Fried Ice-cream

This is my take on deep fried ice-cream. Vanilla ice-cream encased in layers of crushed cornflakes, which has been frozen for at least one-day or overnight. I used to always make three layers, fearing that the ice-cream would melt out. However, I would have to cook the crumbed ice-cream for longer to ensure that the egg and flour is cooked, meaning that most of the ice-cream would have melted upon serving. So, this time, I decided to just make two layers and it was perfect!

Next time, I'm thinking of adding some shredded coconut to the crushed cornflakes for a different flavour.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Vanilla ice-cream (you can use any kind of ice-cream you like)
Kellogg's® Cornflakes
1/2 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

You will have to prepare this at least a day before serving, to make sure that the ice-cream and crumb casing is frozen well.

1. Scoop out 4 balls of ice-cream. place them in a tray or container and place them in the freezer for about an hour. You may have to put each ball into the freezer after each scoop to prevent them from melting.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg, milk and vanilla essence in a bowl.
3. Crush the cornflakes in a blender until they are at a bread-crumb consistency.
4. Place the flour, egg mix and crushed cornflakes into three different bowls.
5. Take the ice-cream balls out of the freezer and roll each of them in the flour, then the egg mix and then the corn-flake crumbs.
6. Place the crumbed ice-cream balls back into the freezer for about another hour.
7. Repeat step 5 and this time, freeze the ice-cream overnight, or for at least 3 hours.
8. Heat up oil in a small pot and fry each ice-cream for about 30 seconds. To test if the oil is hot enough, just put a piece of cornflake into the oil and see if it starts to bubble.

Banana cake

3-4 very ripe bananas

2 cups wholemeal flour

1 cup almond meal

1 tsp bi-carb of soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup, loosely packed, brown sugar

2 eggs

200 ml coconut cream
2 Tbs honey

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp salt

2 handfuls walnut, coarsely crushed

    1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius and line a loaf tin with baking paper.

    2. Sift the flour and almond meal into a large bowl and add I the bi-carb of soda and  cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside.

    3. Beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale (1-2 minutes).

    4. Add the coconut cream, honey, vanilla essence and salt and beat until combined. Note: when using coconut cream from a can, make sure to shake the can well before opening it, as the cream and milk tends to be separated.

    5. Mash the bananas and stir into the egg mix.  

    6. Add the crushed walnuts to the flour mix and stir just until the walnuts are covered in flour, then stir in the egg and banana mix. Note: I find that when I add the walnuts after the wet ingredients have been added, the walnuts sink to the bottom of the cake. Coating them with flour helps them stay distributed throughout the cake mix.

    7. Pour the mixture in the loaf tin and bake for approximately 60-70 mins until a skewer comes out clean.

Falafel

with hummus & tahini sauce

Falafel

2 (400g/tin) tins of chickpeas
1 (400g/tin) tins of mixed beans
1 lime, juiced
4 cloves of garlic
1 onion, diced
1 cup coriander, coursely chopped
2 cups parsley, coursely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground allspice
4 Tbs plain flour

1. Toast the cumin and allspice in a pan with a teaspoon of oil, set aside.
2. Blend the chickpeas, mixed beans, onion and garlic in a food processor until just combined (not until it's pasty).
3. Add the coriander, parsley, lime juice and the toasted spices into the mixture and continue to blend until the ingredients are combined (if there are still some small chunks, don't worry, it will add texture- you don't want it to be a paste like consistency). Season and taste with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of the flour.
5. Refrigerate for half-an-hour.
6. Heat a fry-pan with about 3 tablespoons of oil. Meanwhile, spoon a heaped tablespoon of the falafel mix into the palms of your hands and roll it in the remaining flour and press it into a patty like shape (about 1.5 cm thick) and place into fry-pan.
7. Fry the falafel until lightly browned on each side. Remove from pan and onto a plate with absorbent paper towels.

Hummus

1 (400g/tin) tins of chickpeas
4 Tbs of tahini
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Drain 1/4 of the liquid from the tin of chickpeas and blend in a food processor with the garlic cloves until an almost smooth consistency (I keep some of the liquid from the tinned chickpeas because it allows the mixture to become the right consistency, not too thick or runny, once the tahini is added).
2. Add the tahini and lime to the mix and blend until smooth.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste (Note: since the liquid of the tinned chickpeas is already salted, you may find that you don't need to add any salt. Also if you find the mixture too salty, just add more lime juice. Since I like my food to have a zing to it, I sometimes use the juice of 1 lime).
4. Serve with a dash of olive oil over the top, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Tahini sauce

300g Greek yoghurt
1 Tbs tahini
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and voila!

I would serve all of the above, with Lebanese bread cut into quarters, and slices of tomato, laid out in the middle of the table, so that people can help themselves and make their own mini wraps of falafel to their liking.

Big thanks to my besttie, Shanna (scenesofeunoia.com) for the great pictures!