Rich Banana Ice Cream

I know I've said it before, but one of the perks of living in a sub tropical climate is the abundance of delicious fruit. Bananas, mango, papaya, and many more simply thrive up here in Queensland, so there's almost always one of the three in the house. The smell of mangoes is especially divine, and I add that delightful fruit to my next batch of ice cream. If you haven't noticed, we're having a bit of an ice cream marathon in this house. Don't worry, the baked goods will be back in full force soon, with the winter weather on the way. Not that it will stop me from indulging in a little ice cream here and there, but I must say I am looking forward to the house being cool enough to be able to have the oven on without discomfort! Bring on the fresh bread, cakes and pies! I am sure they will take my addiction off ice cream momentarily.
However, I think we've hit upon another favourite ice cream recipe in this house. My husband and I think it's on a par with the last batch of  Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream we made, which I never thought any other ice cream would compare to in richness, texture and flavour.
I was a little skeptical to be honest, and so you can imagine my surprise when I tasted this rich, creamy smooth banana ice cream...it is decadent! Who ever thought banana could be so good? I must apologise about the pictures though. The severe melting is due to being called away while photographing, and ending up with it all looking a little softer than it should. Melted or not, it's delicious!

RICH BANANA ICE CREAM (adapted from Mistral Igloo Ice Cream maker manual)

3 medium bananas, ripe and mashed
1 egg white
1/2 cup caster sugar
250ml cream
pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Beat the egg white until light and fluffy. Add a little of the sugar at the end of the mixing process. In a medium bowl, mash bananas. Add the remaining sugar, cream, salt and lemon juice and mix to combine. Gently fold in the egg white mixture. Refrigerate overnight, before placing in the canister to churn and freeze.

Makes about 800ml, depending on banana size

Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream

I know ice cream is meant to be creamy, hence the name, but sometimes it's so rich and super creamy you just have to add the extra adjective. My new ice cream maker has been working over time, and we recently hit upon an instant favourite. Don't worry, we're not living off ice cream. I have quite a small ice cream maker that only makes about 800ml maximum at a time, so we're able to try out lots of different flavours without the need to consume massive amounts. Sadly I didn't get the best pictures of the ice cream (someone remind me to buy an ice cream scoop!) But you can take my word for it, once it softened a little, it was so smooth and creamy and the texture was silky.
After I had made it, I heard the Home Ice Cream delivery van going past and I heard myself giving a wickedly insane chuckle. I never have to buy from them again (their ice cream is delicious though.) Do yourself a favour and go and buy an ice cream maker instead! So much fun to be had.

CREAMY CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM (Adapted from the Minstral Igloo Ice Cream Maker manual) 

120g chocolate chips
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 egg yolks
500ml cream

Add cream, chocolate and sugar in a small saucepan, and place over a low heat until the chocolate melts. Add the egg yolks and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight. Pour into ice cream maker canister and allow to churn and freeze.

Makes approximately 500ml

Calling the Universe to give me Homemade Icecream

My hubby and I often have a good laugh when something we have long wanted unexpectedly appears out of the blue. I know a lot of people believe in calling to the universe for their wants and expecting it to magically appear aka "The Secret". Yes, I read the book with an open mind, but I have a feeling there was something that went unmentioned in the book, hence we have a laugh in reference to it now and then in this house.
You can't simply want something, ask the universe and expect the universe to simply hand it to you. You have to do something about it too. You can want a million dollars with all your might, but if you don't do anything about it, how is that magically going to just appear in your bank account? (even if you win the lotto, you have to buy the ticket first!)
Anyway, I'm all for wanting something so much that your mind is set on getting it, regardless of the cost. Your every action is made with the view of achieving your goal, and yes, you may just get there if you keep at it!
Well, anyway, I've been wanting an ice cream maker for a long time. We found a beautiful model, and bought it as a gift for my hubby's cousin. We bought another for my mother in law.

The jealousy was rising. 

