Tag: Ice cream

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Blog Desserts

Road to Nowhere

After several weeks travelling through Cornwall in our motorhome, we have finally run out of road. Yes, we have reached Land’s End, England’s most westerly point.

Out there beyond Longships Lighthouse, seen in my photo above, there is nothing but the Atlantic Ocean, stretching all the way across to the Eastern Seaboard. I waved a cheery hello to all our good friends and allies over there in Canada and the US of A 🙂 .

However, Cornish legend would have you believe that it wasn’t always just a great expanse of nothingness here. Back in the days of King Arthur (yes, him again), there was a kingdom known as Lyonesse that extended off the coast. That was until one particularly stormy night, when the city became engulfed by the waves, never to be seen again.

Lyonesse was reputed to have 140 churches. The story goes that, if you stand here surrounded by ocean on all sides, and listen carefully, you can sometimes hear the church bells ringing from the shadowy depths.

Well, I can’t say I heard any phantom bell-ringing (maybe I should come back at Halloween), but that didn’t stop me enjoying another enchanting tale from Cornish mythology.

To get here, we camped for 3 nights about a mile down the coast, near Sennen Cove, shown below. We walked the South-West Coast Path along some rugged headland to reach this famous land point.

Sennen is very remote and peaceful, with a relaxed way of life.

Just the place to enjoy some ice cream made with Cornish clotted cream, see below. That’s Cornish Sea Salted Caramel flavour on the left, and Cornish Strawberry on the right.

Having reached our journey’s end, it is time to head back home, which we will do gradually over the next 3 – 4 days. It’s been great fun travelling around Cornwall, enjoying the beaches, the legends, and of course the Pasties and Cream Teas.

I hope, like me, you’ve enjoyed the trip, and maybe learned something about the terrific food and drink this region has to offer.

Here are Talking Heads with Road to Nowhere.

I’ll be back next week with a new recipe.

Categories
Blog Desserts

Peach Melbourne

Peaches are in season in Australia right now, and plentiful in the shops. It’s no surprise therefore that, just as Wimbledon has strawberries and cream, the Australian Open has Peach Melbourne.

The Australian Open, the first tennis major tournament of 2023, is under way at the moment, and is a pretty big deal here in Melbourne. I’ve spent a couple of days at it this week and, aside from watching the tennis, have enjoyed its Peach Melbourne signature treat.

It is of course a play on Peach Melba, the dish created in the Victorian era by a French chef, in honour of the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba. Melba was a stage name that she took from her home town of Melbourne.

The three key ingredients are ice cream, fresh peaches, and raspberries. At the Australian Open, it is served (sorry, couldn’t resist that one) as a tub of whirled vanilla ice cream, covered with a drizzle of pureed fresh peaches, and topped with pieces of dried raspberries (see my main photo).

It is lovely to taste – especially the fresh peach sauce – and a welcome respite from the heat. The temperature hit 37C one day this week, and play on the outdoor courts had to be suspended. I would not be surprised if the tennis players all headed to the Peach Melbourne outlet to cool down.

Regular followers will know that I featured on ADK some ice cream creations made with my own ice cream maker, a few months back during the UK summer. I haven’t made this peach dish before but will definitely be giving it a go when I get home. Watch out for a future post.

As for the tennis, I have really enjoyed seeing the game played up close by world class players. The first day we bought a ground pass, which gives access to all of Melbourne Park, except for the 4 show court arenas. You can wander around and see who is playing, then stand or sit at a match and watch it for as long as you wish, before moving on to another. You can go fetch a coffee (or Peach Melbourne) whenever you choose, or take a deckchair on a central green watching the action on a big screen.

The atmosphere is relaxed and informal off court, if fiercely competitive on. The setting is spectacular, with the skyline of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) rising above the courts.

I liked being able to watch a match from a spectator gallery to the side of the court. The customary view on TV is from a raised camera position at the end of the court, but sitting to the side brings home much more effectively the speed and power with which the game is played at this level.

