Lemon Curd Ice Cream

 This is a recipe that JP, our production manager, came up with. What makes this ice cream so good is that combination of zest and preserves. I love any kind of citrus zest in cooking – it’s brilliant and fresh and can lift almost anything. The preserves add a richness and fullness that can’t be found with just lemon juice and zest. If you didn’t know what you were tasting, you would recognise lemon straightaway, but there might be some difficulty in placing the earthy undertones that makes this ice cream so distinctive. It’s far more complex than any lemon ice cream I have ever come across, and has regular appearances in our scooping cabinet.

MURPHYS LEMON CURD (LÍOMÓID) ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130 g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 50 g lemon curd
• Zest (grated peel) of one lemon
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice

What to do:

1. Beat in the egg yolks with the rest of 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. Add the lemon curd to the warm custard, stirring until it is dissolved.
8. Add the lemon zest.
9. Cover the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool overnight.
10. Strain the lemon zest from the cool custard (unless you like it in there).
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. Add the lemon juice.
14. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.
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. 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.

2. This is one of the recipes in our book.

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Ice Cream Wine or Wine Ice Cream?

 Julian over at Bubble Brothers wrote a while ago about wine ice cream selling in New York, licensed as regular wine.

Needless to say I was intrigued, and I found out that the company behind it is called Mercier Ice Cream in Boonsville, and their flavours such as Cherry Merlot or Chocolate Cabernet have 5% alcohol content.

I think this is a very cool concept, and anyone would know who sampled or made my champage sorbet, I am fond of alcoholic ice creams! It’s almost worth a trip to the States to try this frozen tipple…

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New Suppliers

 I’m delighted to announce a few new suppliers of our ice cream. First of all, our very first supplier North of Galway is Kate’s Kitchen at 3 Castle Street, Sligo. This what Good Food Ireland has to say about them:

It’s very easy to spot Kate’s Kitchen in Castle Street in Sligo town, its old-fashioned black painted frontage, bay windows and distinctive red and gold lettering makes it stand out from its surroundings. And you won’t be disappointed when you go inside this ‘Aladdin’s Cave.’ The shelves are packed with goodies of all kinds, beautifully presented and laid out in an inspired style. The shop was established in 1982 by Kate Pettit and Frank Hopper and since then, has gone from strength to strength in terms of product range, quality and service. As a result, it has become a destination in itself, attracting customers from far and wide. Indeed, no visit to Sligo would be complete without a visit to this gourmet food and wine shop and delicatessen.

We’re would also like to welcome as customers the Country Market, Howth and Aya Sushi Bar in Dublin.   

Lunch at the Park

 People in our Killarney shop always ask where to eat, and one of the places I suggest is the Garden Bar at the Park Hotel.  

I’m not usually a fan of hotel food – usually there are much better options to be had.

However, not only is there a great vibe – plush yet very relaxed and comfortable, but the food is just as cozy – I had their take on fish and chips recently and the latter came wrapped in newspaper, and it was one of the best and most enjoyable lunches I’ve had for a while.

Parents take note: it seems very child-friendly as well!

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