One Step Espresso Ice Cream

This is my absolute go-to recipe when it comes to an easy ice cream. I've been using this recipe for over a year, long before I got an ice cream maker, and every time (even when I make slight errors) it seems to work. Although I do enjoy making ice cream with a custard etc, this is the only espresso ice cream I've ever attempted.

My parents are definite coffee lovers, and so this doesn't seem to stick around long in our house. I had mine with brownie crumbs as there was some in the tin from when I made brownies this week - but you can eat it however you want. The recipe comes from Nigella Lawson - and she eats hers in brioche buns which sounds good, but I'm yet to try. I think I might put it in a blender and add milk to make an iced coffee, but we'll see.

I've actually doubled the recipe here as I had a 600ml tub of cream and knew the other 300 would end up going to waste, the original recipe yields around 1 pint, so I am assuming this makes 2 pints? I've also used coffee that's a little too grainy here - I'd usually make it a bit finer but I was being lazy (as per) and so I didn't bother. I don't mind, I quite like how speckled it is but it's up to yourself how you have it.

The original recipe is from here.

INGREDIENTS:

600ml of double cream
350g of condensed milk
4 tablespoons of espresso powder (as fine as you can find)
4 tablespoons of coffee liqueur (I used Tia Maria this time, but whatever you have)

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1: Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until still peaks form, then transfer into a freezable container and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours.

It's almost embarrassing how easy it is??

Setting GBBO Goals

As everyone knows, today is the much-anticipated return of the Great British Bake Off. I am very excited (who isn’t) and in anticipation I have been going through my Grandma’s old recipe books writing down my favourite ones, all whilst browsing the Lakeland website (obviously). The Bake Off is something that I usually watch with my mum (it’s our thing yo) but this week I’m with my grandparents so I’ll be watching without her (sob). Anyway, we’ll see how it goes but I might post about it later. Or maybe I’ll just tweet. Chances are I’ll just tweet actually. You can see my real time reactions (so insightful I’m sure) on my twitter here.

Last year I actually planned to blog through the GBBO but moving to uni got in the way, and so this year I’ll (hopefully) complete a series of blog posts. In these posts I will bake following the GBBO. So, I’ll make my own version of the signature dish, attempt the blind bake (although –luckily- with more instructions), and do my own showstopper (although this will definitely be a downsized version). I’m not sure what day these will be posted, most likely on Sunday’s but we’ll see how it goes. I do like a challenge in baking, and so maybe this will help my skills?? So yes, it will have a name soon as I only have 15 minutes to get my GBBO snack on.

I don’t think anyone is reading this yet (much like most of the time I am speaking to myself ha) but I’m quite interested myself to see what the results will be!

Zoe

Sea Salt & Black Pepper Pretzels

I think the first time that I had one of these soft dough pretzels was when I went to New York a few years ago, and since then I have been a huge fan. Bread is always a good shout in my books, and these are one of my favourite variants. They remind me mostly of winter and Christmas time - partly because it was at Christmas that I was in New York and partly because I always have one every year at the Edinburgh German Christmas Market. (I think the small, more crisp-like ones are popular in the UK, and while those are delicious, and this these ones are the best of the two.) However, winter it is not and the kitchen was slightly warm yesterday so I decided to make some.

These are an absolute first attempt for me, and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with them. Although they aren't the prettiest (I need to work on my dough shaping skills), they tasted good. This recipe made 8, however they are already gone with my brother asking me when I'm making more - a clear success.

The recipe came from The Brown Eyed Baker, one of my personal favourite baking/cooking blogs - I didn't stick to the recipe entirely.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups of warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 packet of yeast
4 ½ cups of plain flour
*4 tablespoons of melted, unsalted butter
10 cups of water
2/3 cups of bicarbonate of soda (I didn't have enough but it worked fine.)
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash
As much coarse sea salt and black pepper to cover with as you wish

*or 2oz, or 57g (I find tablespoons of butter so awkward to measure out.)

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1: Put the warm water, sugar and salt in a large bowl together. Sprinkle over the yeast and leave for 5 minutes. (at this point it is supposed to foam – I didn’t really find this happened but after 2 attempts with no foam, I went ahead with it and it seemed to work anyway.)

STEP 2: Add the flour and melted butter and knead. It should be ready when it comes away from the side of the bowl but I think you can feel when it’s ready when you handle it. In order to do this I used a dough hook and it took around 5 minutes, however without the hook it would depend on your strength and kneading skills I imagine? Place in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, and leave it somewhere warm for about an hour. (It should double in size.)

STEP 3: Preheat the oven to 230°C, and then line 2 baking trays with baking paper and lightly brush with oil. Then put the water and bicarbonate of water in a large pan and leave to reach boiling.

STEP 4: As the water is warming up, use this time to shape the dough. (Lightly oil your surface first.) I got 8 pretzels from this, and I weighed each piece of dough exactly (as I am a loser) – but just 8 similar portions would be fine. Roll each piece into a long rope and then twist into a pretzel shape. (Make a U and then fold over). Once they’ve been shaped put them on the trays.

STEP 5: (The fun part.) The water should be boiling at this point. Place each pretzel in the water - one at a time – for 30 seconds each. Then using a utensil that allows for the water to drain (I used a draining spoon, funnily enough) take them out and place on the tray. After this, brush them with the egg/water wash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I added lots of pepper as I love it, but it’s really up to your own taste.

STEP 6: Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, until they are golden brown.

These are super good warm, but not hot as burning your tongue is not much fun at all.... trust me.

Until next time,
Zoe

Green Tea, Lime, & Mint Cooler

(Ok - so this isn't exactly baking as such but its too good not to mention.)

This summer I have found, and become obsessed with quite possibly the best high-street coffee shop cold drink ever. Every year I look forward to summer menus (partly just for inspiration) and this year, Costa wins it for me. Not only do they still have iced tea but they also have ginger beer and this beauty: the Green Tea, Lime and Mint cooler. Never have I enjoyed a so called 'blended' drink more. This cold almost slush like drink is the perfect balance of lime and mint with a little green tea in there too. But, much to my disappointment, moving home for the summer means moving out of the city and back into a costa-free town. This means that these drinks are a very rare occurrence. (And to add insult to injury, my boyfriend works there and likes to send me photos of them when he has them on his break - usually captioned with something along the lines of "u jel?". Yes, very, actually.) But if growing up in the countryside (and therefore miles away from civilisation) has taught me anything - it's that you just have to make your own versions. (Be it iced tea, pasta sauce, ugg boots...). And so here is my version, of the costa Green Tea, Lime & Mint Cooler.

This recipe has been a bit trial and error on my part, but hopefully it should work...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of cooled green tea
3/4 cup of cooled green tea with lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1-2 tablespoons caster sugar
A few ripped mint leaves (choose based on your own taste)
2 cups of ice

(I make this in a small smoothie maker, so I do it in small steps but if you have a good blender you could probably just put it all together at once.)

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1: Place 1 cup of tea, mint, half the lime juice and sugar in a blender and mix together briefly. Then add 1 cup of ice and blend until there is a slush like consistency.

STEP 2: Taste, and add more lime juice if it is needed (the same goes for the sugar). Then add the rest of the tea and ice and blend until a thick slush is formed.

STEP 3: Put in a glass, add a straw and garnish with a sprig of mint (if you want, I do because it looks nice so there we go.) And then drink before it melts.

This is one of those things that really depends on your own taste. I really love mint, I buy too many mint plants and eat it with pretty much everything – it’s just so very good. But if you don’t like it that much, don’t add as much (and also some leaves are stronger than others.) But however you make it, it should definitely be refreshing (even in Scotland – who knew?)