CHERRY AND CARAMELISED ALMOND ICE CREAM

CHERRY AND CARAMELISED ALMOND ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS

800g ripe cherries

170g caster sugar, plus 4
tbsp extra for the almonds
600ml whipping cream
½ tsp almond extract
2 tbsp icing sugar
1L vanilla custard, shopbought
or homemade and
cooled
A drizzle of oil, for greasing
40g toasted flaked almonds
1 tbsp butter

METHOD

1 Remove the stalks and stones
from 600g of the cherries and
then roughly chop.

2 Place them into a medium
pan, add 170g caster sugar,
and then cook very gently for
10 minutes until the sugar
melts. Turn up the heat a little,
then simmer for 15 minutes
until the fruit has softened
and the mixture becomes a
chunky syrup. Allow to cool
completely.

3 In a large bowl, combine
the cream, icing sugar and
almond extract. Whip the
mixture until it just holds its
shape. Fold in the cooled
custard, then transfer the
mixture to an ice cream
machine and churn until you
achieve a thick consistency.

4 For the caramelised almonds,
line a baking sheet with
parchment.

5 Place the almonds, unsalted
butter and 4 tablespoons
of sugar in a pan, swirling
frequently, for about five
minutes.

6 When the sugar starts to melt
and the mixture turns into an
amber caramel, stir and mix
thoroughly until all the nuts
are coated.

7 Transfer immediately onto a
sheet of parchment paper.
Allow to cool slightly before
breaking into smaller pieces.
Transfer the mixture to a
Ziploc bag and crush with a
rolling pin.

8 Place the ice cream into a
suitable container for freezing,
greased with a little oil.

Add drizzles of the syrupy
cherries and incorporate the
caramelised almonds, rippling
through the ice cream using
a knife. Freeze for at least
6 hours, or for best results,
overnight.
9 Serve with whole cherries, to
garnish.