Ice Cream Ireland

 This was one of our very first ice cream formulations and has proven very popular of the the years. In fact, there is a certain little girl whose first word was reportedly “Jaffa” when demanding this flavour from her parents. It’s a crowd-pleaser, with shredded bits of Jaffa cakes as well as another British invention - marmalade.

Marmalade goes way back (the Oxford English Dictionary cites 1480 as the first usage of the word) and is generally made with citrus fruits - orange being the most popular option. As citrus fruits became more available in Britain in the 16th century, marmalade became a choice sweet. In fact, anyone who has travelled in the UK will be hard put upon to remember a traditional breakfast without the option of these preserves and toast.

We like to use the marmalade as a base flavour and freshen it with orange zest. The great thing about orange zest (besides its magnificent taste) is that it uses a part of the fruit one would normally just throw away or compost, and that always is a pleasure.

ORANGE JAFFA (ORÁISTE) ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• Zest (grated peel) of half an orange
• 50 g marmalade
• 4 Jaffa cakes

What to do:

1. Add the orange zest to the milk and bring to a simmer.
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
4. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar 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. Sieve if you want to remove the orange zest.
8. Stir in the marmalade.
9. Transfer the custard into a small container, cover, and refrigerate until cool (5C).
10. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks - don’t over-whip).
11. Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.
12. Shred the jaffa cakes into small pieces.
13. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, adding the jaffa cakes when it’s semi-solid. You can also just cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours, and again, add the jaffa cakes when it’s semi-solid.
14. 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.

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: orange, jaffa, biscuit, ice cream, recipe

 Given that all of the ice cream recipes I have given here call for egg yolks, I wanted to re-visit meringues, since they are such an obvious solution in terms of what to do with the egg whites. I wrote up a recipe before here, but I think the following is simpler and better.

Meringues are a lovely dessert - crunchy puff of sweetness on the palate. They can be enjoyed on their own, with whipped cream, or with ice cream and fruit. You can shape them into little baskets or simply make little meringue drops. They are, of course, gluten-free.

Meringues are said to have been invented in the 15th Century in the Swiss town of Meiringen by an Italian chef named Gasparini. They are made simply by beating egg whites, adding sugar and other ingredients, and then baking them. I like mine with a little hint of lemon. This recipe makes quite a lot of meringue, but since the ice creams mostly call for 5 egg yolks, it seems useful to use the 5 egg whites!

Ingredients:

• 5 egg whites
• 350 g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

What to Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 150C.
2. Butter two large baking sheets.
3. Beat the egg whites in a dry glass or stainless steel bowl (if using an electric mixer, do this at medium speed rather than high speed, which will take a bit longer but give the meringues more strength) until fairly stiff.
4. Beat in the sugar in a slow stream, and then add the lemon juice, mixing all the time.
5. Beat until very stiff and shiny.
6. Using two spoons, place on the baking sheet. It should make 18 large meringues, so divide accordingly, leaving space around the meringues to allow them to expand.
7. You can shape them as you wish!
8. Bake for 45 minutes.
9. Cool on wire racks.

Notes:

1. If you want to make meringue nests, the easiest way is with a piping bag. Start in the centre, work out in a tight spiral, then build up the sides. Make them smaller that you might think, for the baked meringues will expand!
2. There are many of things you can add to meringues in terms of flavouring - vanilla essence, almond essence, and cocoa for chocolate meringues are just a few examples. If you do add flavouring, always add it at the end, once the meringues are stiff.

Technorati tags: meringue, recipe, ice cream, dessert, baking

 Here in Kerry, there are some fruits that are hard to get in the depth of Winter, but you can always find bananas. They might not always be ripe, and most of the time I will pass them by when in the supermarket, discouraged at the green peel. For, as bananas ripen, the starches turn to sugar, and once they do so, this sweet, complex, rich, and velvety fruit can boost energy and give any occasion a lift, especially when it’s in ice cream.

Customers in our shops often taste our banana ice cream and say, accusingly, “This tastes like real banana!” Yes, indeed. If the only banana ice cream you have ever eaten was bright yellow and tasted only of flavouring, you will be surprised by the decadence of this recipe. Needless to say, there’s no food colouring (and why would there be? Not only do we never touch the stuff, but yellow banana ice cream doesn’t even make sense. Banana peels are yellow, not the fruit!)

All fruits in ice cream should be ripe, and with bananas there is hardly such a thing as too ripe. If you have bananas left over with brown spots on the skin, perhaps ones that the kids won’t touch or that even strike you as too soft, then they are perfect for ice cream. We have used bananas when the skin had turned completely brown, and the result was delicious. Bananas, oddly enough, ripen best off the vine, and if all you can find are greenish bananas, please wait to make this ice cream and let them ripen.

