Friday, February 29, 2008

Amaretti Ice Cream

Ingredients:
16 amaretti cookies, crumbled
4 shots amaretto or other almond liqueur
8 scoops French vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream, in canister
1/4 cup or 1 (2-ounce) package slivered almonds
Directions:
Crumble 4 amaretti cookies into each of 4 dessert cups and douse them with almond liqueur. Top with ice cream, whipped cream and almonds.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Vanilla Bean and Cannellini Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 quarts vanilla bean ice cream
Finely grated fresh nutmeg

Directions:
Roughly mash the beans with the superfine sugar.
Soften ice cream slightly in the microwave for several seconds. Transfer ice cream into a large shallow mixing bowl and work in the mashed beans and few dashes of nutmeg together, quickly and as evenly as possible.
Transfer to the freezer and freeze for at least an hour or preferably overnight

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Coffe Ice Cream

Ingredients:
3 cups half-and-half
6 extra-large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar Pinch salt
2 1/2 tablespoons ground espresso coffee beans, decaffeinated or regular
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces (1/2 cup) chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped
Directions:
Heat the half-and-half until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed. Slowly add the hot half-and-half until combined. Wipe out the pan and pour the mixture back into the clean pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Mix in the chopped espresso beans, spoon into a container, and allow to freeze for a few hours. Soften slightly before serving.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Peanut Ice-Cream Sundae


Ingredients: (serves 4)
8 butternut snap cookies
1/3 cup light smooth peanutbutter
2 tbs caster sugar
1/3 cup hot water
8 scoops vanilla ice-cream

Directions:
Kids' task: Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to gently crush. Combine the peanut spread, sugar and hot water in a medium bowl.
Kids' task: Spoon half the biscuit crumbs into the base of 4 serving glasses. Top with a scoop of ice-cream and drizzle with peanut sauce. Repeat with the remaining biscuit crumbs, ice-cream and peanut sauce to create a second layer.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Ginger Ice-Cream


Ingredients: (serves 6)
4 egg yolks
1/8 cup caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 1/4 cup single cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 cup thickened cream
4 pieces stem ginger in syrup, chopped
Ice-cream cones, to serve

Directions:
Beat together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a large bowl until pale and creamy.
Heat the single cream and vanilla extract in a saucepan over low heat until nearly boiling, then pour onto egg mixture. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until thickened and smooth. Add the ground ginger and stir to combine. Place the saucepan base in a bowl of cold water for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.
Whip the thickened cream in a bowl, then stir into the cooled custard mixture with the stem ginger and syrup. Pour into a shallow container and freeze until frozen at edges. Remove from freezer and beat with an electric beater. Pour back into container and refreeze. Repeat 2 or 3 times. (Alternatively churn in an ice-cream machine following manufacturer's instructions.)

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Chocolate Brownie Cake with Ice-Cream and 2 Sauces



Ingredients: (serves 6)
6 oz good-quality dark chocolate
6 oz unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup whisky
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 oz good-quality choc chips
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Caramel sauce:
3.5 oz muscovado sugar
2 tbs golden syrup
2 oz unsalted butter
3/4 cup thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate sauce:
4. oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup thickened cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 340 F. Grease and line the base of a 9 inch springform cake pan.
Place the dark chocolate in a bowl with the butter, vanilla and whisky. Place over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water, and stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate have melted. Add the brown sugar and beat well, then add 7 oz of the caster sugar, and beat until combined.
Remove the bowl from the heat, cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs and sift in the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat until just combined, then carefully stir in the choc chips.
Pour chocolate mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake starts to shrink away from the sides of the pan. Cool slightly before removing the outer ring from the pan.
While the cake is baking, make the sauces. For the caramel sauce, place the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add cream and vanilla and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool.
To make the chocolate sauce, place chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
Heat cream in a saucepan to scalding point, pour over the chocolate and stir until smooth.
To make sugar shards, line a baking tray with foil. Place the remaining caster sugar in a saucepan over very low heat and swirl the saucepan around occasionally, allowing the sugar to melt evenly. Once the sugar has dissolved and turned golden (this can take up to 15 minutes), pour the mixture onto the tray and set aside to cool completely before breaking into shards.
Serve the brownie cake while still slightly warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a sugar shard on the side. Pour over some of each of the caramel and chocolate sauces.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Banana Choc & Peanut Butter Ice Cream Terrine



