Using an Italian Gelato base and a syrup made from the discarded berries, the end result is a rich flavoursome ice-cream perfect on its own, with marinated fruits or puddings.  I love it served over a chocolate sponge pudding. A favourite of Husbands was when I used the Sloe Armagnac ice cream  as one of the layers in a chocolate ice-cream cake for our Great Gatsby party.

Naturally, serve it with a shot of your home-made Sloe Armagnac or other sloe based liquor. Recipe here.

Years ago we invested in a home ice-cream maker and it gets plenty of use here with our harvested fruits.

I have not tested this recipe for manual ice cream method. Make the ice cream/gelato base and syrup the day before you churn or freeze it. The colder your base, the smoother the result.

Prepare your Gelato base for Sloe Armagnac ice cream – makes 1 quart (1 litre)

Ingredients: US (metric)

2 cups (480 mls) Full cream/whole milk

1 cup (240 mls) heavy cream/double cream

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup (150g) white sugar

Method:

In a heavy based saucepan, gently heat the combined milk and cream. Stir frequently to avoid a skin forming. Cream mixture will be ready when small bubbles appear around the edges and mixture reaches 170°F (77°C).

Meanwhile, in a heat proof bowl whisk your egg yolks until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the sugar gradually and keep whisking until the mixture is very thick and pale in colour.  I use the whisk ball on my KitchenAid for this process.

Tempering the egg yolks requires a gentle hand.  Whilst whisking continuously, gently and slowly pour the warmed milk mixture a little at a time into your egg and sugar mix.  If you add it too quickly you will curdle the egg yolks.

Return the mixture to your saucepan and over a low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  The ice-cream base is ready when it coats the back of the spoon and reaches a temperature of 185°F (85°C). DO NOT allow mixture to boil – it will curdle.

Pour the mixture  through a fine sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps and allow to cool to room temperature.  Stir every now and then to avoid a skin.  Cover and refrigerate until cold (overnight).

You now have your Gelato base. Use it with any liquors or fruit syrups or simply add a split vanilla bean into the milk and cream warming process to produce wonderfully rich vanilla ice cream.

Sloe Armagnac syrup

Ingredients:

The strained berries fresh from your Sloe Armagnac or other sloe based liquor making process

A quantity of white sugar to amend resulting syrup to your taste – approx 1/4 cup (55g) per kilo of berries

Hot water – approx 1/4 cup (60mls) per kilo of berries

Method:

With your berries in a heavy based saucepan, sprinkle half of the suggested white sugar over them and add enough hot water to reach 1 inch (2.5cm) of liquid into the base of your saucepan.

Cover saucepan and gently bring the berries, water and sugar to the boil.  I add a small portion of a cinnamon stick at this stage to infuse more flavour. However, like the Sloe Armagnac recipe variations, you may wish to experiment with other complimentary flavour notes or compliment any variation you have made. 

Once bubbles start to form in the liquid base, reduce heat to bring mix to a slow simmer – you do not want to boil dry. Do not mash berries but stir gently folding them every now and then. You are not looking to produce a jam but simply to steam out remaining flavour of your berries. You need to produce approximately 1/2-3/4 cup (120-180mls) of syrup per quantity of ice-cream base.

After an hour or so, taste the syrup. Add more sugar to taste if syrup is not sweet to taste. Add a little more water if your liquid has reduced to the extent that your berries are at risk of catching on the base of your saucepan.

Once happy you have the volume required, an intense flavour and rich colour, remove from heat and strain through a colander.  Leave to gently strain.

Refrigerate the resulting syrup overnight.

Making your Sloe Armagnac Ice Cream

Follow the instructions for pre-cooling your ice cream maker.  Add your Gelato base and begin churning.

Once your slush texture starts to form, slowly pour in 1/2 cup (120mls) of your cooled Sloe Armagnac berry syrup.

Churn until your gelato reaches a crystal free smooth ice cream.  My ice-cream maker reaches this point after approximately 30 minutes.

Pour your churned ice cream into a sealable freezer proof container.

It will keep at least six months in the freezer.  However, ours has never lasted that long.

