This does need to come with a warning. Don't make this pretty ice cream if you're not prepared to eat it in disturbing amounts (all of it in one sitting) and feel that weird cold headache, ate too much feeling that comes with such consumption. This ice cream does not like to be alone in the freezer waiting for friends. Its an extrovert – loud, bright and so so delicious to serve at a dinner party or equally consumed during a Netflix marathon sitting in front of your lap top in pajamas holding a spoon hostage until you reach the bottom. If you embrace the "just can't stop" feeling when it comes to summer in ice-cream form then friends this is it. Strawberries, vanilla, white chocolate and elderflower – they belong together. With you. In your belly. Happy times.
You will need to begin this recipe one day ahead.
Makes about 2 litres.
Ingredients
Elderflower strawberries
250g punnet strawberries, hulled, roughly chopped
½ cup elderflower cordial
Semifreddo
7 egg yolks
300g caster sugar
¼ cup elderflower cordial
1 vanilla bean, scraped seeds only
150g white chocolate (ensure its good quality) melted
450 ml thickened cream
375 gm crème fraîche
Method
For the elderflower strawberries, place the strawberries and cordial in a bowl and set aside for 2-3 hours until the berries have macerated. Add to a blender and pulse ever so briefly, you want some glorious chunks of strawberry to remain. Set aside.
For the semifreddo, whisk the yolks, elderflower cordial, 0vanilla seeds and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until thick and pale (4-5 minutes), then transfer to an electric mixer, whisk until cool (2-3 minutes) and set aside.
Whisk cream and crème fraîche together in a bowl until soft peaks form, then fold in cooled yolk mixture and melted white chocolate. Spoon into a 2 litre- capacity container, adding the elderflower strawberry mixture as you go, swirling to form a ripple effect. Freeze until firm (6 hours-overnight), then cover with plastic wrap and freeze until required. Makes about 2 litres.