Miscellaneous,  Recipes

A Family Dinner With A Vegan “Carajillo Quemado” Ice Cream For Pudding (recipe included).

While we’re having this rather warm weather, my uncle has come over for a short break from the UK. It’s been quite a while since I last saw him so thought it only right that we invite him over for dinner one night, that way he could sample some of our freshly picked produce that he keeps reading about in our blog.

They’re all looking rather serious but I can assure you they’re not.

I had in mind a typical Spanish meal, very summery and light (sort of) full of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and anything else we’ve recently harvested. We started with “gazpacho”. I’m sure you all know what that is but if you don’t, it’s a cold, refreshing tomato soup whizzed up with cucumber, green pepper, onion and garlic, perfect for this weather. I made it with cherry tomatoes this time, at the moment we seem to be picking tonnes of them and the tomatoes I would normally use are still few and far between (I won’t be saying that in a couple of weeks time!). It’s not quite as nice with cherry tomatoes, I’d say it was more tart, but everyone seemed to like it (or they’re just polite).

Dinner is served!

Also on the table was freshly baked homemade wholemeal bread which we rubbed with cherry tomatoes and drizzled on Pep’s own olive oil (we should have had vegan alloli but for some reason it didn’t set, typical when you have guests coming for dinner!), “tortilla de patata” (Spanish omelette), a simple salad of tomatoes and onions and a platter full of courgettes and aubergines which Pep had grilled on the bbq. These we brush, prior to cooking them, with a mixture of olive oil, salt, vinegar, oregano and basil, they don’t dry out that way and it adds a rather tasty mediterranean flavour.

Once we’d allowed this to go down it was time for dessert and the main reason for today’s post. In my recent post about Oropesa I spoke about the “carajillo quemado”, a black coffee that is added to a spirit (usually rum, whisky or cognac) that has previously been set light to and had part of the alcohol content removed. To do this you must first add a copious amount of sugar plus a small piece of lemon rind and some cinnamon bark. In bars this is often done in the glass the coffee will be served in, along with a couple of coffee beans, but I always feel that I’m going to break the glass, apart from the fact that it gets incredibly sticky. I do mine in a small stainless steel saucepan above the sink, much safer I think.

Pep and I adore this coffee, mainly just drinking them on our visits to Oropesa but occasionally making them at home as a treat (one of these and you’ve had your yearly dose of sugar). We bought our coffee maker solely for this purpose!! As I mentioned in my Oropesa post, this time of year can be slightly too hot for this delicious beverage, one sip and you feel the warmth rising from your belly up to your head. That’s fine in the winter but as you can imagine not the best of ideas in the summer, hence I decided to come up with a much more cooling way to enjoy it, a creamy, vegan ice cream with cashews as the base.

First off you need to make the “carajillo”. For today’s post I’ve served the coffee in a glass as they would in a bar so you can see how it’s done. The glass that’s most frequently used is the one they also use for the “cortado” (a type of coffee with milk, shorter and stronger than the usual “cafe con leche”). Normally, if I was making it for ice cream I would just prepare the alcohol in a small saucepan, tip it into a glass measuring jug and top up with coffee till I reach the desired amount.

When making the coffee for two people I add 2 servings of rum to a small saucepan along with 7 teaspoons of sugar, a smidgen of lemon rind and a small piece of cinnamon bark. I then heat it on the gas stove so it’s easier to set light to, light it with a long gas lighter (above the sink as the alcohol sizzles and splatters when it gets hot) and stir with a long spoon for about 3 to 5 minutes to keep the flame alight. The more you burn the less alcohol content it will have.

Add the hot alcohol to the glasses and place under the coffee machine, then top up with coffee. The coffee is ready to serve if you so desire. If you want to make ice cream you need a total of 200ml of “carajillo”. You can use whatever amount of alcohol and coffee you like, I rarely measure either out, just making sure I reach the amount that is needed for the ice cream. I would think it’s around 80ml of spirit (after burning) and 120ml of coffee. When you burn the alcohol some of the liquid evaporates so take that into account. The more you burn the less liquid will be left.