Ingredients: (serves 10)
4 cups vanilla ice cream
7 oz chopped banana (2 small bananas)
1/4 lemon, juiced
2 cups chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
5 Double Delight Oreo biscuits (Peanut Butter 'n' Chocolate Creme)

Directions:
Line a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing extra to hang over the sides. Place half of the vanilla ice cream into a bowl. Allow to soften slightly. Blend the banana and lemon juice until pureed. Fold through the ice cream until well combined. Spread into the base of the pan. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
Place the chocolate ice cream in a bowl. Allow to soften slightly. Swirl the peanut butter through the ice cream. Spread over the banana ice cream layer. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
Place the remaining vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Allow to soften slightly. Use your hands to roughly crush the biscuits into the bowl. Fold the biscuits through the ice cream. Spread over the chocolate ice cream layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight to firm.
To serve, invert onto a chopping board or serving platter. Remove the plastic wrap and cut into slices to serve.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Pistachio Ice-Cream Pastries with Orange & Date Salad



Ingredients: (serves 8)
2 pints bought pistachio or any good-quality ice-cream
10 sheets filo pastry
1 oz unsalted butter, melted
7 oz caster sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tbs orange flower water

Orange & date salad:
1 orange, peeled, segmented
4 fresh dates, seeded, cut into slivers
2 tbs pistachios, chopped

Directions:
Allow the ice-cream to soften slightly, then pack into a lamington pan lined with plastic wrap. Refreeze until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a large baking tray, then place a sheet of pastry on tray, brush with a little butter, then place another sheet of pastry on top. Continue layering and brushing until you have a 5-sheet stack. Repeat to make another stack. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Meanwhile, place the sugar, honey, cinnamon and orange flower water in a pan with 1/2 cup water. Stir over low heat to dissolve sugar, then increase heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Remove pastry from oven and pour syrup over each stack, reserving a little syrup to drizzle. Set aside pastry to cool.
Use a pastry cutter to cut out eight 6cm rounds from each pile of pastry and eight 2.5 inch rounds from the ice-cream. Return ice-cream rounds to the freezer.
Make salad by combining orange, dates and pistachios in a small bowl. Add a little of the reserved syrup. Place a pastry stack on each plate, top with a round of ice-cream, then another pastry stack. Drizzle reserved syrup over top and serve with salad.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Maple Syrup Pecan Ice-Cream Loaf



Ingredients: (serves 8)
2 1/2 cups pecan nuts, roughly chopped
2 qurts vanilla ice-cream, softened
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar

Directions:
Grease and line an 3 inch deep, 10 inch x 3 inch (base) rectangular cake pan. Roughly chop 1 1/2 cups of pecans.
Place softened ice-cream into a large bowl. Add maple syrup and chopped pecans. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in syrup and nuts until well combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Cover and freeze for 6 to 8 hours, or until firm.
Place sugar into a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook, tilting pan back and forth, until sugar dissolves and turns a deep golden colour. Add remaining pecans. Turn to coat. Pour out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Set aside until firm. Break into pieces.
Turn out ice-cream cake. Top with toffee pecans. Slice and serve.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Rum & Raisin Ice-Cream



Ingredients (serves 6)
9 oz raisins
1/2 cup dark rum
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs treacle
2 1/2 cups thick cream

Directions:
Place raisins and rum in a pan and bring to the boil then allow to cool and macerate.
Place egg yolks, golden syrup, vanilla extract and treacle in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for five minutes until thick. Add cream and beat for two minutes. Place in a plastic container in the freezer for 45 minutes until beginning to harden. Fold through rum and raisins until well combined, then freeze until firm.
We served our ice-cream in home-made chocolate bowls. Simply melt 7 oz dark or milk chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, then set aside to cool. Dip the base of an inflated balloon into the chocolate. Remove then re-dip until base is well-covered in chocolate. Stand on a tray until it has hardened, then carefully deflate the balloon and discard. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Waffles with Hot Chocolate & Hazelnut Sauce



