Pistachio Chocolate Ice Cream Bombe

I have only been blogging for a couple of months but like most things I do it has to be all or nothing! The baking & creating comes easy to me but the photography is something new and being the impatient type I was very disappointed with the results from my ‘point & shoot’ camera. I had no intention of spending money on a new camera and when my father inlaw said he wanted to sell his rather new SLR because it was too big & heavy I didn’t think for one minute I was going to buy it. Of course until I took a few photos! Even with a lot to learn about the camera, lighting etc I could see the difference instantly and was sold in a second! So now I have a new hobby to add to cooking, surfing & golf and just like the rest I will be obsessed with it until my photos look like those from a magazine…I see my boyfriends eyes role to the ceiling as he knows me so well. So here are my first attempt with the new camera.

Ingredients for Pistachio Ice Cream

• 2 cup of cream
• 1 cup of milk
• 2  cups pistachio butter (see previous recipe under preserves)
• 100g sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 drops of almond essence (optional)

Further Ingredients

• 200g 70% cocoa chocolate
• 200g chocolate sponge, bought or home made (recipe below)

Method for ice cream

1. Place milk & cream in a pan over a  very low heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl till combined. 
3. Whisk hot milk & cream into yolk mixture. 
4. Return to a clean saucepan over a very low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent mixture from ‘catching’ on base of pan.
5. Cook gently until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. 
6. Transfer to a bowl and allow the custard to chill in fridge completely before putting into ice cream maker. 
7. Mix together pistachio butter & custard mix. 
8. Taste and add almond essence ,if you prefer a stronger nut flavour but add one drop at a time then taste in between each till you get the right flavour.
9. Put mixture into prepared ice cream maker as per instructions for that appliance.   
10. Line 4-6 small bowls/moulds with cling film and scoop ice cream from maker into the bowls.
11. Cut circles with a cookie cutter from the chocolate sponge and place on one on top of each bowl of ice cream and press down lightly, this forms the base of the bombe.
12. Freeze until set and then remove from bowl by pulling the cling film. If the ice cream doesn’t come out, run hot water briefly around outside of bowl to release the ice cream.
13. There are two ways of covering the bombe, you can either melt the chocolate and pour it over each bombe directly. Or you can line the bowls again with cling film, spoon melted chocolate into each one and spread chocolate up the sides of the cling film. Allow to set in the fridge for a few minutes and then insert the ice cream bombe into the chocolate case
14. Refreeze until ready to serve. You can hold the dessert like this for a week or two before using it.

The decoration on the plate is piped chocolate in a flower shape and then it is meant to be filled with a fruit coulis. I have to confess I didn’t have time to make coulis as well so I improvised by using some of my home made plum jam, thinning it down with water and then pushing it through a sift! Worked a treat and took two minutes to prepare. I served it as half a bombe because I wanted the contrast of colours on the photograph. If you are going to cut them in half a word of warning, allow the ice cream to sit for a few minutes and use a hot knife to cut them otherwise the chocolate might snap and not where you want to to! My first one did :0)

Ingredients for chocolate sponge

• 125g butter
• 125 sugar
• 125 SR flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
2. Line an 8 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
3. remove cinnamon stick and star anis and pour remaining juice over plums.
4. Place butter & sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk or good old fashioned wooded spoon until light and fluffy.
5. Add one egg at a time and whisk in between both additions.
6. Sift in flour and cocoa into butter mixture and fold in with a metal spoon.
7. Add milk and fold together ingredients.
8. Spread sponge in cake tin, you only want a thin layer so if it looks like you have too much make a few cup cakes with the extra mixture!
9. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out of the sponge clean.
10. Once cooled remove from the tin.