Strawberry mascarpone shortcake ice-cream with peppered strawberry ripple

 

I’m lucky as a writer to be experiencing an English Summer firsthand and enjoying a wee bit of warm sun, lush scenery, and blooms everywhere.  This recipe screams balmy summer days, basking on green lawns and indulging in the freshest strawberries and iced treats.

A hybrid between ice cream and afternoon tea, it’s a delicious blend of creamy and textured ice cream, a punch of fresh strawberry rippled through, and the crunch of buttery vanilla biscuits.

Adding pepper is a way to bring out the flavor of fresh strawberries, and a little salt on the biscuits adds even more enhancement to this little dessert.

 Kitchen Tools needed:

Cole and Mason Salt and Pepper grinders

7.5cm fluted round biscuit cutter

Ice cream churn

A digital thermometer is handy

Serves: 10 (makes 1500ml ice cream)
Prep: Ice cream - 30 minutes plus overnight chilling and 80 minutes churning time

Biscuits – 30 minutes plus chilling and baking

Difficulty - medium
Ingredients
Strawberry ripple
(makes a generous amount with extra for serving)

• 400g ripe strawberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
• 90g caster sugar
• 30g liquid glucose
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• A few grinds of black pepper (fine)

Strawberry mascarpone ice cream

• 600ml full cream milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 185g caster sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 500ml mascarpone
• 150g of strawberry puree (as above) stirred in at the end

Salted vanilla biscuit fans (makes 80 quarters)

•  300g plain flour
• 1 pinch of baking powder
• 200g unsalted cultured butter – cut into cubes
• 100g sugar plus 50g extra for sprinkling
• A good pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 egg white
• 50 mls of full cream milk for basting

Strawberry ripple

5.  Whiz everything in a blender until smooth.
6. Chill until needed in the fridge.
   Strawberry mascarpone ice cream
7. Heat the milk with the vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to boil.
8. Whisk the yolks with the sugar until creamy.
9. Whisk in hot milk mixture then return the mix into the saucepan.
10. Stir constantly over low heat until it reaches 85 degrees C on a thermometer, then remove from heat and sit the saucepan in a bowl of cold water to cool.
11. While still warm whisk in the mascarpone.
12. Once cold whisk in the strawberry mixture
13. Chill the lot overnight in a covered container.
14. Line a freezer safe loaf tin with baking paper
15. Churn the mixture in two batches using half each time.
16. Smooth the first churned batch into the base of the tin.
17. Using a spoon press deep craters all over the soft ice-cream.
18. Pour strawberry puree into each crater and place in the freezer.
19. Churn the second batch and carefully spoon it on top.
20. Blob a little more puree on top then fold it in a few times with a spoon to create ripples.
21. Cover and freeze overnight to set.
    Salted vanilla biscuit fans
22. Sift the flour and baking powder together.
23. Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter, 100g sugar, salt and vanilla at medium speed until combined and smooth.
24. Turn the mixer to lower and mix in the flour and baking powder until the dough is crumbly, then mix in the beaten egg white to form a smooth ball.
25. Flatten and wrap the dough before chilling for at least one hour.
26. Roll the dough to 3-4mm thick.
27. Stamp our circles using a 7.5cm fluted cutter.
28. Cut into semi-circles and score with the side of a palette knife to make a fan pattern and halve again to make quarters.
29. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with a little caster sugar.
30. Bake on a tray at 175 degrees Celsius for 10 mins fan forced or until just starting to brown.
31. Cool on a rack and store until ready to serve.
    To Serve:
    Leave the ice cream out at room temperature to soften.

Spike with biscuit fans plus reserve a few extra for serving.

Add some sliced strawberry of you like and serve with extra strawberry puree and a grind of pepper.

TIPS - If you don’t have a thermometer, stir the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon and under no circumstances boil the mixture to prevent scrambling of the custard. The biscuit recipe can be halved but I find the fans delicious stored for later servings or with cups of tea.