'I don't like cheese.'
Said no-one, ever

When Megan (blogger at Got To Be Gourmet meets PR extraordinaire) from MBA asked me if I'd like to receive some Comte cheese to make a recipe for Mothers Day (#MothersDaytheComteWay, can I replace Mothers Day with any holiday, or just you know a Monday. Let's be honest it doesn't even need to be a Monday), I had to think for 0 seconds. In what has to be the quickest reply email I've ever sent, I played it cool and said sure why not. I totally played it cool. 100%. Like an iceberg. I can tell you I didn't reply and out myself as a 'big' cheese fan, or you know go down the whole I'm Swiss so give me the cheese route (why do the Swiss only get aggressive over cheese?), and I definitely did not follow up anxiously when I had yet to receive said cheese...two days after receiving Megan's initial email. So yeah I'm the picture of cool.

Assurance of me being cool aside, I really love cheese, it's a family weakness (at least on the maternal side, who knows about paternal, who cares? No one, moving on). Being French Swiss, my family is full of cheese lovers, my Grandmere's favourite is Comte, my mum's Gruyere, and I can't choose a fave (I'm like Brucey on Strictly Come Dancing, they're all my favourites). So every time we make fondue the fight goes down about what cheese we should use. It normally ends up being a combination of Gruyere and Emmental, Comte and Emmental, or a mix of all three (who's bringing the Emmental to the table, nobody knows) depending on who's cooking. But having spoken to my Grandmere only the night before about how much she misses Comte and having sampled how good the Comte was that Megan sent me (plus you know, Mothers Day, and my mothers certainly love fondue), I decided to make a Comte fondue all on it's lonesome (sorry Mum) and it was, in my boyfriend's words, the best fondue he's ever had. Which actually could be seen as kind of rude about my Grandmere and Mum's cooking, albeit one time my mum had a bit too much wine before making the fondue and used red wine instead (JUST NO), but you know what I'm not going to complain because it really was the best fondue I've had in ages. And I friggin made it. Me. The least Swiss person in my family of Swissanites.

No words can describe the amount of national pride I'm feeling right now.

I know what you're thinking. These look like they were made for Valentines Day and posted late. You'd be wrong my friend, although it is true I made these brownies on Valentines Day, I made them to try and combat the joyous activity my boyfriend had planned for both of us...a 5k (almost, 4 and a bit doesn't sound as good as 5) run round the lake. Perhaps to some this sounds romantic, a lovely jog together, serenading each other as we stride side by side; to me this sounds like the end of our 8 year relationship together (I'm kidding/waiting to see whether we have to go for another run next Sunday).

The truth is I really want to enjoy running. I really do. And I want to have the flattest stomach this side of instagram. But I also really want to eat brownies, in my pyjamas, all day. Which is why my washboard stomach and abs of steel (they are there!) are hidden behind, what I can only describe as, my brownie belly. Ok, really it's a brownie/burger belly but let's leave something to the imagination. So when Dan (my main manfriend and possible ex manfriend if the running continues) suggested we go running on Valentines Day, I don't think I've ever moved so fast to eat a brownie in my life and then feign not being able to run because I'd just eaten. This horrifically backfired when I was pushed out of the house, being made to run 5 whole k (overdoing it now) and resulted in me feeling like I might regurgitate said brownie at any point. Not a great result. But really when it comes down to it you know who I blame? Myself, for telling Dan about my secret ambition to run 10k this year (for all you fitness fanatics this is probably easy as pie [mmm pie] but I tend to hit a wall after 7K, and want to sit on the floor and cry, preferably while being fed trifle).

Ok top 5 favourite desserts of all time, go! It's hard but mine have to be chocolate brownies (see here and here), cheesecake, banoffee pie, trifle and apple strudel. Phew, it's tough, but there it is, my top 5 desserts. Now I've made most of these, some with varying degrees of success (aka not baked cheesecake: liquid cheesecake everywhere), but I'd never made a strudel up until a couple of weeks ago.

In truth, I've always seen it as that fiddly dessert that's just going to be an absolute flop at home and is much easier to buy from the frozen aisle in the supermarket. I always try to avoid processed foods but  I canny resist frozen strudel and, in the spirit of honesty, fries. That was till I made it, I can honestly say this is the best strudel I've ever eaten and yeah it is a little fiddly but what it takes in effort it makes up for in pure buttery delicious. My boyfriend's brother seemed to think so too and seems to have told everyone how good it was, as I got a text from his Dad the next day asking me if I could make it for him when I see them over Christmas.

