Friday, July 1, 2011

Strawberry and Rose Petal Ice Cream – practically Italian!

Pin It I cannot resist a car boot sale ... ‘one woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure’ and all that. 

Take time to stop and smell eat the roses!
My pasta maker came from a car boot sale. It was in mint condition. I figured that by the time I’d rolled out a few yards of fettucini, I’d be practically Italian.  Then I discovered that soft Irish flour - so fantastic for bread and cakes - is rubbish for making pasta. I packed the pasta maker back into its box and brought it to a charity shop.
My coffee machine came from a car boot sale. It looked brand new. I am a tea drinker, but I fancied myself a barista. I could turn out a few foaming cappuccini or a couple of gallons of espresso, and hey presto, I’d be practically Italian. One teeny problem... there were no instructions. I muddled through and drank a lot of coffee. That week I was WIDE AWAKE. Then I left the cap on the steamer and blew the damn thing up. Do you know how hard it is to remove damp coffee grinds from the ceiling?!
A spoonful of sugar does wonders for strawberries
I was so proud of myself when I managed to walk past a bloke selling an ice cream maker. Sitting innocently in the centre of his stall, it wore a price tag - €2. “It must be broken,” I thought. “I’m not taking that gorgeous retro Gelatiera home.” Later, as I was leaving, the man called me over. He’d seen me eyeing the ice cream maker. He assured me it was working.  Tell you what,” he said, “I’d murder a coffee but I can’t leave my stall. Get me a coffee and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
I use the simplest of ingredients but if you tasted the magical ice creams this funny little machine is capable of churning out, you’d think I was practically Italian.
Strawberry and Rose Petal ice cream is my latest experiment. Because it is made from Greek yoghurt, fresh fruit and honey, it can be considered breakfast! ;-)
Rose Water adds a delicate floral note to this ice cream

For 4 - 6 servings you will need...
250g fresh strawberries, quartered
1 tablespoon caster sugar
550g Greek yoghurt
120g runny honey
10g fresh fragrant red or pink rose petals, unsprayed
3 tablespoons rose water

1                  Sprinkle the caster sugar over the quartered strawberries and set aside for about 30 minutes. Then purée 200g of the strawberries and pass the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds.
2                  Place the yoghurt, strawberry purée, honey and rosewater in your ice cream maker and churn until thick and smooth – about 30 minutes or so though this will vary according to the make and model you use. (If you don’t have an ice cream maker, mix the ingredients well and place in a freezer proof container. Stir well every 30 minutes to break up any large ice crystals. Repeat until the ice cream is smooth and thick.)
3                 Chop the remaining strawberries into small pieces.
4                 Wash the rose petals and pat dry with kitchen paper. Snip off and discard the white portion of each petal (the part where it joined the stem) and tear roughly into pieces. Fold the strawberries and rose petals into the ice cream and transfer to a freezer container. Cover and freeze until required. Ice cream matures so while this is ready to eat straight away, it is even better if you leave it overnight.
Ahh days of wine and roses...
Tip: Remove from the freezer a few minutes before serving to allow it to soften.
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31 comments:

  1. You crack me up!! I'm so short that even with a normal ladder I couldn't reach the ceiling so if that happened to me, the coffee grounds would be a decoration still. :)

    This ice cream looks beautiful. How did it taste?

    Pretty good machine for a cup of coffee.

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  2. @ Maureen - it was so creamy and delicious and unbelieveable low fat. (I ate the scoop in the picture). It was very delicate yet very strawberry with little hits of roses - I won't ever be able to buy commercial strawberry icecream ever again!

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  3. Hester, I had to look up what a car boot sale is...and now that I've found out I am SO jealous we don't have them. I'm a flea market regular; I find nothing quite so satisfying as finding hidden treasures (like vintage cookbooks :-)) in piles of junk.

    This recipe is a treasure too - love the use of rosewater! I have a Persian friend whose family serves pistachio-rosewater ice cream often...such an awesome flavor.

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  4. Sweet deal! Aren't you glad you embraced your inner Italian and went for it? My VERY Italian Aunties Anna & Magi would be proud :)

    Stunning ice cream. So pretty! Buzzed

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  5. Haha! I love it… time to stop and EAT the roses! Beautiful and elegant! AND perfect for summer!

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  6. How pretty!! This looks soo delicious as well, what a great idea! :)

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  7. I love your boot sale stories, although I can't say I'm familiar with boot sales (I do know what a boot is, though!).
    Greek yogurt totally makes ice cream breakfast-appropriate! Maybe I'll get lucky and find an ice cream maker at a thrift store so I can make this.

