Gooseberry ice cream

Gooseberry ice creamin tuile baskets. Photograph: Harry Weir
Gooseberry ice creamin tuile baskets. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 4
Course: Dessert

Ingredients

  • For the tuile baskets:
  • 60g butter, softened
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 40g plain flour
  • 20g flaked almonds
  • For the gooseberry ice cream:
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 75g sugar
  • 300g gooseberries (fresh or frozen), stems removed
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out with a knife
  • 300ml cream
  • 100ml milk

1. For the tuiles: Preheat oven to 180°C fan.  You will need 4 ramekins (or glass jars) for shaping into baskets.  Cut 4 x 12cm squares of parchment paper and place on a large baking sheet.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and pale.  Beat in flour well to a smooth paste. Spoon a quarter of the paste onto each square.  Use a knife to spread the paste into 4 circles.  Sprinkle flaked almonds over the top of each.  Transfer to rest and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.

3. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until just turning golden brown. Once baked, for 20 seconds, then carefully lift each paper and drape the biscuit side over the base of each upturned ramekin, peel paper off.  Leave to harden and cool at room temperature.  Store tuiles in an airtight container until ready to use.

4. For the ice cream:  Make the gooseberry compote by simmering the water and sugar in a saucepan for a few minutes until starting to turn syrupy, add gooseberries and simmer for 10 minutes, mashing with a wooden spoon as the gooseberries break down, set aside to cool.

5. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is thick and leaves a ribbon like trail.

6. In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer with the scraped seeds from the vanilla pod, then whisk directly onto the eggs and sugar.  Return to the cleaned saucepan, and stir over a gentle heat until the mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.  Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside in a cool place.

7. Once cool, stir in the gooseberry compote.  Transfer to the freezer and stir the ice cream every hour for 4 hours until set frozen.

8. Serve the tuiles with scoops of delicious homemade gooseberry ice cream.