I’m completely obsessed with a song. I know: it’s got absolutely nothing to do with the caramelized white chocolate ice cream in the photo – which is deliciously creamy and white-chocolatey and perfect, by the way – but I’m listening to the song right now, and I’ve been singing it for the past four weeks, I’ve tried singing it while playing it on the guitar and I have been bugging the Rocking Rebel with interesting theories about its lyrics.
I can be really annoying if I set my mind to it, you know…
Anyway, I bet you’re wondering right now what song I have been singing over and over again while I was making this ice cream and taking photographs of it and eating it and posting about it, but I must warn you: it’s not a hipster song. It’s not a Rihanna song. Or a Taylor Swift song. Nor is it a Katy Perry, Beyoncé or some other hipster popstar song.
It’s a Dire Straits song. Is that weird? Is it nerdy? I mean: what? Dire Straits? I don’t even know what year this song came out and how old those Dire Straits guys are right now… All I know is that it’s the Rocking Rebel’s favorite band right now, which basically means that I haven’t heard anything from another band for the past two months unless I hijacked the hi-fi and put someone else on.
And now I think I caught the Dire Straits virus too!
The song I’m totally obsessed with is ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It’s about a ‘lovestruck romeo’ who ‘sings the streets a serenade’ and who is still head over heels in love with his girl Juliet. Juliet is kind of over him… Well, that’s what I think, but I can’t be sure, because the lyrics just aren’t clear about it!
Here’s the thing: at some point, Romeo sings this:
Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded in my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?
What movie song? What is it that he keeps forgetting? I just don’t get it! So frustrating… Especially when Romeo starts singing something else too:
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above, I’ll love you till I die
There’s a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
Again: what movie song? What is he talking about? Are Romeo and Juliet still together? Is she still in love with him? Did they split up? Are they going through some rough times??
So many questions!
Aaaanyway, you’re probably here for a recipe, so about that ice cream: it’s delicious. It’s super creamy and it tastes of white chocolate, caramel and toasty toastiness. A bit savory even, but more peanut-butter-cup-savory than any other kind of savory.
Oh, and did I mention it is creamy? Because it’s really creamy, especially topped with that gorgeous Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache I made earlier this week! Nothing goes better with caramelized white chocolate than caramelized white chocolate… It’s very easy to make too! Just don’t forget to first caramelize some white chocolate!
Enjoy guys, it’s the best! And if you have any idea what movie song Romeo is singing about, please let me know! It’s killing me…
Click here to sign up to my mailing list.
Click here to follow me on Instagram.
- 250g (or 9 ounces) caramelized white chocolate, chopped into chunks
- 120ml (or ½ cup) whipping cream
- another 120ml (or ½ cup) whipping cream, kept cold until use
- 480ml (or 2 cups) whole milk
- 100g (or ½ cup) granulated sugar
- a pinch of sea salt
- 5 egg yolks
- Start by making a thin caramelized white chocolate ganache. Add the caramelized white chocolate chunks to the bowl of a double boiler. Don’t heat just yet.
- Gently heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the cream reaches scalding point. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
- Place the bowl of the double boiler (with the chocolate and cream mixture) over the bottom pan of the double boiler and heat gently, stirring until all the chocolate chunks have dissolved into the cream and the ganache is smooth. Whisk in the (cold) remaining cream to cool the ganache down. Place a strainer over the bowl of ganache and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the milk with the sugar and salt. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the yolks with a splash of the milk mixture. Whisk until the mixture becomes frothy.
- Next, place the saucepan with the milk mixture over low heat and allow the milk mixture to reach scalding point, stirring continuously until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
- While whisking continuously, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Once all the liquid has been added, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Gently heat the mixture over low heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture has thickened and can coat the back of a spoon.
- NOTE: To test whether the mixture – or crème anglaise – is done, dip a spoon in the mixture and run your finger through the custard down the back of the spoon. If the path you’ve just created with your finger holds its shape, the custard is done. If you are unsure about this step, you can use a sugar thermometer. The crème anglaise is done once the mixture reaches a temperature of 80°C (175°F).
- Take the crème anglaise off the heat and pour it through the sieve into the prepared bowl with cream. Stir to combine. Leave the custard to cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or freeze the mixture ‘manually’ by placing it in a freeze-proof container in the freezer and stirring vigorously every half hour until it has frozen (this may take up to 3 hours, depending on the temperature of your freezer).
- Transfer the churned ice cream to a freeze-proof container (skip this step if you've frozen manually) and place in the freezer to firm up for at least 6 hours or overnight (don't skip this step!).
- Twenty minutes before serving, take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow to soften in the fridge or on the countertop. Enjoy!
New favorite food quote:
I’m going through a caramelized white chocolate phase, so this is a must! 🙂
I sooo know what you’re going through right now!!! I was there a few weeks ago 🙂
by far the best ice cream I’ve ever had it’s killing me how much I love it
Hi Joanna, I’m so glad you like it! I love it too, especially with caramelized white chocolate ganache! Next time I make this, I’m going to make Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream with a Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache Ripple 🙂
Got to work on that name though…
Hi Nila 😉 I’m really enjoying your blog! I originally got here while trying to find alternative buttercream recipes and I keeping clicking to read more.
Did you already get an answer to your question about the Dire Straits Romeo & Juliet song? In case you didn’t I just had to chime in…..
The movie song mentioned in the lyrics above is a reference to “Somewhere”–a song in the musical & film “West Side Story”, which contains the lyric, “There’s a place for us”. There is also another similarly-themed song called “Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet (A Time For Us)”, which was used as the theme for the movie, “Love Story”, in case you’d like to see those lyrics as well.
I find it interesting to know where artists’ inspiration comes from, whether in music or in food!
Thanks for the great recipes & memories! I’m looking forward to reading more 😉
Hi Sara, I’m so glad you like the blog 🙂 And thank you for all the Dire Straits information! As it so happens, someone had already pointed me in the direction of the ‘West Side Story’ song, but I didn’t know about the ‘Love Story’ song yet! I’m gonna check it out 😉