Tom Norrington-Davies is a cook and food writer.
Blackcurrant and anise ice-cream
Serves 4
This was inspired by the blackcurrant and liquorice sweets I loved when I was a boy. You don't need to be an anise fan to make it. Pernod comes in handy 'miniatures' which I find ideal for cooking. Strictly speaking it is a semi fredo, as the alcohol inhibits the freezing process. Which in turn means you don't need an ice-cream machine to make it.
Ingredients
250g blackcurrants
100g caster sugar
100g icing sugar
3 eggs, separated
150ml double cream
50ml (roughly 2 tablespoons) anise.
Method
Heat the blackcurrants with the caster sugar and simmer briskly until the berries break up a bit and the juices have gone slightly jammy. This takes about ten minutes but don't let them catch or burn. Allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, combine half the icing sugar with the egg yolks and beat until pale. Heat the cream in a thick bottomed pan until it fizzes against the side and whisk in the yolks. Cook for no more than another minute or so. You just want the mixture to coat the back of a spoon. Allow to cool completely.
Once your fruit and custard mixes have cooled whisk the remaining icing sugar into the egg whites and beat until you have a stiff, glossy meringue. It should look like shaving foam!
Fold the fruit and the anise into the meringue, gently, keeping in as much air as possible. Fold in the custard, equally gently. Freeze for 6 to 8 hours before serving. If you freeze overnight, allow the ice-cream to soften before serving up.
Raspberry Ripple ice-cream
Serves 4
Again, using the semi fredo method allows you to skip the churning, so you don't need an ice-cream maker.
Ingredients
300ml cream
seeds from half a vanilla pod
150g icing sugar
3 eggs, separated
100g raspberries
1tbs balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
Method
Heat the cream and vanilla until the cream fizzes against the side of the pan. Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until pale, then whisk them into the cream. Heat gently until the custard coats the back of the spoon. This doesn't take more than a couple of minutes. Allow this mix to cool completely. Meanwhile heat the raspberries with the vinegar or lemon juice until the berries completely fall apart. Use vinegar if you can because it really deepens the flavour. Pass the fruit through a sieve to remove the seeds and allow to cool completely.
When fruit and custard have cooled, beat the remaining sugar with the egg whites until you have a stiff, glossy meringue that looks like shaving foam. Fold the meringue and custard together and allow to freeze for three hours. After that time, remove from the freezer and gently fold in the raspberry mixture. Go easy, so that you end up with ripples rather than good old fashioned pink ice cream. Freeze for a further 3 hours before serving.
Ice-cream tip. The freezing times above will vary depending on the efficiency of the freezer. Placing the tub on the floor of the freezer rather than on other containers will speed it up. As will a regularly defrosted unit.
©Tom Norrington - Davies June 2005
Cupboard Love: How to Get the Most Out of Your Kitchen by Tom Norrington-Davies published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, ISBN: 0340835265
|
Gregg is an award-winning food broadcaster who coaches U-12 rugby in his spare time.
Charlie is a greengrocer extraordinaire bringing fruit and veg expertise to the masses.