Strawberry and Rose Petal Ice Cream

.....Or Summer on a plate

Ireland is enjoying an uncharacteristically hot spell

Temperatures are averaging 24c

and have been that way for a few weeks now

We just don't know ourselves!

I cracked out the ice cream machine 

last week I made a pretty delicious caramel ice cream with almond praline

basically it was a basic custard mix with half a can of carnation* caramel tossed in

then almond brittle broken into pieces and thrown in while churning

This week though I felt like something a little fresher

and considering I had 2 punnets of strawberries that were past their best in the fridge this seemed like the perfect answer

The addition of rose petals gives this a slightly more grown up twist 

You could also throw in some chopped pistachios 

which would taste great but also look incredibly pretty

I added a few mint leaves chopped finely

I always use Apple mint (wooly mint)

Ingredients

500g strawberries

175g sugar, + 2 TBspn

500ml full fat milk

500 ml double cream

TSpn vanilla extract

5 egg yolks

2 TBspn lime juice

Method

Hull the strawberries and chop 

Place in a flat dish (like a lasagna dish) and sprinkle with the 2 TBspn of sugar

Pour the milk and cream into a heavy based saucepan

heat, not to boiling

remove from heat

place egg yolks in a bowl and whisk with sugar until pale

gently pour on the heated cream and milk

whisking while you are pouring

place back in pan on the heat and stir until it begins to thicken

10 mins approx

Mash your strawberries with a fork or potatoe masher

add petals from 1 rose roughly chopped

(make sure you use an unsprayed rose)

add vanilla and add mixture to cream

pour into ice cream maker 

add chopped pistachios or mint if using

I am off to Turkey on a much needed vacation see you in a couple weeks 

x

Rose Petal and Lemon shortbread

 This is a light buttery delicate cookie

The sweeter smelling your Rose the more rose imbued your cookie will be

RECIPE

4 ozs butter

2 ozs sugar

4 ozs plain flour

2 ozs corn flour (corn starch)

Petals from 4 roses (washed and chopped)

Zest of half a lemon

METHOD
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until a dough comes together
give it a few minutes
You may need to add another tspn of butter
-If you do not have a food processor simply rub the dry ingredients in to the butter
until it becomes sandy and nubbly
then add rose petals and zest and bring together to form a dough

Do Not Over Work The Dough

Tip out dough onto cling film (seran wrap)
and bring together to form a cylinder
you can squish it with your hands through the cling film to get a nice tight firm tube
refrigerate for 30 mins
preheat oven to 155c
line cookie tray with baking parchment
cut your cookies into 1-2cm thick discs
lay on tray and bake for 20 mins
After 20 mins turn oven off but leave cookies in the oven for further 10 mins
open oven door and leave to cool in the oven
These last 2 steps are important and  give you a really light and crisp cookie

 You can make these cookies all Lemon by simply omitting the Rose petals
and upping the lemon to use all the zest of 1 lemon

Either way delicious
enjoy
x