Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Ice Cream

It has been a while since I have made ice cream, so I thought I would give this month's Kavey Eats 'Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream' challenge a go. The theme for November is savoury, ' with the proviso that you can either make a fully savoury ice cream or simply use a savoury ingredient in a sweet ice cream' . Since reading about the challenge I have been toying with a few key ingredients including cheese, carrot, tomato and bread but decided to plump for sweet potato. I realise potato ice cream sounds rather odd but all the talk of Thankgiving this week reminded me of an American friend with a penchant for sweet potato and marshmallow pie.  I had not heard of the dish before but when I looked into it online, I thought why not try an ice cream version. Whilst making this recipe I did keep questioning the point of making it and the idea of savoury ice cream in general but, for me, ice cream is about fun and experimenting with flavours; certainly the case here. Upon tasting the ice cream, it is a little sweeter than I imagined but whilst you can taste the potato it is not too overpowering, so overall I think it works quite well. If you feel like something a bit different then give it a go

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato
25g tub of mini marshmallows
250ml double cream
250ml full fat milk
50g sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tbs vanilla essence
pinch cinnamon

Method

1. Bake the sweet potato in the oven, until very soft, and leave to cool. Scoop out the mixture from the skin and blend until very fine.
2. Make a vanilla ice cream base by mixing the cream and milk in a pan  and bringing it to the boil, before adding the sugar and stirring until it dissolves. Add in the vanilla essence, cinnamon and the egg yolks and whisk together.
3. Fold in the sweet potato mixture and half the marshmallows and store in the fridge overnight
4. Sieve the mixture before placing in your ice cream maker and slowing add in the remaining marshmallows as it churns and freeze for a while before serving.

This weeks scribbles

Liverpool ' Food for real film festival '

You may have read my bog a few months ago about Squash Nutrition, a local enterprise about all thinks food, growing you own, supporting local communities, amongst other great things.If you really want to get to know all about Squash and their love of celebrating food then you need to get along to the Foodfor real film   festival, coming our way this November.

Food for real film is Liverpool's first food and film festival and promises a' gourmet gathering that will explore, witness and savour the social, cultural and political impacts of the foods we eat . A grassroots festival with an international reach, Food for real aims to create an open, creative space where people from diverse food backgrounds with varied food interests can connect '

Tickets are free and I have snapped up mine already so if you fancy having your taste buds tickled then check out the full list of events here 

I am going along to the events at Dutch Farm, with it's very own poly tunnel cinema, Camp and Furnace, where there is a ' cycle through noodle cinema ' and Blackburne house for the festival launch plus some great films about ' food for real women '. If you don't have much on this week then it is definitely worth popping along to one of the events Squash are putting on.

This weeks scribbles

Wild Boar Ragu

Without wanting to go all Nigella on you, I am just going to say once more that I love Italian food. Whist it does not offer the same spicy hits as my favourite Asian foods, Italian food hits all the right buttons when it comes to food that makes you feel alive. I realise that does sound very cheesy but , for me, food is that deep sometimes. I love food that can stir your senses and bring back memories from good times in the past; which Italian food certainly does. It may be me getting older but I get huge enjoyment when sat around a big table with my family, enjoying simple home cooked food.  I am one for indulging now and again and I love the odd fancy meal with smears and smudges of this and that but simplicity is key for me. Now before I indulge any further and start to get my liquorice case out, I will get on with sharing this lovely recipe for wild boar ragu. Obviously we do not have wild boars on our doorstep to kill one day and have on our plate the next but if you look about you will find a supplier somewhere. There are some good butchers online but delivery charges can be expensive and it does not do much for local traders if are food is shipped from miles away. I manage to pick up boar at farmers markets and food festivals but there is no harm in asking your butcher if they can source it. This recipe is very simple, and much like what you would get on a tuscan family table, without the views of course.

Ingredients

1.5 llb wild boar ( I used haunch steaks diced )
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 stick celery
4 cloves of garlic
250ml red wine
500ml beef stock
1 tin of good quality chopped tomatoes
small handful of fresh basil
olive oil for frying
small amount of flour
salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Lightly dust the boar with flour and sear in a casserole pan with the olive oil, until browned
2. Chop the onion, celery and carrot, add to the pan and stir until softened
3. Crush or chop the garlic and add to pan with seasoning
4. Add in the wine and simmer for 15 minutes then add in the stock, tomatoes and basil
5. Place lid on dish and place in the oven for at least 3 hours, until boar is very tender and has started to fall apart into ragu. Keep checking the oven and top up with a cup of water every hour to make sure it does not dry out.

I serve with rigatoni and top with a little more fresh basil. There is no need for cheese on this dish but I always like a bit so you can add if you like.