S’mores ice cream

It. Is. So. Freakin’. Hot. And I know I shouldn’t complain because it’s not like I’m living in Melbourne (44°) or Adelaide (46°) but 30° is really hot for Auckland. And last night in my spin class the temperature in the room was 27.2°. It was revolting. So this ice cream could really have not come at a better time.

It’s pretty simple to make, an easy vanilla custard churned in an ice cream maker, and then mixed with crushed biscuits, a rich chocolate ganache and some roasted marshmallows. The only problem is the waiting time – the custard needs to chill overnight so you don’t end up with ice crystals in your ice cream. But you know what? If you just want to soften some store bought ice cream and mix in the goodies, who am I to judge? In this heat, it’s all about what makes life easier for you.

For the ice cream 

Ingredients

375ml milk
225g sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
750ml cream
8 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

Add the milk, sugar and salt to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk then add the pod. Remove from the heat, cover and infuse for one hour.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and set aside.
Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a sieve across the top. Set aside.
Rewarm the milk.  Slowly add ½c of the warm milk to the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
Pour the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat proof spatula. The mixture will thicken; it will take about 10 minutes and should coat the back of the spatula.
Pour the custard through the sieve, into the cream. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Set the custard over an ice water bath (I just filled my sink with cold water and ice) and stir until cool. It will only take a couple of minutes.
Cover with Gladwrap, pressing so the plastic sticks to the surface of the custard, and then refrigerate overnight.

And to put it all together 

Ingredients 

100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
¼c cream
100g digestive biscuits
2c marshmallows

Method

Place a large bowl in the freezer, along with a 1.5l capacity loaf tin.
Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it’s just about boiling then pour it over the chocolate and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Pop it into the fridge for about 10 minutes, or until it’s cool. Don’t let it set though, it still needs to be runny. Set aside about 4 tablespoons to decorate the top.
Whiz the biscuits in a food processor until they’re a fine crumb. Set aside a couple of tablespoons.
Remove the vanilla bean from the chilled custard and churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
Remove the bowl from the freezer and tip in the ice cream. Put it back in the freezer.
Place the marshmallows on a baking tray and either place them under the grill, or torch them with a chefs blow torch. Make sure they’re nice and gooey. Set aside a few for the top.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and gently fold in the ganache, followed by the biscuit crumbs, and finally the marshmallows.

Remove the loaf tin from the freezer and pour in the ice cream. Decorate with the remaining ganache, crumbs and marshmallows. Return to the freezer for four hours.

Notes

• Ice cream recipe from David Lebovitz.

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