When I was little, I used to spend at least one day a week with my grandparents. In the summer, I almost always had a choc ice for pudding after lunch. I used to rummage through the draw to find the smallest teaspoon and then carefully crack the top of the choc ice. It was a very precise process.
In the end I ended up making not only the classic vanilla ice cream, but three other combinations. There's a peanut butter ice cream (chopped peanuts on top), a peanut butter and vanilla (one peanut) and finally, a peanut butter with a core of fleur de sel caramel left over from this cake (fleur de sel).
I have to admit, making these ended up being a rather messy business. I got chocolate everywhere. The fridge, the freezer door, the freezer drawers, the work surfaces, the floor, the puppy, my face, my hair and most definitely my hands. This was an early shot. It got messier.
I found the recipe for this peanut butter ice cream on Baked Bree. It's a great recipe. The peanut butter is distinct but not cloying and even people who don't really like peanut butter seem to like it. I'm going to have to make some more soon.
Otherwise, I used a very dark 85% chocolate and my favourite vanilla ice cream recipe. The peanut butter ones are great - the dark chocolate still has a very distinct flavour and plays off the creamy ice cream. I'm glad I used chunky peanut butter. I like having the nuts in the ice cream and it churned without any problems.
I have to admit that the star of this show was definitely the over-the-top peanut butter with the fleur de sel caramel. It's wicked but oh so good.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
(recipe adapted from Baked Bree)240g chunky peanut butter
340ml whole milk
550ml double cream
75g brown sugar
75g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essenceSpoon the peanut butter into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until it is melted. Pour in the milk and whisk to combine, followed by the double cream. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Chill overnight then churn according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.
(Makes 1 litre)
Choc Ices
1 litre of ice cream (can be of multiple flavours)
about 300g dark chocolate
toppings (peanuts, fleur de sel etc)
Line a 9 inch square tin with cling film, making sure you have some overlap. Spread the ice cream evenly into the pan (this is easiest if it's freshly churned). Freeze until solid. Lift out with the cling film then chop into cubes (I did mine into five bars and then split these into five). Put back in the freezer for a bit to harden up again. To add a caramel middle, cut a cube into a 2/3 chunk and a 1/3 chunk. Use a melon baller to scoop out a hole in the bigger chunk. Fill with caramel and top with the other chunk. Melt about 100g of chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler. Leave to cool for a few minutes. Use a toothpick to pick up a cube of ice cream, then spoon the chocolate over until it is covered. Set onto a tray lined with greaseproof or similar and add any topping. Repeat, then melt more chocolate and so on until you have finished.
(Makes 25)
These look nothing short of AMAZING!!!
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