Fluffy Torpedo II

July 24, 2024

   

Last week I was lucky to have dinner with two friends visiting from Perth. We shared just the right number of dishes at Rin Sura (including long-time favourite chive frittata and new favourite spiced burrata with roti) and backed it up with a trip across the street to Fluffy Torpedo for icecream.

After liking the mildly unusual flavours I chose on my first visit, I was ready to level up with my next two scoops ($9.10). Roasted polenta and lemon had all the right flavours but perhaps a suboptimal texture; I sensed the sandiness of pantry polenta rather than the velvety mouthfeel it develops when cooked. Unfortunately my palate had lost much of its sensitivity by the time I accessed the buttered baguette-flavoured scoop underneath. I got a couple little hints of that toasty crust flavour and none of the butter; I was otherwise just working my way through a pleasant but plain icecream base.

So, not the most inspiring follow-up! I'll be seeking out some stronger source ingredients on my next round.

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You can read about our first visit to Fluffy Torpedo here.

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Fluffy Torpedo 

213 Sydney Rd, Brunswick 

7044 7745 

menu 

https://www.fluffytorpedo.diamonds/ 

Accessibility: Fluffy Torpedo has a flat entry and wide queuing strip. There are backless bench seats inside and backed metal chairs outside. We ordered, paid and picked up our orders at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Kariton Sorbetes

April 21, 2024

   

We squeezed a visit to Kariton Sorbetes between our last two comedy shows and it might have been the highlight of my night! I've been eyeing off their Filipino-flavoured gelato for a few years, reading the complimentary reviews, and made one failed attempt to visit their original Footscray venue before this successful sample of their newer Chinatown shopfront.

Their menu is in regular rotation and we hadn't pinned our hopes on trying any particular famous flavours. Michael took the creamy, chocolatey approach, ordering a cone ($8.70) with Tita-misu (coconut mascarpone gelato, coconut sponge fingers, Vietnamese coffee caramel and chocolate soil) and Milo Dinosaur (Milo gelato, malted milk chocolate ganache, Milo honeycomb).

   

Meanwhile, I had a cup ($8.70) stacked with Brazo de Mercedes (toasted marshmallow gelato, mandarin-yuzu sorbet) and TMT (Thai milk tea gelato, coconut milk crumb, coconut sugo jelly). I'm not generally a marshmallow gal, but its tangy citrus counterpart was the balance it needed.

We thought all four flavours were absolutely brilliant! I'd like very much to go back when I have the time and appetite to make my way through a Taho or Halo Halo.

We didn't notice clear dietary information on site but there's some online, so vegans and coeliacs might be best off doing a little research in advance. We reckon it'll be worth the effort.

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Kariton Sorbetes

177 Russell St, Melbourne CBD

menu: one, two

https://www.karitonsorbetes.com/

Accessibility: Kariton Sorbetes has a flat entry and somewhat narrow, roped queuing system. There are few seats, mostly low backless stools. We ordered, paid, and picked up our icecreams at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Fluffy Torpedo

March 30, 2024

   

We've been curious about but never made it to Fitzroy's Fluffy Torpedo, an icecream shop with sour strap lollies embedded in the flooring and an array of unusual flavours including Vegemite & white chocolate and Mountain Dew & Oreo. This year we've eagerly awaited the opening of a second Fluffy Torpedo closer to home in Brunswick.... so eager that when they posted their intention to open, I was there within the first hour!

The wild array of flavours did not disappoint (click through the menu at the bottom of the post) and vegan options are listed clearly up top. We had to have two scoops each to really give them a go ($9.10 each; 1 scoop is $7.20). Michael ordered a cone with the vegan coconut cream lime marmalade, and the dairy-based salted licorice, while I stacked a cup with the vegan sour green apple juice iceberg lettuce sorbet and the dairy-based salted lemon curd salted crispy crackers. 

   

Every scoop was as fun as it was creative. I could clearly taste the lettuce in my first mouthful of the sorbet, though my taste buds rapidly desensitised and just enjoyed it as a refreshing, fruity sorbet. The lemon curd-cracker combination had the creaminess, tang and contrasting textures that I love in a cheesecake. It's got me excited to try some of the more daring flavours on a future visit, like the buttered baguette. Others, like the marshmallow grape Aeroplane jelly pink salt and the musk sticks Eclipse mints, are probably never going to be my bag.

On that note, the interior design of Fluffy Torpedo is a little baffling to me. There's plenty of space but I don't think they've best used it yet in terms of queuing guidance or comfortable seating. I found the bright colours and variety of curios arranged around the shop to be haphazard and even a bit overwhelming. Time will tell whether they're a draw for others or if they're adjusted to ease the flow of customers. As it is, the fascinating flavours of Fluffy Torpedo are plenty to enthuse me for a revisit.

