Ice Cream Ireland

Since we’ve introduced waffles into our shops, we’ve been offering cake less often. However, in the days when we were selling lots of cake, Wiebke’s Fudge Cake was our best selling chocolate cake, and we still have it from time to time.

Its appeal is broad enough that you can serve it to grown-ups at any special occasion and be sure that it will go down a storm. For events with lots of smaller kids you could serve it cut in to little finger size pieces.

If you know that all of the people eating the cake prefer dark chocolate, simply substitute the 50% for 70% and satisfy those chocolate cravings!

It is perfect with vanilla ice cream.

This recipe was adapted by Wiebke (my brother’s wife) from a recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

Wiebke’s Fudge Cake

Ingredients

• 215 g butter – cut into pieces and slightly softened
• 15 g butter for greasing baking pan
• 400 g sugar
• 115 g 50% semi-sweet chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 275g non-rising plain flour
• 2 tsp. bread soda
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence

For the Ganache:

• 80gm butter
• 180gm 50% chocolate
• 180gm 70% chocolate
• 350ml cream

What to do:

1. Place the chocolate in a double boiler to melt.
2. Put the butter and sugar in the mixer and begin to mix.
3. Add eggs one by one by breaking into a plastic jug first and then adding to mixer.
4. Scrape the mix from the sides and bottom of mixing bowl.
5. Continue mixing.
6. Add the fully melted chocolate.
7. Continue mixing.
8. Combine flour and soda and sieve carefully.
9. Add ? of flour/soda and 125mls of buttermilk to the mix and mix on slow speed.
10. Add the next ? of flour/soda and final 125mls of buttermilk. Mix.
11. Add final ? of flour/soda and mix well.
12. Add 3 drops of “Massey” Vanilla.
13. With the dough now well mixed add 150mls of boiling water and continue mixing.
14. Grease and then lightly flour the bottom and sides of the baking pan.
15. Pour the dough mix into the baking pan.
16. Bake in preheated oven @ 180 °C x 45 minutes.
17. Remove baked cake from oven and flip upside down.
18. Leave to cool on cooling rack for at least 2-3 hours.

Making the ganache:

19. Melt 60 g butter in a double boiler.
20. Add 180 g of 70% & 180g of 50% chocolate to the double boiler and melt. Keep temperature to 35 – 45 °C
21.  Warm the cream in a saucepan.
22. Stir the warm cream into the melted chocolate, and keep stirring until smooth.

Decorating:

23. Carefully cut the cake horizontally twice, to make 3 layers. Cut into two if you have to.
24. Add the fudge sauce between the layers and on top.
25. Coat the fudge around the sides.
26. Decorate with chocolate shavings.

Note: I must admit I haven’t made this cake (leaving it to the expert always seemed a good idea to me!), so if you make it any feedback would be doubly welcome.

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Here’s a flavour we have brought in to the shops for the summer, and it’s really gone down a storm. We’re replaced praline for the moment, and so far no one is complaining. Instead, this is becoming one of our summer hit flavours.

It’s an easy enough ice cream to make, since all you need, besides the custard, is a bit of peanut butter and some chocolate chips.

I have to thank my niece Áine for modeling the ice cream! And for those who really know us well, that’s Ivan the ice cream dog’s head in the bottom photo…

MURPHYS PEANUT AND CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 120g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 220 ml cream
• 220 ml milk
• 100 gm peanut butter (chunky)
• 75 g dark chocolate chips.

What to do:

1. Add the egg yolks 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.
8. Combine with the peanut butter (add mix to peanut butter is small amounts, stirring until completely combined).
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. Use a decent peanut butter that’s not too salty (unless you like a salty peanut ice cream!)

2. People can have severe peanut allergies, so make sure anyone you serve it to is not allergic!

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.

Technorati tags: peanut, chocolate chip, ice cream, recipe

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 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.

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 I’ve been wanting to make a caramel hot chocolate for a while, and today I made a few trials, using dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and cocoa. The best one was the one I made with milk chocolate, and perhaps it also would be the best addition to the line up of hot chocolates in our shops, since we have plenty of dark options, including our Extreme Cocoa. This is very sweet, but it’s very delicious.

I don’t exactly know what to call it, so let me know if you have any ideas! Here’s the recipe:

Murphys Hot Milk Chocolate with Caramel

Ingredients:

200 g milk chocolate (good quality)
550 ml milk
250 ml caramel sauce

What to Do:

1. Make the caramel sauce. 
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
3. Combine the milk and caramel sauce in a saucepan and warm.
4. Add the warmed milk to the melted chocolate in small parts, mixing all the time, to create a smooth emulsion.
5. Warm to drinking temperature (55C).
6. Garnish with whipped cream, drizzle with caramel sauce, and enjoy!

Six servings.

Note:
The quality will really depend on the quality of chocolate that you use. I suggest Valrhona, Callebaut, or Lindt milk chocolate.

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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:

• 120g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 220 ml cream
• 220 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.

Technorati tags: cocoa, chocolate, ice cream, recipe

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 I know blueberries aren’t in season in this part of the world, but I found a beautiful-looking punnet of them in our local supermarket, and I thought it would make a perfect topping, served warm, for vanilla ice cream.

It was pretty tasty, I must say, and it is dead easy to prepare. Here’s what I did:

Blueberry Sauce 

Ingredients:

150 grams fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons cognac

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

What to do:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently, just until the sugar is dissolved and some of the blueberries burst and release their juice (about 3-5 minutes). Don’t overcook, or it will be mush.

3. Immediately serve over vanilla ice cream.

Technorati tags: blueberry, ice cream, sauce, recipe

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