Caramel Ice-Cream (Egg- and Wheat Free)

I decided this week I would try my hand at a few different ice-cream flavours, just to see how much abuse the tried and trusted condensed milk and cream formula could actually take. I made three batches of ice-cream, each with a different flavour, using the same basic formula but substituting things and seeing what would happen. Each batch was quite a success!

The first recipe I'm sharing with you is the caramel one I made. This ice-cream was a tad soft, but I know that next time I make it to reduce the amount of syrup; I have amended the recipe and shared it with you here.

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

CONTAINS
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products


INGREDIMENTS

• 8 fluid ounces (225 millilitres) whipping cream, 35%-40% fat content
• 3 fluid ounces (90 millilitres) condensed milk
• 4 teaspoons (20 millilitres) soft dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Pinch of salt

HOW-TO

• In a large mixing bowl, pour the condensed milk. Add the sugar, golden syrup, vanilla essence and salt and mix well. 
• Pour in the cream, while stirring, then stir until it is all combined.
• Using an electric hand mixer, whisk until it is light and a soft-peak consistency. You want to to look and feel like a mousse, basically.
• Pour into a 2 pint (560 millilitre, 2½ US cup) pudding mould with a lid (or you can use a loaf tin and cover with cling film) and smooth out the surface. Cover and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.
• Allow to temper for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve as a sundae with syrups, sprinkles and other nice things, on its own, or with cake.

NOTE

• You could also use maple syrup and mix in some chopped pecans for a nice American style maple pecan ice cream.

In the photos, it's quite a pale brown colour because I used light brown sugar. But, for a more caramelly, fudgy flavour, use dark brown; trust me.

Coffee and Walnut Gâteau (Wheat Free)

It was my brother's birthday last week, and as such it was time for a much requested favourite of his: Coffee and Walnut Gateau!

This is one of those old stalwarts of the home cooking repertoire: the coffee and walnut gateau! Technically this is not a gateau, as gateaux are cakes that use fresh cream, chocolate and fruits for filling and decoration, but this has always been known as a coffee and walnut gateau. The corner shop next to my estate, which sadly closed down after nearly 40 years of business last week, made an absolutely delicious rendition of this classic.

There's a lot of making in this cake, but trust me: it's totally worth the whole few hours/overnight wait!

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

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

INGREDIMENTS:

For two 8 or 9  inch (20 or 23 centimeter) round sandwich cakes

• 7 ounces (200 grammes) spelt flour
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) cornflour
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) ground coffee
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) soft brown sugar
• 5 ounces (140 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) sunflower oil
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) butter or block margarine
• 5 to 7 tablespoons (75 to 105 millilitres) warm coffee

For filling, crumb coat and icing:

• 6 ounces (170 grammes) butter or block margarine, softened to room temperature
• 1 pound (450 grammes) icing sugar, sieved
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons milk or water, or more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For chocolate and walnut decoration:

• 3 ounces (85 grammes) white chocolate
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) milk or dark chocolate
• 1 fluid ounce (30 millilitres) sunflower oil
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) finely chopped walnuts
• 20 whole walnut halves

HOW-TO:

First, prepare the cakes:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate).
• Prepare the cake mixture as per the basic sponge recipe, and pour into two greased and floured 9 inch (23 centimeter) cake tins. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until ready. Allow to cool completely in tins.
• Once cold, cut each cake in half horizontally, and cut the domes off both cakes. Decide how you will assemble the layers, making sure the bottom layer of one cake, bottom side up, is on the top of the pile.

Then, fill and crumb coat the cake:

• Cut a circle of card that's the same size as the bottom of the cake.
• Make the coffee buttercream icing following this recipe 
• Smear a little buttercream on the card circle and stick the bottom layer of cake to it.
• Spread the bottom and middle two layers with half of the filling. Assemble the layers and chill for about half an hour.
• Once chilled, use some of the remaining half of the icing to spread the top and sides with a thin layer of icing to lock in the crumbs. Chill for at least an hour. Use the last of the icing to ice the sides of the cake and make a little dam around the edge of the cake's top; leave a little for attaching the walnuts later.
• Press the chopped nuts into the sides of the cake.

Next, prepare the chocolate glaze:

• In a microwave suitable bowl, heat the white chocolate and 4½ teaspoons (22 millilitres) of the oil in 30 seconds bursts until melted and smooth
• Heat the milk chocolate and remaining 1½ teaspoons (8 millilitres) sunflower oil the same way until smooth.
• Pour the white chocolate glaze atop the cake and spread it out to the dam, making sure it doesn't spill over the edges of the cake.
• Make lines of milk chocolate glaze on top of the white chocolate and marble with a cocktail stick as in the picture.
• Leave to set in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Assemble the masterpiece:

• Once the chocolate marble glaze has set, spread a little buttercream on the underside of each walnut half and arrange them in a ring around the top of the cake.

