One Year Older (but not wiser!!)

It is a funny thing getting older, people look to you for advice, expecting a pearl of wisdom to drop from your lips. I'm not sure that I am any older or wiser than I was ten years ago! My birth certificate says one thing but my mind says another, to be honest I feel like a teenager inside, a slightly giddy one at that.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

There is nothing nicer than cycling through the Irish countryside on a warm summer's day, especially through the drumlins of Cavan. This is how I spent yesterday, the weather was just perfect (for someone who hasn't been on the back of her racer for oh ...about 3 years!) not too hot and just breezy enough to keep me cool. I took an enforced sabbatical from my beloved bike, but now I am back with a vengeance. We took in the beautiful sights as only one can from the back of a bicycle, the lazy river Annalee meandering through fields of grazing cows, the lakes which were graced with swans and the hum of dragonflies, the smell of wild garlic mingled with freshly cut silage and the drone of hard working tractors ringing in our ears. It was a day to remember and one I hope to repeat very soon (when the sun shows it's face again!!!)

Now with all that activity one needs some refreshment, this is my preferred choice :) I've watched Ina Garten make this on the Food Network a couple of times and decided that boiling sugar (for the caramel) wasn't for me so I cheated (nothing new here for some of my regular readers!!) and bought ready made stuff in a can. It is much quicker and avoids scrubbing saucepans until your fingers are numb, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

*Inspired by  Ina Garten's Summertime Easy,  Barefoot Contessa TV series with Rori Trovato 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
Ice Cream Base:
250ml Full fat milk
4 large Egg yolks
165g Caster sugar
500ml Double cream

Salted caramel:
200g Carnation Caramel (roughly ½ a can )
1tbsp Sea salt

Method
Gently heat the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan, do not allow the milk to boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until pale and the sugar has dissolved.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking all the time to prevent the eggs from curdling. Then pour this mixture back into into the saucepan and heat over a gentle heat until the mixture thickens (coats the back of a wooden spoon) stirring all the time. This may seem like a lot of effort pouring from one into another, however it will prevent your eggs becoming scrambled in the heat of the saucepan, yuck!!

Strain the custard back into the large bowl, stir in the double cream and chill in the fridge overnight. The ice cream base needs to be completely chilled before you continue to the next stage, if it isn't completely chilled, the ice cream machine won't act as effectively.

The following day, stir the sea salt into the carnation caramel then add the salted caramel to your now completely chilled ice cream base. Mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine, make as per your manufacturer's instructions. Mine usually takes about 30 minutes.

Because this ice cream has so much sugar in it, it might not firm up as much as other ice creams recipes you've tried, don't worry it will be fine once it spends 1-2 hours in your freezer. Pour into an airtight container and freeze.

Heaven in a ice cream scoop!!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

This is like summer in a pie dish, I just love the colours of the fruit all wrapped in flaky pastry. My father grows both strawberries and rhubarb in his garden and this is perfect for when both crops are in abundance. The rhubarb season starts in March and goes out of season in October, then the strawberry season starts in May and lasts until November, plenty of opportunity to make this slice of summer!! 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
Pastry:
200g Plain flour
100g Cold butter, cubed
1 tsp Caster sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp Cold water (more if needed)

Filling:
300g Fresh strawberries, washed
300g Rhubarb, washed
150g White sugar
30g Cornflour
½ tsp Ground cinnamon
½ tsp Mixed Spice
¼ tsp Salt
3 tbsp Water
1 Egg, beaten

Method
Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/Gas Mark 8, grease and flour a deep 22cm x 5cm, (9 inch x 2 inch) Pyrex pie dish or similar, tap the excess flour out into your hand, set aside.

To make the pastry needed (375g just in case you're buying shop bought):
Sift the flour (if only to remove the lumps!) into a large bowl, stir in the caster sugar and cold diced butter. With only your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the vanilla extract and the water, a tablespoon at a time until the pastry starts to come together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface, gently bring together, wrap in cling film (I like to pat the pastry into a flat disc shape as I find it chills quicker). Allow to "rest" in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the filling:
Wash and dice both the rhubarb and the strawberries, mix together in a large bowl.

