Gadgets that work; Ibis garlic press

 

 

Just a quick addition to the “gadgets that work” series; my new Ibis Garlic press by Animal House,! Isn’t she a cutie?

She does work well, in that the garlic cloves come out finely pressed and still juicy, the clean-up is very easy (a major reason to buy this one) because once you flip the beak over the other side with the rubber tips gets rid of the garlic remains quite nicely. A quick shower under the tap and you’re done. I just think it could press a little better, have a feeling my old (horror to clean) Brabantia did get a little more out of each garlic clove. Having said that.. I get this one out of the drawer every time I need to press garlic so the Brabantia next to it enjoys a retirement.

There are more fun animal shaped gadgets, and I really think I really really need Wallie the Whale Ice cream scoop: 

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: gadgets,garlic

Liquorice ice cream / Echt Hollands: Drop ijs!

Dit is echt de hit: drop ijs! Hoe Hollands kun je het maken? Ik heb allemaal hele blije jongetjes in huis nu. Niet zelf verzonnen, was het maar waar, maar gelezen en schaamteloos rechtstreeks gekopieerd van Mangerie. Zij noemde het een succesrecept, ooit hier geproefd en ik kan het alleen maar beamen; gewoon maken dit ijs!

150 gr zachte drop (favoriete smaak, geen suikervrije) of van Melle droptoffees <- jaa!! doen!!

280 gr halfvolle melk

120 gr. slagroom

75 gr. suiker

Drop in kleine stukjes knippen met een schaar (of snijden met een mesje) en onder voortdurend roeren laten oplossen in de melk in een pannetje boven laag-middelhoog vuur.

Het ziet eruit alsof het een beetje schift maar de drop lost niet volledig op in de melk, komt allemaal goed straks! Laat het dropmengsel afkoelen in de koelkast.

Slagroom met de suiker stijfkloppen en door het dropmengsel spatelen.

In je ijsmachine doen en volgens de gebruiksaanwijzing ijs van draaien. Overdoen in een geschikte diepvriesbak en nog een nachtje laten opstijven in de vriezer. Dit ijs blijft tamelijk zacht en keurig schepbaar rechtstreeks vanuit de vriezer. Het smelt dus ook behoorlijk snel, scheppen en opeten dus.

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Dutch Liquorice Ice cream (yes really!)

Never knew it could be done until I had my first taste of a similar flavour in Sweden! Vanilla ice cream popsicle coated by a greyish-black liquorice ice.... So good! Ice cream is not something I normally crave but I walked the boys happily to the store during that holiday, want some ice cream boys? Inge over at Mangerie hunted down a recipe for liquorice ice and I love it! Moreover the boys are crazy about it as well. And the best thing is: it's so easy to make at home.

Recipe couldn't be simpler:

150 gr soft sweet liquorice (your favorite or liqourice flavored toffee)

280 gr low fat milk

120 gr. double cream

75 gr. sugar

Cut the liquorice in small pieves (or snip with scissors) and combine them with the milk in a small saucepan. Heat on low-medium and stir while the liquorice melts and combines with the milk. (looks a bit curdly but all will be well in the end) Let cool in the fridge. Once cold, whisk cream with the sugar and mix with liquorice mixture.

Proceed and follow the directions of your ice cream maker. Transfer to a suitable container and freeze overnight. This ice cream will stay soft-ish but nevertheless very delicious! Scoop and enjoy right away!

Daring Bakers; Lime and Hazelnut Bûche de Noël

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.
They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

Their announcement started with the words: the gauntlet is thrown.

You can say that again! I was really eh impressed by the length of the recipe(s) given. Although both lovely ladies ensured us that once we had chosen our flavourings, following the steps in completing the challenge was fairly easy I wasn't convinced. I mean this is December. Right in the middle of all celebrations, cooking and entertaining we were supposed to make an 18 page recipe?

Of course they were right. And I waited until the last possible moment to discover that. Yesterday afternoon I took my first step. My husband warned me to not play with caramel that late at night, so this morning I finished up adding the last layer, and making the icing. Once I broke up the recipes in steps to take (and please go over to Hilda/Marion for the simplified recipe) and organised my kitchen/thinking, it all went smooth from there.

Naaa, you wouldn't believe that would you? 

- Not understanding to line the creme brulee mold resulting in a set brulee which wouldn't come out in one piece? I froze it, dipped the underside in hot water, shook and there it was. Phew!

- Steeped the cream-milk mixture with lime zest.... it would have been so wise to strain it. Believe it would. Beginners mistake!

- Made a nice white chocolate praliné, it firmed up as it should. Then Mrs Clumsy stepped in and almost dropped it while transferring it to the fridge.... grabbing and crushing it in the process. Jigsaw praline in my Bûche.