Then hubby told me he was going to buy one for my birthday, and I started to get excited in anticipation. I started collecting recipes, drooling over pictures of home made ice cream, and waiting for May with such a longing.
Bing!
The universe heard my plea *cackle*
My husband brought one home yesterday. A darling relative had overhead me discussing the gift we bought for hubby's cousin, and had one at home she never used! So she passed it on to me, and here you have it, the result I have been longing for for months. Home made ice cream, and I am never buying it from the store again. Do I care that it's almost winter in Australia?
No.

And yes it's in an ash tray (never used of course) It just looked so right at the time...hehe...

LEMON CURD ICE CREAM WITH LEMONCELLO (Adapted from Taste.com.au )

1/3 cup caster sugar
150ml water
3 egg yolks
600ml thickened cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
400g lemon curd (see recipe below)
Lemoncello liqueur to drizzle

Over a low heat, combine the sugar with 150ml of water in a small saucepan. Once dissolved, simmer on a medium heat for 3 minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg yolks for a minute until frothy. With the beater still running, add the sugar syrup and combine thoroughly, until cool.
In a separate bowl, place the cream and vanilla. Whip until soft peaks form. Gently fold in yolk mixture. Gently fold in curd.
Follow the manufacturers instructions on your ice cream machine to turn and freeze the ice cream. It is recommended that the ice cream mixture is left aside overnight for optimum results, before processing with your ice cream machine.
Thaw a little before serving, with a splash of lemoncello for delicious adult decadence.

NOTES: My ice cream machine instructions note that the ice cream in the manual is best eaten within a week. I assume this is recommended for most home made ice creams. This ice cream may not be suitable for pregnant women, as it contains raw egg. You can buy lemon curd from the store, however, I highly recommend making your own with freshly squeezed lemons, as this gives the best flavour. The recipe below is my favourite lemon curd recipe. It makes more than necessary for this recipe however, so be prepared to enjoy the leftovers on your toast in the morning! (i like to smear it on a warm croissant...a wonderful way to enjoy lemon curd! For other ideas on how to use your left over lemon curd and egg whites, click here)

Makes 1 litre

LEMON CURD

1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup (125ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups water
3 egg yolks
60g butter

Combine the sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the lemon juice and water while stirring continuously until mixture is smooth. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add the egg yolks and butter. Continue stirring until the butter has melted and mixture is well combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

NOTES: use fresh lemon juice for optimum flavour. If you use store bought lemon juice, increase the quantity, otherwise your curd may taste "eggy"

Tim Tam Brownies

Possibly one of the most wicked brownies in existence. The Tim Tam brownie.

What exactly is a tim tam? You may wonder what this chocolate coated goodness is that I speak of.

Tim Tams are possibly one of the most wicked things that finds its way into my pantry. Trust me, a packet of those babies doesn't stay there long. They're compiled of two layers of chocolate biscuit wedged with a chocolate cream and then coated, or double coated in an outer layer of chocolate. Add brownie to that mix and you're in for a death by chocolate treat. 

Moist chocolate brownie, chocolate, chocolate malt biscuit, light chocolate cream, chocolate malt biscuit, chocolate, and moist chocolate brownie again. 

Add some ice cream for a quick dessert!

But wait, it gets better. Tim Tams come in all different flavours, as well as white, dark, milk and double coated varieties. Find yourself trying to decide between choc mint tim tams, caramel, rum and raisin, cookies and cream, black forest, (and the list goes on). It's a near impossible task to decide! So mix it up and make your choice of flavoured Tim tam Brownie! You wont regret it (but your waistline might)

TIM TAM BROWNIE

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 packet tim tam biscuits

Preheat your oven to 190C.
Melt butter and remove from heat. Stir through the cocoa and brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Next, blend in the flour and salt. Spoon a thin layer of batter into a lined dish. Arrange the tim tam biscuits on the top of this batter as desire. Cover the biscuits with the remainder of the mixture and smooth the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, and  when cooled, cut into squares serve with ice cream.

OTHER WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR TIM TAMS:

1.Bite the ends off, and drink your coffee through its deliciousness.

2.Crush up tim tams finely and add enough cream cheese to be able to form balls. Coat in chocolate for decadent truffles.

