Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Sunday 21 July 2013

Nice ices for a heatwave

It's hard to believe that a few weeks back the gardeners among us were bemoaning the long long long winter and longing for some sun to warm the soil. Then in a flash Spring came and here we are past midsummer and in the hottest of heatwaves for, well, ages!!! I know some of you live in places where 30C is a pleasant warm day, but here in the UK we go through a giddy happy phase, then get pink and sweaty and a tad stressed, then we can't sleep (because we don't have fans and air-con and stuff like that) and then the government issues a health warning and we worry we all might die.

Anyhow, back to the plot . . . the soft fruit plot to be precise;  our currants have loved the soaking they got last year followed by a good old fashioned snowy winter, so that when the warm weather came they blossomed and the recent heat ripened the fruits that hang like strings of pearls, rubies and jet beads in the bushes.

I had protected the White Versailles Currants from the birds with a wire mesh cage . . . there is just one bush - it's fruits are precious.



We have many Red Currant bushes, an unknown variety that was in the garden when we moved here; I planted the prunings and they all grew! This year we didn't net them, the larder is still stacked with jars of red currant jelly from last year, so I was happy to share them with the local Blackbirds.



The Black Currants are another unknown variety that came with the garden and my enthusiastic growing from cuttings! The berries are HUGE! The Blackbirds prefer the Red Currants, so there is no need to net them.

On Saturday afternoon I spent a few happy hours picking currants while listening to TMS on my iPhone headphones via wifi. I had found the perfect recipe for some of our currants on Fenland Lottie's blog – Frozen Fruit Yogurt :-)

First I had to clean and de-stalk the currants, cook and purée them – three times for the three separate colours (this took a lot longer than I thought!). I don't have an ice-cream maker, but neither did Fenland Lottie (her's had broken) so as the three tubs of mixture started to freeze I had to take them out of the freezer and beat them. Then I realized the White and Red Currant ices were way too tart (mouth puckeringly so!) so I tipped them into mixing bowls, added honey and beat them thoroughly before re-freezing.

It all took a long long time.

And a lot of energy . . . my energy – I worked hard for these ices!

Tonight we tasted them – they were worth all the effort!


And when the thermometer soars again tomorrow I know how I can cool off ;-)

Celia
xx


25 comments:

  1. Gosh what wonderful looking ice cream...that colour! I bet it tasted delicious! Xxx

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    1. All natural, just pure fruit purée a little unbleached sugar and local honey and Yeo Live Yogurt.
      They do taste fab!

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  2. They do look delicious. My mum is bringing me some blackcurrants from her garden in a couple of weeks so this is a recipe I shall definitely try with them.

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    1. They are so refreshing! The Blackcurrant is particularly good. Make sure the purée is well sweetened as the yogurt dilutes and sharpens the flavour.

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  3. The icecream looks wonderful and such lovely bright colours!

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    1. Yes, I'm delighted with the colours - one to serve to friends after a nice meal I think x

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    2. Just to let you know Celia I made strawberry ice cream on Friday, using more or less the same recipe, so a big thank you! I gave you a credit on my blog.

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  4. I'm really glad you gave it a go. It looks delicious and very pretty. It's interesting to hear your experiences on using different currants. And I fell about laughing at your description of us Brits in a heatwave. So true!!

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    1. The Blackcurrants worked the best, I think, but the addition of the honey saved the Red and White Currant ices - and I love the three colours together!

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  5. They look gorgeous - both the berries and the ices! Did you see "Banana ice water" recipe in the weekend Guardian? Here's the link
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/20/10-best-banana-recipes-cook

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    1. I didn't but popped over for a quick look via your link. This looks interesting, I suppose the banana is a dairy free alternative - like a frozen smoothie.

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  6. Your description of us enduring this heat hit a nerve Celia. It is spot on. Love the vibrancy of that ice cream. Sounds like the taste of summer was hard work but worth it.

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    1. I'm pleased I persevered, but there was a point when I thought why the heck am I doing this!

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  7. Triple yum yum yum, Celia, for those three scoops of homemade current ice cream. I am extremely impressed.

    I am also delighted to report that our NYC temperature has fallen 20 degrees F back into the mid-80's. We can breathe again. If only the humidity would also take a dive.

    xo

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    1. You New York heat sounds intolerable! The heat peaked yesterday at about 92F, which is probably the hottest it ever gets in England. I imagine travel on the London underground would have been unbearable! Overnight we had thunderstorms and it is still gently raining and pleasantly cool at 68F.

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  8. Ooh, the colours! Horrid birds (probably pigeons!) ate ALL my red and white currants before they even ripened. I managed to salvage a handful of blackcurrants and have frozen them until I make a pavlova to strew them on the top of. Better luck next year for me ...

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    1. Yes! The colours were a lovely surprise and the reason I'll make frozen fruit yogurt again. Much more refreshing than creamy ice-cream and so pretty!
      I think the Blackbird eat the unripe currants especially in hot dry weather when water is scarce - try to protect some for ices next year xx

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  9. Those look delicious! My mouth is watering and I'm already hatching currant picking plans! Thank you for the inspiration Celia :)

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    1. Do make some! Especially easy peasy if you have an ice-cream maker, but if not it's not too difficult if you set your mind on the cool and delicious end result.

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  10. The ices look delicious and lovely and cooling in this heatwave. The colours are gorgeous. And I'm interested that you used honey in them, too.

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    1. They are just the thing for cooling down - not as rich as ice-cream but smoother than sorbet.
      The honey was just used in the White and Red Currant ices, they were far too astringent even when sweetened with some sugar, the honey gives them a more rounded flavour and smoother texture.

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  11. Oh wow!! They are perfect for summers!! you are incredible!! Thank you for the share!

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    1. Surely my ices don't deserve 6 exclamation marks (your fountains certainly don't). Yes I can tell you are just here to advertise.

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  12. Replies
    1. Thank you Bella. I've just popped over to you blog - Avebury is fascinating, how interesting to see the new excavations taking place.

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