Roasted plum ice cream

Roasted plum ice cream — full of juice, deep fruity flavour and a beautiful pastel hue. For that lovely pinkish-purple colour, it’s best to use plums with dark red flesh (though any variety will work, just with a different shade). This is a Philadelphia-style ice cream, also known as American or New York style — meaning it’s made without eggs and without cooking a custard base. It’s quicker to prepare and based on double cream rather than egg yolks. While I personally tend to favour traditional custard-based ice creams, this version is wonderfully light, creamy and gently sweet. It might just become your new favourite!

Ingredients for roasted plum ice cream:

• 1 kg plums (preferably dark red-fleshed, e.g. Black Diamond)
• 500 ml double cream
• 125 ml whole milk
• 110 g sugar (or to taste)
• freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon

Halve the plums and remove the stones. Arrange them cut-side up in an ovenproof dish (this makes it easier to collect the juices later). Roast at 180–200°C for about 20 minutes, until soft. Allow to cool, then blend the plums (including all the juices) into a smooth purée using a blender. Pass the purée through a sieve to remove the skins. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.

In a saucepan, gently heat the double cream, milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and mix with the plum purée. Cover with cling film and chill thoroughly in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 6 hours before serving.

Without an ice cream maker:

Pour the mixture into a container and freeze. For the first 3 hours, remove every 30 minutes and whisk or blend to break up ice crystals and ensure a smooth texture. Then freeze until firm.

Enjoy!