Favourite Sloe Armagnac ice cream serving suggestions 

Spoon over warmed chocolate brownie

Pour blueberries macerated a couple of hours in your Sloe liquor over a scoop of this delicious Sloe Armagnac ice cream

Generous scoop alongside a chocolate lava cake

A dessertspoon sized scoop of Slow Armagnac ice cream into small cup with a hot fresh espresso coffee poured over. Accompany with biscotti or almond tuilles.

Review

The process for the syrup above may seem a little loose in detail but much depends on the Sloe based liquor you have made and the resulting flavours the berries have retained.

Regardless – the whole process is relatively fool proof – after all, I have mastered it.

This recipe can be adapted to any store bought liquor.  I also love to make it with 1/4 cup (60mls) “real” Armagnac added to 1/4 cup (60mls) of store bought caramel sauce.  The same base with 1/2 cup (120mls) of Baileys also makes a lovely spicy gelato.

If you do not have an ice cream maker – add it to your Santa list.  You will not regret it.

The recipe for Sloe Armagnac Jelly will be posted soon.

Have fun and let us know how you go.

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Autumn brings on the final harvest of the year.  Along with the many fruit trees, vines and bushes that existed here that provide us in summer, we have many more requiring ladders and baskets in the autumn.

Jams, jellies, chutneys and relishes are always simmering away on the stove as we convert our bounty into pantry yummies and gifts for the coming year. However, it is the wine cellar and liquor cabinet stocking that gets husband most excited.

DIY Wine cellar stocks

This was all very new to us, two city dwelling people. Busy careers and urban lives left little time or inclination for the old sitcom Tom and Barbara “Good Life” existence. Although for both of us, we are now living the dream.

We live in a region famous for its Armagnac, liquors and wines.  We love producing unique goodies using local produce. Our concoctions and experiments aim to be regionally appropriate with local alcohol bases, fruits and herbs.

Foraging in autumn delivers us with wild raspberries, rose hips and sloes to bring indoors to convert into drinkables.

A protege of Sloe Gin

I loved sloe gin the moment I first sipped it on a UK trip where friends made their own. However, I had never seen the berry growing and had no idea at first that our border hedges here are full of them.

Once discovered, the excitement began.  When to pick, how to use, what we can use them for all became info missions to accomplish.  We received many tips from our foodie friends far and wide. When we asked our local French, they had no idea what to do – a surprise to us.

The prickly bushes that produce the hard black powdery coated berries are known in some countries as blackthorn and here in France, Prunelles. They are not for eating in their raw state.

Armagnac Blanc – white Armagnac

Armagnac, like cognac is a distilled spirit from grapes.  I will not go into the argument here about which is better or preferred, that is for the foodies to debate which they have been doing for centuries.  To know more about both and their various differences, read here.  Essentially, they are both French brandies.

Before either goes into the barrel after the distilling process they exist in their eau-de-vie (water of life) form. Like Italian Grappa and other strong digestives derived from grapes, it has a high alcohol percentage. Armagnac Blanc 

The Rolling hills of Armagnac Gascony

Living in the very heart of the Armagnac region of South West France, the regional beverage is often an integral part of our visitors’ experience.  With our base sourced from our vigneron neighbour, our Sloe Armagnac fulfills the dream of seeing the vines and bushes we are sipping from.

For those not lucky enough to have a productive neighbour, Armagnac Blanc it is available in most good wines stores or large supermarkets. It is delicious served chilled on its own as a digestive!

However, whilst this post uses sloe berries in white Armagnac, the process is the same for gin, vodka or any other eau-de-vie.

Gathering and preparing your Sloe berries

Our Sloe Gin friends from the UK advised us to pick the sloes in the autumn just after the first frost.  However they live in colder climes than us, so we pick in late September and freeze them in zip lock bags to emulate the frost process.

TIP: The freezing process also makes them split when defrosted saving us the laborious task of pricking them all as directed by many friends.

After rinsing off leaves and twigs and drying in a tea towel, freeze for a minimum of 48 hours. If there are any that are dehydrated, I include them as they are still full of flavour.

Compiling your Sloe Armagnac

The following recipe is for how we like our Sloe Armagnac with tips on making it to your own taste preference.

Friends here, inspired by our Sloe Armagnac now produce their own with differing intensities and sweetness.  Some produce a schnapps type intensity with a big hit of Armagnac Blanc and barely discernible berries whilst others have it thick and sweet like a true dessert liquor.

Please don’t tell them but we like ours best!  

