Ice Cream Ireland

 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

 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

 As part of the food festival, my brother and I will do a cooking demonstration in St. James’ Church in Dingle (Saturday, 3:30). We’ve decided to do brown bread ice cream with a chocolate whiskey sauce. I’ve been tinkering away with the sauce, and here’s what I’ve come up with…

Chocolate Whiskey Sauce

Ingredients:

• 150g good quality dark chocolate (I used 2 bars of Valrhona Gran Couva)
• 100ml milk
• 20g sugar (around 1.5 tablespoon)
• 45ml cream (about 3 tablespoon)
• 30ml whiskey (about 2 tablespoons)

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Heat the milk and sugar in a very small saucepan over low heat to a low simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the milk in small parts to the melted chocolate, stirring all the time until you have a smooth, glossy emulsion.
4. Stir in the cream.
5. Allow to cool completely.
6. Stir in the whiskey.

Note: you can freeze this sauce if you won’t use it all soon. Otherwise, it will last in the fridge about 3 days.

Technorati tags: chocolate sauce, whiskey, chocolate, ice cream, recipe 

 This recipe, from this week’s Irish Times article, is a simple way of enjoying great quality chocolate and ice cream together. It is designed to form an unsweetened hard crust on ice cream, and I suggest vanilla, so you don’t have competing flavours. The butter is simply to make the chocolate less brittle…

Gourmet Chocolate Crust

Ingredients:

• 100g high quality, dark chocolate
• 10g (2 teasp) unsalted butter

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or microwave.
2. Stir until fully combined.
3. Pour over vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Technorati tags: hard, sauce, chocolate, ice cream, recipe 

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