We haven’t done many desserts up to now. This recipe is courtesy of Delia Online and seems entirely suitable considering the amount of Elderflower there is around this year!
Ingredients
- 1½ lb (700 g) young green gooseberries
- 8 tablespoons elderflower cordial
- 3 oz (75 g) sugar
For the custard
- 10 fl oz (275 ml) whipping cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 oz (50 g) sugar
- 1 rounded teaspoon cornflour
- 1 dessertspoon liquid glucose
Preparation Method
- First place the cream in a saucepan and bring it up to just below simmering point. While it is heating, place the egg yolks, 2 oz (50 g) sugar and the cornflour in a bowl and whisk together till smooth.
- Now add the liquid glucose to the hot cream and whisk that too until the glucose has melted down and blended with the cream.
- Next, pour the whole lot over the egg mixture, then return everything to the saucepan and continue whisking over a medium heat until the mixture thickens to a custard.
- Now rinse out and dry the bowl, pour the custard back in, cover with clingfilm and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile top and tail the gooseberries using kitchen scissors and place them in a saucepan with 3 oz (75 g) sugar.
- Put a lid on the pan, place over a low heat and let them cook gently till soft – about 5-6 minutes.
- Then place a large nylon sieve over a bowl and press the gooseberries through to extract all the pips.
- Next, stir the elderflower cordial into the gooseberry purée and, as soon as the custard is cool enough, combine the two together.
- Now you can either freeze-churn the mixture in an ice cream maker till thick, or else pour it into the polythene freezer box, cover with a lid and freeze till half-frozen (about 3-4 hours).
- At this stage beat the mixture, still in the box, with an electric hand whisk.
- Return it to the freezer, then repeat 3 hours later, and after that freeze till solid and store till needed.
- Transfer to the main body of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.