Peach Melba Ice Cream

I have been aware of various blog baking challenges existing for a few months now.  However I've not felt entirely keen on trying to sign up to any.  This is mainly down to their rules or how they work.  For example, baking a specific recipe and it being compulsory to take part in so many of the challenges each year.  As much as I would like my blog to get more traffic, I felt these kind of things were really restrictive.  What if I didn't like the sound of the recipe?  Or didn't have anyone that could eat it and therefore it would go to waste?  Or I just didn't have time to take part because my schedule got unexpectedly busy?  Then the challenge would feel like a chore and not something fun, which is what baking is for me.

So I cannot tell you how excited I was when I stumbled across The Lady Behind The Curtain's Dessert Challenge.  It sounded so wonderfully simple.  Each month you're challenged to bake something that includes two particular ingredients, and it has to be a dessert.  That's it.  Oh, and it can't have been on your blog before.  What's the fun in doing something you've already done?  Plus, there's no obligation.  If the ingredients aren't your cup of tea then no worries, just sit the month out.  I loved the sound of it so I had to sign up.

And that's what today's post centres around.  This is my first entry into the Dessert Challenge.  This month's ingredients: peaches and cream.  Admittedly, I was actually considering not doing it this month as I had no idea what I would do with those ingredients.  I am not that keen on peaches and pretty much everyone else I know was on holiday or I wouldn't see until after the post was due to go out.  It wasn't until Thursday last week that it hit me that I could make ice cream with it.  That way, even if the fiancé and I decided it wasn't our kind of thing, the stuff would keep and we could serve it up to someone who would like it at a later date.  It even turned out that my lovely ice cream book that I got for practically nothing at The Works had a recipe for peaches ice cream too, although I ended up mixing it together with the recipe for plum ice cream because, as always, I wanted a custard base.

I decided to add a little something extra to the recipe as well and put a raspberry ripple through it, which was inspired by the dessert Peach Melba (ice cream, peaches and raspberry sauce).  I used the same method as I had done with the blueberry ripple (though messed with the amounts slightly) and actually got an even better syrup than last time.  This one stayed syrupy even after sitting on the side for several hours whilst I waited for the ice cream to firm up.  I was quite pleased.  Maybe I slightly overcooked it last time?

Really, my only problem with this, again, was that my ice cream maker wouldn't freeze the mixture as it churned.  The kitchen wasn't even hot this time so I'm now wondering if the freezer isn't cold enough.  We adjusted the temperature for the fridge a couple of weeks ago because it kept freezing everything on the bottom shelf, but it seems that gauge is also connected to the freezer so it's now less cold in there too.  Still freezes things fine but apparently isn't so good for the ice cream maker's bowl, which is rather annoying.  So I had to do it the old fashioned way again and consequently ended up with a few ice crystals in my ice cream.  Oh well.

Despite the ever so slight crunch, it is still yummy.  The fiancé calls it refreshing because whilst it is creamy it is also juicy thanks to all the peach purée.  The peach and raspberry go really well together too.  All in all, a fairly successful recipe that will get eaten by us.

Recipe - makes 0.6L

Peach Ice Cream - adapted from Best Ever Recipes Ice Cream

• 400g/14oz tin peach halves in light syrup
• 65g/2.5oz caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 150ml/5fl.oz whole milk
• 150ml/5fl.oz double cream

Raspberry Ripple:

• 150g/5oz raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water 

1. Put the peaches and syrup in a saucepan, along with 40g/1.5oz of the caster sugar.  Heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 25g/1oz caster sugar until the mixture is pale in colour and resembles mousse.
3. Put the cream and milk in a saucepan and heat until it just starts bubbling around the edges.
4. Slowly pour the cream mixture over the egg mousse, whisking as you do so.
5. Transfer back into the pan and place over a gentle heat.
6. Cook the mixture to a custard, stirring the whole time without letting it boil.  You either want the mixture to reach a temperature of 76°C/170°F or so it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
7. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
8. Once the peaches are cooled, blend them into a purée and add them to the custard.  Stir until they are fully combined then put the mixture in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
9. Once the mixture has chilled, churn according to ice cream maker's instructions.
10. Meanwhile, make the ripple by combining the raspberries, sugar and water in a saucepan.
11. Cook over a medium heat until the fruit has broken down, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
12. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean pan to remove the seeds.  Press down on anything left in the sieve with a spoon to get as much liquid out as possible.
13. Return the new pan to the heat and bring to a boil.  Cook the mixture until it reduces to a thick syrup.  Set aside to cool.
14. Once the ice cream has churned but is still soft, put a third into a freezer safe container.  Drizzle on half the ripple syrup.
15. Repeat with a second third of the ice cream and the rest of the syrup, then top with the last of the ice cream.
16. Use a fork or butter knife to ripple the two mixtures together.
17. Put in the freezer and freeze overnight.

