Scoops of almond and Pistachio ice cream. PHOTO | KADUMUKASA
Sit at the alfresco setting of Cafesserie Acacia Mall or even indoors if you so wish, and you can sample some of the most delicious ice creams in Kampala. There is endless debate as to which is the best taste, then again as the French are wont to say; chacun à son goût.
It is never easy deciding on a favourite ice cream and if pressed to name one, I would have to say that there are many from which I would choose. Cool green pistachio and snowy almond come high on the list, not to mention delicate rose water ice cream and vibrant, not to be missed mango.
Despite pistachio and almond both being nut ices, you will be surprised how their flavours are markedly different and when done in consonance, they are surely orgasmic.
Well over a century and a half ago, the youthful French writer Marie-Henri Beyle, known by his nom de plume Stendhal, best known for the novels Le Rouge et Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme, when he first tasted ice cream, was inclined to have exclaimed: “What a pity that it isn’t a sin!”
In this Generation of Y and Z, with electrical churning an abundance of available commercial of ice, few people recollect the shared excitement of the era when making ice cream was a rarely scheduled event.
I have vivid memories of those days during the 1960’s living in the Big Apple, then the iceman brought to the back door, on special order, a handsome two-foot square cube of cold crystal, and everyone in the family took a turn at the crank.
Children being children, the critical question among us was, as might be expected, who would get the chance to lick the dasher--- a device having blades for whisking the liquid. I swear that to this day, no power driven machine can achieve a comparable texture.
Even French Pot- a process of making ice cream only two gallons at a time in a French Pot freezer that results in ultra-creamy ice cream, experts agree that it is the very best commercial method for making ice cream, calls for finishing by hand.
Ice creams are based on carefully well-cooked chilled syrups and heavy custards that are added to unwhipped cream. No form of vanilla flavouring can surpass that of vanilla sugar or of the bean itself, steeped in a hot syrup.
Should sweetened frozen fruits be incorporated into the cream mixture rather than fresh fruits, do not forget to adjust the sugar content accordingly.
When served, your cream should be smooth and free from any lumps. If it proves to be granular, you used too much salt in the packing mixture, overfilled the inner container with the ice cream mixture or turned too rapidly.
In the event that you decide to make large quantities with a view to storing some in your deep freezer, from a practical standpoint, package in small sizes that you plan to serve.
Unopened ice cream will stay fresh for two to three months in a zero degree Fahrenheit deep freezer. Should ice cream be allowed to melt even slightly and then be refrozen? Well, it loses in volume and even more in texture.
Serves Four
Ingredients:For the almond ice ream• DM bodytext: 150g/1 ¼ cups blanched almonds, finely ground
• 300ml/1 ¼ cups milk
• 300ml /1 ¼ cups (heavy) double cream
• 4 egg yolks
• ¾ cups caster (superfine) sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange flower water
• 2 – 3 drops almond essence (extract)
For the pistachio ice cream
• 150g/1 ¼ cups pistachio nuts, blanched and finely ground
• 300ml/ 1 ¼ cups milk
• 300ml/1 ¼ cups double (heavy) cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 175g/ ¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 – 3 tablespoons rose water
• Green food coloring (optional)
Method:
To make the almond ice cream, put the almonds in a pan with the milk and cream, and bring to a boil. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, then pour the in the hot milk and cream, beating all the time.
Pour the mixture back into the pan and stir over a low heat, until it thickens slightly. It is important that you do not overheat the custard as it approaches the simmering point as it will curdle.
Stir in the orange flower water and almond essence and then set aside to cool. Pour the cold mixture into a bowl which can be frozen and chill and then freeze. Whisk the mixture thoroughly after about an hour, when it should be icy around the edges.
Continue to freeze the ice cream, whisking it two or three more time, until it has become smooth and very thick. Return to the freezer and leave for several hours or overnight. Alternatively, churn the mixture in an ice cream maker.
Make the pistachio ice cream in the same way as the almond ice cream, using the pistachio nuts in place of the almonds and rose water instead of the orange flower water and almond essence. Add a little green food colouring to the pistachio ice cream if you so wish.
A quarter of an hour before serving, remember to remove from the freezer so as to allow it to soften somewhat.
