BREAKING NEWS!

Quick update- I've just come back from a very spontaneous session in the kitchen...and...in sticking to homemade gelato goodness, can I just say that if you ever venture down chocolate lane, please add some orange blossom water AND cardamom. It has to be both together, preferably! What wonders it will do to your chocolate gelato (or ice cream, whatever you decide to do!) It will provide a lovely tingle to your tastebuds, the orange blossom water with the cardamom make a beautiful symphony with the chocolate.

I thought this was news worth sharing- give this flavour combination a try next time!

x

Marianna

Recipe for chocolate gelato with orange blossom water & cardamom:

300ml milk

300ml liquid cream
100gr brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
20gr unsweetened cocoa
100gr 70% chocolate, chopped
300ml cold milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a pot, heat 300ml milk with the cream, sugar, orange blossom water and ground cardamom in a pot. Then add the cocoa and baking chocolate, stir and make sure the chocolate has fully melted into the mixture. Just make sure that during this process, the milk and cream doesn't burn. In a cup, mix the cornstarch with 300ml of cold milk- make sure the cornstarch has dissolved completely, then add to the pot and keep mix over heat for two minutes. Remove from heat, chill in fridge for at least two hours before transfering to your ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer's instructions, and enjoy either immediately or place mixture in freezer for a couple of hours.

NOT YOUR USUAL...

...strawberry ice cream that is. Anyone who is a minimum familiar with my blog will notice I am not one for sticking to classics. I guess you could say I'm the anti- vanilla/chocolate/strawberry person (although from time to time a nice scoop of one of those isn't so bad) (oh, and no offense to the vanilla/chocolate/strawberry people...don't want to make myself any enemies out there hehe).

Because of the messed up weather we've had here in Paris, it had been months since I last pulled out the ice cream machine, but I heard it calling my name when we had some nice sunshine the other day (yes my kitchen appliances talk to me from time to time incase you're wondering). And the luxury of having an ice cream machine means you can experiment with flavours- which is indeed what I did this time around. So to inaugurate my ice cream machine for summer of 2010 (i had been waiting for this moment people!!!) I went for a not so common combination of strawberries and...

champagne?

sorry, no

hmm.. ginger?

nope...

vanilla?

definately NO

....

..

.

cardamom...?

YES!

Strawberries and cardamom are a fantastic match, trust me. It's not one you see too often, but my little finger tells me it might be the next big thing...or not... but in anycase it is worth the try, especially if you are one of those cardamom lovers out there.

Just add a pinch of ground cardamom to your ice cream mixture

When heating, the mixture has to reach a temperature of 82C-85C celsius. The fancy term for this is having it cooked ''a la nappe'', which means if you place a spoon in the mixture and swipe your finger on the back of the spoon it should form a visibly clear line.

I like to add the strawberry chunks in the mixture while it's still warm

And then very last minute, I decided to throw in some broken meringue for a bit of crunch...

There you have it, a scoop of strawberry-cardamom ice cream. Enjoy!

Recipe for strawberry-cardamom ice cream with bits of crunchy meringue

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
125gr sugar
300ml low fat milk
200ml liquid cream
Vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
A dash of rose water (optional, but it does a little magic)
Strawberries, diced
Meringue, broken into little pieces

How to make it:

Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. In a pot, bring the milk, cream, cardamom and vanilla to boil. Pour the boiling milk mixture over the cold mixture (eggs + sugar) while stirring. Return to heat and continue to stir until the cream starts to thicken. This stage of cooking is known as “la nappe” which is achieved between 82-85C. If the cream is not heated sufficiently, the ice-cream will be thin and watery. Remove the pot from the heat and stop the cooking process by placing it in cold water mixed with ice cubes. Pass the mixture though a strainer and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Then transfer mixture to your ice-cream machine. Add the broken meringues before churning. Follow manufacturers’ instructions.