Before the summer's done …

… let's have some fun and do some more “no churn” ice creams!

First up, the ultimate in ice cream – it needs no introduction :

Rocky Road ice cream

100g salted, toasted pecans, finely chopped

50g cocoa powder, sieved

50g mini marshmallows

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

8 x Sundae pots with lids

or suitably sized containers to split

the ice cream into say 4 – 6 scoops

It's a good idea to salt and toast the pecans the day before – they need to cool!

Heat a small knob of butter, gently, in a pan and when foaming tip in the pecans with a good pinch of sea salt flakes. Stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until toasted – the delicious aroma will tell you when they are ready – don't leave them! Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool.

On the day – empty the condensed milk into a large mixing bowl and gradually sieve in the cocoa – I use a tiny sieve, tapping the side with a spoon – you have more control (the size of a tea strainer) - use a manual whisk to combine.

Then add the cream and vanilla bean paste and use an electric hand whisk until you get stiff peaks – i.e. stand on their own when lifting the mixing blades from the mixture.

Combine the pecans thoroughly.

Fold in the mini marshmallows gently so that they are covered in the ice cream.

Bits and pieces & hints and tips coming up!

Make your own mayo!

The simple things in life – and your kitchen – are the best!

One of the best salady sides has to be mayo – but not any old bottle or jar – a mayo you've made yourself.

A good mayo recipe is pure gold and the following recipe is easy peasy. I cannot take the credit for the recipe – it belongs to Matt Preston late of MasterChef Australia. It never fails!

A small dish served as a side – a central part of sharing plates of mixed meats or fish and seafood – or both - is delicious.

Here goes :

Stick blender mayonnaise

1 egg

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

pinch of salt

juice of half a lemon – 2 tbsp

350ml of grapeseed oil

Break an egg into the stick blender jug. It's important that the yolk doesn't break. Add the mustard, salt and lemon.

Add the grapeseed oil, again being careful not to break the yolk. Insert the stick blender, be sure that the blades completely cover the yolk.

Blend – after a couple of seconds you'll see white ribbons rising through the oil. Slowly pull the blender up through the oil so it amalgamates and push down again to incorporate all the oil.

Serve!

Stick Blender Mayo is not as stiff as shop bought since it does not contain preservatives so the consistency should be spot on – if you think it's too stiff for your taste then add a drizzle of double cream.

The mayo recipe includes lemon juice and Dijon mustard, an excellent “good to go” base. All that's needed is extra seasonings – celery salt and white pepper as a suggestion.

An added bonus - you get 425g from a batch of mayonnaise and it will keep in the fridge for 3 days, so loads left over for other stuff!

Now for the variations ...

There's photos too!

Choose any of your favourite pizza toppings to create your own Stromboli – the fastest pizza ever – anything goes!

Asda for the prepared pizza dough - £1.34 per 400g pack – Ready rolled pizza dough.

I know it's a tired cliché but here are a couple of photos of the one I made earlier :

Delicious – everyone loves it!

If you wanted …

to create sharing salady plates, here are a few ideas ...

Stromboli for the salad

I give you “Stromboli”. This is a recipe for those that you know are going to say …. “I don't like … “.

If you are catering for a mixed age group or just want something different for supper this is the fastest pizza you'll ever make. It cheats in that you use a ready-made pizza base – if you're a purist knock yourself out and make your own base – in my defence my mission is to make your life easy.

Stromboli

400g prepared pizza dough or ready-made base

4 tbsp tomato paste

100g thinly sliced salami

120g baby spinach

100g thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic Italian seasoning

Pre-heat your oven 220fan/200c/Gas 8. Place a large baking tray in the oven.

Place a dampened J cloth on your work surface. Place a piece of baking parchment on top of the cloth – it will stop it sliding – make sure you leave enough to get hold of – you're going to lift it onto the hot baking tray that's in the oven at the moment. Unroll the pizza dough gently on the parchment.