I'll be honest, putting mulled wine in recipes has become a bit of an obsession of mine. We're talking strudel, mince pies, sausage rolls (I'm lying about the sausage rolls). I just always seem to have some lying about, in a glass, with a slice of orange, normally in my hand. I don't know how it gets there, but the next thing I know it's in whatever I'm making. This idea actually came from making mulled wine pears, which then turned into mulled wine pear frangipane (Mmmm almonds). Admittedly my frangipane was no way near as good as Dan's mums and that's why this recipe is for apple strudel (#frangipanefail, definitely a hashtag that'll catch on). 

  

Christmas time, mistletoe and wine

Children singing Christian rhyme

With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree

A time to rejoice in the good that we see

Mistletoe and Wine, Cliff Richard

 

Got to love a bit of Cliff's Christmas Song. It's Christmas! Almost, sort of, not really. I mean it's actually my birthday beforehand but you know when you turn 21 for the umpteenth time it's not as exciting as the first time. Anyway I'm excited for Christmas it is providing a welcome escape from the fact that I will officially no longer be in my early twenties next week. Ohhhhhhhh I hate getting older, I mean I'm excited for brunch with all my friends (including you dear reader) but Lord no I don't like it. The only way I'm going to get by is with copious amounts of bucks fizz and mulled wine, maybe chuck in some gin as well just for good measure.

Speaking of mulled wine, I've got this super easy, guaranteed idiot proof recipe for mulled vino to share with you. I can't guarantee it's easier than opening a bottle of mulled wine and heating it up in the microwave (genuinely you can buy it premulled and it's not always terrible) or sticking a teabag of spice in it, but it definitely is (in my humble opinion) more delicious.

Is there any baked good better than a brownie? I spent the whole weekend baking (watching films/gossiping/playing card games with my friend Alex) and I'd say a good 50% of the time I was thinking about brownies, the other 50% of me was thinking about Christmas and pine spiced candles (because I want the smell of pine but don't want to wait till we get a Christmas tree), and the rest of me was running on autopilot. Running on autopilot is scary, one moment you're commuting home on the train and the next second you're opening your front door, I mean how did I get there?! This happens to me a lot, especially when I switch it on when I'm walking to the shops and then the next thing you know I've got several bags of ice cream and tortilla chips. That's the more positive side of autopilot.

Anyway while I was running on autopilot baking something else Christmassy related, my mind kept jumping back to brownies. Fast forward two days later and I am still thinking about brownies, and seeing how I can't get them off my mind there's only one thing to do: embrace the brownies, and share my recipe for my PBJ (peanut butter jelly to those in the know) version with you. Lord knows I have enough Lindt chocolate to make a truckload of brownies (thanks Lindt!).

So we all know about my obsession with dinosaurs, which is most specifically linked to having seen Jurassic Park a gazillion times. But I might have failed to mention I am as obsessed if not slightly more crazy about Harry Potter (the books not Daniel Radcliffe) than I am about dinosaurs. It's not something I've purposely kept from you guys, it just never cropped up. That is until Sophie and I confided in each other. Ever since I missed out on going to Kate from The Little Library Cafe's Harry Potter themed Supper Club, I've been dreaming about throwing my own inspired dinner party, a Death Day Party if you will, after all it is Halloween. Finally I just threw it out there that Sophie and I should collaborate and do some Harry Potter baking together.

To say Sophie was keen would be an understatement. Gryffindor scarf adorned, Harry Potter food themed pinterest board at the ready and bag with enough baking ingredients for Hogwarts Halloween Feast in tow, Sophie arrived at my flat. In fact, I knew she'd arrived before she rang the doorbell as I saw her outside peering into my neighbours car. To clarify Sophie's not a car burglar, she was just jealous of the stuffed Ponyo hanging from their car mirror, although I wouldn't put it past her to steal Ponyo. After several cups of tea, the very short flat tour (which includes the cupboard/bathroom under the stairs), and a good hour spent nattering about everything and anything. We got down to baking or at least deciding what to bake.

