelatin)? Fresh fruit or canned fruit? Sponge or ladyfingers? What’s the booze? Sweet or dry sherry? I’ve allowed latitude in the recipe (feel free to substitute the alcohol). I’m not a fan of jelly in desserts and certainly not in ice cream, so that goes, and please don’t mention custard from a box! I like the kick of brandy, so there is a fair bit of it…

Murphys Sherry Trifle Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar 
5 Egg Yolks 
1 3/8 Cups Cream
1 1/8 Cups Milk
1/4 cup Brandy
1/4 cup Sherry 
1/2 cup Crushed Sponge or Ladyfingers
1/2 cup Mixed Fruit or Fruit Cocktail

What to do:

1. (Day before) Cut the fruit in small pieces, combine with the brandy, cover, and soak over night. If you use fruit cocktail from a can, drain off all the liquid first. This part is important, or the fruit will become very icy in the ice cream. The absorbed alcohol will minimise the iciness.
2. Combine the sponge or ladyfingers with the sherry. Stir until it is absorbed.
3. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow. 
4. Bring the milk to a simmer. 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.
9. Whip the cream until you have soft peaks. Do not over-whip!
10. Fold in the custard, fruit, and sponge.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

12 Servings

Notes: 1. Because of the alcohol in this recipe, it will melt more quickly than normal ice cream.

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.

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 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.

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 It’s wonderful heading into autumn, because it brings up a whole new interesting set of flavour possibilities.

My last post was about blackberries, and yesterday I had occasion to wander around my back garden for the first time in ages.

There, on the little apple trees planted by my landlady, were the most beautiful and tasty apples.

It didn’t take much to put apple and blackberry together – those two fruits are made for each other, and I immediately went making ice cream… 

If you have access to both fruits, here’s a recipe that yields a very cream dessert…

Murphys Blackberry and Apple Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar 

5 Egg Yolks 

1 3/8 Cups Cream

1 1/8 Cups Milk

Juice of half a lemon 

1 Apple

1 Blackberry Coulis Recipe

What to do:

1. Make the blackberry coulis (recipe here)
2. Peel and core the apple, and blend together with the lemon juice and coulis as soon as you have strained the latter (it’s more liquid when hot, which will make things easier). Refrigerate until cool.
3. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow. 
4. Bring the milk to a simmer. 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.
9. Whip the cream until you have soft peaks. Do not over-whip!
10. Fold in the custard and blackberry-apple coulis.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer.

12 Servings

Notes: 1. You can add a bit of cinnamon or vanilla if it’s to your taste.

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.

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 A great Irish ice cream flavour is Irish Cream Liqueur (we use Baileys), and we call it “Bó Bhán” (white cow) in Irish. It’s an easy ice cream flavour to make, and the alcohol in the recipe improves the consistency. This ice cream partners chocolate cake or fruit tarts perfectly. It is also excellent served in hot coffee at the end of a meal.

Murphys Irish Cream Liqueur Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar 

5 Egg Yolks 

1 3/8 Cups Cream

1 1/8 Cups Milk 

2 Tablespoons Irish Cream Liqueur (we suggest Baileys, and you can add a bit more if you want, but if you add too much, the ice cream will be very soft and melt quickly...)

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 until the custard thickens (around 60C).
6. Allow the custard to cool.
7. Mix in the cream and the liqueur, 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: Baileys, cream, liqueur, ice cream, recipe, Irish

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