Walnut and Parmesan Ice Cream

Ice cream?  Almost Winter?  Does this compute?  Mais oui, mes amis.  Of course it does.  Ice cream is for every season, don't you know.  But Parmesan, you ask?  Well, only a small and optional amount, really - just for a bit of a laugh.  To be honest, Mr P. said he'd prefer it sans parmesan, but I liked it.  It did look slightly curdled, but I thought it tasted fine.  But leave it out if you are a wee bit afraid of the cheesy goblins a-coming for you :=)

I had been thinking about concocting this recipe for a while (I may have seen something similar on a YouTube video sometime).  And I had a jar of walnut butter (my brainwave) in the pantry, so I began ...

ready for the freezer

ingredients:

130g./4.5 oz walnuts, toasted   see Notes

30-40g./1-1.5 oz parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

450 mL/15 oz whipping cream - and whip it good!  You want soft peaks

1 x 395g./14 oz tin of sweetened condensed milk

50g./1.8 oz mascarpone

2 tsp vanilla extract

50g./1.8 oz walnut butter

100g./3.5 oz white chocolate chips

pinch of sea salt flakes

a healthy amount of chocolate sprinkles

ingredients gathered 

whip the cream, and add the other ingredients

well, now you add the walnuts and white choc chips

walnuts

Method:

First toast your nuts!  And grate your parmesan cheese

Yes, you guessed it - next, you place all the ingredients (except the nuts and choc chips) into a big mixing bowl, and combine well with a large spoon (or give it a quick whizz with the electric handbeaters)

And stir in the nuts and choc chips!

Pour/spoon the mixture into a lined loaf tin (you can line it with clingfilm or freezer liner) - make sure there is plenty of clingfilm so you can cover the top when you put it in the freezer

Throw on heaps of chocolate sprinkles then - 

Freeze overnight, taking out the tin about twenty minutes before you want to eat it

Decorate with more sea salt flakes, white choc chips and chocolate sprinkles when serving

Notes:

I toasted my nuts in the oven for about 10-12 minutes @ 170C/340F

I used extra sharp Parmesan, but a milder one could be good too

Try milk or dark chocolate chips, or other nut butters

add the sprinkles and whack into the freezer overnight

I gave a cupful to our lovely new-ish neighbour

one guess!

cheesy!

Peppermint Ice Cream Loaf (Or should that be Ice-Cream Loaf?)

Here it is!  One quick, final post for the year.  I thought I'd throw together an ice-cream loaf as it is stinking hot today (as YouTuber Emmymade would say - hehehe).  And in fact, she inspired me with her recipe for mint Viennetta!  Sadly, Mr P. does not like mint-flavoured anything so I will have to eat this all by myself.  Oh the tragedy!! :=)  

Mr P. did finish off the plate for me when I was putting the loaf back into the freezer last night.  Very brave of him, indeed.  He said he only managed it because there were wafers :=)  Now to co-erce my neighbours into taking a big (huge) slice of this!  

I know I've mentioned this before, but as a child, my family lived behind a butcher's shop in the mountains.  The butcher owned a goat, which he tied up in our backyard.  The goat would sometimes get off its tether (how?) and chew up mum's laundry on the outdoor washing line.  

There were not one but two outdoor loos (dunnies/toilets/outhouses) in the yard.  Surrounded by much, much mint growing wild.  You can imagine what we imagined the mint was doing!  It almost put me off for many a year, and I have never been able to bring myself to eat mint sauce.  Anyways, what a ramble.  Merry festive season to you all, my virtual and IRL friends!  See you in 2026, with bells on!!

for the peppermint lovers!  Delicious!

Sherry's Recipe:

Serves (maybe) 10-12?  (depends on the size of your slice)

Ingredients:

1 Litre/34 oz good-quality vanilla bean ice cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

1/4 tsp green food colouring

1/2 tsp peppermint extract   see Notes

2 Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars

2 mint Aero bars

2 Flake bars

250g./9 oz dark chocolate  (I use 70% Lindt), melted

2 x 125g./4.4 oz packets of chocolate wafer biscuits   see Notes

Chantilly cream:

200 mL/7 oz whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tbs icing sugar mixture

Method:

Start this recipe early in the day, or even better, the day before you want to eat it

Firstly, bring out the ice cream tub so the ice cream can get soft enough to mix the good stuff thru' it

Grab a loaf tin (mine is 23 x12 x 6 cm), brush a small amount (1/2-1 tsp?) of a neutral oil around the inside, and line with freezer film or plastic wrap, leaving a large overhang to fold over the whole shebang when freezing