These brownies are super good. Picture a fudgy brownie, covered in sweet and creamy vanilla cheesecake, with some tangy fruity blueberries swirls and chunks of blueberry intense chocolate. Since creating these brownies, I've made a couple of other variations mostly focusing on triple chocolate (I'm a fiend!) but none have been as good as my original frankenbrownie, you need the tart sharp blueberries I tell you!

Luckily my sad Monday is about to get a lot better. We're talking Harry Potter 4 and a slice or two of these brownies. It's an instant mood lifter, unless you don't like Harry Potter and/or brownies, which is impossible. I can't admit someone doesn't like HP or brownies exists, I can only say if you don't think you like either of these things you haven't persevered enough. You need to really commit to both brownies and HP, to the point where you'd happily eat brownies all day and your wedding/birthday/funeral/general life is going to be Harry Potter themed. I've started asking Dan if we can have a HP wedding when we get married. It's a long way off (we're NOT engaged!) but you know I thought I'd start wearing down his defences now (currently it's a firm no).

Anyway let's move away from my ambitious and crazy wedding plans and move back to brownies. You've got to try them. Adding blueberries to your cheesecake brownies takes them from the passé to the so now. You're not sure what I'm talking about? Neither am I, I'm 3 brownies into a sugar coma. You can't trust anything I'm saying right now. I'm delirious, who talks about Harry Potter in a recipe for brownies. Naboo that's who (this is a terrible Mighty Boosh joke). I think I'm just going to make a quiet exit now. Saved by the recipe!   



I know what you're thinking. Ice lollies in September? I felt that way too, in fact I wasn't going to write this post at all, then two things happened. Indian Summer in September has begun and they tasted way too refreshingly zingy not to share. Don't be so dramatic, it's not an Indian Summer you might say. In that case may I present you evidence A, the sunburn I got at my niece's baptism yesterday. Stupidly and because I was a little (and by a little I mean a lot) hungover after our impromptu dinner party on Saturday, I forgot to put sun cream on and after sitting outside all day you can tell. Two words: Lobster Red. On the plus side the gorgeous weather meant all the kids got to play outdoors and run free, while the adults (myself excluded) sipped on ice cold beers. I opted for 3 ice lollies (because one is never enough) instead and plenty of ice water.

The good news is that this sunny weather is supposed to last for the rest of the month, so although I was a no go alcohol zone yesterday, I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead when I'm up for licking one of these bad ice lollies (popsicles to our American cousins). I know they look all innocent, fruity and delicious, but inside that blackberry, cucumber and lime lolly lurks a dark gin-based secret. As I said in my last post (see here) I've been feeling super inspired to make some ice lollies this Summer after trying a couple of alcoholic versions, I thought I'd give my own alcopopsicle version a go. Hence these Zingy Blackberry, Cucumber & Gin Ice Lollies were born.
 

As we're right at the end of the season, I thought I'd flavour my alcopopsicles using the last of my foraged blackberries. We'd also been gifted a GIANT cucumber (we're talking 60cm) from my boyfriend's mum so that went into them as well. There's only so many times you can eat cucumber salad (aka once). For me, there was only one choice in accompanying liquor and that was my cucumber gin from Gordon's. For obvious reasons really, one it has cucumber in and two I'm not a huge fan of vodka, tequila wouldn't go and there was no rum in the house (where has all the rum gone?). This turned out to be a good decision, as the gin really comes through in these lollies and nobody really likes the taste of vodka (do they? do you? does anyone?!). I mean don't get me wrong I'll drink it in a cocktail, but in this lolly there would be no where to hide.

Lime was added to make these beauties zing. While I opted to make them with soda water instead of tonic for similar reasons to my decision not to use vodka (tonic's my nemesis). Combined this led to a very refreshing lolly. Albeit maybe a bit too refreshing as I polished a few off in one sitting. Course after the first one I gave up with holding the stick and went to plopping it in a glass with some soda water poured on top for what I'm calling, Cocktail on a Stick. This year is the first time I've seen it done in the blogging domain, personally I've been a fan of the sticky hands free approach for a while mostly because I can be really lazy and without the stick, there's no sticky hands, which means no getting up, leaving the sofa and having to wash said hands. You get the picture.

