Basil Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
15 large basil leaves
a handful spinach leaves
3 oz  semisweet chocolate bar, chopped

Method:

In a small pan, combine milk and sugar, bring to a boil over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

In a small pan, combine cream, and basil, bring to a simmer over medium heat, remove, cover and allow it to steep for at least an hour.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds and then pour into a bowl filled with ice water to stop them from cooking further. Squeeze the excess water from spinach and place it in a blender along with  the milk mixture and blend well.

Pour  the mixture through a strainer and extract the liquid. Also strain steeped cream through the strainer  and stir to combine. Cover and freeze the ice-cream mixture in a deep baking dish.

Check the mixture after 30 minutes, as it starts to freeze near the edges pull it out of the freezer and using a whisk or a spatula ( i used my blender to beat the mixture ) stir until the frozen bits are broken and mixed up well. Cover and return to the freezer.

Check the mixture every 30 minute and beat well as it freezes until the icecream is completely frozen.It will take 2-3 hours to be ready.

Add chocolate chunks to the mixture when the ice-cream is almost frozen, stir well to combine.

Savory Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients:

For the dough

3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling

1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic chives, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
5 garlic cloves, grated finely
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Make it

Put the yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl and stir well. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy.

Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture. Mix to a soft dough. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and knead for 1 minute. Mix the herbs together along with green chillies and garlic. Roll out the dough into a rectangle (doesn't have to be perfect). Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle the filling evenly on the rolled out dough.

    Cut the dough into equally thin strips with a pizza cutter 

   (i got 5 strips). Stack the strips on top of each other and 

    cut into equal squares (again i got 5 squares).

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and stack the squares upright in the loaf pan, squashing them together. If you loose any of the filling just sprinkle them over the top. Cover with a plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the dough is well risen.

Preheat the oven to 210 degree Celsius. Brush the loaf with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the bread is brown and crusty. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on the loaf pan before turning out.