Ice cream makes it all better or shall I say this is what Hollywood wants me to believe, because in every love story at some stage the girl with the broken heart, would do a midnight trip to the freezer and take out a tub of ice-cream. I can't say that I have ever done that because of a man, but I have taken a trip to the freezer tonight and it was for two reasons........
As I am sitting here working, the The Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards 2011 is happening not very far from me. Unfortunately, this year I could not attend this prestigious function, but maybe you can remember my write-up about it last year. At last year's function I happen to sit next to the very talented Riaan Badenhorst and soon after that we did the Kwêla shoot, so for me it all ended well. I am sad for not being able to attend this year and that is the first reason for my trip to the freezer. My second reason for visiting the freezer, although I hear raindrops on the roof, is because I made a few tubs of homemade ice cream on Friday and it really is the most delicious ice-cream I have ever made. Rich, creamy and so easy that my children could manage to make a batch. No custard to be made, no ice-cream machine, sounds almost impossible, but trust me it isn't! Let's make a batch!

Basic Ice Cream Recipe

makes about 750ml

Ingredients
2 eggs
200ml (3/4 cup) caster sugar
250ml(1 cup) full cream milk
500ml(2 cups) cream
½ vanilla pod - inside scraped out

Beat eggs and caster sugar in your mixing bowl until it is creamy and thick. Add the cream, milk and vanilla if making vanilla ice-cream. Pour into a plastic container and place in the freezer. After 15 minutes, take the container from the freezer and with a fork, just mix the ice-cream again to prevent ice-crystals from forming. Repeat the process again after 15 minutes and once more. Freeze until needed.

Strawberry Swirl Ice cream

Puree 250gr fresh strawberries and mix with 2 tbsp of caster sugar. Add to the ice cream mixture before it goes into the freezer.

Peanut Brittle Ice cream
Crush 2 peanut brittle candy bars and mix with the ice-cream mixture before it goes into the freezer.

Choc mint Ice Cream
Crush one Peppermint Crisp Candy bar and mix with the ice cream mixture before it goes into the freezer.

My ice-cream is all finished and so is the The Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards 2011. Strangely though, I do feel better now and I am not sure whether it is the ice cream or the fact that I live in the Western Cape which is now officially the food capital of South Africa! Well done to all the winners!

1. The Greenhouse
2. The Test Kitchen
3. The Tasting Room
4. The Roundhouse
5. Overture
6. Terroir
7. DW Eleven-13
8. Jordan Restaurant
9. Nobu
10. La Colombe

Chef of the year - Luke Dale Roberts from The Test Kitchen
Restaurant of the year - The Greenhouse
Excellent Service Award - The Roundhouse