One of my favourite additions to the standard vanilla ice cream is to add salted caramel sauce. Some may say it might be a step too far and they may be right, however I think it's personal choice and after all, it is meant to be a treat!
The fast option - use a jar of salted caramel sauce (260g) – easily available at most large supermarkets – fold into the mixture to give a marbled effect.
The “fastish” option. If you'd like to make your own salted caramel sauce here's my recipe :
Salted Caramel Sauce
110g/4oz unsalted butter
225g/8oz soft dark brown sugar
275ml/10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)
1½ tsp salt
Heat together the butter and sugar. When dissolved add the salt and whisk in the cream.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.
One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce and you can portion and freeze for convenience. Yippee – more for another time!
If you don't like salt in your caramel sauce, then here's the alternative :
Sticky Toffee Sauce
4oz unsalted butter
8oz soft brown sugar
2oz chopped stem ginger (optional)
10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)
Heat together the butter, sugar and ginger. When dissolved add the cream.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.
The stem ginger in this recipe is optional but it makes a good addition when serving the sauce as an accompaniment to nursery puddings and ice cream.
One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce, or, over two portions to fold through ice cream. It can be frozen for convenience. A shop bought sauce is usually 260g per jar. I think you'll find that making your own sauce it is less sweet and really enhances the vanilla ice cream.
Meringue kisses are neat piece of kit!
If you want to have a go and make your own here's my basic meringue recipe :
4 fl oz egg whites – from large eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar
As is always my mantra, get yourself sorted before you start whisking.
Your oven should be pre-heated 90fan/110c/Gas ¼ – very cool/very slow.
Cut your parchment to size for two baking sheets measuring 30x30 cms.
You'll need a large, squeaky clean mixing bowl, a plain nozzle and a piping bag. If you want to be sure you've got a squeaky clean bowl then wipe it with a drop of lemon juice and let is dry before use.
Whisk your eggs whites until they are stiff – the old fashioned way of testing whether they are stiff enough is to tip the bowl upside down over your head – if the mixture doesn't move it's ready! Add half the caster sugar and whisk again until stiff. Fold in the remaining sugar. Your mixture is now ready for the piping bag.
The great thing about disposable piping bags is that you can cut them to size. The end of the bag is snipped to fit your nozzle. Fold the bag over your hand – it enables you to have a steady hold on your bag. Spoon the mixture into the bag until two thirds full and gently ease the mixture towards the nozzle expelling any air. Twist the top of the bag and hold and then use your other hand to steady the nozzle end.
Place a tiny blob of mixture in each corner of your baking trays and “glue” your parchment to the tray.
Holding the nozzle approximately 4cms above the tray squeeze the bag gently and then tilt the bag away in an upward direction so that you create a little kiss curl – hence “kisses”!
Bake for 45 minutes.
Peel the kisses gently from the parchment.
Note to self – you could use your oven at the end of cooking your Sunday roast so it makes the best use of all that otherwise wasted energy!
This recipe will give you approximately 40 kisses. You can store them in strong ziploc type bags or in tins lined with parchment with well fitting lids. Store in a cool, dry place – NOT in the fridge and they'll keep for 2 weeks – if they last that long!
It's your made ahead “store cupboard” element.
However, you have options – you can cheat and buy tubs of ready-made meringue kisses. The quality of the ready-made varies, some are better than others, some are powdery and overly sweet, some not so but disintegrate as soon as you look at them – a slight exaggeration may be! You may find them more convenient and the shelf life will be longer.
Then there's the sprinkles.
My favourite home-made sprinkle is praline – used largely for adding to and flavouring cream, ice cream, butter cream or whatever takes your fancy. You can use it in large pieces or shards or blitzed into a coarse powder. It keeps well so long as you transfer it into an air-tight jar. Should the mood take you it can even be blitzed into a paste.
Praline
75g/3oz almonds, unblanched
75g/3oz caster sugar
Place the sugar into a frying pan (I used a pan measuring 28cms/11” in diameter) and then the almonds on top. Heat the sugar and almonds on as low a heat as possible. Resist the urge to prod/stir/mess with! Patience is eventually rewarded the sugar begins to melt and when the almonds begin to “pop”, and your sugar is a good colour - turn it out onto a non-stick sheet (or oiled slab if you want to be posh). The melting of the sugar takes approximately 20 minutes.
Leave the praline sheet where it is until it is well and truly set. You can then break it up and blitz into a coarse powder or as you wish. It's stating the obvious I know – you'll get 150g/6oz of praline.
Please note that when blitzing you will need ear plugs and warn anyone nearby that isn't totally deaf they soon will be – it's worth the noise – the result - tiny bits of twinkling toffee – the ultimate sprinkle.
If you want a speedier suggestion, crushed Amaretti biscuits do the trick – delicious almond intensity.
All the suggestions made have a “shelf” life be it in the store cupboard or the freezer and can be mixed and matched with fruit that is plentiful and in season.
More pud ideas ...
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