3. Roughly break up tim tams and swirl through softened vanilla ice cream; refreeze. Tim tam Ice Cream? Yes please!

Cheating Chef--Peppermint Choc Chip Icecream

I don't know how many times I've been silly enough not to re-read through a recipe..and come to the stage where I realise I don't have one of the ingredients! I'm sure a lot of people have been in the same boat, so I just wanted to share a few handy tips for making substitutes so the batter you're half way through making doesn't go to waste!

Replacements for EGGS:

1/4 cup of tofu will replace 1 egg
or 2 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp baking power
or mashed banana
or apple sauce
or a blob of egg mayonnaise


Replacement for SELF RAISING FLOUR:

2 tbsp baking powder mixed into 1 cup plain flour

Replacement for CORNFLOUR or CORNSTARCH:

2 tbsp flour will replace 1 tbsp cornflour
or 2tbsp instant tapioca
or 1 tbsp arrowroot

Replacement for CREAM OF TARTAR:

1/2 tsp lemon juice will replace 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
or 1/2 tsp vinegar


Replacement for SOUR CREAM or BUTTERMILK:

1 cup plain yogurt will replace 1 cup sour cream
or 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice combined with 1 cup milk (stand for 10-15 minutes)


Replacement for SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK:

1 cup instant dry nonfat milk powder, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup boiling water, and 3 tbsp melted butter, processed in food blender until smooth. (Makes same amount as one can)

Replacement for CASTER SUGAR:

1 cup white granulated sugar ground in food processor makes 1 cup of caster sugar.

Replacement for  WHITE VINEGAR:

1/3 cup lemon juice is a good substitute for 1/4 cup white vinegar.

Now here's my cheats recipe for the day:

CHEATS PEPPERMINT CHOC CHIP ICE CREAM

1 litre vanilla ice cream
1 cup mini choc chips
2 tbsp. green food colouring
1-2 tbsp peppermint essence

Remove vanilla ice cream from the freezer and leave to thaw until it begins to go sloppy. Stir through the colouring, choc chips and enough peppermint essence to suit your tastes. Combine thoroughly and return to the freezer until reset.

NOTES: measurements for colouring and flavouring are estimates only. Adjust to your own tastes.

Some other cheats ice cream ideas: 

Run a swirl of your favourite jam through vanilla ice cream for a fancier alternative.
Combine your favourite liqueur with vanilla ice cream. How good does Bailey's Irish Cream ice cream sound?
Rocky road ice cream--mix chopped marshmallows, chocolate, nuts and broken cherry ripe chocolate bars through vanilla ice cream for something a bit different!

Go nuts!

Food for Thought

Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table. The Anarchist Cookbook

The only reason my husband and I recently bought a dining suite was so that we could hold dinner parties. I don't tend to plan them much, but I do like to have an amazing dessert in mind to finish off the night with a sigh...usually teetering on regret at our own gluttony, but mainly out of relief that there is nothing more to come that we cannot resist!
I discovered this recipe a while ago, and as we had the in-laws around last night, I attempted the surprisingly easy Rocky Road Ice-cream Tart. Anyone would think I was trying to butter up my father-in-law. Apparently Rocky Road is another of his favourites!
This recipe easily serves 8 people. Be sure to defrost it for a few minutes before cutting!

 ROCKY ROAD ICE-CREAM TART

1.25 litres vanilla ice-cream
250g plain chocolate biscuits, coarsely broken
125g unsalted butter, melted
250g marshmallows, chopped
100g chocolate buttons
12 funsized Twix chocolate bars or 12 Ferrero Rocher, chopped
100g dark chocolate, chopped
160ml (2/3 cup) pouring cream
60ml  (1/4 cup) Frangelico (optional)

Place ice-cream in a large bowl and refrigerate until softened.

Meanwhile, process broken biscuits in a food processor until resembling fine breadcrumbs.Combine with the melted butter until both ingredients binds.

Gently press this mixture into a 3.5cmx25cm fluted tart tin. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

Remove the ice-cream from refrigerator and fold through the marshmallows and chocolate buttons.

Arrange the broken Twix or Ferrero Rocher over the base of the tart. Pour the ice-cream over the top and smooth, pushing the ice-cream mixture to the edges of the tart. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or until firm.

To make the sauce to top this dessert with, place cream, liqueur (if desired) and chocolate in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes until smooth. Serve warm over tart.