Rhubarb Popsicles - A Special Ice Cream Treat

As my regular readers will know, I enjoy growing my own fruit and am particularly proud of my annual crop of rhubarb. John, the owner of my local garden nursery, has even said it's the finest he's ever seen - and he's seen a lot of rhubarb over the years!

Rhubarb is one of those foods that people seem to love or hate, nothing in between. Personally I love it and the fact that it's actually good for you is a bonus. Rich in iron and high in fibre, rhubarb makes for a great dessert whether stewed or in pies and crumbles. Served hot with fresh vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or custard. Delicious!

But what about a cold rhubarb dessert? Well, there's rhubarb yogurt which is nice but what about even colder than that? Rhubarb and custard popsicles! Simple but unusual and on hot days this summer it could prove a real winner for the family.

All you need is your freezer, a set of popsicle molds, some popsicle sticks, about 1 1/2 lbs of fresh rhubarb chopped into small pieces (obviously stalks only!), 3-4 tablespoons of sugar (according to taste), 1/2 pint of heavy cream and 1lb of vanilla custard (ready made or homemade, cooled). Cook the rhubarb, water and sugar together in a pan for about 5 minutes then put to one side to cool thoroughly. After whipping the cream into peaks, stir the custard into it well. Take the popiscle molds and fill each one first with a spoonful of cooled, cooked rhubarb followed by a spoonful of cream/custard mix. Keep the process going until each mold is filled. Place the popsicle sticks into the mixture/molds and then put in your freezer for about 5 hours.

For those of you who thought rhubarb and custard was only a hot dish for a winter's evening, think again!

Fish & Ice Cream

Two foods that are very popular are fish .... and .... ice cream, though not necessarily together! However, it isn't as simple as that. Let's take a closer look at how fish and ice cream can actually compliment each other as foods.

First of all, there are many restaurants where as part of a multiple course dinner you will be offered a fish dish prior to the main course, broken up by a small sorbet such as a lemon sorbet. One of the most enjoyable meals I have ever eaten in a restaurant was served in just such a manner - it was at Sharrow Bay in the English Lake District and although it was some years ago now, the memory of that lemon sorbet still lingers ... enough to be able to close my eyes and taste it! Following the fish dish the sorbet proved to be the perfect refresher prior to the main course.

Last but not least you could make fish ice cream .... yes, it's not a typo but a type of ice cream that many people apparently enjoy eating, especially in Japan. Japanese ice cream can be incredibly varied, reflecting the culture and tastes of its people. Saury is a saltwater fish found in Japan and is sometimes used to make fish ice cream. Seafood of different types and seaweed are also used in ice cream recipes including prawn ice cream, oyster ice cream and squid ice cream. To learn more go to my Japanese ice cream page.

Dog Saved By Ice Cream

Here's a great and true story to share with you. I recently read a story about a family in England whose small Jack Russell Terrier (Woodso) made a remarkable recovery after being mauled - thanks to his love of ice cream!

Poor Woodso had been attacked by another dog (belonging to the same family) and was left with his neck broken and torn. A veterinary surgeon performed 2 operations and managed to save Woodso's life but his injuries left him terribly weak and unable to eat. His owner was desperate to find a solution and thought hard about what she would do if her throat was terribly sore ... and came up with the idea of ice cream. Smooth, cool yet nourishing. And guess what? It did the trick! Woodso lapped it up and found he could swallow again. At the same time it gave him nourishment which he badly needed and seemed to lift his spirits. He was a long time recovering from his injuries but his owner is convinced that ice cream made the difference.

"He still loves the stuf and I'm sure it saved his life" she said.

Now there's 's a little bit of cream magic if ever I saw it!

The Knickerbocker Glory Champion

A Blog Of Ice Cream was born out of my website ice-cream-recipes.com which in turn was born out of a love of ice cream that I have had all my life. For as long as I can remember, ice cream has been a 'fun' part of life and has provided me with many, happy memories from childhood through to adulthood. Ice cream has a 'magic' that never fades.

So it was with my father. He loved ice cream all his life. He was a keen sportsman, always kept fit playing football or golf and was never overweight ... but he had a good appetite, enjoyed his food and adored an ice cream treat whenever the opportunity came along. That opportunity might not have been very often, particularly when he was a boy back in the 1930's in Britain, but he relished it when it was there.

At one end of the scale he could enjoy a simple vanilla ice cream cone or choc ice whilst at the other end of the scale he loved ice cream sundaes. Of all the ice cream sundaes I made for him, he never left a bit! His favourite was a Knickerbocker Glory. It was a rare treat but whenever he was at the seaside or anywhere where a good ice cream parlour might be located, he would look on the menu to see if the old 'Glory' was listed. If it was, he would have one.

My father was one in a million with a love of the simple things in life, an optimistic view on how things would turn out and always willing to share a laugh or smile, even with strangers. It is with great sadness that I realise I will never see that smile again or be able to watch him savour another Knickerbocker Glory. He passed peacefully from this life on 25 July 2009. If ever an angel deserved an ice cream treat, there is surely one in heaven now.