Ingredients (serves 4)
3.5 oz good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup thickened cream
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs Frangelico liqueur
7 oz Belgian-style waffles (Tasty brand), toasted
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve
Fresh or thawed frozen raspberries, to serve

Directions:
Place the chocolate, cream, sugar and liqueur in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Use a metal spoon to stir occasionally until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
Place the waffles on serving plates. Top with ice-cream and drizzle with hot chocolate sauce. Serve immediately with raspberries, if desired.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Pistachio & Cardamom Ice-Cream with Rosewater Watermelon


Ingredients (serves 10)
2 cups pistachio coarsely chopped
8 1/2 cup vanilla ice-cream, softened
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups water
2.5 pounds watermelon, cut into 1cm-thick wedges
1 tbs rosewater essence

Directions:
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add pistachios and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Combine pistachios, ice-cream and cardamom in a bowl. Spoon ice-cream mixture into a large metal container. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 3 hours or until firm.
Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add watermelon and rosewater. Remove from heat. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool.
Divide rosewater watermelon among serving bowls and serve with ice-cream.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Coconut Passionfruit Gelato


Ingredients (serves 8)
2 cups milk
1 pint coconut cream
6 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup passionfruit pulp

Directions:
Combine milk and coconut cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until warm. Remove from heat.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until pale and thick. Pour in warm milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to pan. Stir over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture is hot (do not boil or it will curdle). Remove from heat. Allow to cool.
Pour mixture into an airtight container. Set aside to cool completely. Cover and freeze for 5 to 6 hours or until almost set.
Transfer mixture to a food processor. Process until smooth. Stir in passionfruit pulp. Spoon into a 5-cup capacity container. Cover surface with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze overnight or until set. Serve.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Chocolate Fudge Ice-Cream Cake

Ingredients (serves 12)
14 oz hazelnuts
5 oz butter, at room temperature
1 cup pure icing sugar
3 eggs
8 oz dark chocolate
1/4 cup Kahlua or Tia Maria liqueur
3 quarts vanilla ice-cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place nuts onto a baking tray. Roast for 10 minutes, or until skins split. Wrap nuts in a clean tea-towel. Stand for 10 minutes. Rub nuts in tea-towel to remove skins. Roughly chop.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring with a metal spoon until smooth. Stir chocolate and liqueur into butter mixture.Sprinkle half the nuts into a 3 inch deep, 10 inch (base) springform pan. Pour over half the chocolate mixture. Freeze for 30 minutes. Stand ice-cream at room temperature until slightly softened.
Top with ice-cream, then remaining chocolate mixture. Cover. Freeze for 1 hour. Press remaining nuts into chocolate mixture. Cover. Freeze overnight. Slice. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Watermelon and Strawberry Sorbet


Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
2.5 pounds seedless watermelon, peeled
9 oz strawberries, hulled, chopped
1 eggwhite

Directions:
Cook sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to the boil. Transfer to a bowl. Cool for 1 hour.
Process or blend watermelon and strawberries, in batches, until smooth. Stir into sugar syrup until well combined.
Pour mixture into a container. Cover. Freeze for 3 hours or until almost frozen.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhite to soft peaks. Transfer fruit mixture to food processor. Process until smooth (not melted). Fold through eggwhite. Spoon back into container. Cover. Freeze overnight. Serve.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Banana Fritters with Green Tea Ice-Cream



Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornflour
1 egg
Vegetable oil, to deep fry
4 bananas
Icing sugar, to dust

Green tea ice-cream:
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp powdered green gunpowder tea
1 cup thickened cream
1 cup thin cream