I have added some chocolate shavings because I love the bitter bite of dark chocolate with banana.

MURPHYS BANANA ICE CREAM WITH CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS  

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice
• 3 ripe bananas
• 20 g good quality, dark chocolate

What to do:

1. Combine the bananas with the lemon juice and blend or mash until smooth.
2. Place in a small saucepan, add 30 g (two tablespoons) sugar, and cook over low heat, stirring all the time.
3. Don’t over-cook. Once it has warmed, it should release a strong banana aroma, and that’s enough!
4. Beat the rest of the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
5. Bring the milk to a low simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat.
6. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
7. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
8. 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!
9. Immediately remove from the heat.
10. Mix in the bananas.
11. Transfer the custard into a small container, cover, and refrigerate until cool (5C). 12. 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 until it has a semi-solid consistency, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring occasionally to break up the ice crystals. 
14. Use a vegetable peeler to create the chocolate shavings, and add them to the ice cream once it is reasonably solid, or they will all sink to the bottom.
15. 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. Of course, you don’t have to add chocolate shavings if it’s not to your taste.
2. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, 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: chocolate, banana, dessert, ice cream, recipe

  I ended 2007 with a chocolate recipe (Chocolate Whiskey Ice Cream), and given my chocoholic predilection, I think my first recipe for 2008 has to be a chocolate one as well.

This is a dense, intense chocolate experience. There’s a bit of cognac in it for kick, and a topping of fresh raspberry puree. There’s no flour, so it’s gluten-free. It’s not for the meek or chocolate-ambivalent. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream.

Ingredients:

• 500 g dark (70%) chocolate
• 500 ml cream
• 60 g butter
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 tablespoons cognac

For the raspberry puree: 

• 200 g raspberries
• 50 g sugar 

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water or a in a microwave. Take care – chocolate melts at a low temperature (ca. 37C) and it burns easily, so once it’s melted, remove from the heat!
2. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and place with the cream in a small saucepan.
3. Cook over medium heat to a simmer.
4. Remove the vanilla beans and scrape out the vanilla seeds with a spoon or knife. Whisk in to the cream, and discard the beans.
5. Add the cream to the melted chocolate in small parts and mix thoroughly until smooth and velvety.
6. Stir in the cognac.
7. Pour into a 9 inch baking spring form or shallow, medium-sized metal bowl and refrigerate until hard.
8. Heat the raspberries and sugar in a small pan until the sugar is dissolved.
9. Press through a sieve with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to remove the seeds.
10. Allow to cool.
11. If you have used a metal bowl, use a cloth soaked in hot water to heat the bowl enough to free the cake. Invert the bowl onto a plate and top with the raspberry puree.
12. Refrigerate until set.
13. If you have used a baking form, top with the raspberry puree and refrigerate until set.
14. Use a cloth soaked in hot water to heat the form enough to free the cake.
15. Slide it onto a plate.
16. Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream and a bit of chocolate sauce.

Technorati tags: ganache, pastry, chocolate, cake, recipe

 There seems to be some disagreement as to whether the Irish or the Scots invented whiskey, although the first written account (in 1405) is Irish - a monk happily distilling away. It’s very likely that whiskey pre-dates this record, and there are even some who say that none other than St. Patrick brought the method of distilling when he arrived on this island.

We’re happy to claim it, and there are few better uses than with chocolate. The earthy flavour and alcoholic tang of a strong whiskey add a great deal to chocolate, whether it be in truffles, in a sauce or in ice cream. We call this flavour “Fuisce.”

I think it is especially great at this time of year, when the weather is cold and the body craves comfort. This is my brother’s favourite flavour, and I do hope you enjoy it as well, especially over the holidays.

Ingredients:

• 100 g sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 220 ml milk
• 200 ml cream
• 150 g dark (70%) chocolate
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) whiskey (we use Paddy because it has a strong flavour)

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water or a in a microwave. Take care – chocolate melts at a low temperature (ca. 37C) and it burns easily, so once it’s melted, remove from the heat!
2. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow.
3. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
4. Remove from the heat and beat the milk into the egg and sugar mixture in a slow stream. 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! Immediately remove from the heat.
6. Add to the melted chocolate in small parts and mix thoroughly until smooth and velvety.
7. Cover the chocolate custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
8. Stir in the whiskey.
9. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks - don’t over-whip).
10. Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.
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. The chocolate and the custard must both be warm when you mix them, or you won’t get a good emulsion. It’s also important to add the custard to the chocolate in small parts, incorporating it each time by stirring.
2. 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: chocolate, whiskey, Irish, ice cream, recipe

  My brother and I sometimes argue about hot chocolate. He likes his made with cocoa, and I like mine with melted chocolate. Cocoa is chocolate with most of the cocoa butter squeezed out, so it’s a powder. Hot chocolates made with unsweetened cocoa are light with a lot of kick (I’ve already given a recipe for Sean’s favourite - our Extreme Cocoa). Hot chocolates made with melted chocolate, are rich and silky (think hot chocolates in Paris and see this recipe).

