Lamington Ice Cream Pops

Australia Day is one of my favourite holidays. It's by far the most relaxed, a great excuse to spend time with friends over a few beers and fire up the BBQ. I also like showcasing some classic Australian dishes here on my blog, with one of my favourite (obviously) being the Lamington. Last year I recreated it in doughnut form, which was awesome, but this year I wanted to turn it into ice cream. Chocolate and coconut are two things that work together so well, so I had high hopes for these little ice cream pops.

While they aren't the prettiest dessert I've ever made, I still loved them. They were better than a Magnum ice cream. I used my favourite no churn ice cream recipe, which has to be the easiest in the world. Using only a handful of ingredients you can create a delicious and super creamy ice cream without a fancy ice cream maker that can be adapted in any way you can think of. Can't get much better than that!



I used high quality chocolate both in the ice cream itself and for the coating and then rolled it in coconut chips for extra crunch. However if coconut chips aren't available where you live, some toasted shredded coconut would also be delicious. You could also swap the chocolate ice cream for vanilla or coconut, or even strawberry if you prefer! Unfortunately the coating wasn't quite as even as I would have liked, so if anyone has any suggestions as to how to do this better next time, I'm all ears!

These pops can be made well in advance and kept in the freezer and I think would be the perfect sweet ending for any Australia Day celebrations you've got planned this long weekend!

For more Australian dishes, click here

Cake Batter Ice Cream Sandwiches, and a Guest Post

Hello hello. Just a quick note from me today, as I'm guest posting over at my gorgeous friend Steph's blog Raspberri Cupcakes while she is off in Europe on her honeymoon! We're actually going to be in Kuala Lumpur at the same time next week, totally by coincidence - how crazy is that! So I'm looking forward to catching up with her then over many iced teh tariks :)


But, lets talk about this recipe for just a second. Ice cream sandwiches have been popping up on restaurant menus all over Sydney this year and I wanted to put my own spin on the now infamous dessert. Cake batter flavoured ice cream fit the bill perfectly as it’s delicious, sort of unusual – and perfect with sprinkles! And of course, you know how much Steph loves sprinkles!

You wouldn't believe how easy this ice cream is to make. There’s no ice cream maker required, no custard to make, no eggs to separate, minimal washing up, and it still turns out to be super creamy. I also loved the brownie 'sandwich' that was the perfect texture - half way between a cake and a biscuit. I'll definitely be making these again soon.

Click here to read the full post and recipe.

Cinnamon Doughnut Ice Cream

To conclude my series of spiced up recipes for spicyicecream's 5th birthday, I have a very special recipe for you. I have to say, I wasn't sure this little experiment world work, but happily it did, and has become one of my favourite ice cream flavours to date. The doughnut flavour really carried through well and the ice cream itself was deliciously creamy.

This dessert was inspired by the Stoners Delight at Ms G's that included doughnut ice cream as part of a wacky dessert also featuring the likes of chocolate crackles, marshmallows, pretzels and dulce de leche, as well as bacon, and a fried banana fritter last time I was there. Soooo good!


Cinnamon doughnuts were always my favourite as a kid, especially when they were super fresh and hot from Donut King. These days I don't buy donuts as I prefer to make my own, but I wanted this ice cream to have that same flavour as the doughnuts I remembered. So I infused the cream with a dozen of them! Well, a dozen minus the one that ended up in my tummy.

The other great thing about this recipe is that you don't need an ice cream maker, you don't need to make a custard and you won't end up with a heap of leftover egg whites. There are only 4 ingredients and hardly any active time, most of it is taken up waiting while the cream infuses and while the ice cream freezes.

If you missed any of the other recipes in the spicy series, here they are!
• Spiced Mulled Cider
• Chai Spiced Rolls with Cinnamon Glaze
• Sticky Ginger Spice Cake
• Spicy Chocolate Doughnuts

Mango and Saffron Swirl Ice Cream

Just consider this blog an ode to how much I love summer fruit. I’ve resolved to make as many delicious things as I possible can with my favourites before the season is over, and so far that has included berries (a few times), peaches, plums and today we’re talking mangoes.

It was brought to my attention recently that I didn’t have a single mango recipe here at all, though that kind of makes sense, since we all love them, so mangoes don’t last long in this house! I thought I’d rectify that glaring omission and spent the entire week thinking about what I could make.



I had a heap of ideas, but I kept coming back to the idea of pairing mango and saffron together. I thought it sounded interesting so decided to give it a try in a swirled ice cream. Since my fancy new ice cream maker lives on the other side of the country, I made my favourite no churn recipe, which seriously couldn’t be easier.

I added a pinch of saffron to a homemade mango puree, but unfortunately the saffron taste was a little bit subtle in the finished product, and most wouldn’t even know it was there. It was still totally delicious though, so I’ve added the saffron as optional in the recipe below.



The ice cream tastes just like a Mango Weis bar, one of my favourite Australian summer treats. The humble ice block has been immortalised into a gorgeous dessert at Sepia restaurant in Sydney. And while my take is much more simple, it’s still a winning flavour combination that can’t go wrong.



Mango and Saffron Swirl Ice Cream
Makes about 1L
Adapted from Vanilla Bean Blog

Mango Saffron Puree
• 2 ripe mangoes
• Large pinch of saffron
• 1 tablespoon boiling water

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• 1 can condensed milk
• Seeds of ½ vanilla bean, scraped
• 2 cups cold heavy cream

To make the mango puree, cut mangoes in half and scoop out as much flesh as you can into the bowl of a food processor. Stir saffron into boiling water and add to the mango. Pulse food processor until no chunks of mango remain and pass mixture through a fine sieve. Set aside until required.

