Recipes

Hot Toddy Sorbet

HotToddySorbet2 OK. I know a hot toddy sorbet is an odd concept, since a sorbet is hardly hot, but it is tasty, and I wanted to share it. We made this flavour for the Malton Hotel in Killarney, and it’s been quite popular in our shops as well. Warning: it packs an alchoholic punch!

Murphys Hot Toddy Sorbet

Ingredients:

  • 340 gr sugar
  • 500 ml spring water
  • 100 ml whiskey (we used Kilbeggan)
  • 75 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey (or more to taste).
  • 2 cloves.

HotToddySorbetWhat to do:

  1. Boil the water with the cloves, then remove from the heat.
  2. Remove the cloves.
  3. Stir in the honey and sugar, until completely dissolved.
  4. Cover immediately and cool completely.
  5. Stir in the whiskey and lemon juice.
  6. Taste it to make sure you like it!
  7. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring at 1 hr intervals to break up the ice.

Notes:

1. It’s hard to make sorbet without an ice cream machine. You will need to interrupt the freezing process and stir, or you will be left with a block of ice! The more times you do this, the better the consistency will be.

2. Since both honey and whiskey vary so much in flavour, make sure you taste this before you freeze it, and add a bit more if you wish…

Technorati tags: , ,  , , 

Black Sesame Ice Cream

blacksesameic One of the most dramatic flavours I encountered on our Tokyo trip was black sesame ice cream. It has a nutty, roasted flavour and it tastes like no ice cream I’ve tried before. Of course, black sesame is used quite a bit in Asian cooking, but it seems very well suited to ice cream. This is not a flavour for everyone, but there are people who have tasted it in our shops over the last week who have simply raved. If you want to try it, here’s a recipe:

Murphys Black Sesame Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • blacksesame125g sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 230 ml cream
  • 200 ml milk
  • 40 g black sesame seeds

What to do:

  1. Put the sesame seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir until they start popping and you can smell the flavour.
  2. Remove from the heat and cool.
  3. Transfer to a blender and blend it until fairly smooth.
  4. Beat sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow.
  5. Bring the milk to a simmer.
  6. Beat the milk into the egg and sugar mixture in a slow stream. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat.  Stir until the custard thickens (around 65C).
  7. Allow the custard to cool.
  8. Whip the cream and fold into the mix.
  9. Stir in the sesame.
  10. blacksesameic2Freeze the ice cream using a domestic ice cream machine.
  11. Otherwise, cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

6 Servings.

Notes:

1. If you have trouble finding black sesame, check your local Asian food market.

2. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and keep at that temperature for three 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: , , , 

Strawberry Meringue Hearts

 

strawberrymer I really like the combination of strawberry and meringue, especially for Valentine’s, and I’ve also posted a strawberry and meringue dessert option here. This time, I wanted to try heart-shaped, strawberry-flavoured meringues, to give out as treats in the shops this weekend. It worked quite well, although the colour wasn’t as pink as I had hoped. They are very tasty, though, and they look quite decorative as well.

ryanmeringue2In case you’re wondering, the boy in the photos is my nephew Ryan, who is here in Dingle from Germany, on his mid-term break. He loves cooking, and after a very small amount of instruction, he turned out to be quite proficient at the piping! 

Murphys Strawberry Mini Meringues 

Ingredients:

What to Do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 100C.
  2. 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 foamy.
  3. Add the lemon juice.
  4. Continue mixing until they are fairly stiff.
  5. Beat in the sugar in a slow stream.
  6. Beat until very stiff and shiny.
  7. Mix in the strawberry coulis.
  8. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe out little hearts on a baking tray or silicone mat.
  9. Bake for 60 minutes.
  10. Cool on on the mat, then carefully twist to remove.
  11. ryanmeringue1Store in an air-tight container.

Makes about 60 small hearts.

Notes:

  1. If you want to make meringue nests, start in the centre, work out in a tight spiral, then build up the sides.
  2. Please do follow my instructions about the mixing speed. If you mix them on high, the meringues will not be as strong and could develop unsightly bubbles.

Technorati tags: , , , , 

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream & Baby Chocoholics

chocbelly I’ve been worrying quite a bit lately, since the Venetian, my pregnant partner is not a big chocolate fan. She’ll eat white chocolate sometimes, she doesn’t mind milk chocolate, but she’s does not care at all for the dark stuff. For me, an insatiable chocoholic, the idea of offspring without real chocoholic tendencies was deeply troubling.

chocbelly2

A couple of days ago, J.P. made some milk chocolate ice cream in production, and I brought a tub home. The Venetian ate some, and the baby inside her, normally a gentle soul, went absolutely nuts. It kicked, jumped, and probably did ecstatic cartwheels, such was the commotion in the belly for the next half hour. The Venetian was astonished, and it was the first proud moment for this Daddy (to be). I think there is very little doubt that the chocoholic gene has been passed on.

This is a delicate flavour for those with delicate tastes, when it comes to chocolate. Although we call the ice cream “Milk Chocolate,” we actually use 70% chocolate, just less of it. For our tastes, actual milk chocolate puts too much fat into the ice cream.

