Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon

Flexitarian & Baking Recipes from Londoner, Izy Hossack

Coffee & Praline Ice Cream Pops

It’s THAT    TIME   OF   YEAR   AGAIN….

….iiiiit’s POPSICLE WEEEEK!

I’ve been in Portland for the past week and thought I hadn’t transferred my image files from my external hard drive to my laptop. So for a while there I thought I was gonna have to miss out on my popsicle week post. BUT it turns out I DID have the files so all was ok.

So, as I’m on my holibobs (now in New Mexico visiting my aunt & uncle), I’m just going to leave this post short and sweet.

All you need to know is: coffee ice cream (I made my own but if you buy it in, that’s cool too), freeze it into moulds, dip in crushed caramelised hazelnuts (a.k.a. praline, if we’re bein fancy) and a hefty layer of bittersweet chocolate. Doesn’t get better than that!

Enjoy 🙂

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Coffee & Praline Ice Cream Pops

Ingredients

For the coffee ice cream:

  • 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream (double cream)
  • 2 cups (500ml) milk
  • 1/3 cup (80g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp cornflour (corn starch)

To make the pops:

  • 8 small silicone ice cream moulds (see notes)
  • 1 batch hazelnut praline (see recipe below)
  • 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Heat the cream, milk, sugar and instant coffee in a medium pot over a medium heat. Stir until the coffee has all dissolved and the mixture is gently steaming (try to not let it come to a boil).

  2. In a medium bowl, mix the egg yolks and cornflour together. Once the cream mixture is steaming, very gradually pour this into the bowl of egg yolk mixture whilst whisking it in. Pour this back into the pot and place back on the heat on low. Keep stirring until the mixture has thickened slightly.

  3. Refrigerate the mixture to cool it down - it is best if you leave the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours once cooled (this is called 'ageing') as it helps form a more stable ice cream later on. 

  4. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

  5. Place the silicone moulds onto a baking sheet or two. Once churned, take the soft ice cream and use it to fill the silicone ice cream moulds, smoothing the backs with an offset palette knife. Poke the ice cream sticks into the moulds and transfer to the freezer to set - about 2-4 hours.

  6. Mix the melted dark chocolate and vegetable oil together in a medium bowl.

  7. Let the moulds sit out for a few minutes before de-moulding the ice cream pops. Pour the praline onto a plate or shallow bowl. Firmly dip and press the ice cream pops into the praline before transferring to a lined baking tray. 

  8. Freeze again for a few minutes to solidify before dipping into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to help you coat the whole pop. Leave to set on a lined baking tray in the freezer. Keep in the freezer until you're ready to eat! 

Recipe Notes

  • for the silicone moulds I use these ones by silikomart which you can buy online by doing a quick google search! (they also come with popsicle sticks included)
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Hazelnut Praline

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (70g) hazelnuts
  • 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF). Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking tray and into the oven to toast for 8-10 minutes until they start to smell nutty. 

  2. Remove from the oven, tip into a clean kitchen towel and rub between the towel to remove the majority of the outer skin. Pick out the hazelnuts and transfer to a small bowl. 

  3. Line the baking tray you were using with a non-stick baking mat (e.g. a silpat mat) or a piece of baking paper.

  4. Heat the sugar in a silver saucepan (you want a silver one so you can see the colour of the sugar change) over a medium-low heat. Once it starts to melt, DON'T stir, just tilt and swirl the pan over the heat until it turns a light golden colour. Once this happens leave it for a little while longer to darken slightly more then stir in the nuts and quickly pour out onto the lined tray. 

  5. Leave to cool completely before breaking up into rough chunks - you can either pulse it in a food processor or just chop by hand until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. 

Aubergine, Basil & Pomegranate Lettuce Cups

Aubergine Basil & Pomegranate Lettuce Cups

Thanks to OXO for sponsoring this post

It’s getting to that muggy, sunny part of the year where the days are long and all I want to do is lie outside in the sun and consume ice cream, strawberries and salads. <– I’ve actually been doing all of this since May when I was revising for my exams, as proven by my impressive tan lines underneath my rings.

For me, salad wasn’t always a delicious way to consume vegetables as I grew up eating sad shredded iceberg, WITH NO DRESSING, at school. I’m not a rabbit. It ruined my opinion of salads for years until I eventually started eating them at home and realised that really salads are delicious bowls of toppings padded out with crispy leaves and brought together by a zippy vinaigrette. I can get into salad ruts – tomato, red onion, spinach, mustard dressing is my standard – but one of my favourite things to do when this happens is go for salady ‘tacos’ like this. Using gem/romaine lettuce, chicory, endive or even rice paper wrappers you can scoop up a bunch of fillings straight into your gob. The outer casing just holds it all together for you!

Aubergine, Basil & Pomegranate Lettuce Cups

My main bugbear between me and these salads used to be the leaf washing. My dad often grows lettuce, spinach and kale at his allotment and this stuff is real muddy. It requires an even more thorough cleaning and tbh I’m just a lazy person. I’ve been using the OXO salad spinner for my leaves (and herbs! and berries!) this summer and not only is it easy to use, it’s also so satisfying (see the GIF below of it in action). This, paired with their salad dressing mixer which a) includes measurements on the side for easy measuring straight into the jar and b) doesn’t leak, (unlike many jam jars I’ve used in the past), makes for super streamlined salad making.

Aubergine Basil & Pomegranate Lettuce Cups

These salad cups are a play on one of my favourite Japanese dishes ‘nasu dengaku’ which is a baked aubergine, brushed with miso glaze. Here I’ve cubed and roasted aubergine then layered that up in gem lettuce leaves with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, basil and a miso-ginger dressing. It’s my ideal kind of salad (i.e. mostly toppings & dressing) and is a bit more interesting than your standard bowl of chopped leaves. Hope you enjoy the recipe, let me know if you try it out!

