Fish & Ice Cream

Two foods that are very popular are fish .... and .... ice cream, though not necessarily together! However, it isn't as simple as that. Let's take a closer look at how fish and ice cream can actually compliment each other as foods.

First of all, there are many restaurants where as part of a multiple course dinner you will be offered a fish dish prior to the main course, broken up by a small sorbet such as a lemon sorbet. One of the most enjoyable meals I have ever eaten in a restaurant was served in just such a manner - it was at Sharrow Bay in the English Lake District and although it was some years ago now, the memory of that lemon sorbet still lingers ... enough to be able to close my eyes and taste it! Following the fish dish the sorbet proved to be the perfect refresher prior to the main course.

If you prefer to cook at home and fancy a nice fish dish here is a great Dover Sole recipe (so I am told by the renowned acoustic cleaning chef who came up with it!).

Last but not least you could make fish ice cream .... yes, it's not a typo but a type of ice cream that many people apparently enjoy eating, especially in Japan. Japanese ice cream can be incredibly varied, reflecting the culture and tastes of its people. Saury is a saltwater fish found in Japan and is sometimes used to make fish ice cream. Seafood of different types and seaweed are also used in ice cream recipes including prawn ice cream, oyster ice cream and squid ice cream. To learn more go to my Japanese ice cream page.

Memorial Day & Barbecue Recipes

The last weekend of May is a long holiday weekend in many countries - but interestingly enough for different reasons.

For example, in the USA the last Monday in May is known as "Memorial Day" - an official national holiday to commemorate US men and women who have died in military service. This year the holiday is on Monday 26 May - a day when many Americans will also get out the barbecue sets because the holiday is also widely recognised as the "official" start to the barbecue season. It is the end of May after all and the weather is usually ideally suited to families and friends getting together.

There will probably be a few barbecues in the UK as well as it's a holiday weekend there - but for an entirely different reason. The last Sunday in May is called "Whitsun" or "Whit Sunday" (another term for Pentecost, a prominent feast in the Christian liturgical year). The term apparently derives from the Middle English term "whitsonday" and Olde English "hwīta sunnandæg" which means White Sunday.

So if you live in a part of the world where any of these celebrations and holidays are taking place this weekend, you are very likely getting together with other people - being invited out to dinner by friends or family or possibly playing host yourself with a barbecue or even a formal cooked dinner. If you are looking for some recipe ideas, here is a great recipe from a friend of mine who is both an innovative engineering genius (sonic horns specialist) and an excellent cook. His favorite dishes are fish and seafood recipes; this one is called "Octopus Hibernia". For dessert you might like to try a light and fruity ice cream sorbet. My lemon sorbet is easy to make yet deliciously refreshing on a summer's day.

Whatever you do this holiday weekend and whether you are cooking or not, try and enjoy your time with family and friends. After all, "these are the days of our lives" ....

Ice Cream Jigsaws

Making ice cream at home can be fun, even for children (as long as they're supervised!) but once they've made and eaten the ice cream, how do you stop them wandering off to sit down and maybe watch tv or play the same old computer game over and over? Here's one answer - ice cream jigsaws.

Everyone loves jigsaws - I have many happy memories doing them with my son when he was younger - and because I know so many people love ice cream I decided to bring the two things together. Based on some of our own photographs on ice-cream-recipes.com there are now 4 free, downloadable jigsaws you can do on your computer. The jigsaws are of 2 ice cream sculptures that my friend Barbra helped to make (Granny's House and Ice Cream Pyramids) and 2 ice cream sundaes that I made and photographed at home (Mint Choc Chip wafer basket sundae and Lemon Sorbet).

I hope the actual photographs that the jigsaws are based on might even serve to inspire some of you to make more of your own ice cream presentations - it's great fun and when you see people's reactions to what you've made it feels really worthwhile.

Read more about making ice cream sculptures

Here's a great daily jigsaw puzzle you can do online.