The weather has finally turned autumnal; that doesn’t mean that we can’t still enjoy a little ice cream. We spent a few days in Wales last week and I had a lovely dessert that I wanted to recreate when I returned home. It was at the Harbourmaster in Aberaeron and it was their peanut ice cream sundae.
There was home-made peanut ice cream, whipped cream and topped with white chocolate. I wanted to make an indulgent version, so I used honey roasted peanuts, added sugar and almond extract to the cream (my version of crème chantilly), sprinkled some crushed Amaretti and garnished it with a couple of almond thins. To make it extra luxurious, substitute the almond extract for a boozy nut liqueur.
Justin declared that it was the best ice cream that I’ve made so far using my new (to me) Cuisinart Duo.
Click here to save my recipe to Pinterest
- 180ml/6⅓fl oz full fat milk, cold
- 125g/4½oz caster sugar
- 350ml/12⅓fl oz double cream, cold
- ¼tsp almond extract
- 75g/2⅔oz honey roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 600ml/21fl oz double cream
- 20g/¾oz caster sugar
- ½tsp almond extract (or 2tsp nut liqueur such as Frangelico, Amaretto, Créme de Noisette or Nocello)
- 150g/5¼oz white chocolate
- 6 Amaretti biscuits
- 6 ice cream wafers or a dozen thin nut biscotti
- In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and the caster sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved
- Stir in the double cream and almond extract
- Turn the machine on and the pour mixture into the ice cream machine freezer bowl
- Churn until thickened - about 15 minutes
- With the machine still turning, spoon the chopped peanuts into the ice cream until well distributed
- Turn the ice cream maker off, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer until firm - about 2 hours - to 'ripen'
- In a deep mixing bowl, whisk together the double cream, caster sugar and almond extract/liqueur to the 'soft peak' stage
- Simmer a little water in a small saucepan. Top with a heat-proof bowl (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water)
- Break up the chocolate into pieces and put it into the heat-proof bowl to melt, stirring occasionally to get rid of any lumps
- For each sundae, scoop a ball of ice cream into a sundae glass, followed by a spoonful of crème Chantilly. Repeat
- Drizzle over a dessert spoonful of the warm, melted white chocolate
- Crumble an amaretti biscuit over the top and garnish with a wafer or a couple of biscotti
- Serve with long-handled spoons so you can scoop out every last delicious drop!
Cakes & Bakes: Peanut brittle
Peanut brittle is a fantastic, quick, easy, last-minute sweet party snack or Christmas gift idea. Just two or three fairly low-cost ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time.
Perhaps saying it’s easy to make is a bit subjective. I won’t lie, I messed it up on my first attempt. I made the fatal mistake of stirring the sugar when it was boiling – NEVER succumb to the temptation of fiddling with it as it approaches the hard crack stage. It causes the sugar to become grainy which doesn’t allow the brittle to develop properly. Also, keep an eye on it; don’t heat it too quickly or it could quickly overheat and burn.
The results, when it was done properly, were delicious. The added bicarbonate of soda gives it an airy texture – almost like a Crunchie bar – and makes it much easier on the teeth. The added butter is optional, but it gives it a glossy sheen and a richness of flavour. You can try this recipe with other kinds of nuts such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, macadamias and Brazil nuts – or a combination!
Click here to save this peanut brittle recipe to Pinterest for later
Peanut brittle
Ingredients
- 500 g/17½oz caster sugar
- 3 tbs water
- 50 g/2oz butter optional
- 250 g/9oz roasted peanuts
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Instructions
- Line a large, shallow baking tray with greaseproof/parchment paper. You can grease the tray lightly to make the paper stick to it
- Pour the sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Turn the stove on to a medium-low heat, add the water and stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar has turned to a thick syrup
- Stop stirring!
- Bring to the boil (still without stirring) allowing it to simmer for 5 minutes or, if you're using a candy thermometer, bring up to the hard crack stage of 146-154°C/295-309°F
- Turn of the heat, stir in the butter quickly
- Add the peanuts and stir in quickly
- Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir in quickly
- Pour carefully on to the prepared baking tray and allow to cool for about half and hour
- Break up into pieces using a toffee hammer or butt of a kitchen knife
- Store in an airtight container lined with greaseproof paper
Cakes & Bakes: Peanut butter chocolate fudge
This isn’t a regular fudge recipe – there’s no need for a thermometer, no need for all that arm-aching stirring. This peanut butter chocolate fudge recipe takes 20 minutes to make… tops! Because of the high butter content (let’s not even mention the sugar content!), this fudge is best kept in the fridge.
It’s sweet, smooth, buttery and very, very naughty! It made two big jarfuls and there wasn’t enough room in there for that last piece – oh well, I guess I’ll just have to eat it then!
Click here for more of our other peanut recipes!
Peanut butter chocolate fudge
Ingredients
- 250 g peanut butter creamy or crunchy depending on your preference
- 250 g butter cubed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 450 g sifted icing sugar
- 100 g roughly chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 22cm/8inch square cake tin with parchment/greaseproof paper
- Put the peanut butter and cubed butter into a large microwave-proof bowl and cook on high for 30 seconds
- Stir the mixture and microwave again for another 30 seconds
- Stir in the vanilla extract and chocolate before adding the icing sugar. The consistency should resemble cookie dough
- Using a spatula, put the mix into the lined cake tin pressing it down to level it out. Use the back of a spoon if needed
- Cover the tin with cling film or foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours
- Remove from the tin and slice into squares. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container
Charlie Brown decal
We were sent this Charlie Brown laptop decal by the folks at Vinyl Revolution.
It was much easier to apply then we thought – there’s a short, helpful video on YouTube that guides you through the process. We’re very happy with the way it looks. We love Charlie Brown – the newspaper cartoons, the TV adaptations – and of course the amazing music – various Jazz scores by Vince Guaraldi. This particular image looks like Justin & Fudge – staring at the view contemplatively – not saying much, just enjoying each other’s company. When the computer is turned on the Apple logo looks like the sun setting.
Vinyl Revolution makes decals for many MacBook models and they also produce wall art, fridgewraps, vehicle decals and are happy to take bespoke orders too.