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Lemon and Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream

The weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse today.  Yesterday was just grey and cool, with indications that it had rained sometime in the morning.  Today is a torrential downpour accompanied by a very loud thunderstorm.  It's a little exciting I admit.  I don't feel like I've seen a thunderstorm in years.  The last one I really remember was back when I lived in Maidstone and was watching from my bedroom in the attic, which was at least 4 years ago.

Anyway, despite the lack of sunshine, thunderstorms are still a summery thing and here's another summery post with ice cream!  When I was making the cookie dough ice cream last Friday, the fiancé seemed a little down when I told him what it was going to be.  He's more of a fruity ice cream person.  So, since it was Friday and I hadn't ordered the weekly shop yet I decided to make sure I got ingredients to make some ice cream for him.  Now, his favourite of my ice creams I have previously made is lemon. However, I'd been considering mixing it up a bit for a while and since one of his favourite flavour combinations is lemon and blueberry, I thought adding a blueberry ripple to the ice cream would be fun and a bit different.  I've never made a rippled ice cream before so it was going to be interesting.

Actually, the ripple was fairly easy.  The only issue I had with it came from making it much earlier than I needed it.  So what was a nice thick syrup to begin with turned to something resembling jelly.  I mixed it up with a little water though and got something closer to jam, which worked fine.  Really, the main problem I had was with the churning of the ice cream.  My ice cream maker just did not want to churn properly.  Oh, it was moving fine, but it wasn't producing anything other than a slightly cold custard.  I had it going for over two hours before I gave up and did it the old fashioned way.  I kept the custard in the maker's bowl, with the 'whisk' that churns it and put it in the freezer.  I took it out periodically and put it back in the machine to give it five minute churns to break up any ice crystals then returned it to the freezer.  It was slow but I did eventually get a thick ice cream from it.  Not as thick as I would have gotten if the machine was churning but still good.

The fiancé loves it.  I mean, I was expecting him to like the lemon bit but wasn't sure if I pulled off the ripple right.  Turns out I did.  It runs through the ice cream rather beautifully, if I say so myself, and compliments the lemon really well.  You can really taste the blueberry but it doesn't overshadow the lemon.  Hoorah!  Maybe next time I'll try a raspberry ripple.

Recipe - Makes about 1.5L

Lemon Ice Cream:

• 2tbsp grated lemon peel
• 125ml/4.5fl.oz lemon juice
• 170g/6oz caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 240ml/8fl.oz milk
• 480ml/16fl.oz whipping cream

Blueberry Ripple - inspired by Valentine Warner via BBC Food:

• 225g/8oz blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 40g/1.5g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water
  

1. Mix together the grated lemon peel, sugar and lemon juice.  Put in the fridge to chill.  The longer it has to chill the more intense the flavour.
2. Beat the salt into the egg yolks.
3. In a saucepan heat the milk until it just starts to boil.
4. Pour the hot milk into the eggs and mix well.
5. Pour back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes thick and coats the back of the spoon, or reaches a temperature of 75°C/170°F. Do not let it boil.
6. Place a sieve over a clean bowl and pour the custard into it, cover with clingfilm and then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
7. Meanwhile, make the blueberry ripple.  Place the blueberries is a medium saucepan along with the sugar and water (if using frozen, give the blueberries a few minutes in the pan to start thawing out before adding the other ingredients).
8. Bring mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring regularly to prevent burning.  Cook until fruit has broken down and you get a slightly thick mixture.
9. Run the mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan to remove the skin.  Press down on anything still in the sieve with a spoon to get as much liquid out as possible.
10. Put the new saucepan back over the heat and boil the mixture, stirring all the time, until it reduces by about half and turns into a thick syrup.
11. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
12. Once the custard is thoroughly chilled, stir the lemon mixture into the custard, followed by the cream.
13. Pour into the ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions until the ice cream is thick and smooth.  (If you don't have an ice cream maker, see instructions below recipe).
14. Put a third of the ice cream into a lidded, freezer safe container.
15. Drizzle half the blueberry ripple mixture on top.  (If your blueberry ripple has become slightly solid, add 1/2 tbsp water and give it a good mix to break it up.  It should resemble jam).
16. Cover with half the remaining ice cream, followed by the rest of the blueberry.  Pour in last of the ice cream.
17. Use a butter knife to ripple the mixture (draw zig-zags, fold some of the mixture over, etc).
18. Freeze overnight before serving.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can still do this but it takes much longer.  Once you've added the lemon and cream to the custard, place in the freezer for about two hours.  Remove and whisk thoroughly.  Place back in the freezer for another two hours.  Remove, whisk and put back for 1 hour.  Repeat freezing and whisking every hour until your ice cream is thick and smooth (it took about 10 hours for me to do this).  It won't be quite as churned as it would in an ice cream maker but still tastes delicious.  Carry on with the rest of the recipe after it is thick enough.