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Tutti Frutti Ice Cream

Remember Gino Ginelli ice cream? Neither does anyone else, apparently. Gino Ginelli made tutti frutti ice cream, which I really thought was a genuine authentic gelato flavour until very recently when I realised that no-one else makes it. That made for a very disappointing trip to Italy. 

The version from my youth was milk-white ice cream with brightly coloured specks of 'frutti' - glace cherries, candied peel and the like. There were a few green specks, which I later learned was angelica. It transpires that no-one sells angelica any more. Like most of my favourite childhood treats, its probably highly carcinogenic.

A cursory glance on Google shows a few blogs asking 'whatever happened to Gino Ginelli?' - they went the way of the dinosaurs, it seems. I'm comforted to learn some of these bloggers also remember the theme tune ('Gino-oh-Gino-Ginelli-ice-cream-oh'). Good times. I wonder if perhaps Senior Ginelli could no longer make his ice cream due to the global angelica shortage... 

This version is my attempt to recreate the tutti frutti of my youth. I have to say, although delicious, it's not what I was expecting (perhaps because of the omitted angelica?). It's got a creamy, fruity, Christmas-cakey vibe which is very nice, even in the height of summer. Unfortunately, though, my desire to relive my favourite dessert at Grandma's house remains unmet.

300ml double cream
300ml milk
1tbsp amaretto
4 egg yolks
120g caster sugar
1tsp cornflour
250g mixed dried fruit of your choice (I used chopped glace cherries, candied peel, raisins, sultanas and dried pineapple - use angelica if you can track some down)

1. Heat the milk, cream and amaretto in a saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, then add the sugar and cornflour and beat until pale and fluffy.
3. When bubbles form around the edge of the creamy milk, pour a little into the eggs and stir to slacken the mixture. Then pour in the remainder, whisking continually.
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, return to the heat and stir for a few minutes until thickened slightly.
5. Decant to a jug, add the mixed dried fruits, give it a good stir and leave to cool. 
6. When the custard is cold (ideally refrigerate it over night), give it another good stir (spoon licking opportunity here) and sling it in the Magimix.

The Amaretto gives a nice balanced flavour to the ice cream, but don't forget it affects the freezing. It will take a good 25 minutes in the ice cream maker and still won't be solid - it will firm up in the freezer though. 

Saffron ice cream

Saffron is derived from the stamens of crocus flowers. It can only be picked by the nimble fingers of those who live in warmer climes. This makes it one of the world's most expensive commodities - a kilo can cost up to £10,000. Luckily you need only 0.5g to make this recipe. 

Remarkably, the name Croydon (the place of my birth) comes from an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning 'crocus valley'; it's believed that saffron was grown here in Roman times to supply the London market. So you could say that this ice cream is a celebration of my Croydon heritage. Any excuse to sink a pint of double cream. 

The end result has a woody, grassy, earthy, metallic taste like no other.

300ml double cream
300ml milk
0.5g saffron
4 egg yolks
120g caster sugar
1tsp cornflour

1. Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan. Add the saffron and place the pan over a medium heat.
2. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together until pale and creamy.
3. When the cream mixture starts to bubble around the edge, remove from the heat. Pour a little into the egg yolks and whisk quickly to slacken the mixture. Working quickly, whisk the rest of the cream into the egg yolks until combined.
4. Return the custard mixture to the saucepan and put it back on the heat. Stir for a few minutes until thickened slightly, then remove from the heat.
5. Pour the mixture into a jug and leave to cool. You'll find your saffron strands get caught up in the whisk; spend a minute picking them out and putting them in the jug. As the custard cools, it will infuse with the saffron - you want to get the most out of it. 
6. Sling it in the Magimix.

This goes great with... Pistachio cake

Tempting though it is to hoover the saffron ice cream straight out of the bowl, why not go all refined and serve it with this lovely pistachio cake? You could even invite a few friends round. Thanks to UKTVFood for the inspiration.

150g unsalted pistachios nuts, shelled
225g plain flour
2tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt
100g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
100ml milk

A few drops of pistachio essence (optional)
1 orange
100g light soft brown sugar

1. Grease a 23cm cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment / greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (or 160C with the fan blowing). 

2. Whizz the pistachios in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Remove 50g and set aside (we'll use these for decoration). Blitz the remainder until finely chopped.

3. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl of the food processor and stir to combine. 

4. Cream the butter using a wooden spoon or electric whisk. Add the sugar and keep creaming. 

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each one. 

6. Stir in the milk, pistachio essence (if using) and the zest of the orange.

7. Stir in the flour and pistachio mixture. 

8. When combined, put in the oven for 35 minutes, until golden and risen.

9. Meanwhile, juice the orange and add to the soft brown sugar in a saucepan. When it comes to the boil, remove from the heat. 

10. When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Then, carefully turn it out onto a beautiful cake stand and make some holes in the top with a cocktail stick. 

11. Pour over the orange syrup using a spoon to distribute it in concentric rings. Finish with the reserved chopped pistachios. 

