Jade: Bitemyicecream

I've been craving ice cream for days now..none of that tooth-achingly sweet store bought stuff.

Doesn't help that I'm not a chocolate person at all so commercial ice creams hardly ever appeal

to me. No, I've been dreaming of something rich yet light..of gentle sweetness and bursts of flavour...all I needed was my trusty hand whisk;)

~~

I know there are fancy ice cream makers and big shiny stand mixers; don't get me wrong, I'm not against technology. Far from it; I have one of said fancy ice cream churning machines at home- brilliant little thing....delectable ice cream in 15 minutes. But there is a lot to be said about a certain helplessness that I always feel when I pour my cream

mixture into the whirring machine...I can never be sure how it will turn out..what if the machine just stops?! It all boils down to control really..and I like to be in control. I like to know that I won't press the pause button 2 seconds too late and end up with cream that is past the soft peak stage. I enjoy watching my bowl of cream froth up and thicken ever so slowly. I like feeling my whisk getting heavier and thinking to myself, 2 more minutes...and when finally I lift the wire balloon, draped with thick ribbons of cream barely holding their form....oh I just cannot stop

smiling:)

~~

And then there are the endless possibilities of flavours! No more limitations to phish food and chunky monkey...sophisticated as they may be *rolls eyes*.......I'm thinking tangy lemons, lovely

citrusy goodness from the zest and juice cutting through the richness of softly whipped cream....finished off with honey and a sprig of mint for the perfect end to a summer's day...And beautifully ripe mangoes, pureed just enough to streak the cream with the colour of sunshine, yet retaining some fleshy chunks to provide bursts of concentrated fruitiness...silky smooth with an ever so subtle whisper of sourness at the very end...I simply cannot understand why or how

anyone could go back to tub ice creams after this..

~~

The first picture is an introduction to my new friends basil and mint. They live on my window sill. They don't pay rent but that's ok. They will soon be joined by other herbs so I can say I have a herb garden. I really hope my new friends dont die. Thank you.