Honeycomb Ice Cream Scores Again!

I always find it interesting how the words 'ice cream' can open up a conversation when talking to someone for the first time.

I made a telephone call recently to make a Christmas donation to a charity and was put through to a very pleasant and helpful lady called Kath who, having taken my details to process the donation, asked if there was anything else she could help with. I replied that I didn't think so as I had already purchased my charity Christmas cards and raffle tickets.

Then it occurred to me ... if I could find an ice cream connection with the charity I could write a little feature on my ice cream blog.  Kath was sorry but she couldn't think of any connection. So not wanting to give up easily on my quest, I asked her if she liked ice cream. The answer was an immediate and emphatic 'Yes!'.

"What's your favorite ice cream?" I asked

Kath didn't need time to think about this, she was sure of her answer:
"Honeycomb ice cream" she said.

I have to admit I was expecting the answer to be vanilla or chocolate as they are so popular. However, I was delighted to be able to tell Kath that I did in fact have a recipe for honeycomb ice cream. She was delighted and said she would take a look at it some time. I don't know if Kath has an ice cream maker - I didn't stay on the 'phone long enough to find out - but even if she hasn't she can always go to my page about making ice cream without an ice cream maker.

As for the charity Kath works for, they do exceptional work and need all the support they can get. They currently have a special 12 Ways Of Christmas section on their website with some super fundraising ideas for people to take part in. If you have a few minutes spare, take a look - you never know you might even find yourself having a little Christmas fun into the bargain!

Ice Cream - A Thanksgiving Treat

Thanksgiving ice cream is a popular search term and it's not surprising why. After all, Thanksgiving is an important celebration for millions of Americans in which food plays a key part. What better way to give thanks for all the good things in life than getting together with family and friends for a special meal. Whilst many Americans will go out to eat over the Thanksgiving holiday, for most it's a special dinner at home that takes precedence.

Turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy will nearly always be the focal point of any Thanksgiving dinner accompanied by a variety of foods commonly grown in 'the new world' as it was once referred to in the days of the Pilgrim fathers. These foods include:

mashed potatoes
corn on the cob
yams
hominy
green beans
peas
carrots
cornbread

For Thanksgiving dessert it's usually a pie with many people making the traditional choice of homemade apple pie or pumpkin pie or pecan pie. Whatever the sweet pie, a scoop of vanilla ice cream can make it that extra bit special!

The combination of melting creaminess of ice cream with a warm and soft textured sweet pie is one of life's true culinary pleasures.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ice Cream Sundae Gallery

My experience in running a Facebook page this year has so far been very rewarding. Seeing people interact with my ice cream posts with super comments and interesting questions is proving both interesting and heartwarming. Such passion for ice cream is great to see!

Such is the interest that I feel obliged to give my increasing number of readers more and more ice cream photographs to enjoy. So one of the things I have done is to start building an ice cream sundae gallery.

As today is my friend Mary's birthday, here is one of the photographs in celebration of that. Happy Birthday Mary! This "Red Fruits Sundae" is just for you.

Containing strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant ice cream with a red fruits coulis and a little frsh red fruit all topped with sumptuous sweet chantilly cream, this is one of the most colourful and appealling ice cream sundaes I have ever seen. I had to be quick with the camera though as my husband and son were only too keen to put it to the test. It didn't last long!

To view more just go to my Facebook ice cream gallery.

Ice Cream Sundae - The Liegeois

Ice cream in France is generally as good as you will find anywhere in the world. Many French ice cream parlors will offer you the choice of an ice cream cone or ice cream sundae made with their very own ice cream freshly made on the premises.

Two of the most popular - and delicious - ice cream sundaes offered are:

Chocolat Liegeois - made with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and chantilly (sweet whipped cream) and served with a thin, sweet biscuit.

Cafe Liegeois - made with coffee ice cream, sweetened coffee and chantilly, served with a thin, sweet biscuit.

My husband and son were kind enough to volunteer to eat one each just so that I could photograph them for my ice cream blog readers .... and here are the photographs to prove it!

I hope to be sharing a little ice cream with my family today as we have a very special celebration - our son's 21st birthday. Born on Rememberance Sunday, he is a constant reminder of all that's good in life. Despite long-term, debiliating health problems, he shows a level of courage and determination that touches all who know him. How appropriate it is therefore that today should be a special number ..... 11.11.11.

Happy Birthday son
            xx

Eating Blue Ice Cream With A Spoon

Ice cream cones are always a pleasure to eat but the colour you choose can add even greater appeal.

For this cone that I photographed, my husband chose these 3 scoops of ice cream for the combination of taste, texture AND colour. What are they?

Rich chocolate ice cream
Coconut ice cream
Vanilla and almond ice cream (the blue one!)

All of these ice creams were made by our friend Jerome Paradis in France and served by him personally at this ice cream parlour.

Notice the two small plastic spoons in the ice cream? In France this is common as many people prefer to use a spoon rather than risk getting the ice cream all over their face!

Coming shortly on the ice cream recipes website is an exclusive interview with Jerome, one of the finest ice cream makers in SW France.

I have my ow recipes for chocolate ice cream and coconut ice cream if you want to try making some. Just follow the links ... and have fun!