Brown bread ice cream

Sounds peculiar; tastes amazing. Truth be told, brown bread ice cream is the reason I bought myself my boyfriend an ice cream maker. I first tried this several years ago at 32 Great Queen Street in Covent Garden; I wanted to try it again but have never seen it for sale. It's a really grown-up, creamy, malty concoction and I can't recommend it enough.

In this recipe, you make caramelised breadcrumbs which you mix to a pretty standard custard base. If you don't keep wholemeal bread in the house, a wholemeal roll from the supermarket will typically weigh about 100g. If you buy it a few days before you want to use it and let it go stale, it will be easier to turn to crumbs in the food processor. The breadcrumbs get added to the mixture right before it goes into the ice cream machine. They therefore need to be quite cold before using so they don't affect the freezing process. You can make them a few days in advance and keep them in an airtight container. Try not to eat them.

For the breadcrumbs

100g wholemeal bread or bread roll (not granary, seeded, salted, cheesy or any other fancy nonsense)
60g soft brown sugar
40g butter, melted
Pinch salt (if using unsalted butter)


1. Start by making your caramelised breadcrumbs. Preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted).
2. Tear your bread into small pieces. Blitz in a food processor until you've got mostly breadcrumbs with a few lumps. You don't want it too fine.
3. Add the soft brown sugar and blitz to combine. Add the butter and blitz again.
4. Spread the crumbs out onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.
5. Bake in the over for 25 minutes, mixing them up with a spoon halfway through.
6. When nicely toasted and caramelised, allow to cool on the baking paper (take away the tray to speed up the process). When completely cool, they can be used. If you're not using them immediately, store in an airtight container.


For the ice cream

4 eggs
80g soft brown sugar
40g caster sugar
1tsp cornflour
300ml double cream
200ml milk
1 tsp vanilla paste

1. Separate the eggs, keeping the yolks only.
2. Put the cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Break up the yolks with a whisk, then add both sugars and the cornflour. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is creamy, or when beads of sweat form on your upper lip.
4. When small bubbles form around the edge of the cream, pour a small amount onto the egg mixture and whisk to combine. This makes it easier to add the rest of the cream, which you should now do, whisking all the time so the mixture doesn't curdle.
5. When combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan, and put the pan over medium heat. Cook the custard for a few minutes, stirring or whisking all the while. When it has thickened slightly, pour into a jug (this makes it cool more quickly, and easier to pour into your ice cream machine later). Leave to cool, and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Immediately before churning, stir about three-quarters of the breadcrumbs into the custard. Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions and freeze until needed.
7. Before serving, sprinkle some of the remaining breadcrumbs over the ice cream for extra crunch.

Peach sorbet

I bought some beautiful dwarf peaches (AKA donut peaches - they look like they've been run over) this weekend. The whole flat smelled of peaches today, which told me they were ripe, so I made a lovely sorbet. Some sorbet recipes suggest peeling the peaches, which is a complete faff and wholly unnecessary - a quick pass through the sieve is far quicker, and you get the most out of each peach.

600g stoned peaches (around 8 dwarf peaches, 4-6 regular ones, depending on size)
150g caster sugar
Juice of half a lemon

1. Stone and roughly chop the peaches.
2. Add the caster sugar to 150ml water and place over a medium heat. When it comes to a boil, allow the sugar syrup to bubble away for three minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Blitz the peach chunks using a blender or stick blender. Add the sugar syrup and lemon juice and blitz again.
4. Pass the peach puree through a sieve, pressing all the juice through using a spoon. You should be left with peel and any bits of stone you missed - this can be discarded.
5, Churn the puree in your ice cream maker for 30 minutes (sorbets seem to take longer than ice creams) then freeze until you're ready to eat it.

Cherry bakewell ice cream

Cherries are in season now and they don't last long. They seem to get more and more expensive every year; this ice cream is a great way to make them go further. Mixing with almonds is a classic flavour combination, and they give a wonderful texture. The Amaretto really enhances the flavour, although it does affect the freezing. It will come out of the ice cream maker more liquid than usual, but will set firm in the freezer after a few hours.

225g cherries
100g caster sugar
50g icing sugar
1/4 tsp xantham gum
100g ground almonds
300ml double cream

1. Use a cherry stoner to pit the cherries.
2. Blitz in a measuring jug until pureed.
3. Add the sugars and xantham gum and blitz again.
4. Add the ground almonds and double cream and blitz a final time.
5. Churn in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Strawberry ice cream

This is so easy as it doesn't require any cooking - so you can eat it not long after making it. Try to get a good variety of strawberry. Elsanta is ubiquitous but terrible; it's bred for yield and colour, but not for taste. Anything is better than Elsanta.

300g strawberries

100g caster sugar

50g icing sugar

1/4 tsp xantham gum

Juice of half a lemon

300ml double cream

1. Wash, hull and halve the strawberries.

2. Combine the strawberries, sugar, xantham gum and lemon juice in a measuring jug and blitz with a stick blender.

3. Stir in the cream.

4. Pour the creamy strawberry mixture into the ice cream machine and churn until frozen.