Choc Malt Tim Tam Ice Cream Bombe

A good husband has to get his wife her crave in the middle of the night at least once during a pregnancy. Not pickle and peanut butter sandwiches. Chips smothered in jam? What's the weirdest pregnancy craving you've ever heard of or had? Those hormones do some crazy things to you. As if it isn't bad enough getting up every hour to go to the loo, or having to getting teary over spilled milk, you occasionally have to wake up wanting some bizarre edible (or non edible) in the dead of night.
He's a good man. Better than life itself.
And who doesn't crave Tim Tams in the middle of the night--seriously?

"Mummy's made an ice cream bombe, and it's going to explode on your taste buds!"

"Nooo! That doesn't sound good..."

Here I am now feeling super sorry for all those of you who do not live in a place like Australia where Tim Tams can be found in every grocery store. You really are poor unfortunates and what ever do you do when you have a Tim Tam craving? Now that's a question I would like answered!

CHOC MALT TIM TAM ICE CREAM BOMBE (Adapted from Not Quite Nigella)

600ml cream
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup Milo powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 packet Tim Tams
3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

Place the cream, sifted icing sugar and vanilla essence into a large bowl. Whip until soft peaks form, then evenly divide the contents into two bowls. Set one bowl aside, and in the other add Milo and cocoa powder. Whip to thoroughly combine.
Take a mold such as a bowl that is approximately of 5 cup capacity. Smooth the chocolate mixture into the base and sides of the bowl to coat evenly. Spoon quarter of the vanilla mixture into the middle. Break up 3/4 of the Tim Tams and layer with the vanilla cream, a quarter of the mixture at a time. Cover the top with foil or cling wrap and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight. Reserve the remaining 1/4 of the Tim Tams for decorating the top of the bomb at a later stage.
To remove the bombe from the mold when frozen, prepare a large bowl with enough boiling water in it that it comes to the rim of the mold when submerged (be careful not to let the water come over the top of the rim and spoil the ice cream!) Let the mold sit in the hot water long enough to soften the edges slightly, then remove from the water. You may like to use a smooth knife to help ease the bomb up from the edges of the mold, before turning it upside down on the serving platter. Gently ease the bomb out. Smooth away any scrapes that may have occurred on the bombe's surface with a hot knife. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the bombe and top with the remaining crushed Tim Tams. Return to the freezer or serve.

Serves approximately 6-8

NOTES: If you have an ice cream maker, before smoothing the chocolate cream into the mold, place it in the machine for a few minutes to churn and semi freeze. Then spread into the mold. This makes for a lovely moussy layer when cut. You can also do the same with the vanilla layer, giving the whole bombe a better end result texture.

The cream is whipped into soft peaks, then divided into two bowls. To make the malt flavoured ice cream, milo powder and cocoa is added and beaten, then smoothed into the ice cream mold. The vanilla mix is then layered with the broken tim tams to form the centre of the bomb.

After freezing, the mold is removed from the freezer and unwrapped. It is put into a bowl of hot water to soften the edged, then gently removed with the help of a knife, and turned out onto the serving platter. A smear of hot chocolate is poured onto the top before serving.

Lemon & Lime Basil Sorbet

 Truth be told, when the idea came up of making a palate cleanser as one of the courses for our Gourmet Garden dinner party, I wasn't sure where to position it in the order of things. I decided to place it at the end of the main meals, and to wean everyone of all  things savory before dessert was served (as the dessert to me, of course, is the be all and end all). I love my sweets. Any wonder I couldn't go on the herb blog-off without incorporating sweets into the deal?
My mother in law found this delightful and refreshing recipe in her ice cream maker cookbook. I adapted it a bit, as I ran out of lemons (where is a lemon tree when you need one? Oh wait. That's right, I kill everything I try to grow.) I used the few limes to make up the rest of the lemon juice required, so now it's citrus and basil sorbet instead of lemon basil sorbet. Which reminds me, lemon basil is incredible...If you ever happen to get your hands on some, its beautiful in both sweet and savory dishes. Don't ask what happened to my lemon basil plant, please.
You will love how refreshing this sorbet is and how wonderfully the fresh citrus flavours intermingle with the basil. Did I mention basil is my favourite herb? I cut some from the garden (practically the only leaves that had not become inhabited by my creepy crawly fiends) to garnish, and the smell lingered in the house for hours. So refreshing!

Course 4:

LEMON & LIME BASIL SORBET (Adapted from Cuisinart ice cream recipe book/manual)

3 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. Gourmet Garden Basil paste
 pinch salt
2 1/2 cups lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

Place the water, sugar and zest in a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the flame and set aside to steep for half an hour. Add the citrus juice and strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the remnants caught in the sieve.
Set the juice aside in the refrigerator over night, or for 3 hours at least.
Pour mixture into the frozen ice cream bowl and follow the instructions for your ice cream maker. The sorbet should churn for about 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Freezing for 2 or more hours will give a firmer consistency if desired. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving to thaw.
Makes 8-10 cups

NOTES: You can substitute the basil paste for 1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves. Lime juice is also optional. 3 cups of lemon juice is just as good!

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"