As soon as I have the amount I need I tip the hot liquid on to the cashews and leave them to soak for about 20 to 30 minutes, this softens them and helps blend them into a lovely, creamy texture. Once they’ve soaked enough I add them to a blender along with some plant based milk (I use rice), a few tablespoons of olive oil (or melted coconut oil) and a sweetener of choice. If you’re not vegan you can use honey, but agave syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup or any other sugar will work. The taste may alter slightly but they should all be fine for the recipe. I tend to use an organic raw cane sugar which is what I also use when I make the carajillo.

Blend it all together until you get a lovely creamy texture without any small bits of cashew. In my blender it normally takes anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes, just keep testing it. Allow it to cool for a while before putting it in the fridge to get as cold as poss. Then it’s into the ice cream maker to slowly churn into a super-creamy ice cream.

I can guarantee, you won’t miss the dairy. If you don’t have an ice cream maker just transfer to a tub of some sort and place in the freezer. Take out every 40 minutes and give it a good stir with a fork. Repeat this process a few times until you get the desired texture.

I also use this recipe to make a coffee ice cream, just omit the alcohol and use 200ml of strong coffee. I always use decaffeinated coffee for both recipes as neither of us seem to tolerate caffeine that well (slight understatement) but obviously normal coffee will be fine too.

The rice milk I use is quite sweet even though it doesn’t have any added sugar or sweeteners, I’m told it’s to do with the fermenting process. If you use a plant based milk that has no sweetness at all you might need to up the amount of sweetener slightly but as usual, it depends on taste.

Well, that’s about it I think. If you try either the “carajillo” or the ice cream, let me know how you get on. I really do think that dairy products are not necessary at all for making delicious ice cream. There are lots of different recipes that use coconut milk as the base but I think I’ve said this before, I can’t stand coconut. I wish I liked it but after forty-four years I don’t think my taste buds will change now.

Bye for now, I’ll be back in the next few days with my usual ramblings. And as usual, any questions or suggestions please get in touch, we’ll be pleased to hear from you. Love Georgie and Pep xxx

“Carajillo Quemado” Ice Cream, Vegan

A delicious, creamy vegan coffee and rum ice cream
Prep Time 40 minutes
Freezing Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten free, Vegan

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker (this isn't totally necessary) If you don't use one the freezing time will be longer

Ingredients
  

For The Carajillo

  • 120 ml rum (we use either aged or dark), whisky or cognac
  • 7 heaped tsp sugar (I use raw cane sugar)
  • 1 small piece of lemon rind
  • a small amount of cinnamon bark
  • 120 ml (approximately) of strong black coffee

For The Ice Cream

  • 200 ml "carajillo" coffee you have made previously
  • 215 grams raw, unsalted cashews
  • 250 ml plant based milk
  • 60 ml olive oil or melted coconut oil
  • 50 grams sugar or honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar, etc

Instructions
 

Making the "carajillo"

  • First, put the sugar, lemon rind, cinnamon bark and rum or whatever spirit you are using in a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat.
  • Once it's warm take off the heat and ignite the liquid with a long gas lighter. Using a long spoon hold the saucepan in one hand and stir with the other. This helps keep the flame alight. Continue doing this for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how much alcohol you want to burn off.
  • If you're just making the coffee, tip the sweet spirit into two "cortado" glasses. Place under the coffee maker and fill both glasses with strong black coffee. Before you drink, stir it all together to combine.
  • If you're using it to make ice cream, pour the rum into a glass measuring jug, place under the coffee machine and top up with coffee till you reach 200ml.

Making the ice cream

  • Place cashews in a glass bowl and pour over the hot "carajillo". Leave to soak for 30 minutes
  • Place plant based milk, soaked cashews and coffee, oil and sugar in a blender and blend until you get a smooth creamy consistency. It takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Allow to cool slightly then place in the fridge to chill completely. Once it's very cold, pour into the ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Serve
  • Alternatively, pour into a tub and place in the freezer. After 40 minutes remove from the freezer and stir well with a fork. Return to freezer. Repeat this process until you reach the desired consistency.

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