To make the ice cream, place condensed milk and vanilla bean together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl or in a stand mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into condensed milk mixture. Pour one quarter of the mixture into a regular size loaf pan or cake tin and swirl through some of the mango puree. Repeat three more times, alternating the ice cream mixture with mango puree. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Mixture will keep up to one week in the freezer.

Lychee, Vodka and Elderflower Iceblocks

Isn't it funny how your tastes change over the years? As a child I wouldn't go near mushrooms, eggplant, pumpkin, seafood, and many more things I now find delicious. Lychees were definitely in the 'no way' zone but these days I love them, and they have been especially delicious this summer. I came home one day a few weeks ago to find a surprise gift waiting for me, a box of beautiful lychees from Impact Communications that were just waiting to be turned into something delicious.

When thinking about what to make, my mind kept wandering back to the signature cocktail at Kit & Kaboodle in Kings Cross, called the Kit Martini – a delicious combination of vodka, lychee, elderflower and cloudy apple juice. I decided to play with those flavours in a boozy, and decidedly summery iceblock. And I've gotta say, they're every bit as good as the drink itself!

Even better, they’re ridiculously easy to make – just stir, pour and freeze. I can imagine eating one of these after a dip in the pool on a hot day, or after a BBQ dinner on a sultry evening. I made my iceblocks in shot glasses, but you could also try using small cake moulds. And funnily it was almost a year to the day that I posted these delicious Watermelon, Raspberry and Gin iceblocks, which I’ll definitely be making again soon!

Thanks again to Impact Communications for the beautiful lychees!



Lychee, Vodka and Elderflower Iceblocks
Makes 10

• 8 lychees, peeled and seeds removed (or use canned lychees if fresh are unavailable)
• ¼ cup vanilla vodka
• 3-4 tablespoons elderflower liqueur or cordial
• 500ml cloudy apple juice
• Sugar syrup, to taste, optional

Process lychees in a food processor and pass through a fine sieve to get about 200ml of juice. Stir in vanilla vodka, elderflower liqueur or cordial and apple juice. If desired, add sugar syrup to taste.

Pour into shot glasses or other small mould and freeze for about 2 hours. Insert a paddle pop stick into the center of each iceblock and then freeze overnight, or until firm. To serve, gently twist iceblocks from glasses or run under a little cool water to dislodge. Serve immediately.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I’ve been thinking a lot about resolutions lately, I guess it comes with the territory in the first few weeks of January. I get the feeling that 2012 will be a year filled with big changes, big adventures and big life decisions, though I don’t want to jinx anything, and I thought I’d share a couple of the things I want to do this year here.

• Read more. I used to read a crazy amount of books but as the last few years have got busier, I have been reading less and less.
• Make more from scratch. I’m usually pretty good at this, but I want to make the effort to make more of my ingredients totally from scratch, like mayonnaise, ricotta, stock, bread etc.
• Waste less. I’m sure I’m not the only one who buys a bunch of herbs for a particular recipe and forgets about the rest until it’s turned to liquid in the crisper drawer! This has to stop, because the food waste statistics are absolutely horrifying.
• Grow my own. Stemming from the last point, I can pick just enough for what I need. Plus it’s so satisfying to be able to go out and pick beautiful fresh herbs and vegetables from the backyard. From the little garden we started in spring, the tomatoes, strawberries and capsicum are going great guns, and the mint is growing wild!
• Document the year. If you follow me on Instagram (username is spicyicecream, of course) you can see the results of my photo-a-day project! I hope to make it past April this time around!



This ice cream was completely made from scratch (check!) using mint that we grew ourselves (check!) in our fancy new red ice cream maker, a Christmas present from the boy's parents. I’ve been interested in making a fresh mint ice cream ever since I saw it on Orangette a few years ago, which was from my favourite ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. The man is a genius, and this ice cream is delicious.



I loved the herbaceous quality of this ice cream, so different (and so much better) than anything artificially flavoured. I ended up using a bit less than the original recipe asked for but it was a surprisingly strong mint flavour. I added a couple of drops of food colouring to get that shade of green but I’ve listed that as optional in the recipe below. The addition of chopped chocolate and a rich chocolate sauce was also fantastic and I know I’ll definitely be making this ice cream again and again.



Fresh Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebovitz
Makes 1 litre

• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup lightly packed mint leaves
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A few drops green food colouring, optional
• 100g chocolate, finely chopped

Warm the milk, sugar and 1 cup of cream, salt and mint in a medium saucepan. Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least an hour to infuse the mint flavour. Remove the mint with a strainer and then press down with a spatula firmly to extract as much mint flavour as possible, then discard the mint.

Pour the remaining cream and vanilla into a large bowl and set a strainer on top. Rewarm the infused milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and then slowly pour some of the warm mint mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

Cook custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Immediately stain the mixture into the cream, then stir over an ice bath until cool. Add food colouring if using. Refrigerate overnight, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. When almost ready, stir in chopped chocolate, transfer to a container and freeze until firm. Serve with chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce (adapted from Taste)

Note: This recipe will make more than you need, but it will store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

• 185ml thickened cream
• 200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 55g brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place ingredients into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal or wooden spoon until chocolate is almost melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir until chocolate melts. Serve warm or transfer to a clean airtight jar or container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. Serve room temperature or warm.