   

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The Fitzroy outlet has received a positive reviews on ElsewhereBriefly and mamma knows north.

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Fluffy Torpedo

213 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

7044 7745

menu

https://www.fluffytorpedo.diamonds/

Accessibility: Fluffy Torpedo has a flat entry and wide queuing strip. There are backless bench seats inside and backed metal chairs outside. We ordered, paid and picked up our orders at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Luther's Scoops II

July 16, 2023

   

The sun was out, we'd ticked off our tasks, and I convinced Michael that we should treat ourselves to Luther's Scoops. It might not have been as warm as in Darwin, but this remarkable icecream could remind us of what's so great about living in Melbourne. We both picked out single-scoop cones ($6 each) of beige colours that were secretly bursting with flavour: crème fraîche and Calvados (apple brandy) for Michael (below left) and brown butter cheesecake for me (below right) . The Luther's team rotate their flavours regularly but put the work into perfecting every one; we've never, ever been disappointed.

As an acknowledgement of winter, they also sell hot, single-serve dessert pies in flavours like boysenberry and custard, sticky date pudding and custard, and apple. The pies go on sale at 5pm and sell out consistently, so they're exclusively for the well-organised and the luckily-timed.

   

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You can read about one of our previous visits to Luther's Scoops here.

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Luther's Scoops

528A Sydney Rd, Brunswick

https://www.luthers.com.au/

Accessibility: Luther's Scoops has a flat entry and small interior. We ordered and paid at a low counter, and haven't sought out toilets.

Cornflake icecream bars

January 24, 2022

   

Here's a Meera Sodha dessert that I made, purely for the fun of it! It's a vegan icecream bar that celebrates breakfast cereal. There's the sugary, crunchy cornflake layers on top and bottom, most obviously, and the creamy filling is also infused with cornflakes. Between them there's a strip of tangy raspberries that save it all from cloying sweetness.

The recipe requires a blender but not an icecream maker. I really liked this combination of oat milk and cashews to form the icecream base. I could taste the cornflake infusion in the unfrozen mixture, but I think it's drowned out by the actual cornflakes in the finished dish and I'd be inclined to skip that process in future - it'll save time, mess and waste.

The coconut oil was surprisingly pleasant as a cornflake binder, but I think it's just inevitable that slicing and handling these icecream bars will be messy regardless. I wonder if it would just be easier to break this down into bowls of icecream scattered with Frosties and raspberries. I'm not sure that it would feel as fun, somehow.

This would also be a fun template for other cereal flavours - I'm imagining Coco Pops and strawberries, or (a vegan equivalent to) Froot Loops and blueberries!

Cornflake icecream bars

(slightly adapted from a recipe by Meera Sodha from The Guardian)

cornflake layers

175g cornflakes, crushed into crumbs

80g caster sugar

100g coconut oil, melted

250g raspberries (I used frozen), cut in half (I don't think this matters)

icecream

75g cornflakes

550mL oat milk

150g unsalted cashews

60g caster sugar

2 tablespoons maple or golden syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

pinch of salt

Line a 20cm square cake tin with plastic wrap, leaving as much overhang as you can on the sides.

Make the cornflake layer by stirring together the cornflake crumbs and sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the coconut oil and thoroughly combine. Pour half of the cornflake mixture into the cake tin and use the back of large spoon to spread it out evenly and compress it as best you can. Arrange the raspberries across the base - Sodha manages to achieve large even halves in a grid across her tray, but mine were more haphazard. Place the cake tin in the freezer while you prepare the icecream.

For the icecream, stir together the cornflakes and oat milk in a bowl, to infuse the milk with the cereal flavour for around 20 minutes.

Place the cashews in a small saucepan and cover them with water. Bring them to the boil, and simmer the cashews for 20 minutes. Drain the cashews and place them in a blender.

Strain the cornflakes out of the oat milk such that the oat milk lands in the blender, and as much liquid as possible has been squeezed out of the cereal. Discard the soggy cereal. Add the sugar, syrup, vanilla, oil and salt to the blender and completely liquidise the mixture - expect it to take a few minutes. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.

Retrieve the cake tin from the freezer and carefully pour the cashew cream mixture over the raspberries; smooth over the top if it's uneven. Freeze for 2-4 hours, until the icecream is firm. Press the remaining cornflake crumbs into the top of the icecream and freeze for another 2 hours to set completely.

Slice the icecream cake into bars using a large, sharp knife that's been run under cold water. I found it easiest to flip the cake upside down onto a cutting board and cut it from base to top.

