Redcurrant Ice Cream
This recipe comes from a little book called Ices Galore that my mother bought in the 1970's when we got our first chest freezer! It can be made without an ice cream maker as long as you remember to beat it well just as the mixture starts to freeze. This incorporates plenty of air and breaks up the ice crystals to give a smoother texture. An electric whisk/mixer works best. I make it using the ice cream attachment of my Kitchenaid. If using an ice cream maker do check that it can cope with this quantity of mixture; many machines have a very limited capacity! This ice cream is very refreshing on hot days with the lovely dry aftertaste that you only get with redcurrants. Save a sprig of fruit to decorate when you serve.
1lb of redcurrants
5oz sugar
1/4 pint of water
1/2 pint of double cream
1. Puree the redcurrants - I use a little hand-held blender for this - and rub through a nylon sieve. Add the seeds left behind in the sieve to your compost bucket!
2. Boil the sugar and water over a moderate heat for 3 minutes and leave to cool.
3. When the syrup has cooled, lightly whip the double cream. Stir the syrup into the redcurrant puree and then fold in the lightly whipped cream. I find it mixes together better if I use the electric whisk - that I've just used for the cream - on its lowest speed setting.
4. Pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container and place in the freezer until the mixture is beginning to harden. Remove from the freezer and beat the mixture well before returning.
OR
pour the combined mixture into an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's guidelines for mixing times, then pour into a freezer proof container before freezing.
5. Remove from the freezer about one hour before serving and leave to soften in the fridge or leave it to stand on the kitchen side for about 15 minutes. If you're not eating it all at once put the rest back in the freezer straight away.
*Raspberries or blackberries - one pound of either - can be used in place of the redcurrants if you can't get hold of them or if you fancy ringing the changes!