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  8. I wish we had boot sales here. I would have so much fun. Good to know an ice cream maker is a good investment. I'm shopping around for one over the next week. Your story telling skills are fantastic. I was laughing and giggling. Fun to read and a gorgeous recipe to boot. lol

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  9. What a find! I hope to see many more delicious and creative ice cream recipes this summer...this one is stunning!

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  10. Yay! You broke out your ice cream maker and with a gorgeous recipe to boot! I love the rose petals in this- so, so dreamy!

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  11. LOL @ the coffee grounds on the ceiling! :)

    And that ice cream maker - what an awesome deal... You've certainly put it to good use! This recipe sounds fabulous... We love using rose-petals for a lot of things in India, but I've never tried it in ice cream! Thanks for the recipe :) Thanks for sharing :)

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  12. Hester,
    You are practically Italian and it is proven with this gorgeous gelatto!
    I have had to remove coffee grinds from unusual places too and am a total car-boot-sale junkie.
    Gorgeous and very inviting photo.
    Móna

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  13. This sounds so yummy. What an elegant flavor for ice cream. I can't wait to look for some rose water and try this!

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  14. I've been wondering what to do with the rose water in my cabinet. Thanks!

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  15. oh how beautiful! i am at a loss for words to describe your wonderful that ice cream looks.

    never used rose petals in a recipe but i am sure it would add a flowery fragrance!

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  16. That ice cream could definitely pass for Italian :) It's a beautiful presentation ... as for the ice cream maker ... not too bad if all it cost you was a cup of coffee!

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  17. Sublime! The ice-cream not the gadgets, ceiling cleaning eh? Been there too x

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  18. Bravissima Hester! Maybe I should comment in Italian... I am sure you'd understand!!! ;-) This ice cream looks so creamy and delicious! And I almost can't believe it's made with yoghurt, amazing! I never buy strawberry ice cream (or anything strawberry falvoured) as it all tastes so artificial. The real stuff is always so much better! :-)

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  19. Hester, this is too funny. I love how you made this sumptuous ice-cream from a great deal via the coffee. Pity about the coffee and pasta machines, but obviously this one made up for them both! Absolutely beautiful presentation, as ever.

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  20. You sound like me at those sales! I'm always wanting to purchase a new machine that will make me into something else. ;) I'm glad that the ice cream maker works, and I cannot wait to make something like this for myself because it looks and sounds delightful!

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  21. Gotta love those flea markets! Thanks to my dad, I have kitchen gadgets that I didn't even know they existed. :)

    I love the flavors of the ice cream - very exotic with the addition of the roses. :)
    Congrats on Top 9!

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  22. Hester, this is a stunning creation! I've been eyeing rose ice cream in my italian cookbook a few days ago, but your's looks so much better and the marriage between strawberries and rose petals sounds heavenly! Congratulations on the well deserved top 9 :)

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  23. Hester! A breakfast ice cream!!! You are my hero! Honestly, this looks amazing and your presentation is sooooo beautiful. And your stories about the pasta machine and coffee maker really made me smile! : )

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  24. Terrific! I would never have thought to use rose petals in ice-cream! Your pictures are incredible and it looks just delicious! Congratulations on making Food Buzz Top 9

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  25. Oh Hester, just love your adventures at the car boot sale! I 'm glad you found an ice cream maker that can make such beautiful and exquisite treats! This must taste so good on a hot day like we are having now. I'll try this for sure! Cheers!!!

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  26. Rose petal ice cream? I've seen lavender scented foods, now rose petal. I love it! Your pictures are amazing, and there's nothing better than a good sale. :)

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  27. I've had rose petal jam and in other guises, but not ice cream - I so want some - delicious.

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  28. This post gave me a good laugh! The ice cream looks wonderful, love the flavors you used!

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  29. Just wanted to say "hello" and let you know how much I enjoy your blog and the humor that goes with it. I had to chuckle to myself. The ice cream sounds delicious and I like the idea that you could have it for breakfast because of the yogurt.

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  30. Morgan is going to make this later on! Yum! Lorraine xx

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  31. che delizia....complimenti, ne mangerei almeno 1 kg!!!!
    dev'essere delizioso, poi si sentono anche i pezzi di fragola...bravissima!!!!!
    a presto,
    ciaooooooooooo

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