Monday, August 8, 2011

Chocolate Truffle Ice-Cream


I go weak in the knees for magazines with images of hot, sexy, totally delicious food. Forget the carefully crafted recipe lead-ins that proclaim the sweet, sour or even piquant flavours of a particular dish; it’s the food photographs which sell it to me every time.

A perfect example would be June’s issue of bon appétit which proclaims that this chocolate ice-cream is so rich, it doesn’t melt-it just gets truffley.

Captivating.

But by itself not enough to rouse me. Then my eyes fall on the picture seen here.

Be still my heart, I all but leap over myself in my haste to exhume the ice-cream maker from the netherworld of the deepest, darkest, corner of my kitchen cupboard.

Forget the fact that I have long ago thrown out fiddly, egg-based custards in favour of the quicker and (happily for me) idiot proof, cornstarch, ice-cream base. Bon appétit's minimalist image of chocolate ice-cream has somehow elevated the word 'truffley' from poetic hyperbole to a thing with visceral appeal. Okay so I wanted to lick the page and I readily admit that I drooled a little too.

Completely possessed by that image, I convince myself that standing in a kitchen located some 11 degrees north of the equator on a day that thermostat registers 36°C is quite rightly a sane and sensible thing to do.
 It is not.

I  should have my head examined.

Slowly and patiently chocolate is melted, custard is stirred  and sugar syrup reduces to amber. These three are swirled into a frothy, chocolate slurry which must now be chilled for two days before processing it in the ice-cream maker.  Bon appétit advises that you freeze your ice-cream for three days before eating.

Seriously! Good luck with that.

What happened was that I cooled the custard in an ice-bath in my kitchen sink before putting it into the fridge. By the time I was finished cleaning the kitchen and making lunch it was ready for the ice-cream maker.

Be warned this recipe is time consuming so plan accordingly. In the end though you will be rewarded with a wicked good ice-cream with a chocolate flavour so intense it's just shy of bitter. If you are not a fan of dark chocolate, then this might not be for you.


Photobucket

25 comments:

  1. You are so on the roll with ice cream now... I am not a huge fan of chocolate (and you thought you needed your head examined) but I love the dark sensual photos.

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  2. OMG! That is my idea of heaven...... and you made it from scratch, no condensed milk mixup! Sooo impressed! The pics just make me want to curl up at midnight and eat it all by myself!!!! No sharing!!

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  3. @Spoon it is intense chocolate no one here could manage more than a scoop - it's that chocolaty.

    @polwig my dad is no chocolate fan either:-)

    @ Bellibabies I know right I surprised myself. usually my attempts at custard based ice-creams resulted in scrambled eggs.

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  4. Enticing and heavenly and so yummy I want it now!

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  5. Wow, that is some seriously decadent looking ice cream. It looks so rich and creamy. I want some!
    *kisses* HH

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  6. captivating indeed! alluring, enticing, appealing, and amazing, all in one. :)

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  7. You're so right about food photography. Sometimes it really brings out animal responses in me, too. Actually, that's what I usually think about your photographs.

    The chocolate truffle ice cream whatever you've made here sounds and looks awesome. Did you eat it all that first day?

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  8. I have to confess that it is the pictures that get me every time too..
    your pictures are always stunning and I just wish I could reach into my screen and taste your heavenly ice cream

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  9. Looks amazing!! So rich, creamy and decadent! I'd love some! :)

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  10. That is a luscious looking ice cream indeed- no wonder you are drooling :)

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  11. That is one seriously sexy ice cream indeed! :D

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  12. Your photos are ten times better than the one in Bon Appetit! I especially love that second shot, such a perfect capture that says everything. And now I want ice cream.

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  13. you just made me drool here . This is sinfully delicious and i don't like to attach the word 'sexy' with food .. but this is sexy .. beautifully clicked!

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  14. These pictures are enough to send me running into my kitchen. ;) Man that looks good.

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  15. My lord does that look heavenly! I love chocolate with hazelnut.

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  16. It sounds like a lot of effort but the end result is incredible! You've got me licking my screen!

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  17. I love chocolates. I love ice creams.. all the more chocolate icecreams! i wouldn't try other varieties of ice creams too. For me this is like heaven! Too good. Your photography adds the flavourful punch to it!

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  18. Great food photography can convince me to try anything!

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  19. Ohhhh! Chocolate with crushed pistachios? YES YES YES YES and YES!!! My favorite nut on desserts.

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  20. Talk about food porn- There is nothing quite as mouth-watering as melting chocolate ice cream! Looks so rich and wonderful... You've seriously got me craving it now.

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  21. I too am a sucker for gorgeous food photos.....this looks decadent!

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  22. Wizzy, I just love to read your writing, the ice cream is just icing on the cake. ;D Mr. Stick

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  23. The photos always win me over too! This ice cream looks so tempting!

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