Candy Cane Spiders + 13 Ways with Candy Canes!

Well well, it’s Christmas Eve Eve. Most of us are finishing up work for the year and finishing off preparations for a big weekend of celebrating! Hopefully you’re nearly finished all your shopping, but if you’re still stuck on what to make for Christmas dessert, hopefully this post will help! I thought I’d get into the festive spirit with a pepperminty round up of Christmassy recipes featuring candy canes!


I had a lot of fun putting this together because it’s such a great chance to see how creative other bloggers can be! From show-stopping cakes to gorgeous homemade gifts and celebratory cocktails, I never realized how versatile those red and white striped candies could be.



Picture Credits: Tartelette & Gourmet Traveller

1. One of my favourite bakers, and macaron maker extraordinaire Tartelette baked up some gorgeous Candy Cane Macarons, which I think are totally stunning. Her detailed recipe also makes macarons seem a little less scary!

2. If you’re a more experienced (or adventurous!) macaron maker, you could attempt Adriano Zumbo’s Candy Cane Macarons. Red and white mixture is marbled together and actually piped into candy cane shapes! They’re absolutely beautiful but I think I’ll leave this one to the experts! The caramelized candy cane ganache filling sounds wonderful though.


Picture Credits: Cake and Allie & My Recipes

3. Out of all the Candy Cane Cupcake recipes out there, this one from Cake and Allie has to be one of the most beautiful. I love the marbled red and white frosting!

4. This amazing Candy Cane Cake would absolutely steal the show at Christmas lunch! Coated with pulverized candy cane pieces, I think it would also be totally deliciously decadent if you used a fudgy chocolate cake as well.

Picture Credits: My Recipes & Spicy Icecream

5. I think these cute Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies would make delicious little gifts for friends and family this Christmas. But to make them even more awesome, they are sandwiched together with peppermint icing. Yum!

6. This recipe has fond memories for me, baking with my sister. Which is kind of appropriate as she also helped out with today’s recipe, but more on that later! These easy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies were inspired by a Donna Hay recipe and are the perfect treat to make with the kids, or to leave out as a bribe, I mean, snack for Santa.

Picture Credits: Tablespoon & Hungry Girl Por Vida

7. This recipe for Candy Cane Martini Jelly Shots is so creative, not to mention pretty! Perfect little adults-only treat for a Christmas party, and a great concept to experiment with.

8. I have just discovered this gorgeous blog, Hungry Girl Por Vida but I’m totally in love with the gorgeous photos and recipes such as these Candy Cane Truffles. Give them as gifts or stir into warm milk for a decadent peppermint truffle hot chocolate, you can’t go wrong with this great, simple recipe!

Picture Credits: A Taste of Koko & Raspberri Cupcakes

9. I’ve been obsessed with chocolate “bark” since I made that crazy Sprinkle Bark Cake, and so of course I had to include Peppermint Bark in this roundup! A Taste of Koko has a beautiful version with not one but three layers of chocolate and a generous sprinkling of crushed up candy cane pieces.

10. I love the sound of the Candy Cane Chocolate Syrup (also known amongst us as “awesomesauce”) that my friend Steph made to top this stack of festive red and white pancakes. I can only imagine how awesome this would have tasted!

Picture Credits: Country Living & My Recipes

11. If you’re still looking for a delicious homemade gift, this Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix might fit the bill! Packaged up in a pretty jar, I know I’d certainly love a thoughtful (and delicious) present like this! Or, you could make a batch of this for yourself in case hot chocolate cravings strike. It will last for up to six months in an airtight container.

12. Of course I had to booze it up at some point, and this Candy Cane Martini fits the bill nicely! I think this minty martini would be absolutely perfect for holiday parties.



13. I’m totally thrilled with how this crazy idea turned out – a Candy Cane Spider! Americans might know these better as an Ice Cream Soda or Float but in Australia, we’ve always known them as “Spiders”, but whatever you call it, it’s a delicious creamy drink made with ice cream and topped up with a carbonated drink like Coca Cola or root beer.

I decided to get creative and try a festive version made with candy cane ice cream, white crème de cacao and lemonade. I used a fantastic and easy “no churn” recipe which was also delicious on its own. After that, just put two scoops of ice cream in a tall glass with the white chocolate liqueur (if you like, if you’re making this for the kids, just leave it out) and top with lemonade! An easy Christmassy drink in seconds! I also just want to wish all my wonderful readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe break! Hope it's filled with lots of good food! xox




Candy Cane “Spider”
Serves 1

No Churn Candy Cane Icecream (adapted from Vanilla Bean Blog)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons white crème de cacao (optional)
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• Crushed candy canes (I used 6 regular candy canes)

Candy Cane Spider
• Crushed candy canes, extra, to line rim
• Glucose syrup or honey
• 2 scoops candy cane ice cream
• 15ml white crème de cacao (optional)
• Lemonade (or Sprite) to top up

To make candy cane ice cream, stir together condensed milk, vanilla, peppermint and white crème de cacao in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl or in a stand mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into condensed milk mixture. Stir in crushed candy canes and pour into a regular size loaf pan. Freeze until firm, for about 6 hours or overnight. Keeps up to one week in the freezer.

