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!
Technorati tags: chocolate, Lorge, truffle, ice cream, recipe
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.
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.
Technorati tags: whiskey, espresso, coffee, ice cream, recipe, Irish
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.
Technorati tags: hot chocolate, chocolate, milk, caramel, hot, recipe
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.
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.
This is a recipe from the book, and it is a flavour we haven’t made for a while. The reason I’m posting it now is that we had a customer asking for it, but it’s one of those flavours that just doesn’t seem to sell in the shop. French people like it, which is why we call it “pistache,” but otherwise it seems to have a very narrow appeal.
I think this is a shame, because pistachios are delicious nut and make a delicious ice cream. My brother Seán is so addicted to them that you can usually find him by the trail of his pistachio shells. In the ice cream, we have added a traditional hint of almond. The recipe calls for pureeing the nuts, and we will leave it up to you how smooth you wish to make it.
PISTACHIO (PISTACHE) ICE CREAM
Ingredients:
• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 100 g shelled, roasted pistachios
• 1/8 teaspoon natural almond essence
What to do:
1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together 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. Allow to cool.
8. Put the pistachios in a blender or food processor, adding just enough of the custard to help it mix. Blend until smooth.
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 rest of the custard (without the nuts).
11. Add the almond essence.
12. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, adding the pistachio puree when it is somewhat solid.
13. 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 pistachios are good and crunchy. If not, you can always put them in the oven at around 100C for twenty minutes or so, but keep an eye on them that they do not burn!
2. You don’t have to blend the pistachios until smooth if you like the crunch. Just pulse the blender a few times to break up the nuts a bit.
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.
Even though whiskey cream might strike some Irish people as more of a Christmas flavour, I find it a delicious ice cream flavour and thought it would be a good ice cream for St. Patrick’s Day.
It has a simple, clean taste, and I suggest and strong-flavoured whiskey (we use Kilbeggan). Although I’d never add food colouring to any of our ice creams, if you want to dye it green for the big day, work away…
If you’re wondering who that is in the photos, it’s Gary, our new Killarney shop manager, who was gracious enough to pose.
Murphys Irish Whiskey Ice Cream
Ingredients:
130g sugar
5 egg yolks
240 ml cream
200 ml milk
45ml (3 tbsp) Irish whiskey
What to do:
Allow the custard to cool.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: whiskey, cream, Irish, ice cream, recipe, St. Patrick
