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Twix and Vanilla with Cookies and Cream Ice-Cream Cake

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Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.

– Don Kardong

I love ice-cream. Chocolate, vanilla, macadamia, coconut, berry, melon, cookies and cream, cookie dough—you name it and I like it. All except for green tea ice-cream. I hate it, hate it, hate it. Nearly every time we buy an ice-cream cake here in Korea we get a multi-flavoured one so that everyone can enjoy it. There is always a green tea option, but because I can see it, I can avoid it. Well, two weekends ago, one of my friends hosted a barbeque and I opted to bring dessert. Originally, I was going to make something, but I didn’t have time because I was too busy watching Dr. Who (that is a valid excuse, right?). Instead, I went to the local convenience shop and bought a Häagen-Dazs® ice-cream cake as I was convinced that it would be filled with chocolate ice-cream.

You can guess what happened, though, right? Man, I was so excited to eat it and so disappointed when I cut that first piece—green tea and vanilla. I could have cried. I was so annoyed I only ate a few bites and then spent a lot of time complaining about it and how I could have made better myself.

So the following Thursday I decided to conduct an experiment based on the advice in this Food 52 article. It was so much fun making the ice-cream cake and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing it the next day with my friends at a lemonade and ice-cream party. Even better? Everyone gave it a resounding thumbs-up!

Twix and Vanilla with Cookies and Cream ice-cream cake.

Serves 12-15

Ingredients

  • 1¼ cup chocolate digestive biscuits,* crushed
  • 4-5 tbsp melted butter
  • approx. 2 pints vanilla ice-cream
  • 1 cup Twix, in bite size pieces
  • 1.5 cup peanut butter
  • 1¼ cup Oreo wafer biscuits, in bite size pieces
  • approx. 2 pints of cookies and cream ice-cream
  • ½ cup fresh cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (if available, please use the real thing!)
  • 1 tbsp Sugar**

Method

  1. Butter a baking tray, or a springform cake pan and set aside. I used an 11x7x1.5 inch tray.
  2. Mix the melted butter with the digestive biscuits, put into the baking tray or a springform cake pan and smooth out.
  3. Put into the freezer for around 1 hour.
  4. Leave the vanilla ice-cream out for around 20 minutes before you are going to use it, so that it softens enough to mix it up. Once soft, mix in the Twix pieces.
  5. Remove the digestive biscuits from the freezer and spread the Twix-mix on the biscuits. Place back in the freezer for around 2 hours (don’t go under a minimum of an hour).
  6. Remove once more from the freezer, and spread the peanut butter on top of the ice-cream. Sprinkle the oreo wafers on top of the peanut butter and place in the freezer again for a minimum of 2 hours. If you want, you may reserve some of the oreo to mix in with the cream and remaining ice-cream.
  7. Then whip the cream well with the sugar and vanilla***.
  8. Again, leave the ice-cream out for around 20 minutes or until soft enough to fold in the cream. If using, add the remaining oreos at this stage.
  9. Place back in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours, but longer would be preferable.
  10. Remove from the freezer about 10 to 15 minutes before you are ready to serve.
  11. Share with your friends and/or family and enjoy!

*Graham crackers can be used in place of digestive biscuits.

**I used only 1 tbsp of sugar, however you can adjust to your own tastes and preferences (remember you are going to mix with the cookies and cream ice-cream so you don’t want it to be too sweet).

***I only lightly whipped it but not enough that it was peaked. I would recommend whipping it a little more than I did as it will hold it’s shape a little better when mixed with the ice-cream. I also only had an hour and a half before I would be serving to friends and it wasn’t quite enough time for this last layer to set, hence the above recommendation of a minimum of 2 hours after the last layer and the slightly melted look in the photo.

TIPS

Make it ahead of time: This is an easy recipe to make ahead, either the night before or a couple of days before. Once everything is set, cover with clingfilm or aluminium foil.

Make it your own:  As mentioned in the Food 52 article (link above), you can always adjust things to your own tastes. If you don’t like the flavours of  ice-cream I’ve used, substitute your favourite.

Gorgonzola Salad Wraps

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A meal without some cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.

– Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

When I came back from my holidays, I went shopping for food the second day that I was home.  Even though I was supposed to only be buying the ingredients to make last week’s recipe I was wandering around looking at all the food. Despite the fact that I know I have a bit of a cholesterol problem, my favourite part of Homeplus (a store similar to Tesco or No Frills) is the cheese section. Though it’s mostly really processed American or, as my family call it, plastic cheese, they fortunately have one shelf constantly stocked with Brie, Camembert, Mozzarella, real Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Smoked Cheese. The main reason I peruse it so often is because sometimes you come across a rare gem – a couple of months ago for about 6 weeks they had Edam Cheese and, last week, I found Gorgonzola. I was over the moon. I’d just been thinking that I’d really like some blue cheese as I hadn’t had enough of it when I was home in Ireland (one sandwich – lamb and blue cheese—divine!). Basically the lesson here is that lingering around the cheese aisle and sighing is an acceptable practice! So despite it’s price tag, into the basket it went.