Icecream Social

Update 12/06/2023: Icecream Social closed in Brunswick, but you can still find them in Thornbury.

Update 12/06/2024: Icecream Social in Thornbury is now also closed.

May 8, 2021

   

We enjoyed getting to know Icecream Social when we visited Castlemaine in January, and we were thrilled when news came through that they're third outlet would be located in Brunswick. Their original grand opening plans were undermined by lockdowns, but they're settling in and their window full of cakes and pies is attracting plenty of walk-ins from Sydney Road.

   

It was difficult enough to choose among the handful of icecream flavours at the Castlemaine kiosk, and the larger shop space has multiplied the challenge several times over! I think there were around eight icecream flavours, perhaps a dozen different cakes and pies, plus a few savoury pastries and salads. I reckon a solid third of the food is vegan, and very clearly labelled. Gluten-free options are less clear, and may be restricted to a few icecreams and a salad.

   

We were in, first and foremost, for the icecreams. Michael went for a cone of the vegan cookie doh' ($5), while I doubled down on the vegan rocky road and dairy-based miso & walnut in a cup (pictured top; $8). I reckon the miso & walnut was the pick of the bunch - they didn't play coy with the miso, it was salty, savoury and velvety.

   

With all our groceries stored in backpacks, we had free hands to carry home some pies for later. The chocolate-pecan and cherry pies (~$8 each) were still in good shape the next day. It's so great to see desserts that look both delicious and home-made.   

How lucky we are to have this sweet, small business open up in our neighbourhood!

   

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Icecream Social

421 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

0468 729 743

menu

http://www.icecreamsocial.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a small step at the door, and a relatively clear interior with a high bench against the wall, lined with tall stools. There's a single cushioned bench at a lower height near the door. We ordered and paid at a medium-high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Gelateria Bico

March 14, 2021

   

Bico is on our circuit of icecream sources in Brunswick. Our friend Nat, who's dairy intolerant, especially recommended it to us - we visited together on a 40-degree night last summer. The vegan/dairy-free options aren't explicitly labelled but I gather that they're listed under 'sorbetti' and 'granita'.

On our most recent visit on a very hot day, I lingered as long as I could (not actually very long) over a cup of tiramisu gelato and frothy, refreshing strawberry sorbet ($7). Michael had to make fast work of his rapidly melting coffee scoop, and work around the edges of his ricotta and citrus layer ($7).

Bico consistently have a couple of specials on the go as well - I'm disappointed I didn't visit in time to try the vegan cashew praline they were advertising a few weeks earlier.

   

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Gelateria Bico

288 Albert St, Brunswick

https://gelateriabico.com.au/

Accessibility: There's flat entry and a clear passage through the shop. Small clusters of stools and backed chairs are available both inside and outside. We ordered and paid at a low counter.

Luther's Scoops

 February 17, 2021

   

We were saddened to learn that Samba's Jhol Momo closed during 2020, but we can't begrudge the following business to take up the shopfront lease. Luther's Scoops has slightly reconfigured the fit-out and offers a unique rotation of icecream flavours.

They offer ingredient combinations that are rarely seen in icecream but intuitively make sense. On this day, we skipped by the vegan options (watermelon and strawberry sorbet, dark chocolate, a sold-out raspberry & lemon verbena sorbet) and focused on the dairy-based options. Michael piled blueberry and sour cream onto butterscotch ripple ($7), while I sampled passionfruit and lemon custard, and vanilla malted milk. 

The fruit flavours and colours were gorgeously bright against the rich, creamy base. Michael was a bit distracted from his butterscotch in a melting scramble, and my malted milk was too subtle to follow up that passionfruit; it might've worked better in combination with the Earl Grey and chocolate icecream. We'll absolutely be back to perfect our orders.

   

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Luther's Scoops

528A Sydney Rd, Brunswick

https://www.luthers.com.au/

Accessibility: Under current COVID restrictions, ordering and payment occurs over a low counter direct from the footpath.

Beku Gelato

Update 04/01/2023: Beku Gelato has now moved to Carlton.

February 11, 2021

   

Beku is a reasonable walk or bike ride from our home, and we really haven't given it the full attention it deserves over the past couple of years. I recall eating a wonderful scoop of teh tarik (i.e. Malaysian style pulled milk tea) gelato there, and their Southeast Asian flavours have only expanded in the year or two since. They consistently offer a novel range of vegan flavours amongst their dairy-based ones, too.

On one of February's hotter days, we raced to take this photo of four flavours before they dripped all over us! Michael had a vegan cone piled with scoops of chocolate and cendol decorated with the green rice jelly ($7.10). Meanwhile, I took on a cup of the dairy-based condensed milk gelato and Milo Dinosaur, with a Milo sprinkle ($7.10).