To make the spider, rub a small amount of glucose syrup or honey around the rim of a tall glass with your finger. Place crushed candy canes onto a plate and press rim of the glass into the candy. Place 2 scoops of candy cane ice cream into the glass. Pour over crème de cacao and top up with lemonade. Serve immediately.

Turkish Delight and Pistachio Semifreddo

It's a little strange for a me to be without an ice cream maker, especially considering the name of this blog and the fact that it's coming into the warmer months. But I suppose it's the perfect opportunity to make lemonade from these here lemons and experiment with frozen treats that don't need any special equipment. At least until I save up for my new Cuisinart baby! Semifreddo is the perfect introduction, meaning 'half cold' in Italian.

It is basically a frozen mousse, where egg yolks are whisked over heat with sugar until pale and thick, and then folded into gently whipped cream. It's simpler than making a custard base for ice cream, that's for sure! And like ice cream, the flavour combinations are virtually endless. A splash of booze, some fruit swirled through, it's really up to you how you choose to flavour your semifreddo.

I decided to go with a Middle Eastern inspired dessert using rose water, Turkish delight, pistachios and pashmak, and I've got to say, it was delicious! The one thing I have noticed with semifreddo compared to ice cream is that any 'mix ins' don't seem to distribute as nicely, and sometimes sink to the bottom since the mixture is not as thick as ice cream to keep them suspended throughout. But when set into a loaf shape and cut into slices it hardly matters at all.

I loved how creamy it was, and the subtle rose flavour was really lovely. Add to that crunchy pistachios and sticky, chewy Turkish delight, this dessert was a winner. It would also be beautiful with some raspberries thrown in. While I can't deny that a new ice cream maker is definitely on the Christmas wish list, I'll happily enjoy making and eating semifreddo in the meantime.



Turkish Delight and Pistachio Semifreddo
Serves 6
Adapted from Fruits and Vegetables

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 100g sugar
• 400ml whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• 100g Turkish Delight, cut into 1cm cubes
• 50g unsalted, shelled pistachios
• Pashmak, optional, to serve

In a heatproof glass bowl, combine egg yolks, egg and sugar. Place bowl over a double boiler and whisk constantly until mixture is pale and thick. Remove from the heat and set aside. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, and fold gently into egg mixture. Mix in the rosewater.

Cover the inside of a rectangular loaf pan with plastic wrap and then pour in the egg mixture. Freeze for about 30 minutes before gently mixing in the Turkish Delight and pistachios. Freeze for an additional 4-6 hours, or overnight.

When frozen, take out of the freezer and remove plastic wrap. Cut into slices and serve on plates with pashmak.

Caramelised Pandan Cake with Coconut Sorbet

Oh man, I love pandan! I have my food blogging friends to thank for that, after showing me the light with a delicious pandan waffle when we went for lunch in Cabramatta about a year ago. Since then, I’ll always order pandan flavoured desserts when I can, and one of my favourites in recent times was the Pandan Chiffon Cake at Ms G’s. While I did really like the dessert, I thought it needed some kind of crunch added to make it even better and that’s where the idea for this dessert came from.

I was also lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Dinner Explorer by Electrolux, which appealed immensely to my hostess tendencies. The website gives you everything you need including menus, drinks, and decorating ideas to cater for any number of occasions from Melbourne Cup to Footy Finals, to obscure holidays like Marie Antionette’s Birthday (November 2nd) or Polish Dumpling Day (September 28th)!



On the night, Peter Gilmore demonstrated how to make a decadent Christmas brunch – a caramelised brioche with cherry compote (as well as a majorly awesome White Peach Bellini that will definitely be on repeat come summer). It was remarkably simple but absolutely delicious, and I was inspired to create a spin on Ms G’s dessert. I made a pandan chiffon cake and soaked squares of it in a typical egg-milk mixture as you would French Toast.

While Peter had access to a steam oven, I used the microwave to gently pre-cook the cake, and then made a dry caramel in a fry pan with some butter added at the end for some extra richness, and carefully cooked the cake in the caramel mixture until it was golden. I served it with a very simple coconut sorbet (made without an ice cream maker) and some lovely fresh strawberries, playing off the awesome flavours in Ms G's version. It was a huge hit!

I really enjoyed both making and eating this dessert, with some of my favourite flavours. While it is quite involved, you’re free to buy store bought pandan cake and sorbet to make things quicker. I really loved the light, fluffy pandan cake, and I think it would be perfect on its own or with a light coconut glaze. Many thanks to Electrolux for inviting me along to the event, and for the inspiration and ideas!



Caramelised Pandan Cake with Coconut Sorbet
Serves 6

Coconut Sorbet (adapted from Epicurious)
• 1 x 400g can coconut cream
• ¼ cup ice cold water
• 1 tablespoon rum

Pandan Chiffon Cake (adapted from Iron Chef Shellie)
• 10 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup caster sugar, for egg whites
• 10 egg yolks
• 145g caster sugar, for egg yolks
• 210ml coconut milk
• 90ml vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons pandan paste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 300g plain flour, sifted
• 3 ½ tablespoons, sifted
• Pinch salt

To assemble
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200g caster sugar
• 100g salted butter
• Strawberries, hulled to serve

For the coconut sorbet, whisk ingredients in a medium bowl and then transfer to a 20x30cm glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, stirring every 30 minutes, about 3 hours. This can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen. Alternately, churn in an ice cream maker if you have one!

