Blackberry Ice Cream

IMG_2552

IMG_2565

Its no secret that i am not a summer person. When you’re younger, you’re tricked into thinking summer is awesome because it means 2 long lazy months of school vacation, waking up late, traveling to exotic locations and eating ridiculous amounts of ice cream. Enter adult life. Now i can barely manage a week’s window to get away for an exotic vacation, if at all i can afford exotic. In your twenties, exotic is just expensive and Delhi is sticky.

The good news is that the one great thing about summer - Ice Cream - comes in a million flavours and therefore, mathematically defeats all of Delhi’s awful summer tantrums. Ice cream and summer are nearly synonymous, although my personal belief is that Ice cream can and should be eaten any season of the year. Rich, luxurious, creamy ice cream complemented by the cold, fluffy feeling on your tongue the moment you start eating; you don’t really need a season for that - you don’t even need to have it after a meal - another myth we’re fed as children, the typical ‘don’t eat ice cream before dinner’ advise.

.

IMG_2564

This blackberry ice cream is fantastic. I found the recipe on Food 52, the most trusty place on the internet for food lovers

It’s a no-cook ice cream which means no eggs and you don’t need to make a custard. PLUS, it’s literally one step. Literally. ONE STEP. Plus it’s pretty

Ingredients: 

1 can milkmaid condensed milk 

1 1/2 cups heavy cream 

1 1/2 cups milk 

2 cups strained pureed blackberries (see note) 

3 tablespoons lemon juice 

pinch of salt

special equipment: you will need an ice cream churner.

Blend the blackberry puree together with the heavy cream, milk, lemon juice and condensed milk thoroughly till it forms a smoothie-like consistency. 

Refrigerate in the blender itself, for about 3 hours 

Churn in a frozen ice cream machine container for about 45 - 60 minutes (depending on your ice cream churner instructions) 

When churned, quickly transfer the ice cream into a container put in the freezer for at least 6 hours. 

And its ready - how EASY was THAT?!

Note: I used frozen blackberries, and pureed them in a Vitamix, then strained them over a mesh strainer. You should have 2 cups measured after the straining. If it is too frozen to form a smooth puree, add the milk at this stage.

P.S - This is part of my #projectXicecream series, where I’m making SO MUCH FREAKING ICE CREAM this summer.

to see it all!

x

IMG_2563

.

Peach cobbler

Summer in delhi feels like one of two things: Either you’re baking inside an oven or melting in the humidity. There are also exactly only 2 good things about summer.

Vacations. Lucky for me, I got to get out of hot , hot delhi and spend a week in Simla and then Thailand. New things I’ve eaten this month: Mango sticky rice, Rambutan, eggplant gyozas and a tiramisu magnum bar. You might have seen lots of this on instagram, in addition to pictures of me drinking beer (a rarity!!) and kicking sand around on the beach.

Coming back home to delhi would’ve been a huge downer if it wasn’t for Ben overreacting to my homecoming. Close second to seeing ben is the only other great part about summer in Delhi - the ripe juicy summer stone fruit. My fridge is stocked with the juiciest alphonso mangoes, himalayan cherries, peaches, apricots, litchis and watermelon. p o s s i b i l i t i e s.

Here is a summer dessert wishlist of sorts: Vanilla ice cream with frozen litchis. Mango Ice cream. Cherry muffins. Watermelon popsicles. Apricot jam. Cherry pie. Peaches and cream. 

Last year, I made a peach cobbler for Better Home and Gardens Magazine (july 2016 print issue). Delicious, fuzzy, juicy peaches, baked with a crumble on top and eaten warm with ice cream of choice of course (I’d recommend ginger Ice cream)!  

Here is the recipe, guys!

For the peach filling:

450 g sliced peaches
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cointreu
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the crust:

1/2 cup flour
60 g butter
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder 3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp almond meal

1 pint Ginger Ice cream

Process:

Place the sliced peaches in a saucepan over low-medium heat. 
Add the lemon juice, sugar, cointreau and vanilla extract.
Stir constantly and cook until the peaches are soft.
Pour the peach mixture into a baking dish and set aside
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Stir well.
Mix in the flour, baking power and almond meal and combine with a spoon, until a sticky dough is formed.
slowly add in the milk and mix until fully combined.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter on top of the peaches in the baking dish.
Continue until the peaches are covered with the batter.
Don’t worry if there are any gaps. 
Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
When done, remove from oven and let it cool
 Serve with a scoop of ginger ice cream
 

Peppermint brownies

Is there anything more universal than chocolate brownies? Is there a person in the world who doesn’t love the crackly, slightly crunchy crust, chewy edges and squidgy, chocolaty, almost molten centre? It’s a good thing. Brownies are supposed to be intense, rich and overpowering. There’s nothing subtle about them, and decadence is the trademark of a brownie. Not to mention, brownies come with a side of nostalgia - who hasn’t tried making brownies as a child and almost burnt down the house? (that would be me..).

So last weekend, in a spontaneous brownie baking moment (if you know, you know) I decided to add one of my favourite ingredients to my brownie batter - peppermint! I love peppermint and dark chocolate together - it is a refreshing variation to a popular classic. PLUS - the best part is, you can use leftover brownie crumbs/chunks to make peppermint brownie vanilla ice cream - summer bonus, and a very appropriate dessert for this weather.

They taste like the brownie equivalent of after-eight and they don’t look any different than regular brownies so it comes as a pleasant surprise to someone who bites into one. They’re a crowd pleaser and up your popularity quotient if you take them to work the next day (LOL)

Ingredients:

• 500 g chocolate

• 250 g butter

• 4 eggs

• 1 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 cup flour + 1 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 tsp peppermint extract

• Crushed peppermint (optional)

Process

• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chocolate together until smoothly combined. Let cool.

• cream the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.

• Add the cooled chocolate and butter mixture and add peppermint extract & combine well.

• Add the flour mix one spoon at a time and mix well, but do not overmix.

• Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the top forms a flaky/crusty layer. The centre should not be wobbly.

• When done, take it out of the oven and let the brownies cool for about a half hour.

• Slice into squares, sprinkle with crushed peppermint and eat!