There are so many more flavours to try: common ones like dulce de leche, mango and pistachio, and Beku specialties like coconut with jackfruit pieces, Kitan Hitam, Ube, Tolak Angin, Thandai, Houjicha, Paan, and Es Campur. I fear that we've run out of summer, and will miss our chance to try them all under optimal conditions!

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Beku has also won fans on TOT: HOT OR NOT and The Penguin Eats (which was a freebie).

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Beku Gelato

171 Lygon St, Brunswick East

https://bekugelato.business.site/

Accessibility: Under current COVID restrictions, we can use a shallow ramp from the street to order and pay at a low makeshift counter.

Cà-Rem Gelato

 January 24, 2021

   

We had a long overdue day of Footscray fun with friends in January. We started out with Savers and browsing an Indian grocery, hit up Huong Viet for lunch, and stocked up on treats from Pie Thief and Vincent Vegetarian Food Mart. Phil Lees recommended Cà-Rem Gelato for dessert, and it was an easy skip across the street from lunch. 

Cà-Rem is run by two friendly Vietnamese-Australians, who proudly make their gelato from fresh ingredients with a rotation of bright and imaginative flavours. We encountered abundant fruity, tropical options like avocado, durian, taro and coconut, Thai mango, and Vietnamese banana. While I almost always focus on the richer, creamier (and yes, chocolate-ier) flavours, this was exactly what our mid-day, 33-degree visit called for.

   

I was charmed by their salted kumquat sorbet, with each mouthful transforming from tangy to sweet and salty (top photo). I didn't need but certainly didn't waste my less daring insurance scoop of lychee and mint sorbet (the two scoops together came in at $6.80). Michael took one scoop ($4.80) of the remarkable Coco Black, a creamy and very high cocoa-content, vegan-friendly option. I wondered if they might use coconut charcoal to achieve its melting-tar look. 

Located on Leeds St, Cà-Rem is right in the middle of Footscray's action; it'll be easy to browse the cabinet for what's new any time we're in the neighbourhood.

   

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Cà-Rem Gelato

45 Leeds St, Footscray

https://www.caremgelato.com/

Accessibility: There's a small lip on the door on entry. We ordered and paid at a high counter. There are moderately spaced tables with low stools inside.

Billy van Creamy

 January 10, 2021

   

I've been banging on about Billy van Creamy to just about anyone who will listen for a couple of years! I think they're making some of the best vegan icecream out there (in addition to their terrific dairy-based flavours). I've eaten at their Fitzroy North shop, seen cartons stocked in a few supermarkets, and during 2020's lengthy lockdown I regularly ordered litre-sized boxes to be delivered directly to my home. 

I was near-ecstatic when Michael saw signage for a new Billy van Creamy shop close by on Sydney Road. There was a month more of anticipation, telling any friend I thought might care, before I saw their soft opening announced on social media. They've got a pretty pastel shopfront all sorted out, though the options for now are more limited than in their sibling shops.

The most important things are there - roughly a dozen icecream flavours, including vegan options, served in cups and cones. There are small takeaway cartons tucked away in a freezer. The more elaborate trimmings - fudge sauce, sundaes, shakes and other beverages - aren't available at this stage. COVID seems to have done away with the reusable cups too. I'm sure there's more to come for this little shop but as long as I can order a scoop of peanut butter choc chip or peppermint fudge, I'm one happy local customer.

   

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Billy van Creamy

146 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

https://www.billyvancreamy.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a shallow ramp on entry. Low stools and benches line the walls and windows, and there's substantial open flat space in the centre of the room. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't ask about the toilets.

Cuppa Turca

December 25, 2019

We had a misplaced hunch that Black Waffle would be open on Christmas day, and it was Cuppa Turca that instead sated our mid-afternoon hankering for icecream. This High St cafe serves a rare range of Turkish desserts, including dondurma/ice cream. (Here's a nice SBS Food article covering the cafe's inception.)

The texture of dondurma is more substantial and less frothy than the icecreams usually scooped in Australia, with a bit of chew and stretch about it. Cuppa Turca rotate their flavours and we've found that about a third of them tend to be vegan and coconut-based. They're not just falling back on the usual fruit flavours when they go dairy-free: the cup above boasts Turkish delight and dark chocolate ($6.80), and we saw black tahini among the options too.

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Cuppa Turca has also received positive coverage on TOT: HOT OR NOT.

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Cuppa Turca
244 High St, Northcote
9489 3114
facebook page

Accessibility: We think there's a gentle incline rather than a step on entry. We ordered and paid at a high counter. Interior furniture is reasonable crowded. We didn't visit the toilets.