Spread the tomato paste onto the base. Add the slices of salami, followed by the spinach and then the mozzarella and sprinkle with the oregano or garlic Italian seasoning. Roll up the base from the shortest side and brush with the olive oil - make sure it's seam-side down when placed on the tray.

WITH CARE remove the tray from the oven and then carefully lift the parchment and the rolled up pizza onto it. Place back in the oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown – check at 20 minutes.

When removed from the oven slice into portions to suit and serve.

There's photos too …

Outside the Rocky Road …

… you can choose whatever you fancy for a change to the original Rocky Road recipe. It's whatever floats your boat. An idea for a treat at any time and for any celebration!

Design your own Rocky Road

Traditionally Rocky Road is made using Brazil nuts,

glacé cherries and marshmallow.

Rules are meant to be broken - take a look at the

list below and if you'd like to design your own

Rocky Road swap any or all of the three

ingredients in the original recipe for the

same weight

(or may be four if you want to stay true

to Rocky Road and include the mini marshmallows)

Cashew

Peanut

Pistachio

Pecan

Hazelnut

Glacé cherry

Dried sour cherries

Cranberry

Apricot

Banana chips

Pineapple

Sultanas

Nougat

Turkish Delight

Fudge

Toblerone

Praline

Salted Caramel

Mini Marshmallow

Popping Candy

My latest suggestions are :

Pecans with dark cherries and vanilla fudge

Pistachios, apricots and Turkish Delight

Spoilt for choice!

The raw slaw

Time is our greatest enemy – or rather lack of it - whether its a commute, long hours, collecting and ferrying children, there's very little left to think about food and meals - here's my antidote which does require some prep but it's well worth the effort.

The basic raw slaw

It's much better to prep the slaw in separate food bags – it lasts longer.

How much you prep is up to you – as a guide :

110g white or red cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage – a “cheek”

use a paring knife – see hints and tips to follow

1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler – see hints and tips to follow

1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

salt and black pepper

Slice your cheek of cabbage as finely as you can using a sharp paring knife – bag, clip and fridge.

Next up the carrots – they bleed if you grate them – not to mention pebble dashing every nook and cranny in your kitchen – how is it possible that grated carrot can jettison so far?

Ta dah – enter the julienne peeler.

Here it is, along with the uniformly sliced strips of carrot it produces:

Bag, clip and fridge.

A neat piece of kit and inexpensive too.

Finally, spring onions are mild, you could use a Spanish onion if you prefer or a red version. You can get a sweet, mild variety too. Slice, bag, clip and fridge.

The ingredients are deliberately bagged separately – they keep fresh longer!

The result …

If on the other hand …

 … you wanted something special, try this fast flaky pastry recipe which I promise you is easy – it may take a little longer but it's worth it. I've included a step by step guide with hints and tips too!

You will need :

75g of unsalted butter – chilled in the freezer

110g plain flour

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons of ice cold water

Plan ahead - before you begin weigh out your butter, wrap it in foil and put it in the freezer – 30-40 minutes. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. You'll need a cheese grater on stand-by. Remove the butter from the freezer and fold back the foil – it's easier to control when you grate the butter into a heap in the middle of the flour and salt. You can dip the butter into the flour to stop any sticking.

Using a round bladed knife mix the butter into the flour and salt. Sprinkle two tablespoons of water into the pastry and mix well. Add another two tablespoons and continue to mix. Finally use your hand to bring together – you're aiming for a clean bowl so no bits of pastry left in the bowl. Have a sheet of cling film ready – you can now use both hands to mould the pastry into whatever shape you require. Place on the cling film and wrap.

You can now rest in the fridge before use or place the cling filmed pastry in a bag and freeze.

Microplane graters are a great piece

of kit!

The butter in its foil jacket with the grater

over the bowl of flour and salt – you can just as

easily use the grater vertically if that's more

comfortable

The grated heap of butter

The ball of pastry sitting in the bowl

The empty mixing bowl – not a crumb left behind

Next up – the filling and the final fotos!

