CHEATS BERRY & CHERRY ICE CREAM LOG

With the festive season well underway, here’s a berry merry ice-cream log to make a day ahead. Slice and serve dressed up with a quick cherry and honey syrup, or simply with fresh berries and grated chocolate. For some Christmas spice, add ½ teaspoon of mixed spice when pureeing the strawberries.

serves 12

300g cherries, halved and pips removed

2 tablespoons honey

2 litres of quality vanilla ice-cream

500g strawberries, leaves removed

250g raspberries

If making the syrup, heat half of the cherries with the honey in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat. Set aside to cool. This can be made a day ahead, transferred to a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator until needed.

Remove ice-cream from the freezer and leave for 20 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, line the base and sides of a tin with baking paper. Create enough space in the freezer to place the tin.

Gently crush the raspberries in a small bowl with a fork.

Roughly chop strawberries. Place strawberries in the bowl of a food processor and blend until pureed. Add the softened ice-cream and blend until well combined with the strawberry puree. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin. Dollop four spoonfuls of half the crushed raspberries across the top. With a knife point, gently swirl the raspberry into the ice-cream. Scatter over about ten cherry halves. Spoon in the remaining strawberry ice-cream mixture and repeat with remaining raspberries and cherries, gently swirling into the ice-cream. Spread the surface evenly. Transfer the tin to the freezer. Leave overnight to freeze completely.

When ready to serve, invert ice-cream onto serving platter. Using a clean tea towel rinse under hot water and wring out. Place hot tea towel over base of tin to loosen the ice-cream from the tin. Repeat, heating tea towel and covering tin base until the ice-cream log gently falls onto platter. Remove the tin and peel away the baking paper. Run a large knife under hot water to warm the blade. Cut the ice-cream log into 2cm wide slices. Serve with cherry honey syrup, if desired or with extra fresh berries.

Fiona Hammond ©2019