However, once I got it home I realised that I was just eating blue cheese and not really “enjoying” it the best way that I could. I started to reminisce about all the lovely salads I’ve had over the years at different restaurants that featured blue cheese. Most of the ones that sprang to my drooling mind were recipes with apple, pecan, and blue cheese. Consequently, the following recipe includes all those ingredients.

As you can see by the recipe below, I decided to not just make a salad, instead I made a salad wrap. I always have tortillas in my house, and, as I’d hosted a Mexican pot-luck on Sunday, I had a deluge of tortillas on hand. What better way to use them up?

Gorgonzola Salad Wraps

Serves 2*

Ingredients

  • 4-6 soft tortilla shells*
  • 1 cup spinach, washed
  • 1 cup mixed nuts (pecans, walnuts,  almonds), chopped into pieces
  • 6-8  Khalas dates, pitted and chopped
  • ½ avocado, sliced
  • ¼ green apple, sliced  into sticks
  • ⅓ cup gorgonzola, chopped (I used Gorgonzola Piccante)
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup, divided
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper, dash

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to around 175°C.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine the vinegar, oil, mustard, seasoning and 2 tbsp of maple syrup. Blend it and then put into a sealable jar and shake. This will make enough dressing for three batches of this recipe.
  3. Refrigerate the dressing until everything  else is ready.
  4. Meanwhile, put the nuts in a bowl with the remaining maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Stir until everything is well coated.
  5. Put the nuts in a baking dish and spread them evenly before placing in the oven and roasting for around 10-12 minutes. Check frequently and stir so they don’t burn.
  6. Set aside to cool when done.
  7. Meanwhile, heat a large pan on the stove to a high heat. Once hot, add the tortillas one at a time and heat for around 10 seconds per side.
  8. Put the spinach, cheese, dates and nuts into a bowl and mix together.
  9. Add a third of the dressing and coat all the ingredients in the bowl.
  10. Divide the avocado, apple and salad amongst each tortilla. Put the salad on the bottom with the avocado in between it and the apple.
  11. Wrap, burrito style, cut in half and serve.

*I ate two (20 cm) wraps for dinner one day and two for lunch the next day. For dinner I was more than satisfied with two wraps but after lunch I was still hungry a bit hungry so it was lucky I had brought a snack.

This is quite rich, so I recommend serving with a mild soup or simple salad.

TIPS

Make it your own: You don’t need to use all three varieties of nut, you can pick and choose as you like. The first time I made it, I only used pecans. You can change the maple syrup to honey and the spinach to rocket/arugula.

For lunch the next day: If your avocado is squishy, leave it out as it can make the wrap soggy. I brought this to lunch on Thursday and one wrap (without avocado) was fine and the other (with avocado) was a bit soggy. It still tasted good though!

Make for a large crowd:  You can easily double or triple the recipe as necessary. Alternatively, you could serve each wrap, cut in half or in thirds, on a platter as a starter dish.

Too many nuts:  If you want, you can reserve a quarter cup of the nuts and use instead in this Vegan Apple Chia Pudding recipe.

 

 

 

Fried Egg and Avocado Wraps.

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A box without hinges, key, or lid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid.

– JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit

A couple of weeks ago, about 10 days before I went on my holidays, I didn’t really have any food in the house.  I was trying really hard to use up what I had, and to not buy anymore food, so nothing would go to waste. All I had left in the fridge was a tiny bit of red bell-pepper, an avocado and some eggs. I rummaged through my shelves and found a packet of tortillas and decided I’d make wraps. It was really simple, and really good. I liked it so much I actually went out and bought another pepper and avocado to make it again the following night and the night after that…

Each time, I made them I made some slight adjustments – I added onions and garlic one day, as well as tomatoes and courgette another. This wrap is really versatile and I’ve loved each version. I hope you do, too.

Fried Egg and Avocado Wraps

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2-3 Eggs, fried (approx. 1 egg per two tortillas)
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced  (around ⅓ per two tortillas)
  • ⅓ large courgette/zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
  • cherry tomatoes, sliced (1-2 cherry tomatoes per tortilla)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for the vegetables, plus 1 tsp per egg.
  • 4- 6  small (20cm) tortilla wraps
  • mayonnaise/pesto for dressing
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Method

  1.  Heat your tortillas however you prefer. I like to use the stovetop method and, depending on how indulgent I’m feeling, with or without oil.*
  2. Once the tortillas are warmed through, stack on a plate.
  3. Add 1 tbsp oil, if needed, to the tortilla pan, and then add the vegetables, minus the avocados and tomatoes, and fry everything until browned.
  4. Take one warmed tortilla and put it on a new plate. Add the cooked vegetables, top with some avocado and tomatoes, and set aside.
  5. Repeat step 4 until all the tortillas and vegetables are gone.
  6. Meanwhile, heat up a separate frying pan on medium heat and around 1 tsp of oil/butter per egg.**
  7. Add the egg(s) and fry as you prefer. I prefer over-easy eggs for this recipe.
  8. Cut each egg in half and top each tortilla with half an egg.
  9. Add mayonnaise and/or pesto.
  10. Season and fold your tortilla to make a wrap.
  11. Serve immediately.

