Last weekend summer hit the west coast of Ireland. I braved
the sea for my first swim of the year, white pasty legs were on display
everywhere and beach space was at a premium. I also successfully managed to
consume my body weight in ice cream The full on continental temperatures may
have receded a little but signs that summer is here are all about. Whilst on
a little work trip to Cork I managed to find a few spare minutes to venture to
the English Market where I bought an incredibly large quantity of sweet
smelling Irish strawberries as well as what can only be described as a large
sack of nectarines. And so on my return home, where the sun was trying to break
through the clouds again, I set about making a strawberry and nectarine swirl
ice cream.
This is following my trusted swiss meringue ice cream base
which uses just egg whites to create a no churn ice cream mix, great for anyone
that doesn’t have an ice cream maker or the time to whisk up a custard based
ice cream mix every hour to stop those pesky large ice crystals forming in the
mix!!This mixture contains a strawberry and nectarine syrup the you swirl
through the final mixture to create a fruity, summery delight. The syrup does
contain two slightly unusual ingredients but trust me it works. First off
balsamic vinegar (just a little bit) is added and this really brings out the
gorgeous sweetness of the strawberries and nectarines as well as providing a
slightly sharp contrast to the sugary ice cream base. Then a little vodka is
added to prevent the mixture freezing completely solid once added to the ice
cream. I used Black Cow vodka in this
recipe, which is an amazingly creamily smooth tasting vodka that is made using
the whey from milk….so it seemed to be appropriate to add to this dairy delight…if
you can’t get your hands on Black Cow (although it you like your vodka I recommend
you try) any other vodka will work too.
For the syrup:
3 nectarines, diced
200g strawberries, diced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon vodka (I used Black Cow vodka, but any other
vodka will be fine)
For the ice cream:
3 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
310g caster sugar
100ml water
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
320ml double cream
You will also need a sugar thermometer for this.
Begin by placing all of the ingredients for the syrup apart
from the vodka into a medium saucepan, place over a medium heat until the
mixture begins to bubble and then reduce the heat and allow the mixture to reduce
to a sticky syrupy consistency. Once reduced remove from the heat and allow to
cool then add the vodka to the mix.
While the fruit syrup in reducing but eh egg whites into a
large clean cowl and whisk using an electric whisk until the egg whites start
to look foamy. At this point add the cream of tartar and then continue to whisk
until stiff peaks are formed…this is the point when you take the whisk out of
the mixture and a peak of egg whites is left that doesn’t collapse.
Set the egg whites aside and place the sugar and water into
a large saucepan. Swirl the mixture slightly to allow the sugar to dissolve
into the water, but don’t stir the mixture. Place the pan over a medium heat
and once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear stick the thermometer
into the mixture, raise the heat and allow the mixture to bubble quite rapidly
until it reaches 112°C/234°F is reached.
Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and begin whisking the
egg mixture again at a slow speed.
Very carefully begin to pour the sugar syrup into the egg
white mix, continuing to beat the mixture the whole time. Once all of the syrup
is added the mixture will look glossy and smooth but continue to beat the
mixture for another 10 minutes until the meringue has cooled down to room
temperature.
Now in a separate bowl place the cream and vanilla bean
paste and whisk until the cream is thick and has doubled in size.
Add a third of the cream into the meringue mixture and gently
fold in until combined. Continue adding the rest of the cream bit by bit until
well combined by try not to over beat the mixture as some of the air will be
lost from the mixture.
Transfer the ice cream mixture to a freezer proof container
and place in the freezer for a couple of hours until it starts to firm up.
After a couple of hours remove the ice cream from the
freezer and swirl through the cooled fruit syrup. I find it best to dollop big
blobs of the syrup on top of the ice cream and then draw a swirly pattern
across the ice cream with a fork to distribute the syrup throughout.
Return the mixture to the freezer for another couple of
hours until fully set then tuck in and enjoy!
