Sunday, December 13, 2009

Dilated Peoples

Dilated Peoples are playing here with Ugly Duckling on 7 January.  Interestingly this is also the day I finish my meditation course, which I am completing over New Years.  So I'm glad I will be finished in time to see them, but also wonder what state of mind Ill be in when I come out.  Perhaps i'll be all hippied out, and maybe I won't be able to talk for ages (It's a silent meditation course for 10 days).

Who knows. All I know is I love to hear that first ad on the radio for a cool gig, when just for a moment you're not sure you heard right.


Saturday, December 12, 2009

Ice Cream

So the ice cream has been made and 3/4 consumed (mainly by boyfriend) I got a bit excited and made it on Sunday afternoon. I have updated the recipe below with what ingredients I actually used. To be honest I don't normally make such full fat style foods. So this was going out on a bit of a limb for me. I thought I might do a quick add up of the fat content as best I can from the packaging and see how much naughtiness will actually be consumed in one full tub:

Fat - 173 gms (whoa!)
Sugar - 113 gms

The verdict is: It's delicious - yet the consistency is a bit wrong, and the cream flavour and texture is very apparent. Not a bad thing at all, cos it's super delicious, however I think that creaminess could be diluted a bit, if you know what I mean. Therefore I think I need to try a recipe that includes eggs. So that will happen sometime this week.

This week!

Ok so this week I will be making ice cream as made by Laura on 'hungryandfrozen'  It looks like a super easy recipe (which is what I love) and also simple ingredients (which I also love).

So I have just scoured her site looking for this oh so simple recipe- and I couldn't really find it. Well I found one for ginger ice cream which looks simple - so I will have to adapt it to chocolate.  I do like adapting recipes so should be sweet as! Ill also perhaps try less sugar. Cos I'm like that about sugar. 

Chocolate Ice Cream
25g butter
100 gms of good quality chocolate   
1/2 cup icing sugar 
300mls cream 

In a heavy based pan, melt the butter and half the chocolate together gently. Once that's done take it off the heat and stir in the icing sugar and vanilla. Then whisk the cream till it's significantly thickened but not actually whipped into peaks. Mix in the other half of the chocolate, broken into chunks. Mix in the melted chocolate. Pour into a container and freeze. You don't need to churn this - just let it soften slightly before serving. 

I like this recipe cos you don't have to churn, and it doesn't contain eggs. I don't have anything against eggs, it just seems like a harder way to make it.

Ill try this this week, and if it turns out well will perhaps take some for Xmas eve dinner at Williams sister's house. As well as another lot for the next day at mum and dads.
What was left:

Pantry treats on Saturday night

I am a big fan of making meals and snacks from what ever I have in the cupboard, rather than going to the shop for a ready made treat or to the supermarket for a basket full of groceries. I would say 90% of the time they turn out really well.  This evening I was feeling a  bit restless on the couch, after spending the day tidying and reading. I had eaten fairly sporadically through out the day as is usual on the weekends. So come 8pm I was peckish and felt like doing something. Inspiration hit and I ended up making the following little bites:

Berry turn-overs
  • Grab some ready rolled pastry - I had some puff in the freezer, and defrost.
  • We also had some frozen boysenberries in the freezer.
  • While the pastry is defrosting put the oven on 200.
  • Once the oven is hot cut your pastry into 6 even rectangles and brush each with loads of melted butter. Each rectangle should fit one large berry each quite nicely.
  • Place a berry in the middle of each rectangle and add a bit of brown sugar to taste.
  • Fold the pastry around the berry and squish down all the edges.  Brush again with butter all over  (including the bottom) and put on a grease proof paper lined tray.
  • Once you've done all 6 sprinkle them with more brown sugar and put in the oven till browned (not very long).  Once they are done leave to cool before plating up and sprinkling with icing sugar.

All in all they were pretty tasty.  Especially when coupled with some defrosted boysenberries which are nice and tart against the sweetness of the turn-overs.

Next time I will add a chocolate button or some good quality dark chocolate inside the pastry. Maybe a sweet pastry would be nice too.