It’s also fun spotting any famous players taking their turn on the outside courts. The biggest name we saw there was the number 3 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, see below.

I knew he was a top men’s singles player, but hadn’t realised he also played doubles with his brother. There is a large Greek community in Melbourne, so the boys were receiving enthusiastic support from the fans.

It’s also possible to watch the tennis for free on a big screen, by joining these Melburnians below, at the nearby AO Hilltop – a fan fest site with decent drinks and food.

On our second day, we had evening tickets for the biggest of the show courts, the Rod Laver Arena – a lovely birthday present from my son. It was very exciting making our way to the famous 15,000 seat arena, below.

In a tense game, we saw the USA’s Seb Korda inflict a shock defeat on the number 7 seed, Daniil Medvedev.

Our session ended just after midnight – not quite as late as Andy Murray endured this week, finishing at 4am the next morning! With this in mind, our latest addition to the ADK Playlist is in honour of the gallant, battling Scot who overcame the odds to progress to the next round. This is Faron Young with It’s Four in the Morning.

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Blog Desserts Snacks

Take Me to the Beach

We spent the long bank holiday weekend by the beach at Branksome. The weather is still great here, and it was easy to swim in the sea each day. On the final day the breaking surf was a little too choppy for my liking, so I settled for going in knee high, and a barefoot run along the shore, stepping and splashing through the lapping waves.

One of the many pleasures in a trip to the beach is an ice cream from the kiosk. On this occasion, I noticed that they were stocking the new Vegan Magnum, and decided to give it a try. It’s a dairy-free version of the legendary ice cream on a stick. I’m not vegan, but I am always open to trying new foods and have enjoyed a number of vegan desserts in the past.

I wasn’t sure what to expect – the Magnum I consider to be no less than a modern design classic, and I did wonder if messing around with its ingredients may turn out to be a disaster. I was thinking of what happened when Coca Cola decided to update a famous soft drink that everyone had grown up loving, only to have to yield to popular opinion and go back to making it by the original recipe.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, it is quite difficult to point out the differences in a blind taste. The Vegan version still has a delicate chocolate couverture, made from coconut oil and cocoa butter, that fragments indulgently as you bite into it. The underlying ice cream, made from pea protein with vanilla, is sweet and velvety, and not at all (as I had feared) unduly coconut tasting. The only real difference I could pinpoint is slightly less richness to the creamy taste, but not in any way that would put me off buying another.

Dairy-free alternatives to foods have been growing in popularity for some time. A relevant factor in this is concern about the contribution made by the livestock industry to climate warming, and consumption of water at a time of increasing drought. Many believe a vegan diet brings health benefits and is kinder to animals.

What is clear is that anyone who is vegan can now enjoy a Magnum when they visit the beach, a theme park or go on any other great day out: a wonderful contribution to the cause of equality of opportunity.

I’m hoping there will yet be a few more trips to the beach before the summer is through. That will probably mean a few more Vegan Magnums to come, as I make the most of our Pure Shores.

Take Me to the Beach!

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Desserts Recipes

Heatwave

There seems to be no sign of our UK summer heatwave relenting: new record temperatures, and forecast to stay very hot again this weekend. On top of that, we are now (in my region) officially in drought, so alongside all the good advice we’re getting to plan ahead, stay out of the sun, drink water etc, we are now instructed not to use hosepipes for watering gardens and washing cars, to protect our river levels. All very sensible, of course.

Now I have some good advice of my own to impart: make strawberry ice cream.

There you go – some practical, free public health guidance that I am pretty certain you will not be receiving from any official government agency. Don’t mention it – you’re welcome.

To enjoy the cooling effects, just follow the steps below.

Servings

This will make around 1kg, so usually enough for 9-10 servings.

Timings

15 mins prep and 35 mins churning.

