Strawberry jellies with elderflower ice cream
Ingredients
Method
First, make the ice cream. Heat the sugar, milk and glucose in a pan set over a low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Beat the egg yolks with an electric whisk until pale and creamy, then slowly pour the warm milk mix over the yolks, whisking continuously. Pour into a clean, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, until the custard has thickened. Be careful not to let it boil. To check it’s ready, dip a wooden spoon into the custard and run your finger over the back of the spoon – if it leaves a channel, it’s done. Pour into a clean heatproof bowl and leave to cool.
Whip the cream until it holds its shape but isn’t stiff. Fold into the cooled custard along with the crème fraîche, cordial and lime juice. Chill for 30 mins.
Churn the mixture in an ice cream machine following manufacturer’s instructions, or put in a shallow container and freeze. After a couple of hours, remove the ice cream from the freezer and blitz in a food processor or beat with an electric whisk. Repeat twice more as it freezes – about 6 hrs total.
For the jellies, put the gelatine in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for about 5 mins – the gelatine should be completely soft.
Heat the sugar with 200ml water over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. When it is hand-hot, squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and add it to the syrup, stirring until the gelatine has melted (the syrup must not be too hot or it will impair the gelatine’s setting qualities, but too cold and it won’t melt the gelatine). Stir in the wine.
Cut the strawberries into slices about the thickness of a 50p piece. Divide about a third of the jelly between eight glasses, then spoon a third of the strawberries on top of the jelly. (The glasses should be big enough to hold three layers of jelly and fruit, plus a scoop of ice cream on top.) Put the glasses in the fridge to set slightly. When the jelly has a skin on top, add another third of the strawberries. If the remaining jelly has set too much, very gently heat it (it should only ever be hand-hot) and pour another third over the strawberries. Put the jellies back in the fridge to set slightly again, then repeat the process with the last of the jelly and fruit. Chill until completely set, about 2 hrs.
To serve, top the jellies with a scoop of the elderflower ice cream.