Now I love ice-cream, as do most people who do not have an allergy to dairy products. My favourite ice-cream is Connoisseur Vanilla. It is so rich and creamy, you can literally taste the calories as they melt in your mouth.
It appears that like us here in Perth (and the rest of Australia), the Japanese are great lovers of ice-cream as well. They actually held an ice-cream festival in Yokahama this year to mark the 130th anniversary of the arrival of the frozen treat into Japan.
However, while we seem to be content with flavours like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, hazelnut etc. the Japanese like to be a bit more adventurous. Just like watching some of their game shows, eating ice-cream in Japan can be a very weird experience.
So in honour of their recent ice-cream anniversary I give you my list of the twelve worst flavours of japanese ice-cream ever invented and presumably eaten.
#1 - Beef Tongue Flavour
#2 - Raw Horse Fleash Flavour
#3 - Pit Viper Flavour
#4 - Soy Sauce Flavour
#5 - Goat Flavour
#6 - Chicken Wing Flavour
#7 - Charcoal Flavour
#8 - Cheese Flavour
#9 - Garlic Flavour
#10 - Cactus Flavour
#11 - Octopus Flavour
and last but not least...
#12 - Shark Fin Noodle Flavour
Unfortunately I do not have the recipe for any of these taste sensations, but I do have one for the famous Japanese Red Bean Ice Cream.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half (half whole milk, half cream)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 2 cups red bean paste
Instructions:
1 - Pour the 4 cups half-and-half into the top of a double boiler over medium heat.
2 - Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until the yolks turn thick and pale. Temper the yolks by gradually adding the hot half-and-half mixture a cup at a time while whisking vigorously so as not to scramble the eggs.
3 - Return the mixture to the top part of the double boiler and whisk over simmering water until slightly thickened and heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Dilute the tapioca starch with the remaining 2 tablespoons half-and-half and add it to the mixture. Continue whisking to a custard consistency that coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Transfer the custard to a heatproof bowl and whisk in the red bean paste. Set over an ice bath and refrigerate overnight (or at least 12 hours).
4 - The next day, pour the custard into an ice-cream maker and process the custard according to the manufacturer's instructions, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the ice-cream to a container and freeze until ready to serve.
Enjoy!