November 2008

Ice cream is an icy and creamy decadent dessert which also happens to be naturally gluten-free. This is one of the reasons why we decided to buy an ice cream machine.

The main reason behind the purchase was my boyfriend’s ice cream addiction; he eats ice cream almost everyday. When we first met I noticed how many empty ice cream containers he had at home, but I thought that those had accumulated over a longer time - but I was wrong. After a while I had come to terms with his almost ridiculous ice cream consumption; I sometimes asked him about it, trying to understand why anyone would want to eat that much ice cream, but he always acted as if it was the most natural thing to eat massive amounts of icy flavoured cream.

An ice cream machine was some sort of a compromise between his love for ice cream and my aim to eat natural foods. Finding a good quality ice cream here in Finland is almost impossible, there are many, many ice creams filled with thickeners, emulsifiers, trans fats, syrups that are usually made out of wheat and non natural flavourings. I have found that nothing is more painful for my stomach than syrup made out of wheat; they say that celiacs should be able to eat it, but I certainly can not without the feeling that resembles that of an rabid animal gnawing at my insides in a fury.

I really do not see much point in indulging in a beautiful gluttonous moment with ingredients like that - I want something decadent and real.

Homemade ice cream is just that; made with real ingredients, and you can make any flavour you want. It also tastes much better than most commercial brands.

It is easy to make ice cream, the only difficult moment would be when the custard thickens, but you learn to see it after you have made ice cream a couple of times. I have also found that coconut cream and coconut milk works just as well as dairy products, so, if you have an intolerance to dairy, try making ice cream with coconut milk – it is really, really good.

Ice Cream Recipes

You can use regular cream instead of coconut cream and regular full fat milk instead of the coconut milk in these recipes, if needed. I always try to use unrefined sugar when I make ice cream; it tastes so much better than white sugar, especially in ice cream. Honey is also a great sweetener for ice creams. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to taste; you can add just one cup for a slightly less sweet result and up to two cups for a very sweet result.

The tamarind ice cream is slightly tangy, and it goes perfectly with some chocolate cake. Using unrefined sugar and flavouring the ice cream custard with real vanilla and some ground cardamom produces the most perfect ice cream, ever.

Cardamom ice cream

makes a bit over one litre of ice cream

-1 cup or 2,5 dl sugar (unrefined if possible, use 2 cups of sugar for a sweeter result)

-12 egg yolks

-2 vanilla pods

-3 flat tbls ground cardamom

-800 ml coconut milk (one can is 400ml, so it is two cans)

-400 ml coconut cream (you can measure it with the coconut milk can)

- 1-2 tbls of alcohol, rum for example, to prevent ice crystals (this is optional)

Separate the egg yolks and measure the sugar, place them into a bowl.

Whisk them together until they become creamy. Leave aside.

Measure the coconut milk and coconut cream into a saucepan. Measure the ground cardamom into the saucepan. Split the vanilla pods and scrape the seeds from the inside and place into the saucepan. Chop up the emptied pods and place them also into the saucepan.

Heat them together on medium heat, the mixture should not boil, just warm it.

Then pour the warm coconut milk mixture into the bowl were you have the creamed eggs and sugar. Whisk them together.

Pour everything back to the saucepan and place it on medium heat.

This is the only difficult part of the ice cream process, you should not overcook the mixture, but if you do, it is not the end of the world, it will just taste a bit more like eggs. After a couple of times you will notice it more easily.

You have two options with the custard, either wait for the bubbles to disappear, it is done when the bubbles disappear. The second option would be to stick a spoon into the mixture and draw a line on the middle of the spoon, if the line sticks for a while, the custard is done.

Like this.

Place the mixture into a container and leave to cool into the fridge. When it has cooled down place it into your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturers’ instructions.

Tamarind Ice Cream

makes a bit over one litre of ice cream

-1 cup or 2,5 dl sugar (unrefined if possible, the tamarind is tangy, so some might like to use 2 cups of sugar)

-12 egg yolks

-800 ml coconut milk (two cans)

-400 ml coconut cream (you can measure it with the coconut milk can)

- 2 flat tbls of concentrated tamarind paste (it can usually be found in Asian shops)

- 1-2 tbls of alcohol, rum for example, to prevent ice crystals (this is optional)

Measure the sugar and separate the egg yolks. Whisk them until they have a creamy consistency.

Measure the coconut milk and the coconut cream into a saucepan, add the tamarind paste into the saucepan, and heat the mixture on medium heat. It should not boil, just warm up slightly.

Pour the warm coconut mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar. Whisk them together. Pour them back into the saucepan and place it on medium heat.

You have two options with the custard, either wait for the bubbles to disappear, it is done when the bubbles disappear. The other option would be to stick a spoon into the mixture and draw a line on the middle of the spoon, if the line sticks for a while, the custard is done.Place the custard into a container and let it cool down in a fridge. When it has cooled down place it into the ice cream machine and follow the manufacturers instructions.

Remember that homemade ice cream melts really fast, you should eat it straight away.

Popularity: 21% [?]

In my opinion any food that has creme fraiche in it is delicious, even fish. I have never been one to embrace the eating of aquatic animals, sure I like sushi, salmon soup with heavy cream and rye bread, fish and chips, rye bread and salmon cured in salt, but I still never could say that yes, I like to eat fish.

There is something about the vast depths of the sea that leaves me uneasy; especially the thought of eating the animals with scales and fins living there. Even the strong salty odour that emanates from the deep waters gives me the chills sometimes.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that sea to me means the Barents Sea which is almost black, cold and in my memories always raging, not for example the Mediterranean with the turquoise warm waters. The way I associate something like the Barents Sea with a nice cosy home cooked meal containing fish might be one of the reasons for my aversion of the ectothermic scale covered creatures.

I still eat fish though, especially salmon, although I can taste the salty icy waters with every bite I swallow.

On a more serious and less dramatic note I do not know why fish does not taste all that good to me, although salmon is a nice exception to the rule and I prefer eating it whenever we eat fish.

This recipe is a childhood favourite and a sure thing for me to make, since I know that I love eating it - every time.

Creme fraiche baked salmon recipe

The creme fraiche in this recipe can be substituted with any kind of cream cheese and smetana. For a more interesting twist you can add herbs, sautéed mushrooms and onions or parmesan to the creme fraiche. Remember that wild salmon needs a lot less salt than farmed salmon.

I always take the skin off the salmon when baking it because it is easier to eat that way, but you could just place the salmon skin side down and add the lemon and spices along with the creme fraiche on top of it right away.

Serves 4 (or two hungry persons) and takes approximately 30 minutes to make. Very easy to make.

- approximately one pound/500 grams of salmon fillet

-salt and black pepper according to taste

- the juice of one lemon, reduce the amount to half a lemon if you don’t want a strong lemony taste

- 200 grams/ one cup of creme fraiche

Preheat an oven to 400 F or 200 C.

Rinse and dry the salmon fillet.

Take a baking dish and place the salmon in it. Pour half of the lemon juice on top of it and sprinkle the salt on it along with the black pepper.

Turn the salmon skin side up and place into the oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and roll the skin off.

Pour the rest of the lemon juice on the salmon and sprinkle some salt and black pepper on it. Place the creme fraiche on top of the salmon evenly.

Bake the salmon for another 20-30 minutes, or until it is done. Some people like their salmon to be dryish and some prefer a moister salmon; the baking time should be therefore adjusted according to individual preference.

I like to eat this with some regular mashed potatoes that have some shredded basil leaves added to the mix.  A dry white wine is always a good option with this dish.

Popularity: 19% [?]