Long Overdue...Ice Cream for the masses

Halfway through the second month of the year and it's about time to resume normal transmission.. don't you think?

So, a while back (last year!) I mentioned that I was asked to make Ice Cream for our family Christmas gathering. Last time I made a batch, I used a basic Creme Anglaise recipe as my base. For Christmas, I wanted to make it decadent, so I chose a recipe which I multiplied. Suffice to say, I used a total of 2,5 litres double cream. Now that's rich!

Double Cream Overload

I had been pondering what flavours to make for a while and was toying with making a christmasy type of Ice Cream, you know, it being for Christmas lunch and all. I thought about an eggnog Ice Cream or maybe a spin on a fruit cake ice cream, but I eventually settled on making a Cherry Brandy Ice Cream. Not sure it's quite Christmas, but hey..

Lovely Fresh Cherries

12yr Old...why not

So after pitting all the cherries (bloody hell) I started to cook them off in a pan. After adding the brandy (a generous measure) and letting the alcohol cook off, I set it aside to cool down. I then used a hand blender to create a coulis of sorts and adjust the flavour with a touch more brandy. It was then into the Ice Cream machine which had been in the freezer for 2 days.

Churning Cherry Ice Cream

Ready for freezing

So with the brandy in the Ice Cream, I thought I should do a kid-friendly batch (for my nieces and all the big kids). I spotted these awesome jelly flavours at Woolworths and thought Jelly and Custard!

My Flavour Inspiration

To ensure that the jelly wouldn't just blend into the Ice Cream, I made it quite firm. In used half the amount of water so that I could create little cubes of jelly to drop into the Ice Cream as it churned.

Firm cubes of jelly

Lovely thick custard

Time to freeze

The finished product was thoroughly enjoyed by the family, but I wouldn't describe the process as sunshine and roses. I had a few challenges during production. If you know me at all, you will know that I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to my cooking..and if things don't go my way, I tend to lean towards the grumpy side of things. Even if the end product turns out fine, I'll still know it was a balls up..

The problem with doing a batch of Ice Cream so large is that when using the Krupps Ice Cream Maker (or similar) is that you are limited to churning a pint at a time. You also need to refreeze the bowl between batches, otherwise the mixture doesn't freeze properly. 

I made these two Ice Creams in 6 batches and being short on time, neither Ice Cream set correctly. We very nearly ended up eating chilled Jelly and Custard. Thankfully, after a little rest in my sister's freezer before lunch, both Ice Creams had set enough that you could scoop it, rather than ladle it. Will I be using this recipe again? Perhaps, but then only for a small batch.

Lunch was followed by the mandatory group photos. Thanks to my Uncle's awesome photography skills, we got some beauties..

Family Portrait

Crazy Poses

It may have been the brandy in the Ice Cream

My Cousins and My Sisters

 It's always a blast when this family gets together..you crazy lot, you.

N