Lollies are super easy to make and massively rewarding, making them a pretty perfect treat. If you want for kiddies or dry individuals you can leave out the gin and it'll still be excellent. Personally I'm not of the nature (rebel rebel). I'm hoping to knock up another batch perhaps pina colada ones with rum (when I repurchase it) before the end of our sunny spell. Although I'm looking forward to cozying up with hot chocolates and blankets, and eating all sorts of Winter warmers, I'm holding out for a longer Summer yet!

To show your solidarity in wanting Summer to remain here forever (bar Christmas) consider making your own alcopopsicles or ice cream. You could forage like me and put blackberries in everything (blackberry ripple ice cream anyone?) or you can go your own way (go your own way).You can change it up anyday (anydaayyy). Sorry I love a bit of Fleetwood Mac, Dan got to see them earlier this year, not envious but envious. Anyway make your own ice lollies, experiment and go wild. Put pineapple where no body wants it, stuff raspberries into everything you can and squeeze citrus fruit like you've never squeezed before. There'll be plenty of time for experimenting, for now on to the recipe. 

Blackberry, Cucumber & Gin Ice Lollies

(makes 10)

125g blackberries

100g cucumber

100ml Gin (I used Gordon's Cucumber Gin)

80g caster sugar
1L soda water

2 limes

Step 1. In a saucepan, cook down the blackberries with a tbsp or two of water and the sugar to make a jam. Once made pass the jam through a sieve and set it aside. 

Step 2. Skin on, cut the cucumber into manageable chunks and blend to a puree. The pass the cucumber through a sieve.

Step 3. In a measuring jug, mix together the gin, blackberry jam, cucumber puree and the juice from the two limes. Fill the jug up to 900ml with soda water and stir again thoroughly (otherwise you'll get one really alcoholic ice lolly and no one wants that, unless you do and you want to play lolly roulette) then fill each mold.

Step 4. Place the molds in the freezer and leave to freeze for at least 3 hours. Owing to alcohol being  in these lollies it may take a little longer for the lollies to freeze, and I would not recommend eating all of them in one sitting. Unless you've had a particularly bad day, then go for it. Eat them straight up or to avoid sticky hands place in a glass and pour soda water on top. Whatever you do, enjoy these responsibly.   

I'm going to miss the natural light of Summer when we finally hit Autumn. Waking up in the dark and coming home in the dark is the one thing I hate about the UK. It's a strong word but it's true. Don't get me wrong some of the best things happen over the colder months, ahem my birthday (woo yay!), Christmas, Fondue, but I'd like it if Summer was a little longer, say 3 months. Then I could extend my ice based treats eating time, if you've got any ice cream or ice lolly recipes drop me a comment below I'd love to see them. Anyway I'm not going to be accepting that Summer is over until at least October, maybe when I get back from Iceland but not before, so expect more Summery based recipes from me, at the very least rainbow ice cream. Then it'll be time for Octoberfest Ice Cream, Halloween Ice Cream, Christmas Ice Cream and so on. Have a good week!

 

Ever since first making my Ultimate Dark Chocolate and Malbec No Churn Ice Cream, I have been experimenting with creating different flavours. So far there have been no misses. This isn't me being arrogant or modest, I just really think you can't go too far wrong experimenting with this type of ice cream. All my creations so far have set and apart from a wild idea to make Marmite ice cream there have been no crazy flavours coming out of my kitchen. I'm all for interesting flavours, wasabi ice cream maybe, bacon and jam ice cream we'll see, breast milk ice cream 100% not happening ever (why this was ever sold in London I'm not sure).

I've been foraging for urban blackberries from the bushes near our flat ever since they came into season at the beginning of August when I made this artery clogging but delicious Baked Camembert Topped with Blackberries and Walnuts. As my first no churn ice cream flavour was pretty adventurous with a generous tipple of malbec, I decided to strip it back and go simple. Well as simple as homemade Blackberry and Vanilla Ripple Ice Cream can be. Which coincidentally is simply delicious.

The vanilla ice cream is sweet, creamy and unctuous with the hum of vanilla, providing the kind of comforting goodness only vanilla ice cream can. With one or several swirls of tart blackberry jam through the ice cream it's lifted to new fruity heights. And of course where there's ice cream there has to be a cone, I don't buy in to wafers and I couldn't find any biscuit cones in the shops so obviously I had to have a go at DIYing some. For me there was only one biscuit on my mind, brandy snaps. I adore brandy snaps and have been known (on stressful days) to buy a pack and eat them instead of dinner (the ginger in them was very nutritious once).

