We have been having a SMASHING time here in the mountains and I do mean smashing! Not however in the sense of have fun ( though we have) but in the sense of smashing glass! The first to go were some Val St. Lambert glasses, the second just some Ikea ones and thirdly, totally my fault, a shelf in the refrigerator crashed, spilling pesto and tomato sauce everywhere! This was all exacerbated by having a stone floor and despite our best efforts, tiny slivers of glass keep on appearing, even after several days of diligent cleaning !
Meanwhile, the other day I decided we were going to have duck breasts marinated in Teriyaki Sauce, but unfortunately I didn’t have any, despite having all sorts of odds and ends. Never fear, as it is very easy to make it yourself ( obviously if you have the correct ingredients to hand!)
- 1Cup of water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce ( any kind will work)
- 2+tablespoons of runny honey
- 1/2 Teaspoons ginger powder or minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 Cup dark brown sugar
- ( 2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup cold water)
Very simply tip all of the above into a saucepan and heat gently whilst stirring from time to time, OR put all into a microwave container, heat on high for one minute intervals , stir and repeat )until fairly thick. Leave to cool. Use as a marinade for whatever you need Teriyaki sauce for. Me? I used it to marinate duck breasts which we then grilled on a BBQ. I added to the sauce some cooked noodles, which were then tossed in a wok with some oriental type vegetables. The duck breasts were then cut and add to the above mixture. If you can get frozen oriental type veg, then dinner will take less time.
Next up was ice cream ! With 6 grandkids in the house it seemed appropriate! Himself, once upon a time was called the Ice Cream mouse! He had been known to snuggle up with the Great Dane called Freddy when everyone else slept and tuck into a 5 gallon tub of Peach ice cream that the kids had bought him for his birthday, but that was a long time ago , now it seems that he is more reticent about that particular indulgence!
So I made coconut ice cream, once again extremely easy if you own any sort of ice cream maker, but just a tad more time consuming if you don’t.
To make approximately 1 litre you will need
- 3 large eggs
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 500 mls thick cream ( sometimes the large carton of cream is 600 mls, use that and less milk.
- 250 mls full fat milk ( use half to mix with coconut powder if using)
- Half a cup / 5 tablespoons of coconut milk powder OR 1/2 can of coconut milk cream
This is the cream base and is the basis for many ice cream flavours. Whisk the eggs together along with the sugar ( I use a food processor) and then add the cream and milk. Finally add the coconut, either the powder which has been dissolved or the canned coconut cream. Pour into your chosen method of freezing. Without an ice cream machine, pour into a polythene box, freeze for about 2 hours, then scrape out the semi frozen mixture into a bowl , whisk well and return to the freezer. At this semi frozen state it is possible to use some lolly pop moulds. The brand Lekué make some very nice ones.
On balance I think the coconut cream either from a can or a packet gives a better flavour than the powder.Coconut powder looks a bit like icing sugar !
Of course other flavours are available and the book which I really love is this one! Published by Ben and Jerry in 1987, long before they sold out to UNILEVER! I bought my first copy probably in 1987, but my second copy , which I now keep in France from the Oxfam bookstore!
oystersandchampagne 