Tag: Gelato

Desserts

Chocolate Ice-Cream with Raspberries

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chocolate_icecream2-1Chocolate ice cream is always great and if you make it with a good chocolate it will be fantastic.
I used Valrhona Guanaja 70 % chocolate that you can buy in 200 g bars for cooking with. The chocolate taste fantastic and melts beautifully into the Creme Anglaise, creating a silky smooth ice cream without any graininess.

I recently started using Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs. They are fantastic eggs with a deep yellow orange yolk.

This makes enough for about 2-3 persons.

Ingredients for the chocolate ice cream:
100 g chocolate (50 – 70 %), finely chopped
70 g caster sugar
3 medium egg yolks
150 ml double cream
150 ml whole milk

Preparing the chocolate ice cream:
Bring the cream, milk and 46 g of the sugar slowly to the boil in preferably a non stick pot while stirring occasionally. At the same time, whisk together the egg yolks and 24 g of the sugar in a glass bowl until it reaches light ribbon consistency.

Temper the yolk mixture by slowly poring over the warm milk mixture while whisking vigorously, when the first bit of milk is incorporated you can poor a bit quicker. A bit like making a mayonnaise.

You have to go slow at the beginning so that you don’t scramble the eggs.

When all the milk is incorporated poor the mixture back into the pot and heat gently over a low to medium heat while stirring with a wooden or silicone spatula. A bit like making a risotto.

When the custard thickens a bit draw a line with your finger through the custard on the spatula. If your finger leaves a line without the custard flowing back together it’s finished. Take it off the heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.

Set a glass or metal bowl into your sink or a bigger bowl and fill the sink with cold water and a few ice cubes. Poor the chocolate custard into the small bowl through a fine meshed sieve or chinois.

Stir occasionally until the custard is cooled down.

Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Ingredients for the raspberries:
300 g raspberries
25 g caster sugar
1 lemon

Preparing the raspberries:
Put the raspberries in a bowl and poor sugar and lemon juice over them. With a light hand, toss together the raspberries with the sugar and lemon juice.

Leave to macerate for 30 minutes in room temperature. This will boost the flavor of the raspberries.

Desserts

Raspberry Sorbet

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This is a wonderful and incredibly fruity sorbet, especially when raspberries are in season.

Ingredients for the raspberry sorbet:
600 g raspberries
100 g caster sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from about half a lemon

Preparing the raspberry sorbet:
Wash the raspberries. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and lemon juice, mixing as you go so all the raspberries are covered by sugar and lemon juice.
Set aside to macerate for 30 minutes at room temperature (this will boost the flavor of the raspberries).
Puree the macerated raspberries in a blender. Push the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl to get rid of the seeds.
Pour the raspberry puree into your ice-cream machine and churn for 20-30 minutes until frozen.

Desserts

Blackberry-Lime Sorbet

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Very nice fruity sorbet. The lime juice adds a nice touch besides the blackberries.

Ingredients for the blackberry-lime sorbet:
450 g blackberries
1 leaf of gelatine
150 g caster sugar
180 ml water
180 ml freshly squeezed lime juice (about 9 limes)

Preparing the blackberry-lime sorbet:
Heat the sugar and the water to create a syrup. When the sugar is completely dissolved in the water take it off the heat. Bloom the leaf of gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes then drop it into the syrup and stir until it dissolves. Let the syrup and gelatine mixture cool to room temperature.
Puree the blackberries in a blender and then pass them through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds. Mix in the syrup and gelatine mixture with the blackberry puree then add the lime juice.
Chill the mixture thoroughly (I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes) and then churn in your ice cream maker according to the instructions.

Desserts

Kiwifruit Sorbet

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This was a great tasting sorbet. The taste is a bit unusual but very refreshing and interesting. The crushed seeds from the kiwifruits adds an additional texture to the sorbet.

Ingredients for the kiwifruit sorbet:
1 kg of kiwifruits (10 to 15 kiwifruits)
1 leaf of gelatine
150 g caster sugar
330 ml water
1 lemon (optional)

Preparing the kiwifruit sorbet:
Start by preparing the kiwifruits (this will take a bit of time…). The easiest way is to half them, then peel them with a paring knife and then removing the tough end bit and the woody bit in the middle of the fruit. Quarter the halves and put them in a blender.
Meanwhile heat the sugar and the water to create a syrup. When the sugar is completely dissolved in the water take it off the heat. Bloom the leaf of gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes then drop it into the syrup and stir until it dissolves. Let the syrup and gelatine mixture cool to room temperature.
Blend the kiwifruits until you end up with a puree. You should have about 500 ml of fruit puree after blending. Add the syrup and blend some more. Add some lemon juice if you think it needs more acidity.
Freeze in ice cream maker according to your ice cream makers instructions (probably around 30-45 minutes).

Desserts

Lemon Thyme Sorbet

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Being a big fan of lemon thyme I wanted to incorporate it into a sorbet.
This is basically the recipe I use for lemon sorbet but with lemon thyme infused into the simple syrup.
The lemon thyme adds an interesting herbal note which works well with the lemon. Use as much lemon thyme as you want, I would suggest a handful or so.

Ingredients for the lemon thyme sorbet:
1 leaf of gelatine
150 ml caster sugar
100 ml water
100 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 small lemons, I used a little bit more than 100 ml since I don’t like my lemon sorbet too sweet)
100 ml whole milk
Lemon thyme, a handful or so

Preparing the lemon thyme sorbet:
Put the leaf of gelatine in a bowl with cold water and let it soak for 5 minutes. Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil, when it reaches boiling point turn of the heat. Add the lemon thyme twigs and let them infuse the syrup for 10 minutes or so.
Add the gelatin leaf to the syrup and stir until it’s melted.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature (don’t make it go cold since it will set).
Add the lemon juice and milk and mix properly.
Pass the mixture through a sieve into a clean glass jug, discard the lemon thyme twigs.
Freeze in ice cream maker according to your ice cream makers instructions (probably around 30-45 minutes).

Desserts

Lemon Sorbet

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I got an ice cream maker at Christmas so I have slowly been experimenting with ice creams and sorbets when time permits. My first attempt was a rose-raspberry sorbet. It was alright but not spectacular. I will retry it in the summer as I suspect it could work nicely after a barbeque. My second attempt was lemon sorbet. I was making a pasta sauce (spicy meatballs and tomato) so I thought a lemon sorbet would be a great dessert and tie in nicely with the pasta.

This is my favorite recipe for lemon sorbet, the addition of gelatin makes the sorbet a bit less icy and more smooth. The addition of milk makes it a touch more creamy again and gives it a nice snowy white color. I reckon it makes about 600 ml or so, should be enough for about four people.

Ingredients for the lemon sorbet:
1 leaf of gelatine
150 ml caster sugar
100 ml water
100 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 small lemons, I used a little bit more than 100 ml since I don’t like my lemon sorbet too sweet)
100 ml whole milk

Preparing the lemon sorbet:
Put the leaf of gelatine in a bowl with cold water and let it soak for 5 minutes. Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil, when it reaches boiling point turn of the heat.
Add the gelatin leaf to the syrup and stir until it’s melted.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature (don’t make it go cold since it will set).
Add the lemon juice and milk and mix properly.
Freeze in ice cream maker according to your ice cream makers instructions (probably around 30-45 minutes).