Ok I'm lying, I've never eaten a packet of brandy snaps instead of dinner. I've always eaten them as well as my dinner. But who can resist a crispy but buttery ginger biscuit. Show me one man (or woman) who can and I will challenge them to a biscuit staring competition. I'm bound to crack first but if they don't I'll eat my packet of brandy snaps! When you try and shape your cones be careful because they'll be really hot. I have 'asbestos hands' termed because I can handle molten lava with my bare fingers (second lie of the post) so I dived straight in to shaping. However, if you are a delicate flower then consider waiting a minute before shaping or just turn them upside down over bowls for hands free brandy snap baskets.



 I meant to post this recipe on Monday but I've had so much going on with work, family and general procrastination aka rereading Harry Potter (I'm on book 6). At the weekend I made my first ever batch of brownies, I don't know how I haven't made them before (must have been knocked on the head as a child), for a BBQ with my boyfriend's brother, his wife, assorted friends and the person of honour, my (almost) 3 month old niece. She is the cutest chubby chops you've ever seen and although you can't have favourites I have already declared her my favourite niece ever. The brownies were so popular (modesty shining through here) that I've been asked to make some for my niece's baptism. Get excited because not only are these brownies, but they're cheesecake brownies...with blueberries and I'll be sharing the recipe shortly (future nieces and nephews just get plain brownies).
In addition to brownie making and BBQs, there was lots of swimming. Which meant only one thing, I had to have my post swim ice cream, which ties nicely back to this recipe as I went home and stuffed myself with the last of this rippled dream. Post swim ice cream is an essential part of my exercise routine, as is lying on the sofa exhausted. It's hard work burning 470 calories doing lengths and going down the fast flume at the pool a million times. Does anyone else have a set post work out snack? When I used to go to a swimming club as a kid it used to be a Caramac bar or a Zap (psychedelic rippled toffee ice cream on a stick). Wait! Stop everything! Rainbow no churn ice cream? Is it possible, am I crazy, should I do it? All valid questions with only one answer, HELL YES!

That's it. End of post. On to my next ice cream adventure!...straight after this recipe.

Blackberry Ripple & Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream

(makes 750ml)

250g Blackberries

1 tbsp Caster Sugar

1 tbsp Water

1 tbsp Vanilla Paste

300ml Double Cream

1/2 can Condensed Milk (~198ml) 

Step 1. In a saucepan heat the blackberries, caster sugar and water on a medium heat to make the jam for the blackberry ripple, stirring occasionally. Once the jams semi set and the berries have all broken up, leave it to cool and then pass it through a sieve so you've got a smooth coulis.  

Step 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the double cream, condensed milk and vanilla paste until you reach stiff peaks. 

Step 3. Pour a third of the mixture into a suitable freezable container, you can buy disposable pots online, use a tupperware box or just pour it into a cake tin. Then dollop on a third of the jam randomly, using a chop stick feather or whirl and swirl the jam using a chopstick through the vanilla cream. Do this twice more but for the two upper layers don't swirl to the bottom just do it for that layer. Make sure you cover the ice cream with a lid or tightly wrap it in clingfilm, then put it in the freezer for 6 hours. 

Step 4. Before you serve the ice cream take it out of the freezer for about 15 minutes to loosen up. 

Brandy Snap Cones (without the brandy...)

(makes 6-8 cones)

50g Butter

50g Caster Sugar

50g Golden Syrup

50g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a saucepan on a medium heat, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup. Take the pan off the heat and add the sieved flour and ginger into the pan and stir to mix it all together.

Step 2. On a lined baking tray place 2 tbsps of the mix in a circle 10 cm apart from one another. You'll have to do them in batches of two at a time as they will spread and engulf each other if you're not careful.

Step 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes till golden brown and doted with holes. Take the brandy snaps out of the oven and leave for a couple of seconds, then working quickly shape each biscuit into cones you can either do this by wrapping it round a mould or using your hands. It's really about what's easy for you.

Step 4. Brandy snap cones made, fill them with ice cream. The good thing about this ice cream is that it doesn't melt too quickly so it won't leak out of the holes as much as that which must not be named (churn ice cream). I actually ate lots of the cones before I filled them with ice cream, in fact I ate a lot of the ice cream without the cones as well. What does that say about me? Probably that I'm a winner.


