Quick Nougatine Ice Cream

If you hunt through the sweets section at a large supermarket, you will find a very hard, crisp almond confection called torrone from Italy or turrón from Spain. There is a softer, chewy version, but for ice cream the crisp crunchy one is best. Crushed into ice cream, the result is superb.

• Add to favourites
• Add to shopping list
• Print

Method

First whisk the cornflour, egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until thick. Then heat the milk in a saucepan till it is just boiling and pour it over the egg mixture, whisking the whole time. Now transfer it all back to the saucepan and heat, keeping the heat low and stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens, but don't let it quite come up to the boil. After that, add the vanilla, then pour it all into a bowl and allow it to cool completely.

Meanwhile break the turrón into pieces approximately ¼ inch (5 mm) square. When the custard mixture is quite cold, fold the fromage frais and the turrón into it. Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn for 20-30 minutes or according to the machine instructions. Spoon the ice cream into the polythene freezer box and freeze till needed, transferring it to the fridge 30 minutes before serving. This is excellent served with any berry fruits or a summer compôte.