Christmas knickerbocker glory
This ultimate ice cream dessert can be prepared as an alternative to the traditional Christmas pudding. Alternatively, use ready-made dulce de leche toffee sauce, honeycomb and ice creams to create a simple version, and crumble in your leftover pudding.
Ingredients
For the ice cream
- 570ml/1 pint double cream
- 300ml/½ pint whole milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 100g/4oz caster sugar
- 100g/4oz Christmas pudding
For the orange curd
- 4 oranges, 1 zested, 4 juiced
- 175g/7oz unsalted butter, diced
- 4 egg yolks
- 100g/4oz caster sugar
For the toffee sauce
- 1 can condensed milk, label removed
For the honeycomb
- 100g/4oz honey
- 125g/5oz glucose syrup
- 300g/12oz caster sugar
- 90ml/3fl oz water
- 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
For the chocolate sauce
- 100g/4oz 70% cocoa chocolate, broken into pieces
For the fruit
- 15-20 cherries, all but 6 stoned, stalk removed and halved
- 15 red grapes, halved and deseeded
- 15 raspberries, halved
- 15 blueberries, halved
To serve
- 290ml/½ pint double cream, lightly whipped
Method
To make the honeycomb, line a small but deep roasting tray with baking parchment. Place the honey, glucose syrup, sugar and water in a large pan and carefully take the mixture to 150C/300F. Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir in quickly. Carefully watch the mixture foam up and increase in volume for 1 minute and then quickly pour into the lined tin. The honeycombe will set very quickly. When cool, shatter into pieces. Fold through the whipped cream on serving.
For the basis of both ice creams, gently warm the milk and cream together in a medium pan until just coming to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy and doubled in size. Gradually add a little of the warmed mixture to the egg and sugar mix, stirring all the time until all has been incorporated. Return the mixture to the pan and gently warm through, stirring all the time, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Leave to cool slightly.
Divide the mixture in two and churn each half separately in an ice cream machine (operated according to manufacturers instructions) for the required time. When the first batch is almost ready, stir the Christmas pudding through to combine and freeze in suitable container.
As the second batch is churning prepare the orange curd. Reduce the orange juice and zest by half. Whisk the butter in to melt. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and fluffy and doubled in volume. Gradually add a little of the orange mix to the egg and sugar mix, stirring all the time until all has been incorporated. Return the mixture to the pan and gently warm through, stirring all the time, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Leave to cool slightly. Stir the orange curd into the ice cream a few minutes before the end of churning time. Freeze.
For the toffee sauce, simply place the can in a heavy based saucepan and cover with water. Cover with a tight fitting lid, bring to the boil and reduce to simmer for about 3 hours. Remove and leave to cool slightly Carefully open the can with an opener and scoop the toffee sauce out.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Toss the fruit together, reserving the 6 whole cherries.
To serve, alternatively layer each of the components in 6 tall (about 25.5cm/10in) knickerbockerglory glasses so the layers can be clearly identified. Finish with some of the honeycomb cream and top each one with a reserved cherry. Serve at once.