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes or so

Spoon the ice cream into a large mixing bowl, add the vanilla, food colouring and peppermint extract, and stir thru' till beautifully green

Bash the heck out of the 2 Peppermint Crisp bars and one of the Flake bars (I used my cocktail muddler), into beautiful shards and chunks, and yep - stir 'em all in

Now start layering - spread a thin layer of the melted chocolate over the base of the loaf tin, then add a layer of the wafer biscuits

Next is a thick layer of the delightful green ice cream mixture, then another layer of the melted chocolate

On goes another layer of wafers, and ice cream, then place into the freezer for about half an hour, till the ice cream has firmed up a bit

And then top with the rest of the melted chocolate (you will probably need to zap it in the microwave again for a few seconds) and place back into the freezer for several hours, but probably best overnight

The next day, whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla, and smear all over your green loaf which you have turned out onto a serving plate (which can happily go into the freezer)

Top with the smashed-up Aero bars and the other Flake bar

Back into the freezer for a bit to firm up, then bring it out for about 10 minutes so you can slice it up!

minty goodness - just don't plant it out near an outside dunny (toilet) :=)

Notes:

Try a bit less of the peppermint extract if you're worried that it may be too strong for you (and more of the food colouring if you want it incredibly vibrant green!)

FYI, I used one whole packet of the wafer biscuits, and about 2/3 of the second one

No idea if these chocolate bars exist in other countries, but just buy something with lots of peppermint flavour and chocolate - Peppermint Crisp has "green mint crystals", which are delightfully crunchy (and sometimes bloody!  I have cut the roof of my mouth more than once on them)

 

ingredients gathered

oil and line your loaf tin with freezer film or plastic wrap

spoon the ice cream into a large mixing bowl

stir in the colouring, extract and choc pieces

layer with the melted chocolate and wafers

spoon in the ice cream mixture and the melted chocolate

add another layer of ice cream

cover with the freezer film and place in the freezer

then add the final layer of chocolate

and smother with the Chantilly cream and shards of chocolate bars

not half-bad!

Pistachio And Chocolate No-Churn Ice Cream aka Dubai Chocolate Ice Cream

I've read that it's becoming difficult to buy pistachios due to the Dubai chocolate craze.  Thankfully, I was able to buy a packet of shelled, unsalted kernels from a local (and expensive) grocer.  I'd thought about making an ice cream version, so I googled it.  Lots of versions came up, but some made a chocolate ice cream, to which they added the pistachio paste.  But I wanted mine to be green!

So this is my version of a Dubai pistachio and chocolate ice cream, using pretzels rather than kataifi.  To be honest, I couldn't be faffed finding the kataifi, and frying it up in butter!  "Salted pretzels will give texture and a bit of umami flavour", says I to myself.  (And you happily get rid of your aggressions with the bashing.)  So I made some chunky pretzel dust instead.  

There are a few steps to making this, but none are onerous, or particularly time-consuming.  You can do a bit at a time, or even some steps the day before.  Just whack it all together at the end, and freeze!  Be aware this is not a smooth ice cream, but has rather a grainy, and kinda/almost savoury facet to it.  But still delicious!

    

yep, looks fairly green, and a bit grainy :=)

Makes around 1.5L/51 oz:

ingredients:

70g./2.5 oz pistachios, toasted and chopped  see Notes

100g./3.5 oz pretzels, smashed with a muddler or rolling pin

200g./7 oz pistachio paste or cream  see Notes

40g./1.4 oz tahini   (I used hulled)

2 Tbs icing sugar  (for the paste mixture)

500 mL/17 oz thickened cream   see Notes

1-2 tsp vanilla extract   (I like lots!)

2 Tbs icing sugar (for the cream mixture)

a tin of condensed milk (395g./14 oz)

150g./5.3 oz chocolate bits/drops/buttons, or chop up a block!

Topping:

190g./6.7 oz dark and milk chocolate (your choice of % of each)

100 mL/3.4 oz thickened cream 

1-2 Tbs mascarpone (optional)

a handful (several tablespoons?) of toasted, chopped pistachios

a scattering of sea salt flakes (optional)

pistachios

pretzels

Method:

First toast your nuts (stir often) in a small frypan over a low heat, till they smell nutty, darken a wee bit in colour and start to make a popping sound - is that normal?  'Cos mine definitely popped!  And let 'em cool, then chop 'em up - as big or small as you like

Pretzel dust is next: take a big ziploc bag, tip in the pretzels, grab that muddler and whack 'em till you have a chunky dust: Do up the zip/seal first, you precipitate/reckless lot :=)

Scoop the pistachio paste and tahini into a medium mixing bowl, along with the icing sugar, and give it a whizz with your electric hand beaters - just to make a smooth(ish) paste/mixture

Now grab a large mixing bowl, pour in the cream, and add the vanilla and icing sugar

Give this a good whizzing, till you have soft but firm peaks - does this make sense?