We are generous with the sloe berry proportions and finish it to a medium sweetness. The more berries in your base, the stronger the flavour and colour.

If you prefer a schnapps/Grappa type intensity then reduce the amount of sloes and sugar per volume of the White Armagnac.

STEP ONE: Use a large clean glass seal-able container .  I use a huge French one that takes eight litres and comes with snug fitting snap on lid. However, any large glass jar that can be sealed will do.

Do not use a metal lid in case of rust or flavour distortion.

STEP TWO: Fill your container about 3/4 full with your frozen berries. There is no need to defrost as the trick with freezing them is that they will split and release their juices defrosting directly into the Armagnac.  Leave plenty of space for swirling during maturation.

STEP THREE: Fill with your Armagnac (or other spirit) until the sloes are covered.  They will float at first. Ensure your liquid is more than sufficient to cover them when they eventually swell up and sink.

STEP FOUR:  Give it a good swirl but do not shake. You do not want to produce excess sediment by breaking up the berries.

STEP FIVE: Add your white sugar. I only add about half the ultimate volume of sugar at this stage.  My final product is approximately 1/2  cup of white sugar per litre of spirit.  Sprinkle if over the berries and grog and again swirl it gently by swinging the jar/bottle.  Don’t worry – it will not not fully dissolve at this point.

Your final product will need two to three months to mature. See notes below on maturation.

Variations

There are many other notes of flavours you can add to create your own unique blend.  Here are some I have tried. I suggest you try a base recipe first and then you can experiment. Or split your base across a few jars and choose your own preference.

Add a stick of cinnamon (not powder) and or a star anise for a spicy high note.

Dried citrus peel infuses to produce a fruitier note.

My favourite variation was crystallized ginger (whole chunks) which produced a complexity to the fruit notes and added a deep heat.

Various dried fruits work well from currants to dried apple.  However, keep all pieces whole and do not be tempted to chop them up as this will make it harder to create a clear liquor.

Maturing your Sloe Armagnac

STEP SIX: Once you have sealed up your mix, leave in a cool dark place and swirl it often.  I leave mine in our kitchen pantry and give it a swirl whenever I walk past. I try to limit my tastings – it is powerful stuff – especially before noon.

After the first few weeks, give it a taste.  I usually wait a month before adding any extra sugars.  By this time the sloes will be giving off significant flavour and you can best decide if you want it sweeter. Do not add too much sugar at once. Like too much salt in soup – it cannot be undone.

Finishing your liquor

STEP SEVEN: Once you are happy with your flavour/s, it’s time to strain it off.

Commence by pouring off as much liquid as you can into a jug or bowl with a pouring lip without the sloes .

Next, line a large colander or sieve with muslin or cheesecloth and pour the rest of your brew including the berries gently into the muslin to drain.  I leave mine overnight but in reality you will have most of the liquid after half an hour or so.

DO NOT try mashing or crushing your berries as it will not add much liquid volume and simply add sediment and sludge to your liquor.

TIP: Put the drained berries to one side and consider making my Sloe Armagnac Ice Cream recipe or Sloe Armagnac Jelly.  After-all, it would be shame to waste all those beautiful flavours you have infused for months.

To clarify your liquor, place a paper coffee filter into a sieve and gently pour your liquid through it and allow to slowly drain.  If your liquor still has sediment, repeat the process.  Do not force it through this process.  Patience is required!

Bottling your liquor

FINAL STEP: (You are nearly there!) Choose your seal-able bottles to store your end result.  Clear glass will best show off the fabulous rich colour of your finished product.

Label it with the year, date and any other details that enhance your not so hard work.  We add the GPS location of the vines and details of where the sloes were gathered.

If you have added any additional flavours, then list them such as “hint of ginger and allspice”.

Consuming your Slow Armagnac

Ultimately it is a liquor.  However, some serve it chilled or over ice as an aperitif but we prefer to serve it at room temperature in a heavy based liquor glass after a meal.

Alternatively, serve it over fresh fruits – it is wonderful splashed over blueberries and/or strawberries an hour or two before serving and accompany with Sloe Armagnac Ice Cream.

Alcohol content

It should be noted that like any eau-de-vie, this is a strong alcohol and should be treated as such.  Definitely not for kids (unless you really want them to sleep well).

Enjoy.

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