preparing (pt 1)

It's that time of year, these last few weeks before Christmas all seem to be about preparing; for visitors, presents, cards, parties, catch ups with friends and in my house most importantly food! Although it's often stressful 'getting things ready' I really appreciate the way baking and preparing food for Christmas actually slows you down, and gives you that time and space to either just zone out as you knead dough or reflect on the season while decorating cookies, shamelessly playing Christmas music all day (and yes singing my little heart out, i'll admit it). I also just really like food and get excited about having an excuse to explore all the different flavours I dream up during the year! The last week for me has been about preparing food for Christmas events and most of what I have cooked has involved a lot of preparation (I sense a theme), a lot of steps, custard bases being prepared in advance so they are cool enough for the ice cream machine, dough being left to rise in the warm then retard in the cool fridge over night. It just seems so apt that this is what this time of advent is really about, preparing. For me this week it has meant all things dairy; ice cream, mousse, truffles with a bit of homemade bagels thrown in for good measure!

So after finally getting my mulled wine sorbet to work, I dove into a flurry of exploring different flavoured ice creams for our (ex) housemate Christmas party tradition. It was 3 days of ice cream madness, infusing the milk for one, making the custard base to cool over night while the mix before was in the ice cream machine, chilling the canister of the machine so it froze properly, and no over heating break downs with the ice cream machine this time! Much improvement!


Flavour wise I went a mix of experimental and traditional. I've been inspired lately to use different tea's as a flavouring in deserts, especially after trying some amazing Earl Grey Chocolate! at Hahndorf Hill Winery recently (seriously how could life get any better than earl grey and chocolate!!??) and a russian caravan infused hot chocolate at the T2 cafe last time I was in Sydney. Such an amazing smooth and smokey flavour!

So my first was a Russian Caravan, Vanilla Bean and White Chocolate ice cream, a traditional custard ice cream base but the day before I began I heated the milk gently with the tea leave until almost boiling then left to sit over night in the fridge to really infuse. I then strained the milk to begin the base of my custard, which then sat another night in the fridge before finding it's way into the little ice cream churner. The flavour is just amazing.
I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS ICE CREAM!

After that another sorbet, Coconut, Cinnamon and Lime, this one gooey and sticky unlike the mulled wine sorbet, probably from the coconut milk and incredibly high sugar content (although if you have dietary issues this one is completely vegan; coconut milk, sugar, lime, water and a cinnamon stick - I just love when things are SO simple and raw and yet just taste amazing!).

Finally a Cookies and Cream for the one among us with a child's palette who would complain about all the weird flavours of the other ones (I won't name you but you know who you are!!). Never content to make a straight up recipe I experimented with using condensed milk instead of cream in this one. The result is much sweeter (obviously), a little too sweet for me but I think 'he who shall remain unnamed' will enjoy it!

In the midst of ice cream land came my one true love. Gooey Chocolate Mousse to take to Hannah's desert tea party. I don't think I should even write about how much I love (GOOD!) Chocolate Mousse as it borders on the inappropriate but it's just one of those dishes that if done properly is incredibly sensual. The best Chocolate Mousse I have ever had (I kid you not) was out of a plastic cup at a pizza place in Paris. (I am so incredibly ashamed to admit I was eating pizza in Paris but my traveling partner was having an 'I can't read the menu's' melt down and HAD to eat something he understood. It nearly killed me to waste one of the few meals I got in this city on take away pizza but my sacrifice was rewarded by seriously the best mousse I have ever tasted. I like to imagine it was made by the owner's mum at home with love using a recipe passed down from yadda yadda,  but who knows!? I have been trying ever since to try and emulate it and am not even close. So for this round of mousse I made little mousse cups topped with meringue and edible shimmer dust, very pretty and yummy.


So I'm exhausted just from typing this. I'm off to have a cup of tea, stay tuned for preparing pt 2; homemade bagels!