Peanut and Caramel Ice Cream

Maybe it’s the fact I’m going on holiday next week, or maybe because I’ve been trying on shorts all week, but I am feeling decidedly summery this week, well until I look outside that is. Regardless of whether the rain has dampened your mood this week, I think we can all agree on the fact that ice cream doesn’t really have a season. With that in mind let make some ice cream.

The idea for this recipe came from a recent trip to Rome (a common recent theme here at The Boy Who Bakes) as an attempt to recreate my boyfriends favourite peanut gelato, which was devoured whilst at Fatormorgana, the gelato he genuinely looks wistful about when he talks about it. The gelato definitely wasn’t called peanut butter so whilst I thought about taking the easy route and just adding some to my go-to ice cream base, after talking with my ice cream maker friend Richard, I was dissuaded as ice cream or gelato made with peanut butter is notoriously difficult as it has a tendency to go grainy. So, I stuck with my initial thought of using infusion to get the flavour into the recipe. The resulting ice cream was really close to the original in flavour, a nice hit of peanut in a wonderfully creamy texture. But this is me, I couldn’t simply do a peanut flavour, I had to take it one step further. I had to add caramel. I had to. really I did. I originally thought adding a swirl of caramel sauce but at the last minute remembered David Lebovitz’s idea of adding little nuggets of hard caramel once the ice cream has been churned. When in the freezer the chunks slightly soften and some will liquify leaving these little bites of bitter caramel that really ups the flavour and creates something delightful. 

Peanut and Caramel Ice Cream

Ice Cream Base
700ml whole milk
350ml double cream
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
125g salted peanuts
6 large egg yolks
125g caster sugar

Salted Caramel Pieces
100g caster sugar
large pinch flaked sea salt

To make the ice cream start with the infusion. Place the peanuts into a small, dry, frying pan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until light browned and fragrant. Tip into a bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile place the milk, cream and vanilla into a medium sized saucepan. Tip the peanuts into a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush into smaller pieces then add to the milk mixture. Place the pan on medium heat and bring to a boil. As soon as it reaches temperature, remove from the heat and cover, setting aside to infuse for at least two hours, more if you have the time. 

Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a simmer. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the peanuts. Add the yolks and sugar to a large bowl and whisk until lightened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in the infused milk mixture, whisking as you do to prevent the yolks from cooking. Pour the custard mixture back into the pan and cook on low/medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches between 75-80C or it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove and pour into a clean bowl. At this stage we need to cool the custard down, the most effective way is to set the bowl over an ice bath and stir until it cools. I often simply cover the custard with clingfilm and pop it in the fridge and refrigerate until ready to churn.

Once thoroughly chilled, around 4-5C, use an ice cream machine to churn, following the manufacturers. instructions. Meanwhile add the sugar for the caramel to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until melted and caramelised, to a rich dark brown, almost like an old copper coin. Remember this is being mixed into a sweet ice cream so I take this caramel quite far so it really stands up to the ice cream. Add the salt and swirl to combine. Immediately pour the caramel onto a silicon baking sheet or parchment lined baking tray and spread into a thin layer.  Set aside until the ice cream has almost finished churning. 

Once the ice cream is almost at the desired texture, looking like soft serve ice cream, use the back of a spoon to break up the big piece of caramel into lots of little pieces. Once the ice cream has finished churning, add in the caramel pieces and allow the ice cream machine to run for another minute or two or until mixed in. Scrape the ice cream into a container, I use a loaf pan, cover with a lid or clingfilm and freeze for at least four hours before serving. 

Homemade ice cream is best within a couple weeks, really the first week is the best window to enjoy it, and thankfully this ice cream is scoop able straight from the freezer. 

Make sure you check back next week as I have a recipe to take this ice cream to another level entirely. 

Tiramisu

Can anyone tell me when Tiramisu became passe, a joke of 80’s dinner parties, resigned to the supermarket dessert aisle or chain Italian restaurants? Maybe if that’s the version you’re used to your distaste could be understood but for me tiramisu has never left my group of all time favourite desserts. Coffee and chocolate, a winning combo. Add some booze and a rich mascarpone custard and you’re on to a guaranteed winning dessert. Thats no to say I don’t have my own personal qualms regarding tiramisu, mainly those pesky whisked egg whites. Traditionally when you make the mascarpone custard you fold through whisked egg whites, to lighten the rich custard, to make a mousse like texture. There is nothing wrong per se with this but for me it also lightens the flavour and thats definitely not a good thing.

