Today is about
staying cool with Double Chocolate Ice Cream and staying awake with Chocolate Affogato!
I had a whole other post in mind but the recent heat wave across the Western hemisphere beckons a cooler approach, me thinks!
And, yes I know, I have been a bit absent here. I will proceed with my excuses now.
1. I am in London now. Came for the Food Blogger Connect and had a great time catching up with friends and chatting with bloggers I have known for ages and finally met and of course, meeting new people and loving it all!
2. I was not organized enough to manage a post before I left.
There, now lets move on to more interesting stuff...
FBC. It was great fun! Since it coincided with the launch of Bethany's book Jewelled Kitchen
photographed by Sarka, we were treated to an array of hand made Middle Eastern delicacies cooked by Beth and Sarka en famile! The book is stunning filled with awesome recipes. I know, I tested some!
The event was at Battersea Arts Center, in a cool neighborhood in Clapham. If you are around there, definitely recommend Gail's for breakfast and The Ship for a relaxed BBQ evening turned late night by the Thames!
I am in London. Oh! Did I say that already? But, I am in London! Ok, you get it, don't you? :) I love this city and am just happy to be here meeting friends, lunching, dining and taking in the English Summer; and, it's turning out to be quite a lovely weather too! This is also the first, of the few times I have been here, I have been able to wear shorts and sleeveless dresses. Some heat waves are good! :)
In context to above, my next statement will be amusingly ridiculous. I had fish and chips for the first time last night! So,there, I said it! It was here and it was fantastic. I may have to just do it again! And the pea puree that accompanied it was so yummily English :)
Andy Murray won! Ok, not happy. But, life goes on.... I am glad I didn't attempt to go watch it. Although, watching Wimbledon from the grounds that is still on my bucket list.
On the menu for the rest of my stay; buy the truffle brie cheese from La Fromagerie, eat a lot of strawberries from Borough Market, buy shoes, check out markets for eclectic prop-y stuff and discover London and perhaps, beyond, a bit more. I am sure I'll add a few more along the way.
Oh! I stumbled upon a nice flea market in Covent Garden yesterday and picked up some vintage cutlery for personal use. There were also nice vintage jewellery stalls.
I think that about covers my ramblings for this Tuesday. Stay tuned for more later in the week :)
Meanwhile, Stay Cool and Carry On with ice cream and cold coffees!
Double Chocolate Ice Cream
3 yolks, farm fresh
2 T raw sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate ganache, cooled
1 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup bitter sweet chocolate chopped
By hand, cream the yolks and sugar together until light yellow in color. Meanwhile, heat the cream and milk until just barely simmering. Remove the pan from heat. Slowly, and while continuously whisking the mixture, incorporate the hot cream into the yolk mixture.
To prepare the custard, pour the mixture back in to the pan and over LOW heat, gently heat the mixture, stirring often. The mixture will start to thicken. Continue heating until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon (about 8 - 10 minutes) and if you run your finger along the back of the spoon, the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak.
Remove from heat immediately. Whisk the mixture for a minute to stop the custard from cooking further. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps or scrambles. Stir in the ganaches in whisk to incorporate fully without lumps. Cool the mixture to room temperature.
Cover the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast two hours until completely chilled. At this point, you can process the mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
If you don't have an ice cream machine, once the custard mixture is cold, move it to the freezer. After about 45 minutes, check on the mixture. If it has started freezing on the edges, remove and whip up the mixture with a hand-held mixer to break the ice crystals and incorporate some air to create the fluffiness.
Return to the freezer and repeat the whisking every hour, three more times. By this time, volume of the ice cream would have doubled. If it hasn't, then you are not whisking enough each time. After the final repetition, gently fold in the chocolate pieces and freeze the mixture again.
I like having the ice cream when it is just firm and not completely frozen. This will be about 2-3 hours after the final whisking.
Chocolate Affogato
{ I made my coffee using the new coffee Parana. It is a mild fruity coffee that pair beautifully with the intense chocolate and adds the perfect balance in this mocha }
1 cup fresh brewed coffee
1 generous scoop of chocolate ice cream
Top hot coffee with ice cream and enjoy! Simple eh?!