Directions:
To make the ice-cream, place sugar and 1/3 cup cold water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Mix 1 tablespoon of syrup with the tea, then add to syrup in saucepan. Cool completely.
Whip the thickened cream. Mix with thin cream and tea syrup. Pour mixture into a shallow container and freeze until frozen at edges. Remove from freezer and beat with an electric beater. Pour back into container and re-freeze. Repeat 2 or 3 times. (Alternatively use an ice-cream maker following manufacturer's directions.)
Sift 1/2 cup plain flour and the cornflour into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, the egg and 1/2 cup cold water. Whisk to a smooth batter with a hand whisk, then set aside.
Half fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan with oil and heat to 375 F. (If you lack a deep-fryer thermometer, test a cube of bread - it will turn golden in 30 seconds if the oil is hot enough.) Peel bananas, cut each in half across the centre and toss in remaining flour to coat. Working in batches, dip each piece of banana in batter, then carefully drop in the hot oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown (you may need to turn the pieces over halfway through cooking). Dust with icing sugar and serve hot with ice-cream.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Strawberry Sundae


Ingredients
2 small scoops strawberry ice-cream
4 strawberries, hulled, halved
2 tbs strawberry sauce
3 marshmallows, quartered
Whipped cream, to serve
1 maraschino cherry, to garnish

Direction:
Place 2 scoops of ice-cream in a bowl, add the strawberries and drizzle with the strawberry sauce. Scatter with the marshmallows, add a dollop of whipped cream. Top with maraschino cherry.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Hot Chocolate Fudge Sundae


Ingredients
2 1/2 tbs chocolate sauce,
1 tbs chopped peanuts, plus extra to decorate the glass
2 small scoops chocolate ice-cream
2 small scoops vanilla ice-cream
2 1/2 tbs peanut butter
Whipped cream and chocolate flakes, to serve

Directions:
Dip the rim of the sundae glass in the chocolate sauce, then dip in the chopped nuts. Place 1 scoop of each ice-cream into the glass, then add 1 tablespoon each of chocolate sauce and peanut butter sauce. Sprinkle over half the nuts, then repeat layers. Drizzle with the remaining chocolate and peanut sauces, top with whipped cream and decorate with chocolate flakes.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Honey and Cinnamon Roasted Pecan Ice-Cream


Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 oz pecan nuts
3 pints creamy vanilla ice-cream
1/2 cup vanilla custard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine 1/3 cup honey and cinnamon in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 30 seconds or until warm. Stir in pecans and mix well to coat. Spread honeyed pecans, in a single layer, over prepared baking tray. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. Roughly chop honeyed pecans.
Line the base of six 1/2-cup capacity ramekins with rounds of baking paper. Remove ice-cream from freezer and stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the temperature of the day) or until softened slightly but not melted. Transfer to a bowl.
Stir in custard and three-quarters of the honeyed pecans. Mix until well combined. Spoon mixture into ramekins. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Carefully turn out onto plates. Top with remaining honeyed pecans. Drizzle with remaining honey and serve.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Custard Apple Crumble Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce


Ingredients
2 pints vanilla ice cream
1 large custard apple
9 oz butternut snap cookies
1 cup pecans, chopped
7 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Light & Creamy evaporated milk

Directions:
Stand ice cream at room temperature for about 20 minutes, or until it has softened slightly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, halve custard apple and scoop out flesh. Roughly chop flesh and discard seeds. Place cookies in a snap-lock bag and bash with a rolling pin to roughly crush. Add custard apple, cookies and pecans to ice cream, mix until well combined and spread into a 1.5 quart container or dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours, or until firm.
Place chocolate and evaporated milk in a small saucepan. Stir constantly, over low heat, until chocolate has completely melted. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool slightly. Serve scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

White Chocolate Ice-Cream Pyramids



Ingredients
6 egg yolks
2 oz caster sugar
3 cups thin cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3.5 oz white chocolate
Silver cachous, to garnish

Directions:
To prepare pyramid moulds, spray with a little olive oil spray and line with plastic wrap, or spray and line a 2 pint terrine.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy.
Place cream in a pan with vanilla and bring to boil, then gently beat cream into yolk mixture. Return to pan and stir over very low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Place in a bowl, cool, then refrigerate until well chilled.
Pour mixture into a shallow metal tray and freeze for 1-2 hours. Transfer to a bowl and beat with electric beaters until smooth, then return to tray and refreeze. Repeat twice more, then place mixture in moulds or terrine and freeze until firm. (Alternatively use an ice-cream machine following manufacturer's instructions.)
To remove ice-cream from moulds, dip base in a bowl of warm water for a few seconds, then gently invert onto serving plates. Garnish with cachous and serve.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Chocolate Pistachio Ice Cream