My flavours and the order of the steps I took:

a) White chocolate cornflakes praliné (nice and crunchy, better than I expected)

b) lime and vanilla flavoured créme brulée (very smooth and silky, great flavour!)

c) Milk chocolate mousse (mmm, not entirely sure about this one, a bit too sweet)

d) Hazelnut-Lime dacquoise (I loved this one!)

e) Lightly salted Caramel ganache insert (caramel! How can this not be good?)

f) Bittersweet chocolate icing (Eeek! I must have done something wrong. Not good.)

The one thing I played with was the Ganache insert which was supposed to be more about chocolate with a caramel accent. I reversed it. Making some more caramel, using slightly less cream and adding just 50 grams of chocolate for firmness and a bit of extra flavour. I wanted oozing caramel in this one!! (Left over stuff is excellent in coffee!)

When having completed yet another DB challenge I go over the steps and think about what I learned and if it was worth it. The problem for me is that I'm not much of a sweet person. I'll pick a nice baguette with cheese or paté or whole rye chicken sandwich over any dessert almost any time. Choose a cheese dessert instead of chocolate mousse. The whole Daring Baker's exercise for me is about mastering (and sometimes failing) a technique, trying to get "behind the scene" and figure out how it's done. I loved to learn how to make a mirror cake, how to make excellent caramel sauce, créme Anglaise, or buttercream and genoise, and get my hands in some magic dough. I will never forget the mindboggling bagels either! 

This one for me was about learning how to make a velvety smooth créme brulée and this dacquoise was an eye-opener! Thanks to Hilda and Marion for yet another challenge!

Can't tell you how it tasted, I sliced and photographed (badly!) while still fully frozen and my tastebuds are not exactly in tiptop shape at the moment. Hope to get better pics tomorrow when it's going to be served. Advil here I come!

Most amazing! Cheese-cake smoothie

(even scrollen voor Nederlands)

I wasn't supposed to drink until after I made the pictures; and I forgot! This really is something.. And it's healthy! There's yoghurt in there, milk and fruit, no ice cream but simple ice cubes, and I'll just briefly mention the creamcheesecookiescaramel. See, I told ya: healthy!

Cheese cake smoothie

125 ml milk

1 banana (or equal weight other fruit)

60 gr cream cheese

75 ml yoghurt

1 tbs caramel sauce (nutella...?)

2 drops vanilla (or vanilla sugar)

4 ice cubes

2 ginger cookies (healthier option: 4 tbs granola)

Because I like my cheese cake with a crust I added 2 ginger cookies. (Made them last week and there were only 10 left -out of 50-, that good!)

Combine in a blender, blend and enjoy!

Voor alle zekerheid toch even in het Nederlands, dit is echt iets om uit te proberen, heel vlug klaar, erg lekker en gezónd joh! Melk, yoghurt, fruit, geen ijs maar ijsklontjes, en als ik heel vlug over de roomkaaskoekjescaramel heen fiets merk je het niet. Zie je? Hartstikke gezond, zei ik toch?

Kwarktaart smoothie

125 ml melk
1 banaan (of ong. hetzelfde gewicht aan ander fruit)
60 gr roomkaas (je hebt zelfs light tegenwoordig dussss)
75 ml yoghurt
1 el caramel saus (chocolade pasta? kan ook!)
2 druppels vanille (of 1 tl vanille suiker)
4 ijsklontjes

2 gemberkoekjes (4 el muesli is ook lekker)

Alles samen in een blender, mixen en klaar!

Cantaloupe ice cream is Orange too!

Cantaloupe, originally uploaded by BakingSoda.

Orange again. After the match last Friday (a white knuckle ride playing against France which resulted in an exciting game, a scary last 20 minutes and beating Les Bleus with 4-1). Tonight the Dutch team is facing Romania, and France meets Italy. The situation is such that when Romania beats the Dutch tonight, both Italy and France may be eliminated.... This is fodder for speculation, but I do hope -and expect- the Dutch to play for what they are worth and not sell the match. (Our coach, Marco van Basten was asked if he was contemplating entering a "B-team" answered: we don't have a B-team.... uhoh arrogance?). Anyway, we've managed to get into quarter finals and yesterday night the Germans secured their quarter finals with a close shave win on Austria. Anyone nervous yet?

We'll be watching the game tonight with friends, my friend and I the only females surrounded by 7 guys ..... I'll make sure there's ice cream to cool their nerves!

I am not that familiar with ice cream making, my Kenwood attachment is fairly new and hasn't been used much. For this recipe I wasn't very adventurous and tried the Ben and Jerry's version that is to be found anywhere on the net.

Cantaloupe Ice Cream (Yield: Makes 1 quart / almost 1 ltr)

1 large cantaloupe, very ripe
juice of 1 lemon
Cut the cantaloupe in half and clean out the seeds. Scoop the fruit into a mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, and mash until the fruit is puréed. Drain the juice into another bowl and reserve. Cover the melon purée and refrigerate.

Sweet cream base :
2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue to whisk until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.

Whisk in the fruit juice. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream stiffens, about 2 minutes before it is done, add the cantaloupe.

If more juice has accumulated, do not pour it in because it will water down the ice cream. Continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.