I started wondering what happened if you joined “light with a lot of kick” (cocoa) with “rich and silky” (melted chocolate). So I made it, and both of us are happy. The recipe is below, and I’ve added a bit of cinnamon for Christmas cheer.

Murphys Hot Melted Chocolate with Cocoa Kick

Ingredients:

• 100 g dark (70%) chocolate
• 40 g pure, unsweetened cocoa powder
• 140 g sugar
• 800 ml milk
• 1/2 teasp cinnamon
• Whipped cream for garnish (optional)
• Orange zest for garnish (optional)

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
2. Mix together the cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan.
3. Add the milk in small parts, stirring all the time, until it is smooth.
4. Heat to a low simmer, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the warmed cocoa milk to the melted chocolate in small parts, mixing all the time.
6. It will clump at first, but keep adding in small parts until you have a smooth emulsion.
7. Warm to drinking temperature (55C).
8. Garnish with grated chocolate, whipped cream, and orange zest and enjoy!

Six servings.  

Note: If you don’t like cinnamon, leave it away!

Technorati tags: hot chocolate, chocolate, hot, cocoa, recipe

 There’s an absolute howler of a storm outside, the first of the winter season. That, being a true escapist, makes me dream of summer and warm climes. When I think summer, I think sorbet, and of all the sorbets we do, I don’t think there is anything better suited to a hot day than lemon lime. So, as I wait for the lastest draft of the book to print, I’ll post a recipe. Maybe a bit of summer thinking will make me feel warm on this, the first day of December!

There are people who like sweet, and there are people who like tart. Lemon lime sorbet is both, but it will definitely appeal to the latter. We like to use the zest (rind) of the fruit as well as the juice.

Murphys Lemon Lime Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 310 g sugar
• 500 ml boiling water
• 4 lemons
• Zest (grated peel) of one lemon
• 3 limes
• Zest of one lime

What to do:

1. Zest the lemon and lime. Set aside.
2. Juice the lemons and limes into a container. Cover and place the container with the juice in the refrigerator.
3. Add the boiling water to the sugar in a heat-proof bowl.
4. Add the lemon and lime zest and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Cover and refrigerate until it is completely cooled.
6. Add the lemon and lime juice.
7. You can leave the zest in, since they are edible and add colour to the ice cream. If you want the ice cream without them, pass the sorbet mix through a sieve to collect and discard them.
8. Freeze using a domestic ice cream maker until it has a semi-solid consistency. This could take up to 20 minutes.
9. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze until it is solid.
10. Otherwise, simply place in a covered, freezer-proof container and place in the freezer, stirring every two hours to break up the ice crystals.
11. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for about 15 minutes before serving.
12. Enjoy it, and if you’re in Ireland, dream of sun.

Technorati tags: lemon, lime, sorbet, ice cream, recipe

 O.K. I’ve already given you the recipe for making honeycomb pieces. Now here’s one for the ice cream! It’s a bit complicated, but if you’re feeling up for the task, please go ahead and test it as part of my ice cream party!

Over the years, this has been our best-selling ice cream in the shop, and I hope it makes you as happy as the thousands upon thousands who have enjoyed it in Dingle and Killarney!

MURPHYS HONEYCOMB ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g Sugar
• 5 Egg Yolks
• 220ml Cream
• 200ml Milk
• 200ml volume honeycomb pieces
• 1 tablespoon caramel sauce

What to do:

1. Make the honeycomb pieces, and break then into small pieces. You will need 200ml volume, more or less (depending on your tastes!)
2. Make the caramel sauce.
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.
7. Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
8. Allow the custard to cool.
9. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (don’t over-whip!) and fold into the custard.
10. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, adding the honeycomb pieces and caramel sauce when it’s fairly solid.
11. You can also just cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours, and again, add the honeycomb and caramel when it’s reasonably solid.

Notes:

1. Beware adding any more caramel sauce or the ice cream will get soggy.
2. The part about adding the honeycomb at the end is important, as you don’t want the pieces melting in the ice cream.  
3. You will have extra caramel sauce left over, and you can always use it as a topping for the ice cream or to make a caramel sundae.

Technorati tags: caramel, honeycomb, recipe, hokey pokey, ice cream, candy

 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:

• 400g 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!

Technorati tags: caramel, honeycomb, recipe, toffee, ice cream, candy

 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

Ingredients:

• 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. Whip 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…

Technorati tags: cookies, ice cream, recipe, oreos