At last it seems the heatwave has broken, but this past week or so I’ve stayed cool by experimenting with homemade frozen treats. This blackberry and cardamom ice cream makes the most of sharp, new season brambles, given an aromatic twist with cardamom. I don’t have an ice creamer but you can easily churn the mixture in a blender or even by hand like me! Be sure to keep the egg whites for making meringues, look out for a lovely late Summer pavlova recipe coming soon. To make the blackberry and cardamom ice cream, you will need:
1 1/2 tsp green cardamom pods
175ml double cream
105g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
175ml milk
300g blackberries
1 tbsp water
4 egg yolks.
Crush the cardamom pods gently until the black seeds are all loose and slightly bashed. Place the seeds and husks in a saucepan with the milk and cream and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Take the pan off the heat and leave to steep for 15 minutes.
In another saucepan, heat the brambles, 25g (1oz) of the sugar and the 1 tablespoon of water over a medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5–7 minutes to allow the fruit mixture to thicken a little, much as you would when making a compote. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. Alternatively, and if you don’t mind seeds, you can simply fold fresh brambles through your mixture later. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and cornflour.
Once the mixture is smooth, pour the lukewarm cream and cardamom mix on top, whisking all the time. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat for 5–10 minutes until thickened.
Strain into a container suitable for freezing to remove the cardamom husks.
Add the blackberry compote/ whole berries, stir well and leave to cool completely, then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Once the mixture is fully chilled, pour it into an ice-cream maker and churn following the manufacturer’s instructions until set. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Otherwise, you can churn your mix by hand or in a blender every 30 minutes for about 4 hours – or until the ice cream is set. The results won’t be as smooth as an ice cream maker but will be very satisfying.
What are you making to stay cool?
Recipe adapted from Flora Shedden’s Gatherings.