Friday 20 May 2011

Ice Cream Wars



I like ice-cream.

Husband likes ice-cream.

We are an ice-cream loving household. Next to my Husband and scallops I love Benny & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice-cream the most. . .

I decided it would be a good idea to try to make my own. I poured my way through all of my recipe books thinking that amongst the Delia's, Jamie's and others I would be able to work out the basic principles, which I did. Kind of.

I chose to make a vanilla ice-cream (Husband's favourite) and a mint chocolate ice cream (my favourite). The recipes I attempted to follow are no longer kicking around, for reasons that will become apparent shortly.

One recipe required just egg whites while the other needed just the yolks. Applying one generic theory of ice cream making here was not going to be a straight forward one. However both required to be stirred regularly to break up the ice crystals that were going to form as it set.

With the ice cream eventually in their respective tubs, I was only able to track down the lid for the Mint batch, the vanilla was lidless. This would prove to be a mistake. On the first timed alarm I enthusiastically yanked open the fridge door and pulled the drawn only to be subjected to what was effectively a custard based ice cream explosion.

Due to a lack of space I had put the vanilla in the top drawer.

When it exploded, or rather was thrown around the inside of the freezer (when I yanked the drawer open) I managed to generate a very impressive coverage. Managing to coat most of the contents of the the two lower drawers, as well as the drawer it was held in and the inside of the freezer door.

Setting instantaneously.

While that was satisfying (it having set so quickly) having to wipe it off packets of frozen mince, the floor, wall and my face was not as rewarding. There wasn't much left so I was left with the Mint ice cream

I suspect the Vanilla Ice-cream was reacting to the lack of care and attention it had received. It not having a lid this was to be its retribution.

I have another recipe which I know has had rave reviews- being well tried and tested- and will be testing it out at some point. Fingers crossed I don't end up re-decorating the kitchen again!!

I will win this ice cream war- or get fat trying.

4 comments:

  1. oh. my. gosh. and you didn't post photos?!

    i would NOT have wanted to be on that cleaning detail. i hope you can laugh about it now, at least.


    kelly

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  2. I nearly cried with laughter!

    So much time taken concocting this "first" only to have it thrown around the inside of the freezer in one swift impatient yank of a drawer.

    Fatal & next time rather than clean up I will definitely pick up my camera!!

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  3. Nigella has a gorgeous no churn bitter orange ice cream recipe. It's amazing.

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  4. Thanks for the top tip, I'm going to have to give it a go- can't give up over one failed attempt! Orange ice-cream sounds yummy!!

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