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Aubergine, Basil & Pomegranate Lettuce Cups

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 aubergines
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 heads gem lettuce, leaves separated
  • 30 g basil leaves
  • 50 g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 pomegranate, seeds only

For the miso-ginger dressing:

  • 2 tsp finely grated ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp miso (use gluten-free, if needed)
  • 50 ml rice vinegar
  • 100 ml refined olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF). Cut the aubergines into 2cm cubes, toss with the olive oil on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes until browned and shrunken. Set aside. 

  2. Rinse the lettuce leaves and basil leaves then spin dry (I used the OXO salad spinner). Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving plate or large chopping board. Tear the basil into small shreds. 

  3. Fill the lettuce cups with cubes of roasted aubergine, then pomegranate seeds, chopped walnuts and torn basil. 

Make the dressing:

  1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in the OXO salad dressing mixer and twist the green band until the mixture is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the filled lettuce cups and serve immediately. 

 

Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Thanks to Vitamix for sponsoring this post!

Hello lovelies! After that brief hiatus I am well and truly back. Like properly, this time, as I’ve just actually finished all my coursework and finals for university. I haven’t *officially* graduated yet but I will officially have my Food Science and Nutrition BSc degree in about a month and a half.

Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut SauceSo now that I’m properly moved back to London I can focus on creating recipes again! And that break has given me ample time to get inspired so there’s much content in the works. I’m also going to Portland and New Mexico in a few weeks which I’m sure will inspire some future recipes. Today, however, we’re focusing on these little gnudi (pronounced nyew-dee) dudes!Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut SauceCarrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut Sauce

You may be wondering what these are: think of them like ricotta gnocchi but less flour-y and more ricotta-y. As a result, the dough is a LOT wetter than a classic gnocchi dough and thus, they have a little clever step to help you form them; you blob the mixture into a tray generously lined with semolina and sprinkle even more semolina on top. This then sits in the fridge for 2-48 hours so that the gnudi soak up that semolina and form a light crust around the outside. This stops them falling apart when you boil them.

Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Usually, gnudi are plain but here I’ve used my Vitamix Ascent Series blender to blitz cooked carrots into a puree which I folded into the dough. They’re boiled and then fried in a bit of sage butter to get super criiiiispy. I made a classic Italian walnut sauce which the Vitamix is perfect for, blitzing the nuts into THE MOST smooth, luscious sauce which sits under the gnudi. I even scattered on some roasted carrot coins to add extra flavour & veg to the dish. All in all it’s a pretty easy yet impressive dish to make (so perfect for dinner parties) but it’s also fun and a bit hands-on so is great to make with kids!

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Carrot Gnudi with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Makes 35-40 gnudi (serves ~6 people as a main or 12 people as a starter) 

Ingredients

For the carrot gnudi:

  • 1250 g carrots, tops removed
  • 250 g semolina
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 500 g ricotta cheese
  • 150 g plain white flour
  • salt + black pepper

For the creamy walnut sauce:

  • 150 g walnuts, toasted
  • 1 slice (~50g) bread, crusts removed
  • 200 ml water
  • 30 g Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled

To finish:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil (refined)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 12 sage leaves

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF). Dust two baking trays with half of the semolina.

  2. Take 500g of the carrots and slice into 2mm thick coins. Toss on a tray with the olive oil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden.

Make the gnudi:

  1. Cut the remaining carrots into quarters and add to a pot of boiling water. Leave to simmer on the stove for 20-30 minutes until super soft. Drain and tip into a blender and blitz until you get a mostly smooth puree (I use the tamper stick with the Vitamix to help it all blend up). Tip the puree into a large bowl. 

  2. Line a plate with two pieces of paper kitchen towel and dump the ricotta out onto it. Cover with two more pieces of paper kitchen towel and press down to flatten the ricotta out (this is to remove lots of the moisture from the ricotta). Peel off the paper towels and tip the ricotta into the bowl. Crack in the eggs and mix together until well combined.

  3. Add the flour and a generous pinch of salt and ground black pepper to the bowl. Gently stir together until just combined. 

  4. Use a mechanical ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to scoop up some of the mixture - you want about 2 tablespoons of dough per gnudi. Blob that onto the tray lined with semolina and repeat until all the mixture is used up. Sprinkle the remaining semolina over the top of the blobs (and you can even spoon the semolina off the tray onto the gnudi). Set in the fridge for 2 to 48 hours so they soak up the semolina. 

Make the walnut sauce:

  1. Tear the bread into small pieces and soak in the water for 5 minutes. Tip the bread and water into the jug of a blender (like a Vitamix) along with the walnuts, parmesan, olive oil and garlic. Blitz until silky smooth then season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

To serve:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Lower in some of the gnudi (I think 4-5 per person is a good amount) and let simmer for 5 minutes. 

  2. Meanwhile heat the olive oil, butter and sage leaves in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Lift the gnudi out of the pot with a slotted spoon and gently place into the frying pan. Let cook until golden underneath (about 2-3 minutes) then flip and let the other side get golden before removing them from the frying pan along with the sage leaves. 

  3. Spread a heaped tablespoon of the walnut sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Top with the gnudi, crispy sage and the roasted carrots. You can also grate some extra parmesan on top, if desired! Eat immediately. 

Recipe Notes

  • once the gnudi have been soaking up the semolina for at least 2 hours, you can freeze them for later: Just freeze on the baking tray for 1 hour until firm before sliding them into a sandwich bag and placing back into the freezer. You can cook them straight from frozen in 6 minutes as per usual!