I'm quite proud of this cake and how it turned out! Especially the marbling: I used a double feathering technique that makes it look swirly...

No-Churn, No-Cook, Practically No-Effort Chocolate Ice-Cream (That's as good as Ben & Jerry's)

Yes, I promised it to some Facebookers and so I shall deliver a recipe for no-churn, no-machine, no-pulling-out-of-the-freezer-every-two-hours-to-mix, no-custard, no-cook, little-effort chocolate ice-cream that is soft and rich with no ice crystals!

I thought seeing as Valentine's day is around the corner it's time to begin the chocolate recipe fest! Also, this recipe will be updated with a video once I have edited it, so stay tuned!

This ice-cream is rich, chocolatey, and completely customisable, made mainly from two ingredients with anything else you want to add for frills. The great thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are cheap enough, it only uses one mixing bowl, and you just bung it in the freezer for 4 to 6 hours without having to do anything to it while it freezes.

Ice-cream that tastes as nice as the leading luxury brand for cheap, minimum effort and hardly any washing up. Every woman's dream I would have thought, except having to wait around for it to freeze. But you could always make it before you head to work so it'll be ready for your return...




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

CONTAINS
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products
☒ Cocoa (yes, I thought I'd contain it because I was allergic to cocoa for a time)


INGREDIMENTS

• 8 fluid ounces (225 millilitres, 1 US cup) whipping cream, 35%-40% fat content
• 6 fluid ounces (170 millilitres, ¾ US cup) condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons (45 millilitres) cocoa powder (see notes below)
• Pinch of salt
• Optional a
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) espresso powder

HOW-TO

• In a large mixing bowl, pour the condensed milk. Add the cocoa powder and salt and mix well. 
• If you like, you can also add the cinnamon and espresso powder for added taste interest. You can leave it out if you prefer.
• Pour in the cream, while stirring, then stir until it is all combined.
• Using an electric hand mixer, whisk until it is light and a soft-peak consistency. You want to to look and feel like chocolate mousse, basically.
• Pour into a 2 pint (560 millilitre, 2½ US cup) pudding mould with a lid (or you can use a loaf tin and cover with cling film) and smooth out the surface. Cover and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.
• Allow to temper for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve as a sundae with syrups, sprinkles and other nice things, on its own, or with cake.

NOTES

• You can adjust the amount of cocoa powder to your liking, but always have at least 3 tablespoons and no more than 7 tablespoons (105 millilitres, two-fifths US cup)
• If cocoa powder is too rich and dark for you, you could use drinking chocolate powder, or a combination.
• Before freezing, you can gently fold in sweets or sprinkles. You could also gently marble in some syrup.

The idea of making ice-cream by mixing whipping cream and condensed milk together is quite common. Every single brand of condensed milk with have a version of the recipe on their website, Nigella Lawson uses this technique to make coffee ice-cream and pomegranate ice-cream, and every food blogger ever has had their own twist on it. But I like to think that I've found the best ratio of milk to cream for the softest, least icy and most luxurious ice-cream ever. Don't quote me on that, mind.

This makes about 1½ pints (850 millilitres, 3½ US cups) of ice-cream, which is enough to feed about 6 people with a sensible scoop or two, 4 people with a generous scoop or three, or one woman recently bereaved of her romantic partner/suffering with her time of the month... so gentlemen if you want to keep her quiet when she's in pain just make her a batch of this. She will love you forever, if that's what you want of course.

The ingredients to make this amount of ice-cream is roughly €3. So, to put it in understandable terms, a tub of Ben and Jerry's costs around €6.50: for half of the price, you can make almost twice as much yourself... which in the long run makes it quarter of the price. You know it makes sense!

Ginger Ale (No Brewing Required)

TADA!! Homemade ginger ale! And they said I couldn't do it.... they didn't actually, but I wanted some drama in that sentence.

 Ginger ale: one of my life's longest abiding pleasures. Many a time has a glass of ginger ale accompanied me on a winter night, a Christmas celebration, or sat beside me on the bedside table when I was ill or tired. Ever since I was very little, I can remember my dad buying me a bottle of Schwepps ginger ale whenever I asked for one as one of his little indulgences for me, and he still does even though I'm all grown up.

In my teens, Tesco made a Tesco Finest Jamaican Ginger Root Ale, that was the most beautiful version of the drink I've ever tasted: it was really full of flavour, not too sweet, and was so spicy that the edges of my lips with burn and tingle a bit. I only was it one Christmas when I was around 14, and never since; the closest I've come to tasting it again was when my friend from Roscommon bought a four-pack of Australian Bundaburg ginger ales in brown bottles.

I find it hard nowadays to find a ginger ale that's not sticky sweet, but has freshness and depth of flavour. The Schwepps stuff is nice and chuggable, but it's not the most fulfilling of ginger ale experiences one could have.