Billy van Creamy

November 5, 2019

Billy van Creamy is a lovely icecream business. They've got a food truck, and I've seen tubs of their staple flavours here and there. For a little while now they've had a shop front in Fitzroy North, between Piedemonte's and Edinburgh Gardens. (These neighbours are my best excuses to stop by.) Billy van Creamy do shakes and fancy sundaes as well as simple scoops, and they've got proper cutlery and crockery if you want to eat in at one of their benches.

Importantly, the vegan options here extend much further than fruit sorbets. They've developed a cashew and coconut base that just quietly, creamily supports their feature flavours like it's no big deal. (I think it is a big deal.) Chocolate, salted caramel, and peanut butter choc chip are in regular rotation and high demand. I was just as pleased with the vegan peppermint fudge special they offered last time I was in (pictured above; $5). 

I keep telling myself that next time I'll get some extra honeycomb or fudge sauce or a whole smores sundae, but I keep finding that there's pleasure enough in just the icecreams themselves.

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Billy van Creamy is well known to the mummy set: the only blog posts I found about this Fitzroy shopfront are on TOT: HOT OR NOT and mamma knows north.

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Billy van Creamy

27/29 Best St, Fitzroy North

menu

https://www.billyvancreamy.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a shallow ramp on entry. Tables are low and seating is low benches and stools, with decent spacing between them. I ordered, paid and picked up my food from a low counter.

A few bites in Brisbane

November 27-30, 2018

I've been back in my home town of Brisbane! It's now more than 12 years since I've lived there, and the Bowen Hills neighbourhood where I was based is unrecognisable. Thankfully Susan of Kittens Gone Lentil is still posting regular updates of vegan eats around town, and most of my choices were inspired by her online recommendations.

First up, I stopped in at Netherworld. It still has the architectural bones of the pub I've always known in this spot but it's been transformed into a low-lit, loud-music pub full of arcade games. The American diner-inspired menu has a vegan baseline, with options to add dairy and cheese on many dishes. I ordered a nice, house-made lemon soda and decided to check out their classic vegan cheeseburger, called the Burgatory ($14), with a side of shoestring fries ($3). This was a solid, salty mock-meat burger, tending towards the mushy-messy, and I liked the onion rings they snuck inside. The fries were pretty good too!

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(Update 17/07/2024: I Like Ramen has since closed.)

I got the word on I Like Ramen from a sharp-eyed vegan colleague. This eatery has been open in Brisbane only a little over a month and is completely 'plant-based'. I was picturing a small counter with just a few stools to perch on, but actually this is another sprawling pub-like environment. I boldly eschewed the ramen bowls and tried some more bunly food. First, a holy 'duck' bao ($8) with excellent crispy edged mock-duck and saucy 'slaw, but not all the subtlety of plum, mint, chilli and pomegranate that I was promised. 

I was nervous that the panko mushroom po' boy ($13) smelled so strongly of seaweed, but the flavours and textures in this roll were actually well balanced: the mushrooms were juicy but not too drippy, with thick crunchy panko crumbs, nestled in with more slaw. I had no regrets, even though I knew I had no room to try Doughlord down the street.

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My trip to Tea Master was a spontaneous nod to nostalgia on my day off. I loved the vegetarian roasted duck noodle ($11.80): the mock meat was thick and fatty, the noodles had a dark sesame oil flavour, and the greens were sauteed in a sweet and salty soy sauce. My pineapple green tea ($3.70) with lychee jelly ($0.50) was indistinguishable from any other bubble tea I've ever ordered here - sweet and fun, but not flavoured with any precision.

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(Update 17/07/2024: Greenhouse Canteen seems to have moved to the Gold Coast.)

I took myself out on a date on Friday night, picking out the vegan Greenhouse Canteen for dinner. It's got a light, instagram-wellness vibe, and friendly staff that were happy to squeeze in an early table for one. I was #blessed with a choice of house-made sodas again (not just kombucha!), and really liked the strawberry and balsamic one ($9). The zucchini flower stuffed with almond fetta ($8) was also a stunner, set on a pillow of broccoli puree with a refreshing garnish of cucumber and pickled onion. The cauliflower wings ($14) were less impressive, lacking crispiness and spiciness.

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I rounded out the night with a Malt Brownie scoop ($5.30) at Gelato Messina. This is no Brisbane original, of course, but it's a chain of great quality gelato that I'm glad to eat in any city I encounter it. This special edition flavour was everything I hoped for, tasting unmistakably of malted milk powder, with a couple big cubes of soft brownie stirred in.