As the saying goes, when in Rome…eat gelato? Pizza? Pasta? tiramisu! I couldn’t go all the way and not try it at least once, right? On a recent trip I was determined to find a brilliant version, the best, my ultimate, but the truth is I was so hooked on my daily dose of gelato I often had no room for dessert at the end of the day. Whilst waiting a ridiculous one and half hours for dinner at Da Enzo in Travestere (the food is amazing but try and avoid the wait and book) I built up an appetite that was calling out for dessert. They only serve two dishes, both using the same mascarpone custard as their base. Served in tiny shot glasses, they might look a little insignificant but they are so rich, so creamy, there is no way you could eat more than one. The wild strawberry version was the simplest, just the mascarpone custard topped with wild strawberries, little intense nuggets of sweetness. Desserts don’t really get simpler than this but I would happily eat this any time I was in the restaurant. The second version, the tiramisu, must jump to the top of my top five tiramisu list. True, there’s nothing else on the list at the moment but this is a contender for all time favourite none the less. The reason it’s so good is the lack of whipped egg whites, the mascarpone custard is just that, a custard. The yolk based custard is dense and creamy and super concentrated in flavour, to my mind it’s just a better way of making tiramisu. I should also point out that hiding in the tiramisu was also a few little spoonfuls of nutella, yes you heard me right, nutella. Now don’t get me wrong I like Nutella as much as the next guy, and you know I ordered this tiramisu the second time we went to the restaurant, but when I make this at home I leave it out. In an attempt to convince myself that leaving it out makes the dessert a little healthier, I sadly forgo the nutella. Making my version with the added nutella could be a risky move, starting an obsession I’d struggle to break, plus their version certainly didn’t need any help being more rich. No my version is a little more classic but does takes inspiration from the restaurant and the resulting dish is a true delight. Yes its a bit 80’s, yes every dinner party once served it, but you know what? Thats rightly so, it’s a delicious dessert and it deserves to be back on the dining room table. Next time you come to my house for dinner, I might even make it for you.

Before the recipe a quick note on the ingredients. The alcohol traditionally called for is Marsala which is something I don’t regularly have on hand. I went with rum because, a) I have it in the house regularly and b) I think it makes a better pairing with everything else in the dessert. For the sponge fingers I went with the traditional, savoiardi biscuits, but these can be a little tricky to come by if you don’t have a good Italian deli near by. You can also you the French sponge fingers, boudoir, which most UK supermarkets sell but be a little more careful when dipping them in the coffee as they tend to end up a little soggier. 

Tiramisu
Serves 4

200ml espresso (or very strong coffee)
2-4 tbsp rum
3 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
250g mascarpone
85g savoiardi biscuits
Cocoa powder for dusting

To make the tiramisu mix together the espresso and rum in a shallow bowl then set aside whilst you make the custard. Place the yolks, sugar and vanilla into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and using an electric mixer whisk until the yolks are pale and fluffy, not unlike the finished texture of homemade mayonnaise. Remove from the heat and whisk for a couple minutes until cooled. Add in the mascarpone and whisk to combine. 

To assemble break the biscuits into smaller pieces and dip briefly into the coffee mixture. Layer the biscuits into small glasses and gently pack them into a flat layer. Top each one with a couple spoonfuls of the custard and dust with a little cocoa powder.

Repeat the process a second time but finishing with a more liberal dusting of cocoa to create a thin layer. Pop the desserts in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving. The benefit of not whipping the egg whites is the dessert is ready to serve a lot sooner. 

Serve straight from the fridge

Strawberry Granita and Philadelphia Style Vanilla Ice Cream

Since visiting Siciliy earlier in the year I regularly day dream about granita for breakfast, a common Sicilian way to start the day. When you think of the current heatwave we are going through it is totally understandable how a hot morning coffee might not be the most pleasant way to wake up but a cold refreshing espresso granita on the other hand, well that I can get behind. Whilst coffee is one of my go to flavours right now I am favouring bright fruity flavours and right now that means strawberries. I don’t know if our recent summers have had an effect on this years crops but English strawberries are tasting absolutely fantastic at the moment and I am crushing hard (as you can probably tell by my recent crop of recipes) and this recipe is a kind of cross country love letter to strawberries. The granita is Sicilian in style, less icy and more towards a sorbet and the ice cream is of the Philadelphia style so no eggs and minimal effort, it also leads to a cleaner more dairy forward flavour and the yolks don't have a chance to dull the flavour of the vanilla. But the combination of the granita and ice cream cant help but make me think of that classic British treat of strawberries and cream. If you're looking for that easy recipe to make this summer this might be the one. 

