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: Fruit and nut flapjack
I made one of my regular batches of fruit and nut flapjack this week. Not only is it the perfect accompaniment to a mug of tea, it also has some distinct health benefits.
Justin and I were both born in the 1960s, which means we’re getting on a bit! It’s perhaps time to start considering our health and brain function into old age.
It seems like diet could be a very important factor. Oily fish is often cited as great ‘brain food’, but nuts are also a fantastic source of cerebral nourishment.
Here’s a selection of commonly found (and tasty!) nuts and some of their recognised health benefits.
- Almonds are very high in vitamin E (good for glowing skin). They’re also a good source of omega-6 and 9 (poly)unsaturated fatty acids
- Un-roasted walnuts contain twice as many antioxidants as other nuts or seeds
- Brazil nuts are perhaps the richest dietary source of selenium (a mineral important for cognitive function and a maintaining a healthy immune system). Eating just 2 give you 100% of the recommended daily allowance
- Cashew nuts contain a high concentration of essential minerals including magnesium (thought to counter age-related memory loss), phosphorus and zinc
- Macadamia nuts are an excellent source of manganese and thiamine (vitamin B1)
- Flaxseeds have one of the highest concentrations of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Useful in maintaining healthy brain and visual functions). Especially important if you’re vegetarian or vegan as it is most commonly found in oily fish
- Whole sesame seeds are a very good source of iron (again, important for vegetarians and vegans)
This flapjack is quick and easy to make – and is so delicious, that the health benefits are an additional bonus… and we didn’t even get started on the goodness of dried fruit!
Click here to pin our recipe for future reference!
Fruit and nut flapjack
Ingredients
- 200 g butter
- 125 g honey
- 350 g rolled oats
- 50 g dried fruit currants, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, blueberries, dates, figs, apricots etc.
- 50 g seeds and/or nuts roughly chopped - linseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2
- Put the butter into a large saucepan on a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the honey and stir to combine
- Turn off the heat, add the oats, dried fruit and nuts/seeds and mix well
- Put the mixture into a 23cm/9-inch shallow square cake tin and flatten down firmly with the back of a serving spoon
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned
- Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into squares or finger-shaped portions
You can store the flapjacks for up to 3 days in an airtight greaseproof paper-lined tin or plastic containerNo churn pistachio ice cream
Remember last week, when I failed to use the bag of pistachios in my store cupboard? Well I’ve used them this week… well most of them, anyway.
I’ve puréed them and whipped up a batch of pistachio ice cream adapting my basic no-churn ice cream recipe originally borrowed from Nigella.
It tastes nothing like the pistachio ice cream you can buy in a supermarket (in a good way).
It looks nothing like it either – but if you like it like that, by all means add a couple of drops of green food colouring to the mix.
Finish with a generous sprinkling of chopped pistachios and you’ve got yourself a quick, simple summertime dessert to enjoy on it’s own, in a cone or as an accompaniment to a hot fruit pie or brownie.
Pistachio ice cream
Ingredients
- 100 ml/3½ fl oz milk
- 30 g/1oz pistachios shells off weight
- 300 ml/10½ fl oz double cream
- ½ tin condensed milk approx. 200g
- 2 tsp vodka
- 20 pistachios roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and 30g of pistachios. Turn off the heat just before it begins to simmer. Allow to cool
- Put the double cream, condensed milk, vodka and puréed pistachios into an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on a high speed until firm (about 2 minutes)
- Decant the mixture into a 1-litre lidded tub/container, sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the top and freeze for at least 4 hours - preferably overnight.
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