A few fotos for you …

It does exactly what it says on the tin :

I don't think you'll ever buy mayonnaise again!

Next up, the slaw :

First up slice a “cheek” of cabbage – a sharp paring knife is the best piece of kit – smaller and more easy to control – with care!

Using a julienne peeler you get uniformly sliced strips of carrot

Combine the cabbage, carrot and spring onion, then season and add the drained apricots and sultanas – the mayo, sour cream and curry powder and a final flourish of the lime juice and mango chutney.

Make it the day before you want to serve it – it gives all the different flavours time to infuse – delicious!

The slaw – but not just any old slaw!

OR you could make a special coleslaw – yum!

Coronation Slaw

110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage

1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler

1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

salt and black pepper

30g ready to eat apricots, finely diced

30g sultanas soaked in mango and apple juice

50g mayo

50g sour cream

1 tsp mild curry powder

squirt of lime juice

1 tbsp mango chutney

The recipe given will give you a box of slaw – measuring approximately 11cms x 6.5cms x 5cms. One box lasted me a week, a spoonful here and a spoonful there.

You'd be surprised how well it fits as a side to the fishcakes!

How about a flexible fishcake

 - this recipe give you the best fishcakes in the whole world – I kid you not!

The Ivy Fishcakes

(makes 8 – freeze what you don't use)

800g dry mashed potato, no cream or butter added

650g salmon fillet poached in fish stock and flaked

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tsp anchovy essence

3 tsp English mustard

salt and black pepper

Plain flour for coating

Mix together the potato, half the salmon, the ketchup, anchovy essence, mustard and seasoning until smooth. Fold in the rest of the salmon. Mould the mixture into 8 round cakes and refrigerate.

When you're ready to serve preheat the oven 180fan/200c/gas 6. Lightly flour the fishcakes and fry them until they are coloured on both sides. Bake for 10/15 minutes.

How about a quick tartare sauce to serve with :

Quick tartare sauce

Hellmann's mayonnaise – approximately two

heaped tablespoons

Caper paste – 1 teaspoon

Cornichons – two, finely diced

Capers to taste

Mix the caper paste with the mayo and fold in the

diced cornichons and capers

and it's done!

Now for the flexible bit … and a foto guide

Back to normal - A Tickle Tray

A “Tickle Tray” so called because quite simply it tickles the taste buds!

This recipe is ideal – it doesn't require a massive amount of prep – just bits and pieces you can do a day or two in advance when you have time, that can be fridged ready to pull out when you are ready.

It's inspired cooking all in one tray, a dive-in dish.

A Tickle Tray

You'll need a large baking tray which will be greased with either rapeseed or olive oil – measuring 43x31 cms.

Serves 4-6 depending on size of appetites

The chicken for the tray

1 slow cooked chicken – 1.5kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

When the chicken has cooled remove from the slow cooker. Strip the chicken into large ish pieces, bag and fridge. Strain the stock, jug and fridge. I would suggest that you cook the chicken the day before you need it so that you can strip and strain. If you are slow cooking ahead then freeze the chicken and the stock. Remove from the freezer the day before you want to use and defrost in the fridge.

Use the two chicken breasts – pulled into pieces

ready to be scattered

the strained chicken stock

1kg cooked Charlotte potatoes, peeled and cut

into large dice – prep ahead then bag and fridge

250g diced chorizo – I buy it ready diced

2 medium red onions, sliced – prep, bag and fridge

mixed sweet peppers, de-seeded and sliced -

prep, bag and fridge – you can buy a punnet of

sweet mini peppers (190g) - orange, yellow and red

6 cherry tomatoes – or small bunches x however

many servings required

50g black olives, pitted and sliced – optional

easy to obtain in jars

100g each of Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese to

garnish

salt and black pepper

Bread of your choice to serve, with bowls of

balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for extra dipping

When you're ready – now for the creative bit!

