The new millennium hadn’t even started serving the starter when British chef Heston Blumenthal got everyone up from the dinner table with a startle. It wasn’t that the food was bad or that the British chef – who by 2004 had already won three Michelin stars – was using the kind of equipment and methods that would look more familiar in a Willy Wonka setting. Rather, it was because we hadn’t seen, or tasted, anything like it before.
The strangeness of Blumenthal’s food can be reduced to one recipe: his bacon and egg ice cream. Flavours which we normally associate with breakfast were being presented for dessert.
Vanilla no longer, excuse the savoury pun, cuts the mustard
That was the ice cream that launched a thousand cones. Blumenthal continued to churn out other ice cream flavours, from chocolate and thyme to crab.
Others were soon experimenting with savoury flavours and we soon got used to tomato and basil sorbet and a scoop or two of olive oil ice cream. The ice cream van of the past gave up its parking spot and instead, we now have a choice of tastes that are more refined and individual.
Vanilla no longer, excuse the savoury pun, cuts the mustard. Instead, it’s a melting pot of blueberry with lemon zest and cherry bourbon or salted pecan.
So if you have an ice cream machine at home, try out some different flavours. It’s summer, after all, so we can all go a bit bananas (there’s another ingredient).
Pumpkin and ginger ice cream
You need
500ml whole milk
300ml heavy cream
250ml pumpkin puree
4tsp cornstarch
150gr sugar
¼tsp salt
3tbsp cream cheese
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp bourbon
1 piece ginger, grated
Method
Stir the cornstarch into the 100ml milk. Whisk together the rest of the milk and the cream, sugar, syrup and salt and bring to a boil.
Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the mixture has a thick consistency.
Put the cream cheese in a bowl and whisk in the warm milk. Add the pumpkin, vanilla and spices, leave to cool and churn.
Before serving, stir in the bourbon and grated ginger.
Goat’s cheese ice cream
You need
6tbsp honey
1½tbsp thyme leaves
150gr goat’s cheese
500ml goat’s milk yoghurt
12 thin slices dried ham
Method
Pour the honey into a small saucepan and stir in the chopped thyme leaves. Bring to the boil, take off the heat and leave to cool. In the meantime, crumble the goat’s cheese and add to the yoghurt. Fold in the honey mixture. Leave to set for an hour in the fridge and churn. Serve with a slice of dried ham.
Aged balsamic ice cream
You need
1lt whole milk
2tsp ice cream stabiliser
250ml heavy cream
100gr sugar
50ml aged balsamic
85gr dextrose
Method
Pour the milk and heavy cream into a pan and bring to a soft boil. In a separate bowl, combine the stabiliser, sugar and dextrose and add to the milk.
Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Add the balsamic vinegar and churn.
Olive oil ice cream
You need
75gr sugar
250ml milk
80ml heavy cream
80ml extra virgin olive oil
4 egg yolks, beaten
Method
Dissolve the sugar, milk and heavy cream over a medium heat and stir until the sugar has melted. Add the egg yolks slowly. Continue stirring until the yolk is incorporated and the mixture has thickened. Add the olive oil, cool the mixture and serve.