Strawberry Granita

450g strawberries, hulled and halved
100g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon (or two limes)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

To make the granita add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss together. Set the bowl aside, allowing the fruit to macerate, for about 30-60 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are sat in a bowl of ruby red strawberry juice. If you wanted a subtle mint flavour at the moment you could also set some mint into the bowl with the berries. 

Using a blender or food processor pulse the berries until smooth, then pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Pour the strawberry puree into a wide container that will fit into the freezer and allow to chill for about 4 hours. Every 30 minutes or so use a fork to break up the ice crystals, until you have a slightly icy, slightly slushy texture. At this point the granita is ready to serve.

Philadelphia Style Ice Cream

250ml double cream
500ml whole milk
2 vanilla bean pods (or vanilla bean paste)
150g caster sugar
4 tbsp milk powder

To make the ice cream add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and gently whisk together, you're not adding air you just want to encourage the milk powder and sugar to dissolve. Once everything is fully incorporated and the sugar has dissolved churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufactures instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream machine there are other ways, similar to the granita method, to make ice cream but the results wont be as good. I am a big fan of homemade ice cream and the small investment needed for the equipment will absolutely pay off over a summer (especially as basic models can be very cheap these days and generally do a decent job).

When the ice cream has the texture of soft serve scoop it into a suitable container, I use a loaf tin, and place into the freezer for about 4 hours or until firm but scoop-able. Bear in mind that Philadelphia style ice cream will not last as long as ones made with a custard so it needs eating within a few days.

To serve scoop some vanilla ice cream into small glasses and top with plenty of granita.

Strawberry Pimms Trifle with Fresh Ginger Custard and Amaretti

This post is sponsored by Pimm's

Let’s be real, it’s so hot in London at the moment that there is no way I want to spend hours and hours in the kitchen baking, this is the time a simple quick dessert is called for. You really can’t get much more British than serving a trifle made with strawberries and Pimm’s, served in the middle of Wimbledon, it’s just a perfect dessert for the season. With the tennis finally underway this is a great dish because it’s made in advance, so if you (like my mum does every year) have friends coming round to watch the finals then this might be the perfect dish to serve to celebrate the winners. For the jelly I have used apple juice as its flavour pairs really well with other things, so in this case without overpowering the Pimm’s. If you want to add another layer of flavour you can also use apple and elderflower juice which is another delightful British summer flavour, that happens to also go wonderfully with Pimm’s. 

Makes 6

Pimm’s Jelly
550ml apple juice
50ml lemon juice
150ml Pimm’s
65g caster sugar
6 sheets gelatine
10 mint leaves
150g strawberries, quartered
2 small oranges, segmented

Fresh Ginger Custard
500ml whole milk
1 thumb sized piece of stem ginger, sliced
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
200g caster sugar
20g cornflour

To Finish
300ml double cream
60g amaretti

To make the jelly, place the gelatine sheets into ice cold water and set aside for 10 minutes.

Place the apple juice, lemon juice, Pimm’s, sugar and mint leaves into a saucepan and place over medium heat and heat until steaming, remove from the heat and remove and discard the mint. Stir in the gelatine until dissolved then set aside until room temperature. Divide the fruit between 6 glasses and pour over the gelatine. Set the jellies into the fridge for a few hours until set. 

Meanwhile make the custard, place the milk into a saucepan with half the sugar and the sliced ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Set aside and infuse for an hour. 

Remove the ginger and place the milk back on the heat and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile place the eggs, yolks, the remaining sugar and cornflour and whisk to combine. Remove the milk from the heat pour over the egg mixture, whisking to combine. Pour the custard back over the heat and whisk constantly until thickened, pour immediately into a bowl and mix in the vanilla. Press a piece of clingfilm onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until the jellies have set. 

To assemble place a few amaretti on top of each jelly and top with custard. Place back into the fridge for at least an hour before serving (this will soften the amaretti, making it more like a traditional trifle texture). To serve top with a little lightly whipped cream, a few extra berries and if you have any of the syrup left from last weeks recipe a little drizzle of that too.