Ingredients
18 oz vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/3 cup pistachio kernels
18 oz double chocolate ice cream
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup sultanas
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Raspberries, to serve
Icing sugar, to dust

Directions:
Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Soften the vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Stir in the craisins and pistachio kernels. Spoon into pan. Place in the freezer until firm.
Soften the double chocolate ice cream in a bowl. Stir in the apricots, sultanas and almonds. Spoon into pan. Freeze overnight until firm.
Remove from the freezer and place in fridge for 5 minutes to soften before serving. Use the plastic wrap to help remove. Serve with raspberries and dust with icing sugar.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Tiramisu Ice Cream


Ingredients
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
1/4 cup coffee-flavoured liqueur (Kahlua or Tia Maria)
4 pints good quality vanilla ice cream, softened
4 oz Flake chocolate bars, crumbled
18 sponge finger biscuits

Directions:
Line a loaf tin with baking paper to cover the base and overhang the 2 long sides. Combine coffee and liqueur in a shallow bowl.
Soften ice cream, and divide evenly between 2 bowls. Don't allow to melt completely. Fold chocolate through half the ice cream and 1/4 cup of the coffee mixture through the other half.
Spread half the chocolate mixture over the base of the tin. Dip biscuits, one at a time into remaining coffee mixture and lay onto ice cream pressing in gently. Follow with half the coffee mixture, another biscuit layer, remaining coffee, biscuits and finish with chocolate ice cream.
Fold sides of paper over top of ice cream, wrap tin in foil. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, remove foil and wipe outside of tin with a hot wet cloth. Run a knife down each end to loosen. Turn out onto a platter, remove paper and slice to serve.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Cheesecake Ice-Cream


Ingredients
9 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup thickened cream
3.5 oz Toblerone chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 pints vanilla ice-cream, softened

Directions:
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add cream, beating constantly until combined.
Fold cream cheese mixture and Toblerone through softened ice-cream. Transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for 4 to 5 hours or until firm. Serve.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Ice-Cream Bombe


Ingredients
2.5 oz dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/3 cup orange juice
18 oz mascarpone
3.5 oz caster sugar
1 1/4 cup thickened cream
2 slices candied orange peel, chopped into small pieces
3.5 oz nougat, chopped into small pieces
4 oz good-quality chocolate drops
1 tbs Grand Marnier (optional)
Rosemary sprigs dusted with icing sugar, to decorate
Silver cachous*, to decorate

Directions:
Spray a 6 cup pudding basin with oil and line with plastic wrap.
Place cranberries in a saucepan with orange juice and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, then cool.
Beat together the mascarpone and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the thickened cream and fold into the mascarpone, then add the cranberries, orange peel, nougat, chocolate drops and the Grand Marnier, if using. Spoon the mixture into the basin and freeze overnight.
When ready to serve, transfer to the fridge for 30 minutes to soften, then turn out and garnish with rosemary sprigs dusted with icing sugar and silver cachous.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Zabaglione Ice-Cream Cake


Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1/4 cup marsala wine
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 cups cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
4 cups crumbled amaretto biscuits
10 oz raspberries
10 oz strawberries
1 tbs lemon juice

Directions:
Line base and sides of a 9 inch spring-form pan with non-stick baking paper and brush sides with melted butter.
Place egg yolks, marsala and 1/4 cup caster sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until doubled in volume then chill over a bowl of ice. Beat cream until it forms stiff peaks, then beat in vanilla and icing sugar and fold into zabaglione mixture.
Pour a quarter of the zabaglione mixture into the pan and freeze for 15 minutes. Top with a layer of amaretto biscuits then a layer of zabaglione. Freeze and repeat, finishing with a layer of zabaglione. Freeze for 4 hours.
Place remaining caster sugar in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Add raspberries. Place in a blender and whiz until a smooth puree. Strain and discard seeds then add strawberries and lemon juice.
Pour the sauce over ice-cream cake and serve immediately.