Easter rocks!

I realise that this is not a traditional Easter Egg but hey does it really matter so long as it's chocolate?! What I love about this treat is it's easy and makes heaps so whilst it sounds like it could be expensive if you've lots of treats to give then you'll find it's great value too.

Rocky Road

250g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

175g soft butter, unsalted

4 x 15ml tbsp golden syrup

200g hobnobs

*150g shelled Brazil nuts

*150g red glace cherries

*125g mini marshmallows

Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and roll with a rolling pin until you get a mixture of rubble.

Chop the Brazil nuts into different sizes.

Chop both sorts of chocolate into small pieces, or use chocolate buttons made for melting and then put them into a heavy-based saucepan to melt with the butter and syrup over a gentle heat.

Take the pan off the heat and add the biscuit and nuts, cherries and mini marshmallows. Turn carefully so that all the ingredients are coated with the syrupy chocolate.

Tip into a foil try (I use a tray bake size), smoothing the top as best you can, although it is meant to be uneven.

Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, which will take about 1½-2 hours. Take the set block out of the tray. With the long side in front of you cut 6 slices down and 4 across so that you have 24 squares.

This is the basic Rocky Road recipe. The three ingredients marked “*” can be swapped to suit your own personal taste. You can choose any of the ingredients given on your “Design your own Rocky Road” sheet attached.

Make ahead tip:

Make the Rocky Road and refrigerate to set, cut into bars or bite size pieces and then store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

Freeze for up to 1 month.

Design your own Rocky Road

Traditionally Rocky Road is made using Brazil nuts,

glacé cherries and marshmallow.

Rules are meant to be broken - take a look at the

list below and if you'd like to design your own

Rocky Road swap any or all of the three

ingredients in the original recipe for the

same weight

(or may be four if you want to stay true

to Rocky Road and include the mini marshmallows)

Cashew

Peanut

Pistachio

Pecan

Hazelnut

Glacé cherry

Dried sour cherries

Cranberry

Apricot

Banana chips

Pineapple

Sultanas

Nougat

Turkish Delight

Fudge

Toblerone

Praline

Salted Caramel

Mini Marshmallow

Popping Candy

My latest suggestions are :

Pecans with dark cherries and vanilla fudge

Pistachios, apricots and Turkish Delight

Spoilt for choice!

Sandwiches with a difference … do-it-yourself “subs”

Here's my version of a “submarine slob” it is truly the ultimate sandwich.

This is the burger recipe but made into meatballs – a little imagination goes a long way!

It might seem a tad long winded, since these elements will require cooking ahead but I assure you it will be well worth it.

The recipe is easy and makes really tasty meatballs, together with a delicious tomato sauce – a great idea for a batch cook.

Meatballs

450g minced beef, pork, turkey or Quorn

*salt and black pepper

*garlic – either 2 tsps of paste or 2 cloves, crushed

*mixed herbs or garlic Italian seasoning – a generous sprinkle

*half a tsp of chilli

*heaped tbsp of tomato paste

*1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients marked *, mix well. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently.

Use a teaspoon as a measure and heaped with mixture, roll it between your hands and set aside on a board. When the meatballs are ready, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry on a low heat, gently and carefully shaking the pan to ensure they are evenly coloured – use tongs if you are accident prone! Seal the meatballs in batches - 8 at a time and then transfer to an oven-proof dish or foil tray ready for later – place the dish or tray containing the meatballs in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and complete the cooking for 15/20 minutes – this time will vary depending on the sizes of the meatball – ensure that they are properly cooked – cut a larger one in half to be sure, then cool, cover and fridge until you're ready for action.

The sauce that goes with …

Something from nothing … cooked

Instead of throwing your leftover veggies away, keep the cooked peas, sweetcorn, carrot and broccoli and produce a “Soup of the Day”.