Have you tried making a no churn ice cream yet? If you have, drop me a comment below with your recipe, I'd love to see what you've done. I'm super keen for a rainbow ice cream, putting it on my weekend agenda as I type. I might even make it toffee flavoured for old times sake. National Burger Day is tomorrow and I'm going to be celebrating in style, probs with several burgers on the go at once. It's made me upset though because here in the UK we don't have a National Ice Cream Day, I want to rectify that wrong so that's why I'm launching the National Ice Cream Day in the UK as the 26th August. What year? Every year. If you want to join my campaign drop me a comment below swearing allegiance to ice cream. Manifesto to be published shortly.

I love ice cream. This could be a post about my favourite ice creams in London, I have a long list of them (my favourite being malbec and berries from Freggo, but it's a close call between that and the entire menu at Gelupo). However, it's not. This post is about the Ultimate Dark Chocolate and Malbec Ice Cream which I made with the Lindt super dark chocolate (not it's real name it's Lindt Excellence 90% dark chocolate) which I was sent by the lovely Sally. Sally is my new favourite person (sorry everyone) and it's not only because she works for Lindt (and I'm not so secretly holding out that she'll get me a job as a chocolate taster there), but her blog is full of sweet recipes and reviews, and she knows just what to say. Evident from when I was pondering on what to make with the enormous box of Lindt chocolate bars she sent me she said those precious three little words to me.
Chocolate Ice Cream.

As I said ice cream is my jam, my cake, my macaron. But sadly although I can make all the other things at home I've never been able to recreate ice cream. I've tried, I've made sorbets and granitas but everytime I've tried to make an ice cream it has never worked due to one crucial missing element. I don't have an ice cream maker. I feel like everyone under the sun has one bar me. To be fair there's not a lot of space in our flat's little kitchen to put one (or anything!) in there. But alas this year, 2015, is the year of the no churn ice cream. I saw Nigella Lawson make her coffee one and my first thoughts were that's so cool but I don't really like coffee (sorry folks it's true) and I was a bit unsure about condensed milk.

Condensed milk is an ingredient I'd never used before, that is before I made these pretty pink Raspberry Caramel Millionaires Shortbread. The shortbread were a triumph and I was converted to appreciating the powers of condensed milk but still in an ice cream? Ok I'm sure it's great in caramel ice cream or coffee but for other flavours I wasn't so sure. Queue an explosion of different condensed milk ice creams on the internet which showed me the light. With Lindt chocolate in hand, I had to make a chocolate ice cream, and inspired by the malbec and berries ice cream at Freggo I decided to do a twist on the old chocolate staple by adding in my favourite red wine. As we all know chocolate and red wine go together really well, whether you're drinking and eating them straight up on the sofa while watching Suits (my Friday night in a nutshell), or you know you're cooking them together in your beef bourginion, spaghetti bolognaise or chilli, it gives an added depth that speaks to your soul or at least mine.

It may look like I have arrogantly named this The 'Ultimate' Dark Chocolate and Malbec No Churn Ice Cream, and I have. But this title wasn't given by me but by my dinner party friends, particularly my foodie friend and brother to my lover (him and Dan are creepily close) Louie (talked about here, here and everywhere). Louie proclaimed this is the best chocolate ice cream he'd had and he would happily pay £5 for a scoop. He's certainly my rudest critic so I take this as high praise.

I know what you're thinking, why did I stupidly share the ice cream with my friends. Sometimes I have charitable moments, this was one of them (it won't happen again). I have since put the world to rights by eating this ice cream solo on the couch while watching Bake Off instead of going for a run. I personally think Mary Berry would encourage my actions as she's known to love a good bit of chocolate and a tipple, perhaps this should be renamed as The Mary Berry Approved Ultimate Dark Chocolate & Malbec No Churn Ice Cream but maybe I'm getting ideas above my station/Mary will sue me (she wouldn't, she wouldn't hurt a fly, she's an angel in icing). I'd also like to point out I don't sit on the sofa and eat food all the time; sometimes I lie down on it.

This ice cream is delicious. The wine really brings out the flavour of the dark chocolate and the texture which is quite similar to Gelato is almost moussey (new adjective alert). If you don't like red wine feel free to leave it out and just go for the dark chocolate alone. If you don't like dark chocolate you could take it out but that would be sacrilege and we don't condone that sort of behaviour here. It's a judgement free zone but don't take the mick.

