Quote

,,One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating.
And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends. ,,
-Laurie Colwin

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Liquorice ice cream (Bianca)


Liquorice candies are very popular in Northern Europe, specially in Scandinavia. When I visited Norway few months ago, I saw liquorice ice cream in a shop. What caught my eyes was the color. It was black! You know it's an unusual ice cream just by the color :) But being just the beginning of spring, still cold outside, I didn't try it.
We have to be careful how much we eat, as excessive consumption of liquorice or liquorice candy is known to be toxic to the liver and cardiovascular system, and may produce hypertension and edema. You can read more about this here (wikipedia).
I forgot to say ... I love liquorice! :) Nico hates it, so since he's not here, that's a good reason for me now to make it home :)
I guess the really dark liquorice ice creams sold in the shops are dyed with black food coloring, but I didn't use any. My ice cream has a sort of greenish-gray color. Because of the color, it might be a straight NO for some people :) But, for liquorice lovers, I think it's not such a big problem, although just one ball of ice cream might be enough. Even for me! :) To temper a bit the color, I added some gold paste glaze, used in bakery. My ice cream is a bit shinny  :)

Ingredients:
- 600 ml cream
- 300 ml milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 25 g sugar (double, if you skip the glaze)
- 200 g chopped liquorice candies ( bought a pack of All Sorts, and picked out the plain ones)
- 100-150 g Liquorice All Sorts, chopped in small pieces (all the colors)
- 80 g gold paste glaze (optional)


Method:
In a bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Set aside! In a pot, over low heat, put cream, milk, plain chopped liquorice and vanilla bean. Mix continuously, without letting it boil, until the liquorice candies are melted, about 15-20 mins. Take the vanilla bean out, split it half and scrape the seeds in the egg mixture. Take the cream off the heat and little by little, pour it over the eggs, mixing it. Transfer the whole mixture back in the pot and put it again on low heat, mixing continuously until thickens, about 10 mins. Have ready a some ice-cold water bath. Take it off the heat, strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl. Now, put the bowl into the water bath, to cool down the mixture. When it's cold enough to be placed in the fridge, cover with cling film (the whole surface) to prevent a skin from forming. Place the mixture in the fridge for 1-2 hs.

After that, if you have an ice cream machine, put the cream in the machine and let it do its job :) Before you put the ice cream in the freezer, mix in the chopped Liquorice All Sorts.
If you don't have a machine, just put the cream in the freezer for at least 3 hs. But every 30 mins-1 h (depending on your freezer power) take it out and beat it with the hand mixer, to prevent ice crystal from forming. After the last beating, mix in the chopped Liquorice All Sorts.


Enjoy! ... if you like liquorice! :) Pin It Now!

6 comments:

  1. Si am crezut ca numai eu fac experimente mai altfel:)) La asa ceva nu m-as fi gandit,dar suna tare bine. Pacat ca nu se gaseste si la noi licorice,eu incerc sa ma amagesc cu bomboanele Negro. Super cool e idea!

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    Replies
    1. Mitinita, multumesc! :) De idei traznite nu ducem lipsa, cu timpul stam mai rau :)) Nu stiam ca in Romania nu sunt liquorice, cu toate ca eu parca imi amintesc ca acum cativa ani am mancat si acasa. Dar poate ma insel! :)

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    2. Se gaseste un fel de sour fruit,dar licorice nu am vazut. La noi in oras nici nu prea sunt multe supermarketuri sa avem de unde alege,dar toamna se deschide un Lidl,precis ei au.Stiu si eu cum e cu timpul:))

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  2. Olandezii au o pasiune aparte pentru lorice dar eu unu nu pot sa o sufar. Nici cu feniculul nu ma inteleg prea bine.

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    Replies
    1. In Olanda am gustat prima data liquorice, prin '93. De atunci imi plac! :)

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  3. Asta da inghetata interesanta!! Nici eu n-am vazut pe la noi in tara bombonele de astea...dar i-au dat o culoare traznet!

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