Brain-freezing delights

2009/10/10

SU AZIZ

SU AZIZ dives into the freezer for some delectable ice-cream and shares recipes.
WHEN I was an au pair, a long time ago, I had to learn to cook for a four-year old.

When it came to the actual meal, I had no problems.

Desserts, however, were a challenge. There was only so much jelly pudding the poor girl could eat.

Or supermarket-bought ice-cream that contained too much sugar and artificial flavouring.

I used to dress up vanilla ice-cream with chocolate wafers (nose), M&Ms (eyes) and strawberry syrup (smiling mouth) for her.

The combination made her sick. Just that once, thankfully.

Needless to say, being the first time in charge of someone that only came up to my thighs, I was frightened.

Looking back at that time, it got me thinking. What if I’d known how to make ice-cream? It would have been so much healthier. I could have controlled the amount of sugar in it and the flavours. And the flavour possibilities are endless.

The “what ifs” led me to a chef who was willing to share his delectable ice-cream recipes with me.

Chef Faizol Sulaiman of Gobo Chit Chat restaurant in Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur, makes them to match desserts in the restaurant.

Like him, his ice-cream flavours are mild but memorable.

For instance, his Vanilla Pralines Coated Pecan ice-cream (which is my favourite in the line-up!) is not only nutty, creamy and mildly sweet — it’s also addictive, satisfying and textured.

His Coffee Rum Raisin and Cognac ice-creams, according to an ice-cream addict friend of mine, were, very simply, “to scream for”.

Apparently, there’s a pungency of the two opinionated alcoholic beverages that balances so finely with sweet and creamy, all the while releasing a hint of bitter. As for Faizol’s Gula Melaka ice-cream, Crunchy Honey-Comb ice-cream and Mango Saffron ice-cream, they were all so delicate in flavours.

They were shy to release their magic but after a couple of scoops, they bloomed on my palate. It’s a little like falling in love; remember that feeling? If you have kids at home who crave desserts after a meal, get a hold of an ice-cream machine.

My guess is that a recently married sibling or friend would have one from their gifts pile! Then follow Faizol’s ice-cream recipes below. If all else fails, trudge to the restaurant and hope they’re on offer that day.

Crunchy Honey-Comb Ice-Cream THE delicate texture of this ice-cream was a delight. The familiar warmth of honeycomb, I’ve noticed, is a favourite with kids. And adults, too! You must remember one thing with recipes — they must evolve.

Use this recipe as the base and then experiment with other ingredients.

Believe me, it can only be fun. Oh, and don’t forget a thermometer.

You begin with making the honeycomb: • 18ml of honey • 18ml of golden syrup • 99g of sugar • 18ml of water • 8g of baking soda Boil honey, syrup, sugar and water until 125ºC. Then mix the baking soda with a little water to make a paste and add into the boiled mixture.

Then pour the honeycomb mix into a freeze-friendly container and freeze.

Now, for the ice-cream, you’ll need: • 1 litre fresh cream • 400ml fresh milk • 200g of caster sugar • 10g of glucose • 10g of stabiliser powder • 12 egg yolks • 180g of honeycomb In a saucepan, heat milk, crean, sugar, glucose and stabiliser powder until 65ºC.

Then add in the yolks, whisking slowly until the heat rises to 85ºC. Once the mix can coat the spoon, pour it into a bowl and cool it in an ice bath to 5ºC.

Then pour the mix into the ice-cream machine and blend it until it’s smooth.

Lastly, crush the frozen honeycomb and mix it into the ice-cream. Freeze before serving.

Mango Saffron Ice-Cream THE colour of this one defies its subtle, delicate flavours. Nevertheless, its bright orange-yellow colour is appetising as well as happy. To begin with, you will need: • 500ml of fresh milk • 500ml of fresh cream • 230g of sugar • 350ml of mango puree • 10 egg yolks • a pinch of saffron powder In a saucepan, heat cream, milk, sugar and mango puree until 65ºC. Then whisk in the yolks and saffron and heat until 85ºC. Continously whisk until it reaches the temperature and the mix coats the spoon.

When that happens, pour the mix into the ice-cream machine and blend until smooth. Freeze before serving.