Pour/spoon in the condensed milk to the cream (see how they reduced the size of the tin by 2 grams?  Cheeky!) and mix again till nicely combined

And spoon the pistachio mixture into the cream mixture, and give it another whisking till smooth

Stir thru' the chocolatey bits/drops/ chunks, the pretzel dust, and the nuts 

Spoon into your loaf tin lined with a generous amount of freezer film, or into an ice cream container with a lid (mine holds 1.4 Litres) - so I put the rest into a small container and gave it to our Persian friend who said it was soooo delicious, and made her day!

Pop into the freezer for an hour or so to firm up, before you add the topping - which you make by melting the chocolate and cream in a small-ish saucepan

Give it a good stir, and let it cool for a couple of minutes before adding the mascarpone, if using

Spread it thickly over the top of the ice cream (maybe even stir some of it thru the ice cream), scatter on the extra nuts and sea salt flakes, then back into the freezer (preferably overnight) till firm

Once again, I am letting you know this is NOT a smooth ice cream; it's kind of nutty and a bit chunky and grainy but delicious!

yes, you can use 2 of these, instead of the tin

Notes:

I suggest buying pistachio kernels that are shelled and unsalted

You can buy either pistachio paste or cream.  The paste is 100% nuts, with no additives so quite savoury in taste, while the cream has added sugar and oils 

I used thickened/whipping cream which has a minimum 35% milk fat - I had some leftover soft cream cheese too, so I added 2 Tbs, but not necessary at all!

Try this with your fave nut paste and nuts!  Be a rebel; doesn't have to be pistachios, 'cos they are dear, and may be hard to find

toast your nuts, baby!

and smash those pretzels!

ingredients gathered

whizz up the pastes and icing sugar

pour this mixture into the whipped cream mixture

I used white chocolate too!

melting the chocolate and cream for the topping

ready for the freezer

start scooping :)

rich and nutty, so scoop away :=)

Mandarin Syrup And Blackberry No-Churn Ice Cream

A bit more about the online cookbook club I am part of - we have a monthly book, and a book that we can dip into for the entire calendar year.  This year's book is The Food Saver's A-Z, which provides an alphabetical look at various items you may have lurking in your fridge and pantry that desperately need using up, pronto!

Ironically, I didn't have any mandarins just hanging to make this syrup, so I bought a bottle of 100% mandarin juice.  This is very easy to make, and is very delicious.  Mr P. was a big fan (he loves my citrus cordials), and has been drinking it on the regular.  

ready to add to sparkling water, etc

And speaking of spiders (see above) ... I can only speak about Aussie ones of course, but they like to jump on and at you!  And they are big, my friends.  One day we were downstairs in Mr P.'s office, and we heard a loud tapping noise.  We headed into the kitchenette, only to discover a very large Huntsman running across the bench (in tap shoes, it seemed).  

And did I ever tell you about getting up one morning, and after a bit thinking - 'Gee, I need a haircut', brushing my ear and finding a massive spider falling on my shoulder?!!  Who knows how long it had been sitting on top of my head!  They are hairy beasts, let me tell you :=)  But let's get to the recipe.   

Makes 1 smallish bottle (c.150 mL):

ingredients:

the syrup:

250 mL (1 cup) pure mandarin juice

110g./4 oz caster or white sugar

a few slices of fresh ginger, 1 cinnamon quill (stick) and 2 cloves (optional)

My version of a fruity 'instant' ice cream:

The ice cream:

500g./18 oz frozen blackberries (or your fave fruit), mostly thawed

170g./6 oz condensed milk

2-3 Tbs spiced rum (or your fave tipple)

1-2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

250g./9 oz mascarpone

Method:

The syrup:

Heat the juice and sugar together (in a small saucepan) on a low temp., till sugar is dissolved

Add the spices now if using, and simmer for 10 or so minutes till a wee bit thickened   see Notes

Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool, then pour into a very clean bottle, and allow to cool completely

And into the fridge it goes, for up to 2 months

Serve with sparkling water or wine, or with this fruity ice cream

The ice cream:

