Long before the days of modern refrigeration methods there was ice-cream and frozen desserts – the Roman emperors could have ice and snow brought down from the Alps to meet their desire for cold sweets and chilled beverages. Marco Polo returned from his long trip to China with recipes for sorbets. In England many a stately home still has an ice house hidden away somewhere. Blocks of ice could be broken from the surface of lakes and kept underground where it would stay until needed on warmer summer days.
All The Flavours
Nowadays there are lots of flavours available ready made – even savoury ones – one parlour in North Wales has on its menu ‘Pea’ ice cream – and no, I have not tried it. Despite all of the flavors out there it’s good sometimes to create your own – no additives for something – you will know precisely what’s going in there and what comes out will be yummy. There are several ice cream manufacturers on the market, some excellent, if somewhat expensive, but I never seem to have sufficient space in the freezer to cool the equipment so often use only a plastic box, possibly a food processor and a fork. The latter is essential to stir the mix at least once, preferably two or three times, since it is freezing. This will serve to break up any large ice lumps that form and maintain your ice cream smooth. The main thing is to keep everything scrupulously clean.
Coconut Ice Cream
- I cup of double cream (heavy cream)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes (desiccated coconut – if you use the sweetened kind do not worry the mix tastes rather sweet as freezing reduces the effect).
- 8 ounces, 200g coconut lotion
Combine, beat well and place in freezer. After an hour stir with fork and then repeat every hour until suspended firmly – probably around three hours. This I serve with a sauce made by melting 6 cubes of dark chocolate, including a great pinch of ginger and a teaspoon full of lime curd or lime marmalade. Serve with a crispy wafer biscuit in the most sophisticated of dinner parties – it has also been appreciated at a barbeque
Peanut Butter Ice-cream
- 1/2 pint, 250 mls double (heavy) cream
- 1/2 pint, 250 mls evaporated milk (you can use single cream/light)
- 2 oz, 50 g brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of chunky peanut butter
- 3 drops of vanilla extract.
- Adding some crushed choc chip biscuits is also great – about 1/3 -1/2 cup
Heat the cream, evaporated milk, sugar and peanut butter gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the peanut butter was well blended in. Add the vanilla extract as it’s cooled, in addition to the biscuit crumbs if using and move to plastic box for freezing. Again, stir with a fork every hour until frozen solid. I enjoy this with a sauce made from cream with a spoonful of maple syrup stirred in. Additionally it is good beside stewed fruit such as apricots.
You can make ice cream using packets of instant custard so I’m told.
Custard Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cups of castor sugar
- 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 3 pints of milk
Heat the milk to the stage where very small bubbles have begun to form. Mix the flour and sugar together. Stir in the eggs. Pour the heated milk into this mixture. Stir well and then come back to the heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until it thickens enough to coat the spoon. Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. This is a wealthy but basic mix to which you can add whatever your creativity and accessibility allows – attempt sweetened stewed rhubarb and chopped tomatoes for an unusual mix. As it’s so rich it’s perhaps best served after a very light major course and in little portions.
