BUTTERSCOTCH ICE CREAM

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my love of ice-cream, I really can't get enough of it and it's something that features in my top 5 favourite foods, a list which isn't even complete yet.

Just like selecting my favourite foods, it's way too difficult to choose which would be my favourite flavour but coffee, coconut and brown bread, yes brown bread are all in there, oh and cherry and hazelnut and lemon meringue. You see, it's too hard.  Anyway, another favourite flavour is butterscotch (like Angel Delight) and here is my version made with  a traditional custard base.

I served it with an extra hit of butterscotch sauce.  Just heat 100g Soft Brown Sugar with 25g Butter till melted.  Remove from the heat and whisk in 300ml Double Cream.  You can have it warm or leave it to chill and it will thicken.

180g Soft Brown Sugar
80g Butter
375ml Whipping Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Paste
500ml Single Cream
6 Egg Yolks

Heat the sugar and butter in a pan till the sugar has dissolved and it starts the bubble.  Remove from the heat and  whisk in the vanilla and 125ml of the whipping cream.

In another pan heat the remaining whipping cream and the single cream.  In a bowl whisk the eggs then stir in a ladle of the warmed cream.  Return the cream and eggs to the pan and heat stirring all the while till it starts to thicken.  This will just take about 3-4 minutes.  As soon as it starts to get thick remove it from the heat and whisk in the butterscotch mixture.

Now leave to cool completely before pouring into your ice cream maker and churning.  If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour into a plastic container and freeze.  Check after every hour and stir till it freezes.

CHOCOLATE HUFF PUFFS

When I was at primary school, or 'in juniors' as we called it, the meals were all very traditional. Roast chicken, meat pie and mash, boiled ham and peas pudding (never really took to this), lots of cabbage and all puddings came with custard.

There was one exception to this however.  On the very odd occasion the school cook would lose all sense of propriety, throw caution to the wind and serve us up the gastronomic banquet  of Spam Fritters, Chips and Beans!  Of course, news of this veritable feast would spread through the school playground like wildfire causing a stampede to be first in line.

There were two possible puddings accompany this meal of the gods, both of which in my humble opinion were in fact the true highlight.  Both of them include ice-cream which to this day features in my   still not complete 'Top 10 Foods I could not live without' - Ice Cream.

The first was a portion of ice cream served floating like a utopia island in a bowl of hot chocolate custard, I know, you want that right now don't you?  The second was a large chocolate cereal biscuit with a portion of ice cream on the side.  The ice cream was inevitably squished onto the top of the biscuit then snuck out into the playground and used to taunt the kids that hadn't made it into the dinner hall yet.

Since leaving school I often thought of that biscuit but it was only a couple of years ago that I realised that what made it different from the humble crispy cake and far more superior was in fact Sugar Puffs. Now here is the recipe in all it's glory to share.  Whilst you read the recipe I shall go and get the ice cream for squishing.

CHOCOLATE HUFF PUFFS

175g Milk Chocolate
50g Butter
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
125g Sugar Puffs

In a large pan slowly melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup together.  Once they have melted add the sugar puffs and stir, making sure all the cereal is well coated.

Tip the mixture onto a large piece of baking parchment and use it to form a fat sausage.  Roll it up and twist the ends to keep it all compacted together.

Put the sausage in the fridge and leave to set over night before slicing into biscuits.

Delicious with or without the squished ice cream