Today's recipe is for Daniel who grows blackberries on his balcony (I think the fact that so many of you are actually growing stuff other than flowers and herbs on your balconies is amazingly awesome!!!).
Since I got a picture of the first ripe blackberry yesterday I am now keeping my promise by posting the recipe I've been sitting on like a child sits on the coolest christmas present it has found like ever :) (seriously, it was like being 5 again, and yes, before you ask - I am rather proud of this recipe since all the flavours actually came together in a way that was even nicer than what I had imagined).
Anyhow, I got inspired by an article about egg-free ice-cream in the NY Times a few weeks back, so here's my take on the theme.
Blackberry Ice-Cream
2 cups Blackberries
2 cups Cream
3 tbsp Agave syrup (you might want to add more if your blackberries are quite sour)
1/8 tsp Fleur de Sel
2 tbsp Rum
A piece of cinnamon and a cardamom pod.
Heat the cream and the spices in a heavy bottomed pot until it's just about to boil, turn down the heat and leave it to cool. Write a page, chat to your best friend, go for a run. This is going to take more than 10 minutes so you might as well use your time and do something productive (sleep would be an option as well).
Upon your return you should find cream that doesn't look much different but that will carry hints of cinnamon and cardamom.
Turn to the blackberries and mash them. A potato masher or a fork will make your life a whole lot easier here :)
Mix the berries and the cooled cream, add the agave syrup, the salt and the rum. This is an ideal moment to use the fact that you don't know whether you might have to use some more syrup as an excuse to try some of it.
Now you either put everything into an ice-cream machine and let it works it's magic or you find a plastic container that will hold the mixture and put it into the freezer. If you're doing things by hand, give it half an hour in the freezer before you scrape down the crystals that will have formed on the sides. Put it back into the freezer for another half an hour and repeat the process. You'll want to do this a few more times, reducing the interval in between as you go along.
Since you haven't used a custard base for your ice-cream it will be slightly more solid when you take it out of the freezer but this is where the beauty of not using eggs comes in. Just leave it sitting outside for a couple of minutes or put it into the fridge for a bit before serving (and there's no need to be worried about what might be growing in there while it's sitting around).
Find a bowl, have some ice-cream (there's enough to share) and relax :)
This sounds incredible! and for the record...i think anyone growing anything is kind of awesome!
ReplyDeleteAlso, i think i found a possible dress for the air show. though maybe i need to buy another dress, who's to say?
I know it's amazing how people actually manage to grow things...I manage to kill anything from the basil in my kitchen (though I tend to blame Tesco's for that) to the African Violet I got when I started school....
ReplyDeleteAlso, we need to plan the food for the air show! I think there's a distinct need for finger food and just plain awesomeness :)