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On this visit, I really felt the time and distance between me and this sunny city... but this wasn't sad at all! Rather, I enjoyed the changes I observed, getting to know what Brisbane has grown to be instead of looking for what I knew it once was.

Caramelised white chocolate icecream

January 20-21, 2018

This icecream recipe isn't quite my usual style. Nope, it's not from Ottolenghi's latest book. It's not a home-grown vegan trick. It doesn't really require an icecream maker. And it's flavoured with white chocolate, the least chocolatey of all chocolates. Yet Michael, who skips past every white Lindt ball in the box, declared it the best icecream I've made in years!

So what is this icecream? It's from the blog Delicious Everyday. It's mostly just made from double cream and sweetened condensed milk, which feels a bit like cheating, but is so sweet and thick and creamy that it really doesn't need to be churned. And it's flavoured with caramelised white chocolate.

Caramelising white chocolate was pretty funny this first time around - unwrapping it, popping it whole onto a baking tray, and roasting it in a low oven for over an hour, until it browned. The chocolate only kinda melts, and it's surprisingly difficult to work a spatula through it and make sure the chocolate roasts evenly. I was cautious, turning my oven to only 100°C, and as a consequence I spent an hour and a half on this job instead of the directed hour at 120°C. I'll know better next time.

The result is rich, rich, rich, with a touch of toasty caramel depth. I served small sensible scoops, with a fruit salad of mango and pineapple dressed in lime juice, when I had my international guest and his wife over for dinner. (The rest of the meal was much more predictable, with Michael and I tripling down on Ottolenghi recipes - a crushed lentil platter, coriander and yoghurt-dressed pumpkin, and a Spring salad.) 

Caramelised white chocolate icecream
(a recipe from Delicious Everyday)

150g white chocolate (make sure it's based on cocoa butter, not another vegetable oil)
395g can sweetened condensed milk
600mL double cream

Preheat an oven to 120°C.

Place the chocolate in a small baking tray and roast it for 60-90 minutes, stirring at 10 minutes intervals with a baking spatula, until the chocolate has developed a deep caramel colour. The texture is hopefully smooth, but unexpectedly thick! Here are some indicative photos from the source blog.

Transfer half of the caramelised chocolate to a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the condensed milk until smooth, then whisk in the cream until everything's well mixed.

At this point the original recipe suggests pouring half of the cream mixture into your freezer container, marbling through the extra chocolate, and repeating with with remaining ingredients before freezing. I chose to refrigerate the cream mixture overnight, store the remaining chocolate at room temperature, and churn the cream mixture before assembling and freezing. I found the chocolate too thick to marble, and next time I think I'll refrigerate it and chop it into chips that I can stir through the icecream.

Freeze the icecream for at least 4 hours before serving. I found that it was easiest to scoop after 15 minutes at room temperature.

DIY Golden Gaytime

November 2-14, 2017

The Golden Gaytime is a much-loved Aussie icecream that has withstood a shifting interpretation of its name. Its winking tagline is that it's hard to have a Gaytime on your own, and it's tempting to toast Australia's positive vote for marriage equality with one of these delightful popsicles.

And yet! We plan to make this a Streets Free Summer, in solidarity with the workers making Golden Gaytimes and facing pay cuts of up to 46%. So why not make a Gaytime on your own?

The easiest path is to whip it up, sundae style, with purchased icecream. A scoop of vanilla icecream, a scoop of caramel - have you noticed that there are some magnificent vegan salted caramel ones out there now? Make your own two-ingredient choc-ice magic, scatter over some crushed biscuits and you are SET.

Of course, I had to overthink this project and make my own icecream. I thought I'd mastered vegan salted caramel icecream years ago, though I've grown a little weary of overbearing coconut milk desserts since then. I worked in some macadamia milk, glucose syrup to improve the texture, and a hearty dash of dark rum in the caramel layer. My two-toned icecream tasted so, so great, but its texture completely bombed. Dense and icy, it was a pain to scoop and just barely a pleasure to eat. I kinda liked it in popsicle form, but it's not the Golden Gaytime we know and love. I assume it needs a higher fat content.

The recipe below isn't a recommendation. It's a record for myself, it's a call-out for your icecream-making ideas, it's an affirmation that I should do this again, and better.

DIY Golden Gaytime

icecream
400mL vegan milk (I used macadamia)
1 x 400mL can coconut cream
1/4 cup glucose syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
scant teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark rum
100g caster sugar

chocolate shell
1/4 cup coconut oil
80g vegan 'milk' chocolate (I used Bonvita)
tiny pinch of salt

crumbs
100g plain vegan biscuits (I used Granita)

Place the vegan milk, coconut cream and glucose syrup in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until well mixed. Pour half of the mixture into a bowl and whip it up with a stick blender, adding 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and a pinch of the salt. Refrigerate this mixture until very cold, at least 3 hours. (You should still have the remaining unseasoned half of the milk mixture out.)