For the pandan chiffon, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat thoroughly after each addition until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl whisk egg yolks with caster sugar until fluffy. Add coconut milk, vegetable oil, pandan paste, vanilla extract, flour and baking powder. Whisk until combined. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in 3 batches.

Pour into a 25cm cake tin, lined with baking paper (or use a loaf pan and another smaller cake tin). Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C (350°F) or until a skewer comes out clean. When cake is out of the oven, immediately invert the cake still in the tin and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, and then cut into eight 10x10cm squares, about 3cm thick. Any leftovers can be frozen (or nibbled!)

To assemble the dessert, whisk the egg with milk and vanilla in a bowl. Dip squares of cake into the mixture and place four squares on a sheet of baking paper. Fold up to enclose and place on a plate in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes on high heat. Repeat with remaining cake.

In a large frying pan, melt caster sugar without stirring until golden brown then place knobs of butter in the pan and swirl to melt. Shake the pan around a little and turn the heat down to low. Unwrap the cake and place directly on top of the hot caramel.

Allow to cook on the first side for about 1 minute and then using a spatula of palette knife carefully turn over the cake and cook on the other side for a further minute. Turn once more and turn the pan off. Place each piece of caramelized chiffon cake into the center of each serving plate and dust with icing sugar. Scatter strawberries around the plate and top with a scoop of coconut sorbet. Serve immediately.

Watermelon, Raspberry & Gin Iceblocks

Apologies for the lack of posts recently, I have been crazily busy working on several exciting design projects, which I’ll be sure to post about soon. Do you remember at school when summer used to be about endless holidays and completely carefree days? I’ve been a bit nostalgic for those times, when afternoons were spent swimming in the pool until your fingers were wrinkled and I got $0.50 on a hot day with which to buy an iceblock from the school tuck shop, trying to eat it as quickly as you could before it melted on your fingers.

I always picked the red one, and I guess things haven’t changed at all. These iceblocks are decidedly more grown-up, with watermelon, raspberries and gin for a delicious and refreshing frozen treat on a hot day. These were adapted from a recipe in the great feature on iceblocks in this month’s Gourmet Traveller. I made these in long skinny shot glasses but you could also use dariole moulds.

Whether you call them iceblocks, icy poles or popsicles, they are so easy to make, and you can get really creative with flavour/booze combinations, to suit everyone’s tastes. Just remember not to go too heavy on the alcohol or the iceblocks will not freeze properly. And if you’re making these for the kids, just omit the gin. They’re still totally delicious.

Watermelon, Gin & Raspberry Iceblocks
Makes about 12-15
Adapted from Gourmet Traveller

• ½ cup caster sugar
• ¼ cup water
• Half – 3/4 medium seedless watermelon
• Juice of half a lime
• ¼ cup gin
• Handful of raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Combine the caster sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

In the meantime, cut watermelon flesh into 4cm cubes. Process in a food processor and pass through a fine sieve to get 700ml juice. Stir in cooled sugar syrup, lime juice and gin.

Divide juice between shot glasses or dariole moulds and freeze for about 1 hour. After an hour, divide raspberries between iceblocks and return to the freezer for another hour, or until you can insert a paddle pop stick without it moving. Insert a stick into each ice block.

Freeze overnight or until firm. To serve, gently twist iceblocks from glasses, or run glasses under a little cool water to dislodge.

Popcorn and Caramel Icecream Sandwiches

Hello and Happy New Year!

I’ve just got back from a gorgeous (but hot!) week in Perth, so it’s now back to work, back to real life but most importantly, back to the kitchen, because the blog has been a little too quiet lately! Today we need to talk about popcorn. The world’s most popular movie snack, delicious covered in butter and salt but also amazing with caramel and a great part of this dessert.

Popcorn in a dessert isn’t a new idea, but it adds a good dose of fun and a hint of quirkiness which I just love. The idea has been stuck in my head since we had an amazing popcorn ice cream at Vasse Felix in Margaret River back in May. It just worked so well, and I’ve been wanting to make a popcorn dessert ever since. This recipe came courtesy of pastry chef Catherine Adams from Rockpool, from the September issue of Gourmet Traveller. The woman is a genius – a popcorn and caramel ice cream sandwich, it couldn’t get any better!

My version isn’t as neat and perfect as the one in the magazine, but it was absolutely delicious nonetheless and went down a treat with everyone who tried it. The caramel popcorn would make a great snack on it’s own, but with the caramel parfait it is sublime. Dark chocolate is the perfect match, and I think with this recipe, a slightly bitter one will work best.

The recipe does take a fair bit of time, but most of it is in waiting for the parfait to freeze. Don’t be impatient, as I was, because the parfait needs to be quite firmly frozen before you attempt to cut it up. The components come together relatively easily and it can be made in advance for an impressive dinner party dessert.

Popcorn and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches
Adapted from Gourmet Traveller
Serves 6

• 150g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids, finely chopped)

Candied Popcorn
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 40g popping corm
• 60g caster sugar
• 50g butter, coarsely chopped
• 30g honey

Caramel Parfait
• 400ml pouring cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 180g caster sugar
• 6 egg yolks

For candied popcorn, heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add oil, then corn, quickly cover with a lid and shake pan occasionally until all corn has popped (2-4 minutes). Transfer popcorn to a tray and cool to room temperature. Discard unpopped kernels. Combine sugar, butter and honey in a large saucepan over medium high heat, stir until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil and boil until caramel (3-5 minutes). Add popcorn, stir to coat and then divide between two lightly oiled 20x12cm loaf pans. Stand until cool then remove from tins.