The Ultimate Dark Chocolate & Malbec No Churn Ice Cream

(makes 750ml)

160g Dark Chocolate 90% cocoa solids (I used Lindt Excellence 90%)

300ml Double Cream

1/2 can Condensed Milk (~198ml) 

400ml of Malbec

Step 1. In a saucepan reduce the 400ml of Malbec on a medium heat until there's approximately 6-8 tbsps left, then set it aside to cool down.

Step 2. Break the dark chocolate up and melt it till it's runny and smooth. You can do this however you want, in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, in the microwave or do as I did and melt it on a low heat in a saucepan. Bear in mind if you choose to follow me in my chocolate melting activities you have to keep stirring it and watch it doesn't get too hot and start to burn. 

Step 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the double cream and condensed milk until you reach stiff peaks. Then fold in the chocolate and the reduced malbec until it's all mixed in. 

Step 4. Pour the mixture into a 500ml freezable container, you can buy disposable pots online, use a tupperware box or just pour it into a cake tin a la moi. Make sure you cover the ice cream with a lid or tightly wrap it in clingfilm, then put it in the freezer for 6 hours. 

Step 5. Before you serve the ice cream take it out of the freezer for about 15 minutes to loosen up. I served this to my friends as the dessert in fancy wine glasses, but then I also ate it on my own straight out of the tin after they left. The choice is yours there's no judgement in this post (unless you don't eat the ice cream, then there is judgement). 

God looking at this ice cream has got my mouth watering for more! I've made a couple new no churn flavours which I'll share shortly but if anyone has any of their own recipes for non churn ice cream please drop me a link to them below. Personally I'm all up for a peanut butter chocolate chip version which is probably going to be my next attempt. Or a pistachio one. Or strawberry. Too many flavours! If you live in London make sure to check out my fave ice cream places, I'd also love to hear your recommendations, so what's your favourite ice cream?

Thanks to Sally from The Cat Café who works for Lindt and the chocolate gurus themselves (Lindt, that's you!) for sending me a box of the finest dark chocolate around. All opinions are from yours truly!

 I used to work in a cheese shop, but I camembert it any longer.

 

 

This starter is deliciously simple. Alex and I 'foraged' some blackberries on the way home (it's not stealing if they're overhanging into public space) and I combined them with some walnuts, honey and thyme for added extravagance. You can't beat a slice of fruit with your cheese. Apple, fig or pear they've all got their perks but my fave is the sharp tangy blackberry. A bit of blackberry jam with your stilton Mam? Yes please. Blackberry and goats cheese salad? Give me more. It's just so good and simple, you can't beat it as a cheesy accompaniment.

With some crusty bread this was a great veggie starter, it's worth bearing in mind that not all camembert is vegetarian (you can read about that rant here) but I do know that Waitrose stock a vegetarian version so go there and eat as many as possible because it's not every day you come across one that is. We followed this up with a very unvegetarian main course of roast pork and my no churn red wine and dark chocolate ice cream which I'll be sharing soon because I'm a proud pudding parent and it is delicious!

Enough about ice cream, on to the cheese recipe!

 

  

Baked Camembert Topped with Blackberries & Walnuts

(1 as a main, 2 as a starter, 3 if you're pushing your luck)

 

Camembert

80g blackberries or a large handful

50g walnuts or a small handful
30g pumpkin seeds or small handful

1/2 tsp dried thyme (fresh if you've got it!)

1 1/2 tbsps honey

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to season

 

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. If you've foraged your blackberries make sure you wash them first and don't pick them from the road side. That done. Break the walnuts into bite sized pieces and combine with the honey, olive oil, thyme, blackberries, pumpkin seeds and salt and pepper. Mix it all together with your hands and let it sit while you prep the camembert.

 

Step 2. Grab your camembert dish or the wooden box it came in (paper/plastic wrapping and attachments removed), and place your unwrapped cheese inside. Cut a large X into the top of the camembert, put the lid on the dish/box and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

 

Step 3. After 15 minutes take the cheese out and top it with your nutty, fruity mixture then bake it back in the oven, lid on, for 10 minutes. Remove and serve with plenty of crusty bread. I shared mine with friends but won't be making the same mistake again, I'd advise you skipped hosting a dinner party and went straight on to a cheese night for one.