Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are ready to have a fulfilling, enjoyable and memorable 2016. I'm not one for making new year resolutions. Instead, I give myself realistic challenges throughout the year. One challenge I started this year with is the #slowdownwithstills challenge set up by Christina Greve. I'm always looking for small projects, as well as improve my photography and this will be one fun and achievable challenge to get involved in.

I celebrated Christmas day with friends in London before heading to Galway, Ireland for a few days of quiet time with the in-laws. I came home to a freezer full of leftovers from Christmas. I also found a full tub of homemade gingerbread Ice-cream I made prior to Christmas, which I want to share with you. The hint of spices was exactly what I needed to get me going.

Here's to a new year and new start.






INGREDIENTS

2 cups full fat milk
1 cup double cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp cloves
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp cornstarch (to substitute for the lack of egg yolks)


METHOD

Add the milk, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, salt to a pan on medium heat for around 5 mins. You want the steam to rise but do not boil the mixture.

Whisk the cornstarch with a 1/4 cup of the cream to remove any lumps and add it to the pan. Continue to whisk and add the remaining cream to the pan and heat through. Continue to stir for another 5 minutes until the mixture is thick. To test if the mixture is ready you should be able to run a finger across the back of the spatula or wooden spoon and draw a line.

Strain the mixture into a bowl, cover with cling film (to prevent a skin from forming) and allow to cool completely before churning in the ice cream machine according to the instructions. To speed up the process, I place the bowl over another bowl filled with ice to help the cooling process before churning.


NOTES

You can tailor the amount of spices to suit your taste.
Add chocolate chips or caramel swirls to it the ice-cream in the last few minutes of churning.