*If you are cooking on a one ring stove, heat the tortillas first, then fry the vegetables. Change or wash your frying pan and fry the eggs last.

**I prefer using my smaller frying pan for the eggs and cook one at a time, especially if eating alone, that way my egg is always piping hot!

Tips

Make it your own:  You can leave out the courgette/zucchini, tomato, onion and garlic – I didn’t have those ingredients the first time I made it and it’s still delicious. You can choose whatever dressing you like. The first few times I made it I used mayonnaise but after that I mixed mayonnaise and pesto together.

For breakfast: I’ve eaten this on a Saturday morning for breakfast. You could easily double the recipe and make for a few friends at a lazy brunch. You could heat up the tortillas and fry the eggs in advance to make the amount of work you need to do once your guests arrive a little easier.

 

 

 

Time for some R&R!

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School is officially out and I am on vacation. I’ve been quite busy with packing and cleaning (and sleeping) in preparation for my upcoming holiday. I also took a hiatus from cooking this week so that I would waste as little food as possible. Consequently, there won’t be any new recipes from now until the last week of August.

Until then, and in the meantime, if you need some inspiration – browse away!

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

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I know, I know! I’m crazy, right? A soup recipe? Don’t I know that it’s summer and the days are warm and long for the most part? Rest assured, I do!

However, growing up in Ireland taught me that summer can be fleeting and while one summer maybe be glorious (2006, anyone?), another summer can be completely horrendous (2007!). Cue moving to Korea where the summers are a mix of hot, sweaty humidity and thundering, lashing rain. On those days, I don’t find myself craving salads or barbeques but rather warm buttery toast dipped in piping hot soup. Even if my a/c is on, I want nothing more than to be cuddled on the bed with a mug of tea in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other.

The recipe I am going to share with you this week is one of my favourite soups. I found it on the BBC Good Food website and it has been one of my staples for more than a year. I have only ever made the slow cooker version and now that I have it at my fingertips, I do make some adjustments based on personal taste. However, if you don’t own a slow cooker, you can make this on the stove-top, as per the recipe here. My favourite thing about this recipe is just how versatile it is: whether you add spices, substitute them or add other root vegetables, no matter what it always turns out delicious. For anyone looking for some inspiration, the above website is a good place to look and it is one of my favourite websites to browse (in fact it’s on my blogroll).

On a side note, I made this recipe twice this week, the second time (yesterday), I made it with my friend, Kate, and while it cooked we made kale fries, asparagus fries and zucchini fritters (recipe coming soon). Afterwards, I was cleaning the remaining soup out of the slow cooker and I was balancing the lid on the corner of the stand. Well, I knocked it over and as it’s clay, the lid shattered. Heartbroken! Goodbye slow cooker! As I am only staying one more year in Korea, I’ve decided to not reinvest in a new one, so if anyone has any tips for what to do with a lidless clay slow cooker, please let me know!

Lastly, my friend, Becky, who edits for me and keeps me from over using commas and making terrible spelling mistakes, is on vacation, so any mistakes such as these are all mine!

soup photo1

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

(adapted from BBC Good Food Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup)

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp cumin powder*
  • 1 tsp coriander powder**
  • ¼ tsp garam masala**
  • 1 clove garlic crushed**
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes*
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 600g carrots and sweet potatoes***, washed and coarsely grated or finely sliced
  • 140g split red lentils, washed and picked through.
  • 700 ml hot vegetable stock
  • 125 ml coconut milk
  • Naan or toast, to serve
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds – optional
  • pinch of chili flakes – optional
  • Fresh basil/ coriander  – optional
  • Plain yogurt, to serve  – optional

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, garlic and chili flakes. Let cook for around 30 seconds.
  2. Tip into the slow cooker and then add the vegetables, lentils and stock. Stir so everything is coated.
  3. Add the salt and pepper, stir again.
  4. Put the lid on the slow cooker and then turn on high for three hours.
  5. Add the milk and whizz up the soup with a stick blender. Put the soup into bowls.
  6. Just before serving, if using, dry fry the cumin seeds and another pinch of chili flakes.  Sprinkle on top of the soup along with some fresh coriander or basil.
  7. Serve with naan or toast and/or yogurt.

*I substituted 2 tsp of cumin powder for the 2 tsp of cumin seeds originally used. You can use the cumin seeds instead. Instead of a pinch of chili flakes, I used 1 tsp.

**I added the extra spices of coriander, garam masala and garlic. You can leave these out, but make sure you don’t forget to season with salt and pepper as this brings out the flavour.

***Rather than use all carrot, I halved the amount with sweet potatoes. I use 1 large carrot and around 3-4 smallish sweet potatoes.

TIPS

Make it your own: Add onion and/or add, remove or adjust the spices according to your own taste.  I like the addition of coconut milk but it’s not necessary. If you don’t like coconut milk, use regular milk.

Make it for a  larger crowd: Double the amount of lentils, vegetables and stock. You will also might want to double the amount of milk and spices.

Leftovers: This recipe freezes nicely.