Into your food processor go the fruit, condensed milk, rum and vanilla

Give 'em a few pulses till mixed but not necessarily smooth (I like some lumpy pieces of fruit), then add the mascarpone and give it a very quick blitz 

Pour/spoon into a freezer-proof container, and whack into the freezer for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight   see Notes

The next day, spoon into a dessert bowl, and pour some of that delicious, citrus-y syrup over the top

Notes:

You can thaw the fruit completely, then mix everything together in a large bowl if you prefer your ice cream a bit chunkier

I forgot to do it, but I normally line the tin with freezer film, leaving an overhang which you can fold over the top of the ice cream mixture to keep it protected while it freezes

I doubled this recipe (but not the cloves) and ended up with 300 mL of syrup

It took about 30 minutes to reduce down when I made the doubled recipe

ingredients gathered

dissolve the sugar, and simmer for 10 mins.

till it thickens slightly

bottle your syrup when cool

stir the mascarpone thru the fruity mixture

and pour into your freezer-proof container

pour on the syrup

c. Sherry M.

Sour Cherry Sorbet With Peppercorn Syrup

Love a tangy, savoury-sweet dessert?  Me too!  This recipe is from Delicious magazine.  Matt Preston, former Masterchef judge, cookbook writer, food critic and cook has whipped up this sweet treat for us.  And then there's that surprise of the peppercorn syrup to go with.  This sorbet and syrup are actually accompaniments for his gingerbread pavlova recipe, which I didn't make.  

I have fond childhood memories of Mum making them though.  She had one of those (retro now) Sunbeam Mixmasters, which last forever.  It whizzed up those egg whites like a charm!  The closest I get to making a pav is a quick roulade.

Now for the hilarious bit of this recipe: I usually make a recipe, and take notes and photos as I go.  And I make sure I have a copy of the original recipe (which I usually adapt a bit).  I made this (very) late last year, and to my dismay hadn't kept a copy of the recipe.  I'd given the magazine away to a friend already.  So I asked her if she still had it?  Nope, she'd given it to her niece, but she would ask her for me.  Said-niece was giving the baby dinner so I had to wait till she could answer.  Nope, no longer with the niece. 

I checked through my photos, and notes, and the Delicious mag. website.  Sure, they had the recipe but only full instructions for the pav bit!  So then I asked on the Facebook page Chat 10 Looks 3, and yes a kind Chatter (as we/they are known) put up a photo of the recipe for me.  Phew!!  So now it's the next morning ... !  18 hours later, as they say on YouTube :=)

whizz away till smooth 

Start this recipe very early in the day, and the day before you need it!!

Serves 6 (or so):

ingredients:

1 x 680g./24 oz jar of sour/Morello cherries in syrup, drained - liquid reserved for the peppercorn syrup

2 tsp caster sugar (use more if you like it sweeter)

1-2 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs cherry liqueur (optional - my idea)

1 large egg white    see Notes

2 Tbs whole black peppercorns

Method:

Get up early and prepare the cherries (tee hee) by draining them, (don't lose the syrup!), placing them in a large freezer bag, and laying them down flat in your freezer for 4 hours or till firm

Now tip them into your food processor (yes, you do need one for this), along with the sugar and lemon juice (and cherry liqueur), and whizz till kinda looking like snow (that's what Matt says)

Add the egg white and blitz a bit more (scrape the bowl down once or twice) till looking smooth and beautiful and very pink

Spoon it into a container with a lid, and freeze overnight

Meanwhile make the syrup by pouring the reserved cherry liquid into a medium saucepan, and throwing in the peppercorns

Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, and let it do its thing for 10 minutes or so, till you have reduced it till thick and syrupy (and about half a cup)

Let it cool, then pour into a small jug or bottle and leave overnight in the fridge, so the sorbet doesn't feel lonely

So the next day, you will strain the syrup and pour over scoops of the bright and beautiful sorbet

Notes:

Matt says you can use 60 mL/2 big oz of aquafaba (bean water from a tin) instead of the egg whites but I feel a bit conflicted about that.  We were always told to drain and rinse tinned beans or chickpeas very well to get rid of this exact same liquid!  So what the??!

I added a few strawberries I had lurking in the fridge

and blitzed 'em!

into the freezer overnight it goes

syrup and peppercorns bubbling away for 10 minutes or so

and look at how little is left :=)  And so many peppercorns!

straining it the next day before eating with the sorbet

sweet and somewhat savoury syrup!

I forgot to take a photo of the finished dessert!  It was delicious.

(Joining in with the blogs Write of the Middle and Deb's World for #WWWhimsy)

c. Sherry M.

c. Sherry M.