For caramel parfait, combine 75ml cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over low heat, stir occasionally until warm. Whisk yolks in an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and doubled in volume. Meanwhile, heat a saucepan over high heat until hot and then add sugar. It should start to melt and then colour. Swirl pan occasionally until sugar is dissolved and dark amber in colour. Do not leave unattended as caramel can colour very quickly. Gradually add warm cream (be careful as caramel may bubble up), stirring to combine.

Carefully pour hot caramel into the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Whisk until cool (6-8 minutes). Whisk remaining cream in a bowl to stiff peaks, then fold into yolk mixture in three batches. Pour into a 20x12cm load pan lined with baking paper. Place one sheet of candied popcorn on top (I had to freeze mine for about an hour before I did this). Freeze until firm (3-5 hours), then turn out and press on the remaining sheet of candied popcorn. Return to freezer and freeze until very firm (3-5 hours), then cut into six 3.5cm wide sandwiches and freeze until required.

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Dip one end of each sandwich into the chocolate, or drizzle chocolate one top. Freeze until ready to serve.

Quince & Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream

I’ve just got home from a few days in Melbourne with the boy, which was absolutely lovely… except for the crazy and unpredictable weather! This weekend has taught me that it’s really possibly to get four seasons in one day, even though it’s supposed to be spring. I hear the weather in Sydney hasn’t been much better. With such indecisive weather around I thought it fitting to dust off this dessert, which straddles winter and summer, using the last of winter’s produce in frozen dessert. Quince season is winding up for the year, while ice cream season is just beginning!

Quince and rhubarb is a magical combination. Two of my favourite things; a match made in heaven. I will warn you now, cooking quinces is a labour of love. They need to simmer away for hours to develop the signature ruby colour. I poached mine in slices for about three hours until they were rosy, and then added the rhubarb for a burst of vibrant colour and tartness. I strained the fruit, while retaining the liquids, which I then simmered down to a syrup. Finally I pureed the fruit and syrup together.



You could stop at this point, because the quince and rhubarb puree would be lovely with yoghurt, or to spoon onto muesli, but I decided to swirl it through a homemade brown sugar ice cream. The ice cream itself was based on David Lebovitz’s vanilla bean ice cream from The Perfect Scoop, my go to ice cream book that has never failed me. I replaced the white sugar with brown sugar for an interesting, slightly caramelly taste that worked so well with the fruit puree. I liked this ice cream on its own, or in a waffle cone, but it would make the most perfect accompaniment to a rhubarb crumble. I swoon a little just thinking about it.

You could get really creative with “rippled” ice creams, especially with the summer fruit that is just around the corner. Peach puree swirled through honey ice cream, apricot swirled through tea-infused ice cream, or perhaps cherry swirled through coconut. The combinations are truly endless, and I think I’m going to have fun playing with them over the warmer months!



Quince and Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop
Makes 1 litre

Quince and Rhubarb Puree
• 1 quince
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 litre water
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• ½ bunch rhubarb, cut into 5cm lengths.

Peel and core the quince and cut into 8 pieces. Dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat. Add the vanilla seeds, bean and quince pieces. Half cover the pot and simmer on the lowest heat for 3 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes and topping up with water if necessary. When quince is rosy pink, add the rhubarb and poach until soft. Strain the fruit and reserve the juices. Add the juices back to the saucepan and simmer until syrupy. Place fruit and syrup into a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Brown Sugar Ice Cream
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• ¾ cup (150g) brown sugar
• 2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
• Pinch salt
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 6 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Warm the milk, brown sugar, 1 cup of the cream and salt in a medium saucepan. Place the vanilla seeds and bean into the warm milk. Cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pout the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pout the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Put the vanilla bean into the custard, add the vanilla extract and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving it for another use. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Swirl spoonfuls of the puree through the brown sugar ice cream and freeze overnight, or until scoopable.

Spicy Icecream Sandwiches

It’s a little hard to believe, but last week was my third blog birthday. I honestly can’t believe how quickly it’s gone – I remember so clearly sitting down for the first time to write my very first post. This one is my 214th post, and I just couldn’t imagine life without my little blog anymore. I’ve met people who are now some of my best friends through this blog, had some amazing adventures and incredible meals, and learned so much about cooking, baking and photography. While the “blogosphere” has changed quite a lot in the last few years, it’s still a great, fun hobby that I hope will keep me busy for the next three years at least!

To celebrate, I made the only thing I thought would be truly fitting – spicy icecream. I have wanted to make chocolate chilli ice cream for quite a while now, and I can’t think of a better occasion than this! I adapted the amazing chocolate ice cream recipe from ‘The Perfect Scoop’ by David Lebowitz (a book anyone who owns an ice cream maker must have, one of my favourite cookbooks for sure), infusing the cream with dried chillies, and adding hot ground chillies as well. This is without a doubt, the best chocolate ice cream recipe I’ve ever made. The combination of cocoa and quality chocolate really makes this something special. The chilli flavour is definitely present but its more of a warming aftertaste than a real hit of spice. Of course if you like, you could use a chilli chocolate like Lindt instead of chilli powder.



The cookies are also fabulous. I wanted a slightly fudgy chocolate cookie, and these were perfect and also very easy to prepare. I added a little chilli powder as well. Just try not to nibble the dough as you’re rolling it out, I dare you! They bake up into perfect cookies that are slightly crisp on the outside and still slightly doughy and fudgy in the center. When sandwiched with the icecream, they make a decadent little snack, just perfect for a celebration! Mine are kind of rough and rustic looking, but I kind of prefer them that way.