Place the caster sugar in a clean dry saucepan over moderate, even heat. Avoid stirring it, but go ahead and shift the liquid bits out of the way to encourage the solid bits to melt quicker. Continue cooking the sugar until it is all liquid and brown, until it just starts smoking. Whisk in the remaining coconut milk mixture, and allow any stiffened caramel to melt back down. When it's all smooth, turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla, the rum and the remaining salt. Refrigerate this mixture until very cold, at least 3 hours.

Churn the vanilla icecream in an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, then pour it into your preferred mold, and place it in the freezer. Churn the caramel icecream in the maker, then pour it over the vanilla layer. Place the mold, covered, in the freezer.

To make the chocolate shell, melt the coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the chocolate and salt, and stir continuously until you have a smooth sauce. Turn off the heat and store the chocolate at room temperature.

Smash the biscuits into coarse crumbs (I used a rolling pin, with the biscuits placed between sheets of baking paper).

When it's time to serve, scoop or unmold the icecream, pour over the chocolate sauce and quickly sprinkle over the biscuit crumbs before the chocolate sets.

Chocolate, rose & walnut icecream

January 21, 2017

It's becoming a fairly predictable cross-over for me: Ottolenghi club x ice cream. I've done chocolate halva sundaes, strawberry-rose sundaes and even green herb sundaes; for the latest club gathering I dialed back to a more accessible Turkish delight-&-chocolate theme. This recipe has a rocky road feel too it - chocolate icecream with a touch of rosewater, studded with toasted walnuts and biscuit pieces, scattered prettily with Turkish delight cubes and rose petals. (I'm always happy for an excuse to use up some of my rose petals.)

It seemed impossible to mess up, though I tried my darnedest. Usually I'd pop my icecream maker in the freezer 24-48 hours before serving time.... this time I forgot until 6 short hours before the event. My freezer raced against the clock, and managed to turn up something near-solid and scoopable. No-one need have known.

The original recipe includes a chocolate sauce (actually the same one from the chocolate halva sundae), but I reckon this is just fine without it. The icecream base is already darkly rich, its stir-ins are crunchy, the Turkish delight is sugary and chewy, the petals are delicate and fragrant. We didn't want for anything... not even a second scoop.

Chocolate, rose & walnut icecream
(a recipe from Ottolenghi's Guardian column)

350mL milk
300mL cream
1 tablespoon cocoa
3 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
100g dark chocolate, broken up
1 tablespoon espresso
2 teaspoons rose water
65g walnuts, broken up and toasted
3 plain biscuits, broken up
120g rose-flavoured Turkish delight, chopped into 1cm cubes
2 teaspoons dried rose petals

Stir the milk and cream together in a medium-large saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once it's almost simmering, take it off the heat.

Pour a little of the hot milk into a mug and whisk the cocoa into it. Once it's a smooth, even mix, pour it back into the saucepan and stir it through.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Gradually whisk in a little of a warm milk, then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and stir it through. Set it all back on low-medium heat. Stir in the chocolate and coffee, until the chocolate is melted. Keep stirring until the custard thickens, then turn off the heat. Refrigerate the custard for at least a couple of hours, ideally overnight.

Whisk the rosewater into the custard, then strain the custard. Churn it in an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stir in the walnuts and biscuit pieces at the last moment, and freeze the icecream in a container for at least 4 hours.

To serve, scoop the icecream into bowls and scatter with the Turkish delight pieces and rose petals.

Girls & Boys

January 8, 2017

The Vegie Bar family has added another new member since Transformer. It's called Girls & Boys, and it's located right next door to the Vegie Bar on Brunswick St. Instead of smashing the gender binary, they've focused their efforts on sweet vegan snacks - the fanciest of raw cakes, a case of gelato, coconut-based soft-serve icecream, smoothies & thickshakes. They've got also a coffee machine and a selection of the latest lattes (turmeric, beetroot, etc), and the natural conclusion: a vegan affogato.

We stopped by after a hot night at the Tote and ordered this choc-raspberry soft-serve explosion ($12) to share. The texture is bona fide and I liked the light, sweet coconut flavour of the icecream. The vegan meringue shards and freeze-dried raspberries were ideal crunchy-tangy counterpoints, but unfortunately the chocolate components were a let-down - the brownie squares were tasteless and the sauce dulled in the cold.

