Orange and Cardamom Ice-Cream

My first batch of homemade ice-cream! I was so excited to try this on the weekend, after I got the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment from Nick for our 8th anniversary. It turned out well, but it may have been a little too soft when we served it. I really should have chilled the mixture before churning it, but it was pretty amazing to see it double in size and getting to a beautiful consistency. It was great served with Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar.

3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1/2 cup concentrated orange juice
seeds from 5 cardamom pods, crushed
1 1/4 cups cream

Bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Lightly beat eggs in an electric mixer.

Pour on boiling syrup, beating until volume has doubled.

Beat in orange juice and cardamom seeds.

When well blended, stir in cream.

Churn in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze until needed.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

I got reminded recently of when I made this earlier in the year, when we cooked Risotto with Bacon and Mushrooms and Braised Shallots in Tuna Sauce for our friends in Sydney. I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to my first homemade Orange and Cardamom Ice-Cream. I ran out of castor sugar earlier today, so I used raw sugar, which still worked fine.

1 punnet strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon castor (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C (400 deg F). If the strawberries are on the large size, cut them in half. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Tear off a large piece of aluminium foil - it will need to be about 40cm (16 in) in length. Fold the foil in half and make a 2cm (3/4 in) fold along each side, but not at the top (aim for an envelope shape).

Place the strawberry mixture inside the foil parcel, and make a fold along the top to secure. Place the parcel in the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let the parcel sit, unopened for a few minutes.

Serve at the table. The aroma that's released when the parcel is opened is really something special. Arrange the warm strawberries in martini or wine glasses, accompanied by a generous dollop of creme fraiche or custard.

Simplest Beef Stew

This has got to be the easiest stew I've ever done. There was no need to brown the meat, it's a chuck-it-all-in-the-pot type meal, which left us time to walk Cajun after we closed the shop, relax around home, and have dinner ready without hassle.

1.5 kg chuck or blade steak, cut into large cubes
60 g plain flour
2 teaspoons paprika
1 x 400g can tinned tomatoes in juice
1 glass white wine
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 stick celery, finely sliced
3 carrots, cut into chunks
3 potatoes, cut into chunks
salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Roll beef in flour mixed with paprika (easiest to do in a plastic bag, or with my Tupperware Season Serve). Put into an enamelled cast-iron casserole that will hold ingredients comfortably with not too much extra space.

Whizz tomatoes and their juice in a food processor, or crush roughly with a wooden spoon, and add to meat.

Add remaining ingredients to casserole and stir.

Press a piece of baking paper over contents and cover with lid. Cook in oven, undisturbed, for 2 hours.

Taste for seasoning. Check if meat is tender and cook longer if necessary. Offer stew with a bowl of yoghurt and maybe a small bowl of sliced pickled dill cucumbers.