To all of my readers over the last three years, I’d just like to say thank you for your visits and your comments, which always make me smile! And thanks to Leona for the gorgeous plate!



Chocolate Chilli "Spicy Ice Cream" Sandwiches
Adapted from ‘The Perfect Scoop’ by David Lebowitz

Ice Cream
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
• 3-4 dried chillies (mine are from Herbies Spices)
• 140g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• ½ - 1 teaspoon ground chillies, to taste
• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of cream with the cocoa and dried chillies in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, and then turn off the heat. Allow to infuse for 30 minutes – 1 hour. When the mixture has infused, turn the heat back on, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth, then stir in the remaining cup of cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

Warm the milk, sugar, salt and ground chilli in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly and then scrape the mixture back into the saucepan. Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula over a low heat, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies
Makes 16 cookies, for 8 ice cream sandwiches

• 115g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa, sifted
• 210g flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ - 1 teaspoon ground chillies, to taste

Beat together the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together to cocoa, flour, baking powder, salt and chilli. Stir the dry ingredients gradually into the creamed butter mixture until completely incorporated and there are no streaks of butter. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and roll out dough into a ½ cm disk. Use cookie cutters of your choice to cut out shapes and place on baking trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes, rotating the baking trays halfway through baking, then remove from the oven. Once the cookies are cooled completely, sandwich the ice cream between 2 cookies, then wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

Current Favourite

I haven’t had a lot of time to spend in the kitchen lately, but it made me so sad to see the gorgeous plums I bought sitting unloved in the fruit bowl and I just had to make something delicious with them. And then few weeks ago at work, I was updating the menu for one of our venues, Kit & Kaboodle Supper Club and I remembered a fantastic cocktail I’d had there before called ‘Vanity’.

I was drawn to it because of the blood plum jam and brown sugar combination no doubt, and I decided to try and recreate those flavours in the form of a sorbet. It’s been a goal of mine this year to share many more original recipes, and this one turned out even better than I had hoped. It’s my current favourite, and I’ll definitely be making it again and experimenting more in the future.

I started by simmering the quartered plums with water, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract until they were tender. I removed the skins with tongs (they come off easily once the plums are tender), added the vanilla and the vodka, cooled to room temperature, and then promptly forgot about it until a day or two later (this step is optional). The mixture is then pureed in the blender, and churned in an ice cream maker. And it’s amazing! The combination of flavours is just superb. It’s refreshing but sophisticated, with a great depth from the brown sugar. Eat it outdoors, at sunset on a late summer evening.

‘Vanity’ Plum and Brown Sugar Sorbet
Makes 1 litre

• 5 medium plums, stone removed, cut into eighths
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 30ml (1 shot) vanilla vodka

1. Place the plums, water, brown sugar, lime juice and cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the plums are tender and the skins are starting to peel off the fruit on their own. Remove the skins with tongs and discard.
2. Stir in vanilla extract and vanilla vodka, and more lime juice to taste. Cool to room temperature.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and puree mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, and then freeze overnight or until scoopable.

Summer Afternoon

My favourite part of summer has to be the fruit. I wait patiently all year for a few sultry months of peaches and nectarines, mangoes, plums, berries and the delicious things I can do with them. While I do wholeheartedly think that peaches should be eaten over the sink with the juices dripping from your mouth and hands, I have to say, this peach and ginger ice cream blondie comes pretty close. A great combination of the fresh peach flavour and a crispy, yet slightly gooey blondie studded with white chocolate chips, this dessert is perfect for a summer afternoon. It was certainly a winner with Steph, Karen and Betty who had trekked to my neck of the woods for a great Lebanese lunch (more on that soon) and the promise of home made ice cream.

Blondies vs Brownies is a raging debate, and up until this weekend, I hadn’t tried making or eating blondies at all. I used David Lebovitz’s recipe from The Perfect Scoop, and when there looked to be about the same amount of blondie mixture to chocolate chips, I knew it was going to be good. Crispy on the outside and still a little gooey in the middle, like a real brownie should be. While I still prefer my brownies to be, uh, brown, I think there is certainly place for a blondie recipe in my repertoire and baby, this is it.



In other exciting news, I received my first ever mention in the press recently, in an article about food blogging from the February issue of Cleo magazine. I’m in some great company, being featured with Lili from Pikelet & Pie, Suze from Chocolatesuze, Jen from Jenius and Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella. Some great insights from these lovely ladies and it’s always a very positive thing to see food blogging in the mainstream media. Wheee!

Peach and Ginger Ice Cream Blondies
Adapted from Design*Sponge

• 500g perfectly ripe peaches
• 1/3 cup plus ½ cup sugar
• ½ - ¾ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 2/3 cip heavy cream
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or ½ vanilla bean
• 3 egg yolks

1. Slice the peaches into a bowl. Toss with the 1/3 cup of sugar, vanilla and ginger. Set aside while you prepare the custard.
2. Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Heat until almost boiling. Whisk the ½ cup of sugar and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Add about 2 tablespons of the hot milk mixture into the yolks and whisk constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking constantly.
3. Return the mixture to the pan and heat until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Chill completely before proceeding.
4. While the custard is cooling, puree the sliced and marinated peaches in a food processor until smooth. Mix the peach puree and custard together and then process in your ice cream maker. Freeze until ready to serve.