Murphys Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 125g sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or 1/4 teaspoon natural vanilla essence
  • 230 ml cream
  • 200 ml milk
  • 60 g bittersweet (70% chocolate)

What to do:

  1. Melt the 70% chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water or a microwave. Take care – chocolate burns easily!
  2. Beat sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow.
  3. Add the vanilla bean to the milk and bring to a simmer.
  4. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla bean.
  5. Add the milk to the melted chocolate in small parts, mixing thoroughly until fully combined.
  6. Immediately beat the milk/chocolate into the egg and sugar mixture in a slow stream. Pour the mixture back into pan and place over low heat.  Stir until the custard thickens (around 60C).
  7. Allow the chocolate custard to cool.
  8. Whip the cream and fold into the mix.
  9. Freeze the ice cream using a domestic ice cream machine.
  10. Otherwise, cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

6 Servings.

Notes:

  1. chocbelly32This ice cream will only be as good as the chocolate you use. Find the best you can!
  2. The boiler or container in which you melt the chocolate must be completely dry or the chocolate can clump.
  3. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and keep at that temperature for three 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: , , , 

Kanten (Agar-agar) Raspberry Cubes

kanten One of the ingredients used in a lot of Japense desserts is kanten, also known as agar-agar. It’s a gelling agent made from seaweed, and not only is it flavourless and vegetarian (gelatine is derived from animal products), but it’s high in fibre, and contains 0 calories. In fact, it spurred a diet fad in Asia, known as the Kanten Diet. In Japan, we found it as jelly cubes in desserts such as Anmitsu, sometimes served with ice cream, or in traditional Japanese sweets.

I brought back a packet from Tokyo, and when I saw a beautiful-looking punnet of raspberries in the supermarket, I had to use it! Here’s what I did:

Kanten Cubes with fresh Raspberry

Ingredients:

  • 4 gm kanten (agar-agar) powder. If you can only find the flakes, you’ll probably need to use more…
  • 350ml water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • kanten2About 12 fresh raspberries

What to do:

  1. Put the water in a saucepan, and sprinkle over the kanten powder.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat.
  4. Add the lemon juice.
  5. Pour into a 6″ square container, and allow to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
  6. It should have thinkened a bit by now, so put in the raspberries in neat rows, pushing them down so that they are covered by the liquid.
  7. Cover and refridgerate.
  8. To serve, remove from the container and cut into cubes.

PS. Agar-agar is most likely available at your local whole foods shop.

Technorati tags: , , , ,

Brandy Snaps for Christmas

 Here are some brandy snaps I made, and if you’re looking for an easy baking treat, it doesn’t get much easier than this. I rolled these, but you can also leave them flat. They are just as tasty! For good measure, I dipped mine in chocolate… I adapted the recipe from an old Cordon Bleu dessert book. 

Happy Christmas!

Brandy Snaps

Ingredients:

  • 230 gm butter (room temperature)
  • 230 gm sugar
  • 230 gm flour
  • 80 gm golden syrup
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 1 tablespoon brandy

What to do:

  1. Heat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a baking tray. 
  2. Put the golden syrup, butter and sugar in a pan and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved.
  3. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, ginger, and brandy.
  4. Put small, teaspoon portions on the baking pan, about four inches apart. I used a piping bag, which makes things easier, since the dough is a bit sticky.
  5. Bake for 7 minutes, until golden brown. 
  6. Remove and allow to cool on the baking tray for about five minutes before removing. 
  7. That’s it!
  8. If you want to roll them, as I did, butter the handle of a wooden spoon. After you remove the cookies from the oven, leave them for a minute or so (or they will fall apart), then wrap them around the spoon handle, holding them in place until they take the shape. 
  9. If you want to dip them in chocolate, melt about 100 gm chocolate. Transfer to a small cup or bowl. Dip the cookies, and place on a non-stick baking sheet until they are dry. 

Makes about 40 cookies.

Technorati tags: , , , , 

Mini Chocolate Grand Marnier Brownies

I spent today making mini chocolate brownies to give out to our customers over Christmas. To make things a little more interesting, I enrobed them in chocolate.

If you wish to try them, follow the recipe here, substituting Grand Marnier for Kahlua. Mind you, they would be very good with Kahlua as well!

I tried baking them different ways – spooning out small amounts on a baking sheet, and also simply baking them as normal in a baking pan and then cutting them into very small squares. I think the latter method is definitely easier!

To enrobe them, melt some chocolate to 31C or so, and use a fork to dip in the cooled, cut brownie pieces. Leave them on a non-stick sheet to cool. If you know how to temper the chocolate, so much the better (they will last longer and not discolour).

Use good quality chocolate, and I would suggest adding a little bit of vegetable oil (I think grapeseed is best and used about 5% of the chocolate volume) to thin the chocolate. This helps you avoid making the chocolate shell too thick.

If you think there is no such thing as too much chocolate or too thick coatings, ignore the above.

For good measure, I drizzled the cooled, enrobed chocolate brownies with some melted white chocolate.

We’ll soon find out if our customers think they are a tasty as I do!

Technorati tags: , , , ,

Cranberry Sorbet

 Here’s something for the holidays – a sorbet that works well as a sorbet course, a dessert, or an alternative partner to the Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey. Cranberries are tart and beguiling – an explosion of flavour, and the sorbet is the same.

If you want to add a bit of orange, you can do so by substituting 150 ml orange juice for 150 ml water.

Murphys Cranberry Sorbet

Ingredients:

  • 260 g sugar
  • 400 ml water
  • 450 gm fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 150 ml cranberry juice

What to do:

  1. Cook the water, sugar and cranberries together until they reach a low boil.
  2. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat.
  4. Use a blender or hand blender to blend until smooth.
  5. Pass through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and bits of skin, using a rubber spatula to press as much pulp through as possible.
  6. Cover and refrigerate until it is completely cool.
  7. Add the cranberry juice.
  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.

Enjoy!

Yield: 8 Servings

Technorati tags: , , , ,