Here's my recipe :

Soup de Loop

(a catchy title I thought)

Serves 4-6

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 green chilli, chopped, seeds out

Rapeseed oil

1 old potato, cubed

1 litre of vegetable stock to begin + half a litre later, when thickening.

I used 3 x veggie Knorr Stock pots from my store cupboard

1 stock pot = 500ml of water

Medium curry powder – to taste – 1 dessertspoon used

Mace – to taste – 1 tsp used

Salt and black pepper

A box of leftover cooked veggies – peas sweetcorn,

carrot and broccoli

Dice the carrots and broccoli should be kept in small florets.

Sauté the onion, garlic & chilli in the oil, add the curry powder and mace. Add the stock and cubed potato and bring to the boil, simmer until the potato is cooked but firm. Add the remaining stock. When ready to serve 2 ladles of stock in blender until very smooth i.e. dip spoon in, look at the back of the spoon it will show the texture of the soup – it should be smooth. Add back to remaining stock, then add the cooked peas, sweetcorn, diced carrots and broccoli. As with all soups, leave the addition of salt until the end.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

You could use any leftover cooked veggies – it's not set in stone.

Even though I say so myself not a bad effort and an added bonus - a healthy, nutritious soup using leftovers – not too shabby!

Now for the raw leftovers ...

There's more ...

... cherry alternatives and assembly ideas

OR instead you could invest in Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries – 450g Sainsbury's £2.50 or £2.00 with Nectar. Defrost and reserve the juices, thicken with arrowroot, heating gently and then cool and fold in the cherries – fridge until required.

Assemble with the meringues, add a dessert spoon of cherries then add tiny pieces of chocolate of your choice – the list is endless but here's an idea or five :

plain chocolate drops

crushed Maltesers

small pieces of Rocky Road

bash a crunchy (in its wrapper – so convenient, no bits

other than where you want them to be!)

bash a flake (in its wrapper)

Add another dessert spoon of cherries. Drizzle generously with the thickened juices.

You'll have cherries with the thickened juices left over but I can't believe this is going to be a problem. You could either repeat the dessert or use as a topping over ice cream. If you want a grown-up version, add a drop of Kirsch to the juices but don't tell anyone I said so!

P.s. An optional extra – add a scoop of chocolate ice cream in between the cherries. There's a thought.

Coronation Slaw

This is a delicious take on Coronation Chicken … without the chicken! There's a quick way of achieving the basic slaw – you can buy a ready prepped bag from the supermarket. However I think this recipe deserves better and you'll avoid the inevitable lumps of woody cabbage you always find in shop bought stuff.

Coronation Slaw

*110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage

*1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler

*1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

*salt and black pepper

*30g ready to eat apricots, finely diced

*30g sultanas soaked in mango and apple juice

50g mayo

50g sour cream

1 tsp mild curry powder

squirt of lime juice

1 tbsp mango chutney

First up slice a “cheek” of cabbage – a sharp paring knife is the best piece of kit – smaller and more easy to control – with care!

The recipe given will give you a box of slaw – measuring approximately 11cms x 6.5cms x 5cms. One box lasted me a week, a spoonful here and a spoonful there – you'd be surprised how well it fits as a side to lots of main dishes and particularly as part of a sandwich.

But first – an insignificant piece of kit you might think – say hello to your new best friend - the julienne peeler - every serious cook should have one!

Carrots bleed if you grate them – not to mention pebble dashing every nook and cranny in your kitchen – how is it possible that grated carrot can jettison so far?

Using the julienne peeler you get uniformly sliced strips of carrot.

A neat piece of kit and inexpensive too.

Place all the ingredients marked * in a large bowl and combine, then add the mayo, sour cream, curry powder, lime juice and mango chutney then box and fridge!

P.s. Of course you could, if you prefer, dust off one of the gazillion attachments that belongs to your food processor/mixer for which you paid an exorbitant price and, if you can remember which bit goes where, use the slicer cum grater. Oh and create a washing up mountain to boot!

More summer sides ...