Compelled (shoved into the corner) to make something for an ‘allergic to everything’ sort.  With that top-tottie turns up and remains allergic to everything except her own voice and red soled foot wear. On arrival she bounds through the door her first utterance? ” Whats for pudding”? For all my superfluous sympathy she will neck a bottle of pink fizz in a twinkle of her beautiful doe eyes.  She’s ‘ok’ with coconut it seems, and warmed to my “desiccated follower of fashion” jibe.  An ample beauty for all her forlorn sides, pasty pale and of sallow completion, yes – she’s an adorable friend.

 

  

  

 

I offer an astute merger, a three-dimensional, nay a rather sensual ice cream without a hint of dairy to she of the haute bijouterie jangling chandelier earrings which insists on wearing whilst stomping across, not around, ploughed fields.  This is apparently what we do if we live in the countryside?  Note: we pander to her less than rural mindset and wacky whims, before winding her key and setting her off on a path toward the pub. Some time later she is giddy with style and fresh air and we drive her back as she wattles on about “Must be time for a bit of nose bag eh”?  Whilst we wait for the browning of potatoes on the top of a hot-pot casserole she enjoys a snifter or two of blackberry gin (gift by a deliriously talented neighbour).

 

  

  

 

To do:

Subconsciously synchronised? Umm I apologise for the title,  so please permit me to translate:- fro-co-yo-bo is frozen coconut / yoghurt with blood orange. Ahh – I hear your arteries sigh? A light and airy combination of dairy-less delightfulness.

Whilst the fresh juice may resemble an industrial chemical, or toxic waste, it is supremely delicious in combination with coconut milk and, new to me, coconut yoghurt. A pleasurable change from some disappointingly similar, same old, same old options.  Yet another of Madams whims is that she finds ‘grey/brown food’ off putting (sigh).

 

  

  

 

Since one had become a little lax in her recent use of citrus (quite obviously insufficient Gin and Tonic) and then having quizzed the merits and muted tones of almond, cashew, soy, by-products of goat, coconut water, coconut milk as replacement therapy for the lactose intolerant chum, this little number fell into place and much of the citrus was used in combination and variety.

 

Take the juice of a 5-6 blood oranges, use a thundering great, excruciatingly noisy machine or a more quiet,  traditional wooden implement as you prefer. Once poured through a strainer there was 500 ml more or less. Exact measures are unnecessary, near enough is good enough.

 

  

 

To which was added:-  a can of coconut milk, one pot of coconut yoghurt, the zest of the oranges, 2 dessert spoons of liquid glucose (for some sweetness and great texture) and this was combined with the juice.  Taste and sweeten as you prefer, I added some maple syrup and lobbed the lot into a food processor.

There are no prizes for being unnecessarily labour intensive?

 

  

  

 

Into the ice cream machine it went, though my first trial option was frozen on a flat baking sheet and the frozen shards took well to a quick blast in the food processor. I made some with a freshly squeezed lime juice too and will return to this in warmer weather, therefore Ambi-citrus?

 

  

  

 

A wander around the garden was more a game of “dodge the sleet” (failed). There was a need for some hint that cheery spring is on its way.

Once sand blasted by the sleet, the sun came out gifting fiercely cold wind, long shadows and some sweet little edible flowers.

 

  

   

   

 

Plating procedure:  A couple of bay leaves and some tip sprigs of rosemary/flowers onto which were placed 2-3 crushed rosemary shortbread biscuits.  Scattered with some freeze-dried raspberry, segments of blood orange, shards of raw delicately swirled candy beetroot, a few balls (melon baller) of raspberry sorbet, dress with edible primroses and zest of orange completed the deal.

After lunch and her head clearing romp, our ‘notoriously hard to please’ visitor declared it as awesome. Approving noises and an agreeable second helping was followed by a third though she demolished the remainder straight from the tub, her chops stained pink from her endeavour.

Madam was euphoric with the ‘denture’ pink frozen delight, which, I’m assured, had great scoff-ability.

 

 

 

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