September 14, 2012
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Going Green in the Kitchen
I've been a busy kitchen mouse today, trying out a couple of new recipes which have been hanging around for a while, waiting for an opportunity to come out and express themselves.
The first is a quick and easy soup for summer, and the second is the basil icecream I've been itching to get at for days! Summer Minestrone
Boil about a litre of water and throw in ~
A vegetable stock cube,
Half a courgette, sliced lengthways into quarters and these sliced thinly,
A couple of handfuls of defrosted garden peas out of the freezer,
The same of defrosted green beans,
The same of small pasta shapes. Cook the whole lot until the pasta is tender. Yum yum.
This is the one I've been waiting for!! Basil Icecream You will need ~
25g fresh basil leaves and stalks.
90g caster sugar.
3 medium egg yolks.
300ml Gold Top milk.
284ml pot of double cream.
1) Whiz the basil and sugar in a food processor until the basil is finely chopped and the sugar turns bright green. (I don't own a food processor, and anyway, chopping boards and big knives are kind of fun.
2) Whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture is thick and creamy.
3) Warm the milk in a pan until tepid, then whisk into the mixture. Strain mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Don't let it boil! Pour into a chilled bowl and leave to cool.
4) Whip cream and fold into the cold mixture. (No photos of this, although the peaks did look impressive ~ my arms were too bloody tired to even pick the camera up, never mind actually use it!
) Freeze in a shallow tub until half frozen, take out and stir well, then return to the freezer until solid.
5) Transfer to the fridge for 10 minutes to soften a bit before serving.
I'm eating a bowlful now, as I type, and it's delicious! I used double the amount of basil because I'm a bit partial, and reckon that next time I'll use just half the amount of sugar ~ it's just a tad sweet. But I'm more than happy with it.
Any offers of help with the washing up? I'll let you lick the bowls.... ;P
