Ice Cream Cones (Wheat Free)

You may have noticed I'm on a real ice cream buzz recently, but I have the kind of mind that once it's set on working something out, nothing gets between me and the pursuit of perfection and my mind become completely enveloped in obsessive trial and error.

However, I think now that I've found the seemingly perfect recipe for no-machine homemade ice cream (recipe pending upload as of today), it was time to put the ice cream creating to rest and find a way to house it, and by house it I mean make cones for the ice cream to go in.

My first attempt at the cones was successful but troublesome.

The recipe was perfect, but the making of them was pretty tricky. In the absence of a waffle iron, I took the lead from several recipes I found online which suggested I cooked each individual cone in a frying pan over medium low heat: this produced fantastic results, but was far too fiddly as the crepe thin waffles were too soft and delicate to flip easily with a household frying spatula.

The cones were soft enough immediately after cooking to form into cones around a mould I'd fashioned out of a paper plate, and once completely cool were nice and crunchy like a cone should be. The finished cones were just as lovely as I'd imagined, but I had to know if there was an easier way to make them.

The answer unfortunately in my case is no.

I decided to try baking them in the oven, cross-referencing several cookery books to find the precise baking time and oven temperature. I cooked them at 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate) for about 15 minutes until golden around the edges, but it was far too soft and fell to pieces when I tried to roll it. I worked out pretty soon that they needed to be cooked on both sides with direct heat, which is why waffle irons are so handy.

So, my third attempt went back to the frying pan. However, this time I cooked them slowly on a medium-low heat for about 3 or 4 minutes, or until they were golden on the pan side and set on the upside, before flipping them and cooking them for a further 4 minutes or so until equally golden on the other side.

This was far more successful, however my rolling technique will have to improve before I burnt my thumb and forefinger off...

FREE FROM
☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten (use ingredients in italics for a gluten-free version)
☒ Dairy (use ingredients in italics for a dairy-free version) 
☒ Eggs
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:
Makes 4 or 5, depending on size

• 1 egg
  
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) melted butter or block margarine
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) vanilla essence
• 1 fluid ounce (30 millilitres) milk or water
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) spelt flour or gluten-free flour mix
• Pinch of salt 

HOW-TO

• Make a cone shape form using half a paper plate or a piece of card. It should be about 6 inches (15 centimetres) long.
• In a  medium size mixing bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla and sugar together with an electric hand mixer on high speed until doubled in volume, pale, fluffy and thick.
• While still whisking, pour in the butter in a thin stream. Mix until incorporated.
• Using a spatula or metal spoon, gently fold in the milk.
• Sieve in the salt and flour and fold in gently.
• Heat a heavy based frying pan or griddle on a medium-low heat. Oil very lightly is it's not a non-stick frying pan.
• Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 millilitres) of mixture onto the frying pan and swirl gently by the handle until it flattens out into a thin disc about 6 inches (15 centimetres) across. Cover the pan with a tight lid, or encircle the crepe with a saucepan lid if using a griddle, and cook gently for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown underneath and set on top.
• Using a pancake flipper or fish slice, gently lift and flip the crepe and cook, covered again, for a further 4 minutes. The cooking times will vary slightly depending on your hob, so please go by what it looks like.
• Put the crepe on a clean tea towel, making sure the prettier side is down, and roll it around the paper cone, squeezing as you go and making sure the bottom is sealed. If it's too hot, you can use the tea towel to help. Make sure to do this step as fast as possible because once it sets you can't unwrap it and start again.
• Hold the cone in shape until it sets, then move onto the next one.
• Allow all the cones to cool completely before serving.

I know there's an obscene amount of photos in this article, but my Lordy was I pleased with myself when I worked this one out!