Add the sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, mixed spice, salt and water to the bowl. Mix gently to coat the fruit (don't be afraid to get your hand in there and give it a good mix)

Roll out about two thirds of the "rested" pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to line the base of the Pyrex pie dish.

I find lifting pastry a bit tricky at times, so I use my rolling pin, place the rolling pin in the middle of the rolled out pastry, gently fold the pastry over the pin, then use the rolling pin to lift the pastry and lay it into the dish.

Tip the filling into the pastry case, roughly trim the edges, leaving about 2cm (1 inch) of pastry overhanging the dish.

Roll out the remaining pastry and either cut with a lattice cutter or cut into 2 cm (1 inch) strips and weave over the top of the pie (see picture below, try to remember your national school teacher teaching you how to weave a paper basket, under one..over one!)

 Dampen the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg and press the lid into place, pressing firmly but gently.

Use your fingers scallop the edges of the pastry. Brush the whole pie with the beaten egg (or milk if you prefer).

I usually place the pie on a baking tray, just in case the juices boil over and drip onto my oven. Bake at 230ºC/450ºF/Gas Mark 8, for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 for a further 50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.

Serve with warm with  ice cream or cold with warm custard.

Hallowe'en Treats Recipes

Hallowe'en Treats

Hallowe'en Pumpkin Cake

Well it's my favourite time of year again, the countryside is awash with beautiful colours, the air is clean and crisp and All Hallows' Eve is almost upon us. I'd like to think of Hallowe'en as a a great time for children, why not celebrate it with a party, and this fun pumpkin cake as the centre piece. I bought the baking pan in Aldi, at the start of October, there was the choice of this or a skeleton's head, I decided on this one, although I think that next year, a bloody, decapitated skull cake will be on the top of the party food list!!

Hallowe'en Apple Pops

These easy party apple pops are an alternative to the traditional toffee apples. I love to dot these around the party table, the surprise on the children's faces when they realise that it's apple (or pear if you prefer) is priceless. It's hasn't stopped anyone yet eating the lot and begging for more!

Spooky Ice Cream in Chocolate Bowls

Boooo! These are frighteningly tasty (sorry!), what's not to like, creamy ice cream and chocolate! Well they certainly go down a treat in this house, with children and adults. I usually make them in advance which makes them the perfect party food. Older children could easily make these, perhaps they might need some help melting the chocolate.

Hallowe'en Severed Finger Cookies 

These are delicious, light and crisp. I have been making these for years now and they always mean the start of Hallowe'en in this house. They are a perfect activity of children, as the dough won't get tough even as it's shaped and reshaped. My son also loves to make skulls from the dough, marking out the eyes and mouth with small chocolate chips. Tasty and scary!!!

Spooky Ice Cream Ghosts in Chocolate Bowls

 

Boooo! These are frighteningly tasty (sorry!), what's not to like, creamy ice cream and chocolate! Well they certainly go down a treat in this house, with children and adults. I usually make them in advance which makes them the perfect party food. Older children could easily make these, perhaps they might need some help melting the chocolate. Happy Hallowe'en!!

Nigella's No Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream

Pomegranate's are divisive in our house, Andrew and I love them, taking ages ferreting out the juicy seeds, however my husband and daughter don't enjoy this particular experience at all, this recipe unites both sides of the divide. My Daughter has no idea that this is made with pomegranate juice, if so she wouldn't eat it, so to her it's the "pretty pink ice-cream" and it tastes too good not to have a least one bowl!!

I love all no churn ice cream because they're really simple and no different from the machine made stuff. This is smooth and sweet well worth trying. It is so easy to make that this post has more pictures than words!!

*Recipe complements of Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 Pomegranates
1 Lime
175g Icing Sugar
500ml Double Cream ( I used two 284ml cartons Elmea Double Cream, so my ice cream is slightly paler)

Method
Juice the pomegranates and the lime and strain the juices into a bowl (very satisfying work this!).

Add the icing sugar and whisk to dissolve.

Whisk in the double cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form in the pale pink cream.

This is a perfect recipe for little helpers!!

Spoon and smooth the ice cream into the air tight container of your choice and freeze for at lease 4 hours, or overnight (I used an air tight 1.5ltr tub with a lid).

Scatter with some pomegranate seeds before you eat it.