Blondies
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Makes 12 blondies

• 115g unsalted butter
• 1 cup (140g flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (215g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 175g white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 20cm square cake pan and cut a square of non-stick baking paper to fit the bottom.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and then let it cool to room temperature.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking sugar and salt.
4. Stir the brown sugar and vanilla into the melted butter, then stir in egg. Stir the melted butter into the dry ingredients and then fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes or until slightly puffed in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Serve with peach and ginger ice cream.

A Different Affair

Ah, another Australian Christmas, a very different affair than a Northern Hemisphere celebration. Set smack bang in the middle of a hot summer, we like to take advantage of the warm weather. Chrissy lunch is often an alfresco affair, soaking up the sunshine with a dip in the pool afterwards. After such feasting, the last thing you usually feel like is a heavy Christmas pudding, which is why I was so keen to try the Christmas Pudding Semifreddo in the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine. Why not combine all the things you love about pudding in a spiced, fruit-flecked ice cream!

I made this a few weeks ago, but life has been pretty crazy in the weeks leading up to Christmas and so here I am on Christmas morning, typing away. But I still wanted to tell you about it, because it’s so good that I made another 4 litres of it this week as my contribution to the Annual Christmas lunch feast at my Nanna’s.

The second time around, I tweaked it a little bit. I omitted the pistachios completely because one of the kiddies has a nut allergy, and instead of shaving white chocolate on top, I added chopped white chocolate to the ice cream itself. We also churned it in the ice cream maker, instead of putting it straight into the freezer because it was a little icy and not as creamy as I would have liked. Also by churning it, the fruit stayed more evenly distributed throughout, and didn’t all sink to the bottom like it had before.

This is a great, versatile recipe. You can use any fruit you like, and serve it in any number of ways. Maybe next time I’ll try freezing it in a loaf pan and cutting slices for a more classy presentation. I also just wanted to wish all my wonderful readers a very happy and safe Christmas. I hope you’re spending it with your favourite people eating lots of great food!

Christmas Pudding Ice Cream
Adapted from Donna Hay Magazine
Serves 8

• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 cups pouring cream
• ½ cup chopped pistachios (optional)
• ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
• ½ cup currants
• ¾ cup white chocolate, chopped (or white chocolate chips)

1. Place the eggs, extra yolks, vanilla, spice and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until thick and pale.
2. Remove from the heat and beat for a further 5 minutes or until cool.
3. Whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold through the egg mixture until just combined. Refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight.
4. Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Fold through pistachios, cranberries, currants and white chocolate and freeze until hard (at least 6 hours or overnight).

Honey Honey

I accidentally left my camera at home the night that Steph, Karen and I went to a Winter Feast at Mad Cow last month. I was kicking myself of course, but you can read about the great dinner we had on their lovely blogs. What I wanted to talk about today is dessert – in particular, the baked pears with honey ice cream. It sounded completely innocuous on the menu, not as exciting as the other option of poached quinces, and we had come for the meat, had we not? But it was the surprise hit of the evening and really blew our socks off with a punchy honey-honey-honey flavour that shone through every component of the dessert. It was bliss, and I’m fairly certain we all considered licking the melted ice cream off the plate… it wasn’t just me was it, girls?

When trying to replicate the dessert at home, I immediately thought of Alice Medrich’s honey ice cream recipe, which I’d had my eye on for months now. It has the distinct advantage of being the easiest ice cream in the world – no custard to make, no more egg whites to add to the collection in the freezer – just milk, cream, honey and a good pinch of salt. I was tempted to add a glug of vanilla extract to the mixture but refrained. This ice cream is all about the honey, so pick one that you love.

Pears are still abundant and baking them is a beautiful way to serve them that I hadn’t tried before. The recipe comes from Molly at Orangette, who has never let me down in matters of the kitchen. Delicately flavoured with lemon and vanilla, the tender pears are absolutely delicious with the honey ice cream. Although my version varies slightly from that at Mad Cow, I liked it just as much. You could bake other fruits in the same way too, stone fruits like apricots and peaches would work especially well I think. You could also add a crunchy cookie or tuille for a bit of textural contrast.

Roasted Pears with Honey Ice Cream
Serves 4

Honey Ice Cream (from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich)
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup honey
• Good pinch of salt
• 2 ¼ cups heavy cream

Roasted Pears (from Orangette)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 4 medium ripe pears
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• Water

1. To make the ice cream, heat the milk in a small saucepan until it begins to simmer around the edges. Pour into a medium bowl and allow it to cool completely.
2. Add the honey and salt, stirring to dissolve the honey. Stir in the cream, and chill mixture for at least 4 hours but preferably 12.
3. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker. Serve soft or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until hard enough to scoop, at least 3-4 hours.
4. For the pears, preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the sugar in a small bowl. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the bowl and rub the seeds into the sugar with your fingers until they’ve evenly disappeared.
5. Peel the pears and halve them lengthwise. You can core them if you like, and leave the stems intact. Place them cut side up in a large baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle with about ¼ cup of the vanilla sugar, dot with the cubes of butter and add 2 tablespoons of water to the dish.
6. Place into the oven and bake the pears, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices and turning once or twice for about 40 minutes to 1 hour until cooked through and very tender. Add another tablespoon or two of water if the syrup is evaporating too quickly. Serve warm, with honey ice cream.