Lemon, Honey and Basil Ice Cream - it'd be a crime to miss it !

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Some years ago a very pleasant trip to visit a friend in France took a rather strange twist that involved a very unique (and ever so slightly stolen) car, being fingerprinted by French police (who also offered great advice on where to dine in the vicinity), and a lemon. Long story.  I’ll tell you when you come round to visit.

I was given the lemon, as a souvenir of this strange adventure, which I took back to Ireland and made into ice cream. It was the first ice cream I ever made and was a convoluted process. Was it the most exciting ice cream I’ve ever tasted? No. But it served to send me on a quest for a lemony ice cream that would create for my taste buds a little of the excitement of that trip, and here it is.

Strictly speaking, this is a frozen yoghurt but because it is Greek yoghurt it is every bit as satisfyingly creamy as an ice cream. It is also dead easy to make. With such a high juice content, you really do need an ice cream maker for this. Note: This ice cream is for grown-ups.

For 4 - 6 servings you will need...
... an ice cream maker

Zest of 2 lemons, grated

Zest of 1 orange, grated

175mls fresh lemon juice

75mls fresh orange juice

10g fresh basil leaves

140g runny honey

550g Greek yoghurt

¼ teaspoon sea salt 

1                    Place everything except the Greek yoghurt in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat and leave to cool. Strain to remove the zest and basil leaves. Leave to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

2                    When chilled, mix with the Greek yoghurt and salt and churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. When the mixture has thickened to ice cream, transfer it to a freezer container and place in the freezer for 24 hours. Although it is ready to eat straight away, the flavours develop further if you can bear to wait until the following day. Before serving, allow to soften in the fridge for 20-25 minutes.

Taste-tester verdict: "Gasp!" but in a good way. 

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Basil Vinaigrette – shaken not stirred

Pin It This recipe is now in the book Alchemy: Simple Ingredients... Magical Food, under Sauce'ry

On my first ever visit to the States, our Floridian concierge recommended a restaurant “just down the block”. I wasn’t smart enough to translate that into “several miles away – you’ll need the car.” Half an hour later, my beloved and I were still walking... in pitch darkness... accompanied by a million mosquitos – I was hobbling along in high heels. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

Alchemy's jam jar 'Super Salad Shaker'

Beloved spotted a sign that promised Great Food! and Great Music! so we pushed open the door to the warmest friendliest of welcomes. Drinks and menus were placed in our hands. We’d be brought through to the restaurant when our meal was ready. Smart move on their part, given the restaurant turned out to be completely empty and we were the only diners for the entire evening. We were outnumbered 6 to 2 by the staff and musicians.

My low-tech garlic squisher from Provence

Tired and jetlagged, I had ordered a salad but none of the long list of sauces grabbed me. “Have you got a simple vinaigrette?” I asked. “A what?” replied the kitchen. I described the ingredients to the waitress, who came back with a tray of all the items I'd mentioned. Everyone gathered round to watch with amazement and amusement while I whisked up a vinaigrette. My first cookery demo! (Ok, so they were low on entertainment that evening.)

Vivacious Vinaigrette - shaken, not stirred

Every cook worth their salt has their own range of kitchen gadgets. I’ve decided Alchemy shouldn’t be left out. For this vinaigrette, I use my Super Salad Shaker (a jam jar with a lid) J

This recipe is now in the book Alchemy: Simple Ingredients... Magical Food, under Sauce'ry

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