You Will Need

  • an electric ice cream maker
  • 400g fresh strawberries
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 220g granulated sugar
  • 220ml full fat milk
  • 400ml double cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Ensure the drum of the ice cream maker is completely frozen. I leave mine in the freezer for 24 hours before making.
  2. Chop the strawberries and combine in a bowl with the lemon juice and 70g of the sugar. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  3. Remove from the fridge and strain through a sieve, saving the pink liquid. Mash half the strawberries and mix with the liquid, keeping the other half aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the rest of the sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved, and then stir in the mashed strawberries and vanilla extract. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  5. Remove from the fridge and pour into the drum of the ice cream maker. Proceed to churn for 35 mins. Add the remaining chopped strawbs during the last 5 mins of churning.
  6. Switch off, and scrape into a plastic container. Seal and place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours.
  7. Place 2-3 scoops in a bowl, serve with a piece of shortbread if you like.

    Find a shady spot and enjoy – ideally with this seasonal track from The Jam on your headphones.
Categories
Desserts Recipes

Blackcurrant Ice Cream

Regular visitors will know that this week I’ve been researching how to turn a lovely fresh crop of blackcurrants into ice cream. Well, my photo shows a few scoops of the results! I relied heavily on an old Delia recipe, and updated it for the age of the electric ice cream maker. There is really very little added other than sugar and cream, leaving this tart and vibrant coloured summer fruit to be the star of the show.

Servings

This will make 500g of ice cream, so comfortably enough for 5 – 6 servings.

Timings

15 mins preparation, and 35 mins churning.

You Will Need

  • 400g freshly picked blackcurrants
  • 175g granulated sugar
  • 150ml water
  • 300g double cream
  • an electric mixer
  • an ice cream maker

Method

  1. Place the drum of the ice cream maker in the freezer to get really frozen. I usually allow 24 hours.
  2. Press the blackcurrants through a sieve with a bowl beneath. The bowl will fill with divine purplish juice, leaving behind the pips and skins in the sieve, which can be discarded.
  3. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, dissolving the sugar. Simmer for a few minutes, then switch off. Combine with the blackcurrant juice and leave to cool.
  4. Whisk the double cream with a mixer.
  5. Place both the bowl of whipped cream and the bowl of blackcurrant juice in the fridge for a couple of hours to get really cold. Then remove from the fridge and combine, stirring it through so that all the cream takes on a purplish colour.
  6. Remove the frozen ice cream maker drum from the freezer. Tip the blackcurrant/cream mix into it and churn for around 35 mins.
  7. Switch off and spoon/scrape the ice cream out of the drum into a plastic container. Seal and place in the fridge for a good few hours before serving. The longer it has the more it will set.

And finally, a reminder of how it all began…

Categories
Blog Desserts

Seven Days in Sunny July

With this week’s great weather set to continue, I am looking forward to cooking for friends coming over this weekend. I plan to get much of the preparation done in advance, so we can make the most of the time together al fresco, relaxing and catching up over cold drinks and lunch. Home-made ice cream makes an ideal dessert for this, as it can be made earlier in the week and left to sit in the freezer till it’s required.

This is particularly true this time of year. We are lucky to have some great soft fruit producers locally (which also helps to keep the food miles down). My photo shows the batch of strawberries I’ve bought to make into ice cream. As I write this, they are chopped, mashed and soaking in sugar and lemon juice in the fridge, waiting to be combined with whipped double cream and churned for a half hour in the ice cream maker. All being well, there should be another post in a few days showing some scoops of the finished product!

Meanwhile, here’s a favourite track of mine by Jamiroquai, that seems to capture that summertime feeling.

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Blog

Paint It Blackcurrant

Delighted to have picked up this crop of fresh blackcurrants from our local community farm. As we’re currently bracing ourselves for the hottest day of the year here in the UK, I’ve decided to make some cooling blackcurrant ice cream with my Cuisinart ice cream maker, so am currently investigating recipes. All helpful ideas and suggestions welcome! Watch this space for a post later this week about the finished article.