So, about three years ago I tried making ginger ale by brewing and it was horrible. I remember for the laugh my boyfriend at the time shaking it up until it was rock solid from the pressure of the bubbles and lamping it against a wall: the explosion was quite spectacular!

It was only when I saw a video of 'How to Make Ginger Ale' online that I considered making it as a cordial to be diluted with sparkling water... which is a genius idea. I thank the man on Youtube who inspired me to take his recipe and fiddle with it to my taste.

INGREDIMENTS
Makes 1 pint (560 millilitres) of cordial, which can ideally make about 5 pints (2.8 litres) of finished ginger ale

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin pieces
• 10 ounces (300 grammes) sugar or 7½ ounces (210 grammes) clear honey
• 1 medium lemon, washed
• Pinch of salt
• 1 3/4 pints water
• Optional: 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• Optional: 1 cinnamon stick

HOW-TO

• Using a paring knife, carefully peel the rind off the lemon in strips, making sure to peel off only the yellow part and not the white part.
• Place the peeled rind, along with the ginger root, sugar (or honey) and salt into a large saucepan. If you want even more spice and aromatic goodness, add the chilli flakes and cinnamon stick; I like my ginger ale so spicy it tingles my lips.
• Pour in the water, stir it all up until it's evenly combined, then heat over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved and it comes to boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for an hour to allow the spices to release their goodness into the syrup.
• Uncover and boil rapidly for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. You should end up with about a pint (560 millilitres) of cordial.
• Strain the mixture into a jug through a large sieve. To catch every single bit of chilli flake, sediment and whatever, you can line the sieve with a clean handkerchief. 
• You can keep the ginger pieces and lemon peel if you like to crystallise later, or you can compost them. If the cinnamon stick has any bit of aroma left, you can wash it, dry it, and reuse it.
• Allow the cordial to cool to room temperature. Once cool, squeeze the lemon juice into the jug through a sieve to catch all the seeds and bits. Give it a mix, then chill until cold.
• Serve diluted with fizzy water (and ice cubes, if you like). The best ratio is 1 part cordial to 4 parts water. You could also serve diluted with hot water for a warming treat when you're feeling under the weather.

This ginger ale is very fiery and fresh! If you don't want it as spicy, you can adjust the simmering while covered time.

Oatie Biscuits (Wheat Free)

First recipe of 2014! Here's something nice and simple with only 4 ingredients, without frills.

 (I apologise for the inferior picture quality: 

I should never take photos in my kitchen after dark)

I made these today for my college classmates for two reasons: a) I always bake something for my college classmates, and b) I used all my flour last night in a vegan pancake recipe experiment. The pancakes were quite nice, but not worth wasting all that flour on.

Having said that, I am quite glad that I made these little flapjacky biscuity Hobnobby things as they went down a real treat and were right tasty. A woman in my class asked if I could upload the recipe for her so she could make these with her children.

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

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

INGREDIMENTS:

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter or block margarine
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) brown sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) golden syrup
• 8 ounces (225 grammes) porridge oats (NOT Jumbo oats)
• Optional: 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• Optional: 1½ ounces (40 grammes) dried fruit or chopped nuts

HOW TO

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate). Line one or two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
• In saucepan, heat together the butter, sugar and syrup until fully melted and combined.
• Stir in the oats and fruit or nuts, if using, until every oat is coated. It should be a nice thick dough.
• Take tablespoonfuls and roll into balls, placing in the tray 2 inches (5 centimetres) apart to allow for spreading. Flatten each one slightly with a wet fork.
• Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until they become flat little wafery biscuits that are golden around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and pull the baking paper, with the biscuits still attached, onto the work surface. This will cool them down quicker.
• Slide each biscuit off with a palette knife and cool on a wire rack.

VARIATION: You could replace the golden syrup with honey or maple syrup for a more interesting flavour.

HAPPEE 2014!!

HAPPEE NEW YEEEAAARRR!!!

I know it's been about a month since my last post, for which I sincerely apologise. The end of 2013 and the start of 2014 have been exceptionally busy times for me: I started a new job, left it because I was promoted from voluntary youth worker to paid youth worker in my church, was offered a second job as a music tutor, played a bunch of gigs, had Christmas, went to a bunch of parties and gatherings, and am now in the fray of getting the most gigs we've ever had in the space of a month and organising some cultural events for our outreach centre.

Busy, busy time.

But, I'm back and I'm bad! This year I'm going to be blogging AND making some cooking videos, designed to explain to people that living on a free-from diet can be cheaper and healthier than buying the stuff from the shops, and that it can be more fun and creative when done from scratch.

Wow, I'm very impressed with myself: I've been trying to write a slogan for my channel for days now...

Here ends my ramblings =)