It's awfully exciting to see a cheery, all-vegan sweet spot set up. I reckon I'll be sneaking in for a few more treats before summer's done.

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Girls & Boys has also had positive coverage on The Rose & Bean.

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Girls & Boys
382A Brunswick St, Fitzroy
9417 6766
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facebook page

Accessibility: Entry is flat and there's a lot of open flat space inside. Tables and chairs are low and sparsely distributed. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Molasses & walnut icecream

November 12, 2016

Our tempeh & grits dinner was the core of a three-course Vegan Soul Kitchen meal. We started with Spicy Goobers, peanuts in a spice mix similar to that of the tempeh. For dessert I had this icecream at the ready.

Bryant Terry hit on the same vegan icecream base that I've used for years: coconut milk thickened with arrowroot. He sweetens his primarily with agave nectar, but adds a shot of molasses because it reminds him of his grandmother's desserts. The icecream's other feature is a scattering of candied walnuts. They're an irresistible snack on their own, as well as working well in this icecream - caramelly sweet, crunchy and lightly roasted with the faintest hint of bitterness. The overall effect is very similar to my vegan salted caramel icecream.

The icecream's texture was dreamy on the day of churning, but the leftovers ended up a bit grainier as the week went on. So share this one around and enjoy it all right away, at its peak.

Molasses & walnut icecream
(slightly adapted from a recipe in Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen)

candied walnuts
1 cup walnuts
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

molasses icecream
2 x 400mL cans coconut milk
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

In a medium bowl, stir the olive oil through the walnuts to evenly coat them. Stir through the agave nectar, and then finally the sugar to evenly coat the nuts.

Line a large baking tray with paper. Set a frypan over medium heat and pour in the walnuts. Stir them regularly as they toast, until they're fragrant and most of the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat and spread the nuts out over the baking tray. Allow them to cool to room temperature.

In a mug, stir together 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and the arrowroot until it's all smooth. In a medium-large saucepan, combine the remaining coconut milk, agave nectar, molasses, vanilla and salt. Set it over medium-high heat and stir in the arrowroot-coconut mixture. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid it sticking to the bottom, cooking until it's thickened to coat the back of a spoon - up to 10 minutes. Refrigerate until completely cold, ideally overnight.

Strain the icecream mixture and churn it in an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the walnuts in the last couple of minutes of churning. Transfer the icecream to an airtight container and freeze for about 4 hours before serving.

Meringue nests with green herb sorbet

January 24-26, 2016

I often like taking dessert to Ottolenghi club, and this month I had a special request from our host to make a recipe that had recently appeared in Ottolenghi's Guardian column. It's the kind of recipe that calls for an open mind as much as a sweet tooth, featuring a green sorbet of apple, celery, parsley, basil and tarragon. This herbal curiosity is supported by a more traditionally sweet base of meringue and crème fraîche.

The sorbet needs a really good blender to puree all that green produce, and I trialled and rejected our food processor and stick blender before finally blending the mixture in our spice grinder attachment in 3 small batches. (Thanks for washing up, Michael.) Even then I can recommend a thorough straining to really get this down to a velvetty, verdant scoop - imagine how off-putting it would be to find a stray celery string in your sweets. A hefty 300g of glucose syrup keeps the sorbet soft, sweet and scoopable.

Ottolenghi's recipe includes baking your own meringues, but I really couldn't be bothered. I just stacked up some supermarket ones with the crème fraîche, confident that this green sorbet would take all of the attention. It sure did! A small serve proved refreshing and unexpected, with just enough richness to satisfy.

Meringue nests with green herb sorbet
(adapted slightly from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe on The Guardian)

300g glucose syrup
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup water
3 royal gala apples
3 long or 5 stubby celery stems
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup tarragon, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup basil, plus extra for garnish
8 meringue nests
200g crème fraîche
2 teaspoons dill, to garnish

In a small-medium bowl, whisk together the glucose syrup, lemon juice and water. Pour it all into a large blender.

Peel, core and roughly chop the apples; blend them into the glucose mixture. Trim and roughly chop the celery stems; blend them into the glucose mixture. Roughly chop the parsley, tarragon and basil; blend them into the glucose mixture. Continue blending very thoroughly, until the sorbet mixture is as smooth as possible. Strain the sorbet mixture through a fine sieve, pressing through as much juice as possible and discarding the pulp. Churn the sorbet in an ice-cream maker and freezer in an airtight container for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

When it's time to serve, place a meringue nest in a serving dish for each person. Spoon a tablespoon of creme fraiche into each nest. Gently place a scoop of the green sorbet atop each nest. Lightly scatter the dishes with tarragon, basil and dill leaves. Serve immediately.