What if? /- /Tropical fizz ice cream sandwiches

I hate a love hate relationship with this question. Like magic, it conjures up determination and inspirational ideas from thin air, or causes the thinker to be dunked in to a shallow pool of self-pity. The double edge question in other words. How many times do you guys ask what if in a day? Are you like me and have a borderline unhealthy relationship with this question or do you rarely question what happens in life.

Many of us have asked this question, one time too many in some cases. Of course depending on what if? Question topic it can incredibly fun. The time where you tried to be the mix master of your new juicer/ blender/ smoothie maker; only to have a ruined a perfectly good recipe be thinking what if I added some heat? All spice? Ginger? nah. Chilli? Hmm… why not? 



It can bring a sense of accomplishment. What if I try to make a cake this way? Or mix a batch of chocolate chip cookies that way? From that simple edge of curiosity, you have created a recipe that you adore and can share with others. 

Nothing is more satisfying when you get the compliments about them from friends and family. Second, third or fourth helpings, warm smiles when they eat it and the well-known “mmmm” once they have taken that first mouth full. All these things are what every baker looks for when they give people a taste test of a new recipe.



On the flip side “what ifs” have a very dark side too

Anything terrible that happens. What if?

Anything that confuses us occurs. What if?

Anything we do not like about selves and wish we could change, What if?

Honestly anytime we get upset. What if I could prevent it?

I know this may seem more like bad poem than blog post but it has been just over a month since that day. I  have not appreciated what life has thrown at me this year but I have come to terms with it; tragic stuff will do that to you.

 

This recipe once again is using the mangoes from this season harvest. As the weather cools down in Australia; we have been left with a lot of mango puree. Of course freezing it is the only way to go with fruit but it does mean now I have almost 8 liters of mango puree sitting in my fridge just waiting to be use in some baking. 

It might be cool and rainy here but I will always #foreverlove ice cream in winter. I am one of those people who cannot stand the heat but have no problem in the cold. Last winter I navigated through in just a sweat suit jacket and pair of shorts for a majority of the season; maybe it is just getting warmer down under. I am going to say thank goodness for the cold this year because at least I can cover up the winter gains with lots of layers.

Layers are so trendy now, so I am just being fashionable not gluttonous.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it!



Anyway I came across a new book from one of most notorious ice cream parlours in Sydney. If you think Ben and Jerry’s is good, this is like Ben and Jerry’s on steroids. Well Messsina have some far out flavours in their mix; fried chicken anyone? but what I am more interested in this the formula they use to make ice cream with. While they may not have same philosophy when it comes to using stabilises in their ice cream (they are not evil! - Serious eats), the flavour combos and the texture of this homemade mango ice cream surpasses the typical homemade stuff. This is creamy even room temperature for longer than 10 minutes. 

No grainy textures or gummy texture which comes with using stabilises. Also the best part for me is the amount of eggs which I use now for making ice cream. No longer will I be using a dozen eggs yolks for 2L of ice cream; the chickens have got to be happy about that.
Yes I think about the work chickens put into delivering us those golden yolks. What? Someone has got to care about our chicken friends.





 



These tropical ice cream sandwiches are the way I am saying good bye to summer. The addition of freeze dried fruits such as pineapple and orange become large bits of fizz sherbet. NO need to get out the dip sticks here! The ice cream sits on a fried sweet dough you can get from the Asian supermarket; they are the porous carrier which soak up that creamy goodness as it melts. Yep I am saving ever drop of ice cream here.

The mid sourness to our very creamy mango ice cream with that fried sweet dough biscuit. With palm sugar Caramel sauce too? Nothing is ever too OTT for dessert. See even a dessert without chocolate can make you drool.




Tropical fizz ice cream sandwiches
Recipe from Gelato Messina; The recipes

Mango gelato
Milk 340g
Cream 150g
Sugar 100g
Skim Milk powder 30g
Dextrose 25g
Stabiliser 5g
Puree mango 350g

Place milk and cream in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Whisk in powders in a bowl and mix to combine. Bring milk and cream up to 40 degrees C; after whisk in powders and bring the mixture up to 65 degrees C. maintain the temperature at 65 degrees C while whisking constantly.
Pour the milk mixture into a stainless steel bowl. Using a stick blender add the mango puree to the milk mixture while blending it.
Place in the ice bath and chilli it to 40 degrees C. Cover with foil and place in the freezer, stirring every 10 minutes until the temperature drops to 4 degrees C. Once it becomes cold enough, place it in the fridge and let age for 4 hours.
Once you are ready to make the ice cream. Make sure you have frozen your ice cream maker for at least 24 hours. Take the custard out and use a stick blender to mix for 1 minute. Pour in to your ice cream maker and churn for 20 minutes (it should reach -4 degrees C). Place in the freezer until it is ready


Palm sugar caramel
Recipe from Long grain: Modern Thai food by Martin Boetz

100ml water
60g rock sugar, crushed
220g palm sugar, shaved
60g black palm sugar, shaved
1 pandanus leaf

Combined the water and sugars in a heavy based sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil.
Reduce the fire to low and boil for 5 minutes. Add the leaf and cook for another 5 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature before serving in a sandwich.

Assembly
One scoop of mango gelato
Freeze dried pineapple and orange
One serve of palm sugar caramel
One fried sweet dough cake (purchased from Asian groceries)

Cut one Fried sweet dough cake in half. Place one scoop of gelato on top and drizzle over caramel. Place freeze dried fruit on top. Finish the sandwich off with the remaining dough cake. Serve immediately.